Flying Vet in Trouble (again!)
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I have flown with Maurice on quite a few occasions, and have got to know him somewhat. It is true that he has the knack of upsetting people, and loves to annoy authority. He seems to think that everybody is out to get him, and when I read all the reports about him, I tend to agree. For example, why do they put
rather than
It is a small difference, but the first one presumes guilt until the circumstances are checked. When you read other stories about him, you see things like
clapped out? Have they seen it? It got there didn't it? Just because it is old doesn't mean that it is clapped out.
All in all, I am sure that he has p1ssed of lots of people over the years by being tactless, but is he really that dangerous? I don't think so, and I have had the pleasure of flying with him. His only error was being born at the wrong time. Had he been born 30 years earlier, he would undoubtably been a real war hero. Had he been born 400 years earlier, he would have been a swashbucker. Nowadays, he is a regulating authorities nightmare.
The CAA said Mr Kirk may not have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.
The CAA said Mr Kirk may have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.
Mr Kirk recently flew solo in a 22,000km race from London to Sydney in a clapped-out plane
All in all, I am sure that he has p1ssed of lots of people over the years by being tactless, but is he really that dangerous? I don't think so, and I have had the pleasure of flying with him. His only error was being born at the wrong time. Had he been born 30 years earlier, he would undoubtably been a real war hero. Had he been born 400 years earlier, he would have been a swashbucker. Nowadays, he is a regulating authorities nightmare.
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Jetjockey’s post really got me going.
In defence of M Kirk, and others, accused without the right or ability to reply, here goes:-
Whatever else has been said about M Kirk, I, over 32 years as a vet, have not heard of his ability as a vet
being questioned. Fines and run-ins with various authorities, yes, but not his basic clinical competence.
So why the exclamation marks? He saved your cat’s life, and in return you express astonishment and whinge about the bill. It costs a lot of money to equip and run a vet’s surgery . Surprisingly, the staff don’t work for nothing and the place has to provide the service 24/7, with wads of profit-sapping health and safety regulation thrown in. Profit margins in Herriot’s time(50-60yrs) ago were much better than they are now.
As to the b------d s--tting in the kitchen presumably you are referring to the cat and not Mr Kirk.
While M Kirk’s behaviour could be described as unconventional, I have yet to hear of anything of this nature.
Interesting to note that you put your own hurt feelings as a result of Mr Kirk’s arrogance, above any feelings of gratitude for saving the cat’s life. Maybe you weren’t very polite or grateful to Mr Kirk, despite his successful efforts, and induced feelings of aggression in him, expressed as arrogance. Your self-centered view of the world may be part of the reason for the little b’s inappropriate defaecation. Try and look at the world from the cat’s point of view. Cat’s are loners, not pack animals, or only to a limited extent. They acquire and hold territory by fighting and threatening. They run the risk of severe injury if they enter a dominant cat’s territory. Cats can work out who’s been around, and when, by the scent of sites of defaecation and urination, or crap and piss, if I sound a bit arrogant. That’s why they bury the stuff --- To reduce the chance of detection. Old cat’s and young cat’s are not usually good fighters, and know it. In their eyes, the great outdoors is not an option. There are other things that disturb them, such as irregular routines in the household, domestic tension , bright lights and noisy undisciplined children. Old ladies in quiet domestic routine--happy cats. Noisy couples, working irregular hours, with undisciplined children-- unhappy cats. I’m not writing a book on the subject, just trying to set you off on the right track so that you don’t have the unfortunate cat put to sleep, which I suspect you probably wouldn’t do. Like a lot of tough-sounding guys, you’ve probably got more affection for the cat than you’d ever admit to in public. People treat animals in the same way as they treat people. Instinctively, we all know this when we come across cases of animal cruelty, an uncomfortable reminder of some homo not-so-sapiens’ capacity for senseless, gratuitous violence.
“Never used him again”----How I love that phrase. Is that how you see people? As objects there to be “used” How to lower your place as quickly as possible on a doctor’s, dentist’s or vet’s priority list. Tell him or her, or imply, that he or she is privileged to be “used” by yourself, who has been so good as to bestow such a generous favour to a financial and social inferior. “Oh, thankee koind sir” replies vet , doctor, dentist doffing cap and touching forelock.
May I suggest that when buying services you are buying just that. The employment of the word--
” used,” suggests confusion as to the meanings of service and servility.
I don’t approve of all of Mr Kirk’s activities, but I do find the response of the slightly-rattled establishment absolutely fascinating. An establishment, selfish and inward-looking, that is quietly and relentlessly throttling this country with it’s sickly obsession with health, welfare and safety. The ensuing rules, however, are open to abuse and far from being used for our benefit and welfare, often end up being used as instruments of social control, against the people, rather than for them. That’s where Mr Kirk comes in.
The last paragraph, especially, of Troddenmasses’ post rings true for me. Our current feminine, child-centred, dirigiste, no-risk society may prove in the end ( if it survives), to have been a lot odder than Mr Kirk.
Why are we being inconvenienced by Islamic extremists? My own belief is that they sense this feminine, timid degeneracy in the West and long ago spotted the Achilles heel of oil dependency.
Back to the real world. The cat wants his food, a new load of washing has got to be put in the machine,
And I need another packet of very un-PC fags. Apologies for the lack of aviation content, but you started it.
Two final points. We don’t have any record of Mr Kirk’s reaction to your “using” someone else. Could it be that it was one of deep joy and relief?
“The cat F-----G hated him”
Not an uncommon reaction, to even the most loving and touchy-feely vets, I assure you. The poor old vet, in the cat’s mind, is associated with highly stressful automobile journeys, restraint, so that we can help them, separation from the security of familiar territory, with variable amounts of pain thrown in for good measure.
“ It’s Tommy this and Tommy that, and chuck him out the brute,”
But,”It’s thank you Mr Atkins, when the guns begin to shoot”
He who dares wins.
The used are a whisker away from the abused.
In defence of M Kirk, and others, accused without the right or ability to reply, here goes:-
Whatever else has been said about M Kirk, I, over 32 years as a vet, have not heard of his ability as a vet
being questioned. Fines and run-ins with various authorities, yes, but not his basic clinical competence.
So why the exclamation marks? He saved your cat’s life, and in return you express astonishment and whinge about the bill. It costs a lot of money to equip and run a vet’s surgery . Surprisingly, the staff don’t work for nothing and the place has to provide the service 24/7, with wads of profit-sapping health and safety regulation thrown in. Profit margins in Herriot’s time(50-60yrs) ago were much better than they are now.
As to the b------d s--tting in the kitchen presumably you are referring to the cat and not Mr Kirk.
While M Kirk’s behaviour could be described as unconventional, I have yet to hear of anything of this nature.
Interesting to note that you put your own hurt feelings as a result of Mr Kirk’s arrogance, above any feelings of gratitude for saving the cat’s life. Maybe you weren’t very polite or grateful to Mr Kirk, despite his successful efforts, and induced feelings of aggression in him, expressed as arrogance. Your self-centered view of the world may be part of the reason for the little b’s inappropriate defaecation. Try and look at the world from the cat’s point of view. Cat’s are loners, not pack animals, or only to a limited extent. They acquire and hold territory by fighting and threatening. They run the risk of severe injury if they enter a dominant cat’s territory. Cats can work out who’s been around, and when, by the scent of sites of defaecation and urination, or crap and piss, if I sound a bit arrogant. That’s why they bury the stuff --- To reduce the chance of detection. Old cat’s and young cat’s are not usually good fighters, and know it. In their eyes, the great outdoors is not an option. There are other things that disturb them, such as irregular routines in the household, domestic tension , bright lights and noisy undisciplined children. Old ladies in quiet domestic routine--happy cats. Noisy couples, working irregular hours, with undisciplined children-- unhappy cats. I’m not writing a book on the subject, just trying to set you off on the right track so that you don’t have the unfortunate cat put to sleep, which I suspect you probably wouldn’t do. Like a lot of tough-sounding guys, you’ve probably got more affection for the cat than you’d ever admit to in public. People treat animals in the same way as they treat people. Instinctively, we all know this when we come across cases of animal cruelty, an uncomfortable reminder of some homo not-so-sapiens’ capacity for senseless, gratuitous violence.
“Never used him again”----How I love that phrase. Is that how you see people? As objects there to be “used” How to lower your place as quickly as possible on a doctor’s, dentist’s or vet’s priority list. Tell him or her, or imply, that he or she is privileged to be “used” by yourself, who has been so good as to bestow such a generous favour to a financial and social inferior. “Oh, thankee koind sir” replies vet , doctor, dentist doffing cap and touching forelock.
May I suggest that when buying services you are buying just that. The employment of the word--
” used,” suggests confusion as to the meanings of service and servility.
I don’t approve of all of Mr Kirk’s activities, but I do find the response of the slightly-rattled establishment absolutely fascinating. An establishment, selfish and inward-looking, that is quietly and relentlessly throttling this country with it’s sickly obsession with health, welfare and safety. The ensuing rules, however, are open to abuse and far from being used for our benefit and welfare, often end up being used as instruments of social control, against the people, rather than for them. That’s where Mr Kirk comes in.
The last paragraph, especially, of Troddenmasses’ post rings true for me. Our current feminine, child-centred, dirigiste, no-risk society may prove in the end ( if it survives), to have been a lot odder than Mr Kirk.
Why are we being inconvenienced by Islamic extremists? My own belief is that they sense this feminine, timid degeneracy in the West and long ago spotted the Achilles heel of oil dependency.
Back to the real world. The cat wants his food, a new load of washing has got to be put in the machine,
And I need another packet of very un-PC fags. Apologies for the lack of aviation content, but you started it.
Two final points. We don’t have any record of Mr Kirk’s reaction to your “using” someone else. Could it be that it was one of deep joy and relief?
“The cat F-----G hated him”
Not an uncommon reaction, to even the most loving and touchy-feely vets, I assure you. The poor old vet, in the cat’s mind, is associated with highly stressful automobile journeys, restraint, so that we can help them, separation from the security of familiar territory, with variable amounts of pain thrown in for good measure.
“ It’s Tommy this and Tommy that, and chuck him out the brute,”
But,”It’s thank you Mr Atkins, when the guns begin to shoot”
He who dares wins.
The used are a whisker away from the abused.
Intelligent Idiot
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Well to be honest, I like the mans style.
Cant say I would have the bottle to emulate but this modern day life is sooo sterile, its refreshing to have someone buck the trend.
Cant say I would have the bottle to emulate but this modern day life is sooo sterile, its refreshing to have someone buck the trend.
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Well, Capt. Kirk got a nice sympathetic write-up on ANN, somewhat re-inforcing the stereotype of the 'quirky Brit' that I meet so often on my travels in the US. No bad thing really.
Pulse 1,
It may have been my article to which you refer. He has some piratical charm, but I can see how he gets up the nose of any regulator, just as they get up his. His technical, engineering and nav skills in getting G-KIRK around the planet are well described, but what amazed me on the London-Sydney trip was his sheer physical endurance for a man of his age.
The world would be a calmer, but much more boring, place without him. (Just like Ollie Reed in fact)
Skua
It may have been my article to which you refer. He has some piratical charm, but I can see how he gets up the nose of any regulator, just as they get up his. His technical, engineering and nav skills in getting G-KIRK around the planet are well described, but what amazed me on the London-Sydney trip was his sheer physical endurance for a man of his age.
The world would be a calmer, but much more boring, place without him. (Just like Ollie Reed in fact)
Skua
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For example, why do they put
quote:The CAA said Mr Kirk may not have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.
rather than
quote:The CAA said Mr Kirk may have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.
quote:The CAA said Mr Kirk may not have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.
rather than
quote:The CAA said Mr Kirk may have committed an offence, depending on the circumstances.
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Strafer,
I don't think for a minute that AWL is an utter loony - I really think he is being deadly serious, and is defending a profession that is often misunderstood and much maligned. There's a lovely TV programme over here in which viewers bring their kranky creatures to the TV vet, who then proceeds to operate or treat as necessary. Fascinating.
My daughter has a pony, a Welsh B, so we know all about vets and vets' bills. All part of the game.
Now a vet who flies has got to be even more special, possibly eccentric, most likely chaotic, indupitably scatterbrained, humourous, cuddly, loving, grass-roots (hasn't he?).
When I was a kid our vet used to repair our budgies, cats, dogs, all creatures great and small (though I can't remember that there was ever an attempt to save a chicken, of which grandad had several - lower caste perhaps). His surgery was next door to our caff, so I would more likely be at his place just to chat. Plus the fact that I was sweet on his daughter.....
His first wife bred Pyrenean mountain dogs and judged at Crufts, he owned an Auster. I was due to accompany him on a trip to France but he eventually persuaded his new wife to go with him. They perished together on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer, having been caught by fog, in spite of a warning from the people at LT not to go. I lost a damn good pal, in the event his daughter too (though that has been repaired since
), but since then I have had a soft spot for vets. He was also an Austin 7 buff and a founder member of a certain car club. There is an race named for him that is run annually, around this time of the year I believe.
So although I am unable to affirm that Maurice and my pal would have been similar in character, there are certain recognizable parallels.
So should we on this forum be digging up murky pasts as if with relish, rather than applauding what is without doubt a fantastic achievement?
Yours aye
atb
I don't think for a minute that AWL is an utter loony - I really think he is being deadly serious, and is defending a profession that is often misunderstood and much maligned. There's a lovely TV programme over here in which viewers bring their kranky creatures to the TV vet, who then proceeds to operate or treat as necessary. Fascinating.
My daughter has a pony, a Welsh B, so we know all about vets and vets' bills. All part of the game.
Now a vet who flies has got to be even more special, possibly eccentric, most likely chaotic, indupitably scatterbrained, humourous, cuddly, loving, grass-roots (hasn't he?).
When I was a kid our vet used to repair our budgies, cats, dogs, all creatures great and small (though I can't remember that there was ever an attempt to save a chicken, of which grandad had several - lower caste perhaps). His surgery was next door to our caff, so I would more likely be at his place just to chat. Plus the fact that I was sweet on his daughter.....
His first wife bred Pyrenean mountain dogs and judged at Crufts, he owned an Auster. I was due to accompany him on a trip to France but he eventually persuaded his new wife to go with him. They perished together on the beach at Berck-sur-Mer, having been caught by fog, in spite of a warning from the people at LT not to go. I lost a damn good pal, in the event his daughter too (though that has been repaired since
), but since then I have had a soft spot for vets. He was also an Austin 7 buff and a founder member of a certain car club. There is an race named for him that is run annually, around this time of the year I believe.So although I am unable to affirm that Maurice and my pal would have been similar in character, there are certain recognizable parallels.
So should we on this forum be digging up murky pasts as if with relish, rather than applauding what is without doubt a fantastic achievement?
Yours aye
atb
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Bloke's proud of flying aircraft which have been grounded for technical reasons. And proud of all the engine failures.
And what about the "Captain Kirk of the Enterprise" story over the RT?
And, yes, we have met and I have seen the glove.
And what about the "Captain Kirk of the Enterprise" story over the RT?
And, yes, we have met and I have seen the glove.
Last edited by WrongWayCorrigan; 31st Oct 2005 at 10:51.
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Saw said vet at Kemble a few years ago wandering through the beer tent and food area with what looked like his young grandaughter ? Yes he had a trademark top hat on with some slogan such as "special adviser to the CAA" written on it.
He was relaxed looking and smiling and holding the young girls hand in a very protective, patient and tender manner.
Didn't look that dangerous to me, more like a bit of a showman who likes to wind up the establishment.
He was relaxed looking and smiling and holding the young girls hand in a very protective, patient and tender manner.
Didn't look that dangerous to me, more like a bit of a showman who likes to wind up the establishment.
