Flying Doctors
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Nice guy but I always thought he was one of life's great under achievers 
I only failed one sortie on the JP and it was with MB. It was a low level navex. I turned somewhere over middle England but was one digit out. We were blatting along and I thought all the landmarks 'looked' about right. Well railway lines and lakes do move occasionally! Next turning point was Lakenheath. At 250' 300 kts, I think, I proudly identified it on the nose at just a few miles. MB just cooly said, 'I have control' and pulled us round in a high G turn through 180. 'That is Manchester Airport, he said. I had been on 280 degs instead of 180. As I say only one digit out, no great deal
No shouting or grief at the debrief. I was as nervous as hell on the repeat exercise for obvious reasons to those who have been through this. 'Baggers' got me through it and was instrumental in streaming me to METS where eventually I would get a navigator! I did OK in the end, thanks to you sir.
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Mike is still around - now a Professor (hardly underachieving) of Aviation Medicine at at Kings College and visiting Professor at Cranfield. He did my SEP revalidation in his Bulldog this summer - great fun.
BD
BD
There have been a few pilots with either medical or dental degrees. A few doctors managed to train to solo or wings standard. Some practised both. There was a QFI at Valley in the 80s who did both and I think subsequently went on the AvMed at Boscombe. I also think he went on to commercial aviation later.
I'm not sure that there are any RAF double-hatters now, even at CAM, although the USAF still value Flight Surgeons and there's one of those at Boscombe.
I'm not sure that there are any RAF double-hatters now, even at CAM, although the USAF still value Flight Surgeons and there's one of those at Boscombe.
Do or did the docs wear their medical branch 'winged serpents' on their uniforms along with their flying brevet?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Air Pig, yes.
There was one in 1970, looks like Jon xxxxxxxx can't read the signature. I did the Domine hypoxia run in Jan and in the Jun I was scheduled to do it on a pre-OCU. He pulled me off the run as I was current and we spent the next hour or so over coffee in his office chatting.
There was one in 1970, looks like Jon xxxxxxxx can't read the signature. I did the Domine hypoxia run in Jan and in the Jun I was scheduled to do it on a pre-OCU. He pulled me off the run as I was current and we spent the next hour or so over coffee in his office chatting.
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Mrs Exascot wore her 'caducei', if that is how you spell it, when she switched from being a nursing sister to being an ATCO. She remained qualified in both roles. The only duel use was identifying on one occasion that her Flt Sgt was suffering from gout
The only duel use was identifying on one occasion that her Flt Sgt was suffering from gout
Seems hardly fair to have a duel with someone suffering from gout .....
Jack
Seems hardly fair to have a duel with someone suffering from gout .....
Jack
A number of RAF doctors in the Aviation Medicine specialty were trained to wings standard. In the days when we had lots of Command HQs, those controlling flying units had a Command Flight Medical Officer (CFMO) who worked with Command Flight Safety Staffs during aircraft accident boards of inquiry as a link to IAM particularly with regard to aircraft assisted escape systems and aircrew equipment assemblies. The HQ RAF Support Command CFMO in the mid-1980s wore wings.
By great coincidence I was chatting to Mike B last night and told him about this thread. he is still merrily flying his Twin Comm.
Last edited by skua; 24th Oct 2013 at 18:28.
A certain Col. K.E., RAMC was also an Army helicopter pilot and is probably still at it somehow or other.
The late (2011) Surgeon Cdr. Athol Hepburn was, I understand, a qualified service pilot – Meteors etc were mentioned I think, but willing to be corrected.
A recent CAA Doc flew RAF Venom FBs.
A number of current Airline pilots are also current AMEs - or vice versa, including some ladies too.
LFH
The late (2011) Surgeon Cdr. Athol Hepburn was, I understand, a qualified service pilot – Meteors etc were mentioned I think, but willing to be corrected.
A recent CAA Doc flew RAF Venom FBs.
A number of current Airline pilots are also current AMEs - or vice versa, including some ladies too.
LFH
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Sorry guys I am usually more punctillious. But good for a bit of banter, you Ba***ards. My excuse is working on a smart phone thing in JNB after a rather dramatic medivac from the bush in Bots. Mrs Exascot in an isolation room in hospital here. Me sitting in a famous great old hotel nearby. Got to get something back from health insurance occasionally.
Very good aeromed pilots and what a cracking girly blonde aeromed doc. I decided to feel ill halfway through the flight but was totally ignored!
For the record Mrs Exascot doing OK. She will survive to take over looking after me. But it will be pay back time!
MB, I hope that you did find this thread. Don't forget about my offer of a safari here.
Very good aeromed pilots and what a cracking girly blonde aeromed doc. I decided to feel ill halfway through the flight but was totally ignored!
For the record Mrs Exascot doing OK. She will survive to take over looking after me. But it will be pay back time!
MB, I hope that you did find this thread. Don't forget about my offer of a safari here.
For the record Mrs Exascot doing OK. She will survive to take over looking after me. But it will be pay back time!
Very good news but, regarding your last sentence above, I believe you might lose that "duel" ....
Jack
Very good news but, regarding your last sentence above, I believe you might lose that "duel" ....
Jack
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I was even stranger in that I was, in the mid 70's, a GD pilot at the Institute of Aviation Medicine. I remember dropping in on "young" Mike Bradshaw when he was going through the pilot training mill at Cranwell.
One flying doc who deserves a mention is Roland Winfield. Supposedly on the wartime posted strength as a doctor... at what later became the IAM, he took it upon himself to get a pair of wings then turn up at various operational stations with the news that he would be flying on ops with them that night!
It is said that he flew some 120 ops and I believe collected at least one AFC. Among the changes he made were to double the amount of oxygen that the bombers carried, having measure the increased breathing rates when under stress.
One report had him, when flying as rear gunner on a Wellington, opening fire on a German Hospital. When another crew member questioned the ethics of this engagement Winfield replied that the b******s had fired on him when driving an ambulance in France and he was perfectly legal as he had slipped his Red Cross armband on before pressing the trigger.
There are many stories of his wonderful mixture of eccentricity, bravery and determination and he was the author of a book called "The Sky belongs to them".
One flying doc who deserves a mention is Roland Winfield. Supposedly on the wartime posted strength as a doctor... at what later became the IAM, he took it upon himself to get a pair of wings then turn up at various operational stations with the news that he would be flying on ops with them that night!
It is said that he flew some 120 ops and I believe collected at least one AFC. Among the changes he made were to double the amount of oxygen that the bombers carried, having measure the increased breathing rates when under stress.
One report had him, when flying as rear gunner on a Wellington, opening fire on a German Hospital. When another crew member questioned the ethics of this engagement Winfield replied that the b******s had fired on him when driving an ambulance in France and he was perfectly legal as he had slipped his Red Cross armband on before pressing the trigger.
There are many stories of his wonderful mixture of eccentricity, bravery and determination and he was the author of a book called "The Sky belongs to them".
Lou Scannon
Bob,
Did you mean to say 'Mike Bradshaw' or should it have been Bagshaw?
All the best, Brian W
PS Are you going to the 'Farewell to the C130K' bash at Brize on Nov'; 8th?
Did you mean to say 'Mike Bradshaw' or should it have been Bagshaw?
All the best, Brian W
PS Are you going to the 'Farewell to the C130K' bash at Brize on Nov'; 8th?
The first aircraft I flew where I could actually handle the controls was a piston Provost at Rissy in 1962; my pilot was the SMO (can't remember his name).
Naturally I knew Mike Bagshaw; I handled his flights out of Farnborough on many occasions. He would always operate round the Andover area, so when he called for 'immediate return and landing' (ie a technicolour yawn is imminent) before looking at the radar I would say 'steer 090 descend to flight level 50'!
There were often USAF flying doctors attached to IAM. One day, one of these did a PD to Cranwell. Then had a radio fail. Next thing we knew, LATCC phoned us up and asked if we knew the identity of a red and white Hunter over Heathrow at about 5000 ft! He knew where he was at Cranwell and simply returned to Farnborough in a straight line!
Heck of a nice guy he was; he got promoted to full Colonel shortly afterwards and posted back to the US to command a military hospital.
When Mike left the RAF, he became a doctor at the RAE Farnborough medical centre, then became SMO for BA at Heathrow. I think he tried general practice at some time too. He still flies from Blackbushe.
Naturally I knew Mike Bagshaw; I handled his flights out of Farnborough on many occasions. He would always operate round the Andover area, so when he called for 'immediate return and landing' (ie a technicolour yawn is imminent) before looking at the radar I would say 'steer 090 descend to flight level 50'!
There were often USAF flying doctors attached to IAM. One day, one of these did a PD to Cranwell. Then had a radio fail. Next thing we knew, LATCC phoned us up and asked if we knew the identity of a red and white Hunter over Heathrow at about 5000 ft! He knew where he was at Cranwell and simply returned to Farnborough in a straight line!
Heck of a nice guy he was; he got promoted to full Colonel shortly afterwards and posted back to the US to command a military hospital.
When Mike left the RAF, he became a doctor at the RAE Farnborough medical centre, then became SMO for BA at Heathrow. I think he tried general practice at some time too. He still flies from Blackbushe.
Last edited by chevvron; 24th Oct 2013 at 21:05.
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Sorry Brian, I don't know where the Bradshaw came from (other than the guides)
I meant Mike Bagshaw of course. Delighted to hear he did so well and remains gainfully employed.
At the time Mike was going through the course rumour had it that there had been so many doctors fail the pilot bit they were thinking of getting a couple of fast jet blokes with decent A levels to apply for sponsored medical training.
Won't be able to make the Hercules farewell I'm afraid.
I meant Mike Bagshaw of course. Delighted to hear he did so well and remains gainfully employed.
At the time Mike was going through the course rumour had it that there had been so many doctors fail the pilot bit they were thinking of getting a couple of fast jet blokes with decent A levels to apply for sponsored medical training.
Won't be able to make the Hercules farewell I'm afraid.
also not forgeting a dentist with wings
I knew of a dentist in the early 80s who was at RAF St Mawgan who had been aircrew (I think a GD(N)) who went off to become a dentist at the RAF's expense-He wore his 'wings'---