On take off

On take off

Account of crew actions during take off and one particular time when aircraft ahead slewed when tire burst half way down the runway. Luckily they were able to get airborne and avoid the other aircraft.

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MPotterPL1878961-150914-22

On TakeOff
Run up to warm engine - all final checks - intercom check to all crew
members, one to the other. Ground crew would make their way to the
end of the runway in use. We were lucky as the M.T. truck that delivered
us, took our ground crew to wave us off. They were always there,
together with other ground crew, girlfriends and others wanting to wish
us a good trip.
At the end of the runway, on our turn, we would run up the engines with
brakes full on, the tail would rise until the nose became lower than the
tail, then the brakes would be released and we were on our way.
On one very dark night, the aircraft ahead of us slewed when a tyre burst
just over halfway down the longest runway, luckily F2 had already
started to lift and Tom had been holding her down. We took off and
c1eared the other with plenty of space to spare, had we had some of the
other aircraft we had flown in, I have reservations in their ability to have
made it, as some needed much more distance to take off.
Every op. saw people alongside the perimeter track to wave us on, no
matter how harsh the weather they would brave it to wish us luck.