A Christmas story



Christmas Story


It was Christmas Eve and as the only instructor on a duty I was hoping to finish early, however, this was not to be, as about 15.00 Liz the secretary came in with a request for a trial lesson, the weather was not to bad and Cessna 150 G-AZID was outside so let’s do it.
The student duly arrived shortly after, he was French with limited English, he was tall and very slim his hair was short with a weathered tanned face and intense dark eyes. Whilst completing the paperwork Jean Francois said he had flown once when younger and just wanted 30 minutes flying as it was Christmas Eve.
When we arrived at ZID I showed him around and opened the port door for him, without any delay he jumped in when I arrived around to the starboard door, he had already fastened his harness and as ZID was an Aerobat fitted with a full harness, so this caught me by surprise.
During start and taxi out Jean Francois was quiet and said little, he was looking around and seemed relaxed and comfortable, almost as if he was at home.
The flight to the southeast corner and back went well, and I let Jean Francois fly for most of the flight which he did without any assistance from me. Approaching Noirmont at 2000ft a light broken cloud layer appeared below us and as the sun was low to the southwest I noticed our shadow on the thin clouds below us with a halo around.
At first glance, I didn’t notice it but I had this strange feeling that made me look again at the shadow, my heart raced as I saw that the aircraft shadow within the halo was not a Cessna 150, it was a low wing aircraft with what looked like a radial engine. I looked at Jean Francois, he was just looking ahead with a relaxed expression. Maybe there is another aircraft near us that I had not heard on the frequency, so I asked ATC Jersey approach, it was Ray Lock as controller he said they could see a weak return but they thought it was just radar Ghosting and not an aircraft.
I started descending over Noirmont almost by instinct as I was transfixed on looking at the shadow, then as the descent continued below the light cloud, the shadow was gone, at first looking around for another aircraft there was nothing, then I spotted it, another aircraft, just to our left and below our level, close to us and on the same heading. By this time we had lined up on runway 27 at around 800ft.
I can only describe it as horror looking at this aircraft that ATC said was not there and now I recognized it, as a T28 low wing radial engine military aircraft, it was lining up gear down for runway 27 but just to the left of the centreline. My voice must have sounded shaky to ATC as they again said they only saw a weak ghosting return as they cleared me to land.
As I watched the T28 continue towards the runway I had time to see its markings, all silver with the French Tricolore on the tail, it must be the French Air Force, well we often see their aircraft at a low level transiting the zone on route to Landivisiau, but not on finals with gear down and not talking to ATC, something wasn’t right, my heart was thumping. As we approached closer to landing I watched as this T28 flared and landed, not on the runway, but on the parallel 27 taxiway.
Seconds after we also landed and as I turned left at the center intersection I expected to see the aircraft parked somewhere on the apron or taxing around to the south apron, but there was nothing. ATC cleared me back to the club, I was shaken so I said nothing to ATC. I now had time to look across at Jean Francois his expression had not once changed, just looking calm and controlled and at home.
After parking, both of us walked back to the flying room and once up the stairs I went straight to the phone and called ATC, Jean Francois followed me up the stairs but as I looked behind he was gone, he must have already left. ATC had the same story, they had seen a weak radar return but said no aircraft other than ours had landed.
Shaken I went across to the clubhouse looking for Jean Francoise, no sign. John Sutch the chairman was there and I told him the story and as John worked in ATC he went up to the tower to find out what had happened.  About an hour later he came back, he had a picture with him a French Air Force T28 Fennec, that’s what I had seen.
John had looked back and on Christmas Eve 2 years previously a flight of three French Air Force T28’s had landed in Jersey before departing for Landivisiau. On calling there ATC directly he had found out that one of the T28’s had crashed on approach to Landivisiau.
Sadly the pilot Jean Francois had not survived. 


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