When the immortal words ‘holy sh*t' rang out across the static park on Saturday evening, all eyes (and noses) turned to the brand spanking ‘new' Boeing E-8C JSTARS which had just flown in from Robins Air Force Base in Georgia.
The anguished cry followed the incorrect operation of the aircraft's toilet dump mechanism ... without the vital receptacle being attached.
By Sunday morning, a gang of cleaners with buckets of disinfectant had returned the static park tarmac to pristine condition and a spokesman said that the unnamed dump-lever operator had been duly reprimanded!
The E-8C has an interesting history. It began life as a Qantas Boeing 707-300 freighter more than a quarter of a century ago, before being converted and delivered as the first production JSTARS aircraft in June this year and making its airshow debut at Farnborough.
It is now operated by the 93rd Air Control Wing of the US Air Force Air Combat Command.
Source: Flight Daily News