Omani Jaguars

In the 1970's and 1980's, the Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF) operated a number of Jaguars. Many of the pilots were seconded from the Royal Air Force.

Being a long way from home (and authority) allowed the troops to burn off a little excess energy. These short stories were related by someone who was there.

Low Flying

Beat-ups of the airfield were routine at one stage to the point where the ground crew tried not to walk across the apron. One day someone got it a little wrong and bounced the lower fuselage of a Jaguar off the roof of a brand new car belonging to the Chief Engineer. The car was written off and the Jaguar badly damaged. Chiefy was not amused...

Well Blow Me Down

The officers mess at one station was a four sided building with a central courtyard. One day someone decided to beat up the mess, pulled up into a steep climb and added re-heat for extra effect. The net result was that all of the courtyard doors were blown off their hinges and the windows shattered. He was not popular with the drinkers...

Road Train

Out in the desert, the roads are long, straight and almost traffic free. For a little excitement the pilots would wait for a single truck to appear. They would then drop the undercarriage, switch on the landing lights and then fly down the road at a very low level towards the poor trucker. In the heat haze, all that the truck driver could see were the approaching lights. Most would opt for an unplanned diversion off the road into the desert...

Cliff Hanger

When the opportunity presented itself, passengers were taken on familiarisation flights in the two seat Jaguars. When presented with an appropriate passenger, pilots knew of a particular section of the desert which was absolutely flat for some miles, ending at a cliff face some 200' high. They would set the radio altimeter at (say) 210' and fly down the desert straight at the cliff and wait for the screams from the back seat...

Last updated: 13 March, 2003 09:18