Pierre_Argh
Lantern Swinger

The annals of (unofficial) Naval History are full of legendary spoofs that have been perpetrated in the past... going to stores for a long weight, the maltese tiger shoot, etc
Most of us have been in long enough to remember other originals and I for one still enjoy recounting the tales (must be my age?). So let's hear them...
One to be get things rolling. One Monday morning all the Sqn COs at a certain Air Station, arrived at work to find a convincing but many paged document in their in-trays stating that the airfield electrical supply was being switched to an economy tarif as a cost saving measure. The case was beautifully explained, including a section that required the squadron to forecast their electrical usage and bid accordingly. Night-flying was obviously high-usage, as were Instrument Approaches... a visual departure less so and a sortie at the satelite airfield cheap by comparison. There were forms to be filled in, records to be kept... a beautifully written beauocratic night-mare that summed up the prevalent "cost-saving at whatever cost attitude". That it was apparently signed by Cdr(Air) added to it's credibility.
So many bit!, Cdr(Air) was one of the first to check his in-tray and was allegedly heard to say, "Did I sign this?"... quickly brought in on the joke, he then spent the rest of the morning dealing with irrate calls from Sqn COs etc assuring them that the document was genuine and the need for such a measure real.
Most of us have been in long enough to remember other originals and I for one still enjoy recounting the tales (must be my age?). So let's hear them...
One to be get things rolling. One Monday morning all the Sqn COs at a certain Air Station, arrived at work to find a convincing but many paged document in their in-trays stating that the airfield electrical supply was being switched to an economy tarif as a cost saving measure. The case was beautifully explained, including a section that required the squadron to forecast their electrical usage and bid accordingly. Night-flying was obviously high-usage, as were Instrument Approaches... a visual departure less so and a sortie at the satelite airfield cheap by comparison. There were forms to be filled in, records to be kept... a beautifully written beauocratic night-mare that summed up the prevalent "cost-saving at whatever cost attitude". That it was apparently signed by Cdr(Air) added to it's credibility.
So many bit!, Cdr(Air) was one of the first to check his in-tray and was allegedly heard to say, "Did I sign this?"... quickly brought in on the joke, he then spent the rest of the morning dealing with irrate calls from Sqn COs etc assuring them that the document was genuine and the need for such a measure real.