Why the RAF doesn’t do poppy drops anymore.

[Tony1963]

I was told about this at work yesterday by a guy who worked on the BBMF for five years. Hilarious, but could’ve gone so very, very wrong. Needs a little volume.

[MEDIA=youtube]Re-EHZLEnRc[/MEDIA]

[Simpo Two]

How does that link work? I just get hits for rhenium.

Just copy/paste the whole URL.

[General Price]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re-EHZLEnRc

[Simpo Two]

Ta!

So we can't even drop poppies now in case they hurt someone.

[General Price]

Simpo Two said:

Ta!

So we can't even drop poppies now in case they hurt someone.

There was a decent thud early on,I don't know what it was though.

[saaby93]

Tony1963 said:

I was told about this at work yesterday by a guy who worked on the BBMF for five years. Hilarious, but could’ve gone so very, very wrong. Needs a little volume.

[MEDIA=youtube]Re-EHZLEnRc[/MEDIA]

[MarkwG]

Simpo Two said:

Ta!

So we can't even drop poppies now in case they hurt someone.

Damn near did hurt someone! Not surprised they stopped after that, frankly.

[Tony1963]

Sorry about the non-existent link.

I doubt the MAA/CAA were impressed at all by the dropping of solid, heavy objects over a busy event in the middle of London. And the BBMF were perhaps not upset at not having to do it ever again. It was at best dodgy when things went well!

[Evanivitch]

MarkwG said:

Simpo Two said:

Ta!

So we can't even drop poppies now in case they hurt someone.

Damn near did hurt someone! Not surprised they stopped after that, frankly.

Bomber does what bombers do...

[Simpo Two]

Evanivitch said:

MarkwG said:

Simpo Two said:

Ta!

So we can't even drop poppies now in case they hurt someone.

Damn near did hurt someone! Not surprised they stopped after that, frankly.

Bomber does what bombers do...

Precision bombing indeed.

OK so those poppies got stuck in a block for some reason that they can fix, but these days no doubt if they tried it again then 'activists' would be on the news saying it was bad for the imviramunt.

[Tony1963]

Simpo Two said:

Precision bombing indeed.

OK so those poppies got stuck in a block for some reason that they can fix, but these days no doubt if they tried it again then 'activists' would be on the news saying it was bad for the imviramunt.

I should think the BBMF were happy to never do it again. The work involved in filling the bomb bay with poppies, and fitting wire mesh to ensure that no poppies interfered with the flying control cables, was more than any gawpers on the ground would appreciate. And not really legal, at a guess.

[eharding]

Tony1963 said:

Simpo Two said:

Precision bombing indeed.

OK so those poppies got stuck in a block for some reason that they can fix, but these days no doubt if they tried it again then 'activists' would be on the news saying it was bad for the imviramunt.

I should think the BBMF were happy to never do it again. The work involved in filling the bomb bay with poppies, and fitting wire mesh to ensure that no poppies interfered with the flying control cables, was more than any gawpers on the ground would appreciate. And not really legal, at a guess.

As far as the CAA is concerned, in the correct circumstances and with the appropriate permissions, ashes, flour, petals, poppies and teddies are OK. Puppies not so much. See also CAP 403 and section 89 of the ANO.

[Tony1963]

[eccles]

eharding said:

Tony1963 said:

Simpo Two said:

Precision bombing indeed.

OK so those poppies got stuck in a block for some reason that they can fix, but these days no doubt if they tried it again then 'activists' would be on the news saying it was bad for the imviramunt.

I should think the BBMF were happy to never do it again. The work involved in filling the bomb bay with poppies, and fitting wire mesh to ensure that no poppies interfered with the flying control cables, was more than any gawpers on the ground would appreciate. And not really legal, at a guess.

As far as the CAA is concerned, in the correct circumstances and with the appropriate permissions, ashes, flour, petals, poppies and teddies are OK. Puppies not so much. See also CAP 403 and section 89 of the ANO.

Whilst working at Marshalls I worked on the major service of a C-130 that had done a poppy drop. They got absolutely everywhere in the cargo bay, under floors, behind trim blankets, we were finding them everywhere!

I remember them dropping someone's ashes over the airfield from a Cessna 152. It wasn't very well thought through and involved the passenger opening the door and shaking the ashes out of a cardboard box...... cue the cabin filling with ash, and the pilots eyes. He just about managed to get it down ok and after that there was no more dropping of ashes!

[Tony1963]

Tasty!

[yellowjack]

Simpo Two said:

Precision bombing indeed.

OK so those poppies got stuck in a block for some reason that they can fix, but these days no doubt if they tried it again then 'activists' would be on the news saying it was bad for the imviramunt.

They're not interested in the cause of them falling as a block - but they've fixed the issue, permanently, by not doing poppy drops again. The simplest solutions usually do work best...

As for the activists thing? I'm not sure poppy drops are any great loss really. And when it comes to dropping stuff from aeroplanes, confetti canons, and that ticker-tape crap at gigs and festivals, I frequently find myself asking "what is the point of it all" and "Christ, what a waste...". And I'm no 'activist'.

I remember the fallen by stopping off on bicycle rides to read names on village war memorials or on headstones in cemeteries and churchyards that have Commonwealth War graves. Because "remembering" the fallen is about a little more than standing in silence for a couple of minutes one November morning, or gawping like a goldfish at poppies falling out of the sky...

[The Mad Monk]

General Price said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re-EHZLEnRc

Could you tell them to hold the camera still, instead of waving it around all the time?