Page 96 - Demo

94Early one morning, as the sun rose over the Black Forest, I was fortunate enough to be detailed to fly a low-level navigation sortie in France. The calm, clear conditions were ideal for low flying. As many will know, planning was both quick and easy, for these dedicated preplanned routes were already in booklet form; this was made possible because they had been approved in advance by the French authorities in Paris. So, with Diplomatic Clearance in place and flight plan filed, I was soon out-briefing. I then walked to the Hardened Aircraft Shelter with route book in hand. I knew that 2 other Starfighters were to follow me at 5 minute intervals. Once airborne and at 450kts, I headed west at 500ft, almost immediately entering French airspace.My route took me north of Strasbourg, past the military airfields at Nancy and St. Dizier, and then south, passing the source of the River Seine, and onwards towards Dijon. Turning south of the town onto a north-easterly heading, the return route was a straight line across the Vosges Mountains, back into German airspace on the Rhine close to Lahr, another Canadian air base, prior to recovery to Baden. My efforts to look out for other aircraft kept me aroused, as I fully expected one of the other squadron pilots to cut the corner and sneak up on me unseen, probably from below - the RAF Exchange Officer was always fair game! For most of the trip, the countryside was stunningly beautiful and, under clear sky, life felt good! However, it was not to last, as there was some low cloud on the western side of the Vosges Mountains, which would adversely affect my return route, and my attempt to find a valley to 'sneak' through failed. Instead I had to pull up; fortunately there was no controlled airspace to worry me above my track. Full reheat, onto instruments, 300 pitch, check heading and think about calling Colmar for a radar service. The moment I settled into the 400+kt climb, there was a massive bang!Incredible noise, foul stench, excruciating pain in my hand and shoulder. Bird remains and windscreen glass from the quarter-light had hit me so hard it cut my hands. Luckily it missed my face and eyes. By the time I had composed myself, I was in clear air above 4000ft. The engine seemed to be behaving well %u2013 how lucky! I considered my options. Colmar (a Mirage 2000 base) was just 20 miles