Backing up military vehicles

[Jon Skagfeld]

What follows is, I hope, an amusing anecdote.

Both collectors of MVs, as well as present or past serving military members, are familiar with the typical conventions involved in acting as a ground guide in order to reverse a vehicle into a hide or other area.

My wife, Betty, after receiving instructions, managed to get my Chev CMP into the winter storage modular tentage, albeit slightly askew.

When Sunray came to visit this week-end past, I asked him to back me up and get the vehicle positioned correctly.

Having been involved with military transport and ground guiding armoured vehicles, etc. I expected Sunray to exhibit the usual forms of ground signals.

Imagine my astounded and totally pissed off feeling as Sunray wildly waved his arms as if he were flailing in a hot tub!

I backed up and went forward EIGHT(!) times until Sunray got it more or less right.

I learned later from Betty, who was watching this charade from the front window, that she thought Geoff was having a fit of St Vitus dance.

Such gesticulations!

Now I have to get Betty to do the job properly!

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Piss off, you old git! I gave you simplified (even for your degrading mind) signals which you failed to heed. What part of Left, Right and Straight did you not understand? I'm going to have to stop supplying your beer ration...

Nonetheless, we got the job done. The wee beastie is ALMOST straight in the shelter...

[Frank Misztal]

Geoffrey, old boy... I guess I should've been there to show you how it's done.

Jon, it's a good thing you didn't have a trailer hooked up. Ole Sunray would've had his arms flailing so much, he would've flown south with the geese.

PS: Jon, you should have just shifted the mod tent until the veh was perfectly aligned inside.

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Frank Misztal
PS: Jon, you should have just shifted the mod tent until the veh was perfectly aligned inside.

Frank, after about the sixth attempt, I was seriously thinking about doing exactly that!

[Jon Skagfeld]

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
The wee beastie is ALMOST straight in the shelter...

Yeah...ALMOST...Betty's gotta sort it all out.

BTW, everyone...that's the most exercise Sunray's had for a long time...what with windmilling his arms in futile attempts to reverse a vehicle.

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

PRONTO... you actually have to look UP the word "exercise" in the dictionary each time you use it, don't you?

[Mark W. Tonner]

PRONTO;

:idea: In SUNRAY'S defence, you have to remember that in his day, I don't think the art of 'Ground Guiding' was part of the syliabus for the 'DRIVER CHARIOT COURSE'.........., hence, the 'flailing' of the arms..........



this is a frying pan free zone

[dougiebarder]

Sound's like Mr W.B. learnt to give direction's at the same school as my father. His technique is to go and stand behind the vehicle (in the blind spot) and shout instruction's you can't hear over the noise of the engine!

[Richard Farrant]

Jon,

The guiders I hate are those that rotate their hands in the direction they wish you to turn the wheel.....what they always forget is that you are looking at them from the other way, so inevitably you will turn the wheel opposite which makes their hand gestures all the more frantic. This is where I stop manouvering and suggest we do it the correct way, which is so much simpler.

Having worked for many years with the military in a large workshop, we were pretty good at getting all types of vehicles in to tight corners..using the correct signals.

Richard

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Originally posted by Mark W. Tonner
In SUNRAY'S defence, you have to remember that in his day, I don't think the art of 'Ground Guiding' was part of the syllabus for the 'DRIVER CHARIOT COURSE'.........., hence, the 'flailing' of the arms..........

That's just about enough out of you, Mr. I-was-in-uniform-when-Christ-was-a-Corporal...

I was in front of the vehicle, but Jon was incapable of interpreting his left from his right, vs straighten your wheels etc. Have to keep that boy out of my rye bottle and ration his beer...

If I'd thought to bring my camera, I could have given you all shots of the perfect job I did.

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
If I'd thought to bring my camera, I could have given you all shots of the perfect job I did.

Ah; plait (braid) sawdust time again.



R.

[Mark W. Tonner]

Originally posted by Mark W. Tonner
In SUNRAY'S defence, you have to remember that in his day, I don't think the art of 'Ground Guiding' was part of the syliabus for the 'DRIVER CHARIOT COURSE'...

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
That's just about enough out of you, Mr. I-was-in-uniform-when-Christ-was-a-Corporal...

Gee, I must have misunderstood you, I thought you said that you served when 'CENTURION' was a 'RANK' not a 'TANK'... I guess you meant it the other way around....., Oh well......

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hello Richard

I actually like the hand rotation method, FOR VEHICLE GUIDANCE, but it relies on the total faith of the driver in the guider. It has always worked for me both as a driver and guider.

Bob

[Bob Moseley (RIP)]

Hi Jon

What I also meant to mention in my last post was that you should know that no senior officer should be given any responsibility for practical matters. The adage I used to use was "never trust any Commissioned Officer with a map and a compass". The same for vehicles, no responsibilities other than placing their butts in the passengers seat.

Bob