Norway in the Air! Rick in a Uniform!

While being in Norge (Norway) I've been blessed with many unusual opportunities.  Hell, one of my rules to live by seems to be to say yes more than no, or rather force myself to do something different sometimes.
Never underestimate the experience of something new, even if it sucks. :D

While talking to two friends for the Larp community (Networking and friends, remember that!), I was invited to help out as a display actor for lack of better word, running a diorama around a model Spitfire.

Having been a fan of all things WW2 and before since I was a little lad, I couldn't say no.  Actually I was relatively drunk at the time and I may have said something like "Yush!"

Basically Norway has been in the flying of aircraft gig for 100 years and they were celebrating it across the country.  Next would be Oslo's turn as last in the line.  All of the significant era's of Norways airforce history would be celebrated.  Starting with the first flight of Baron Carl Cederström made on 14 October 1910:

http://www.europeanairlines.no/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Timeline-06-01-2011.pd

They won't have any of this flying tom foolery!

Captain Willy English reporting!

One of the most exciting and most cursed displays was the WW2 RAF display of a crashed Spitfire, complete with injured pilot, admin staff, medic crew and engineers.
Guess who was playing the role of the stiff upper lipped RAF officer?
Meeeeee!

But cursed you say?
Well, I'd say so.  The organizers were plagued by all manner of bad luck, which while I had been left with a sense of foreboding, they basically improvised with something akin to genius.

No Spitfire?  Use a fiberglass model.  Model damaged?  Buy a bag of dirt, cover damage and make like the thing crashed.

Don't have all the uniforms?  Get something that looks like it.
The general consensus was anyone who had a problem with the accuracy of such things should be congratulated for noticing and sent on their way.

We were not there for them.  We were there for the kids, the families and everyone who was there to Oooo Aaaa, take photos and generally enjoy themselves.

Pilot to be injured, need bandages.

We ran improvised scenarios starting with everyone in their own vehicles (Jeep, medical truck etc) and running to the injured pilot clambering from his cockpit.  This one we did several times and always seemed to gather people.  I blame the blood.  It got everywhere!  In one of the "scenarios" the pilot was drunk!

Photo by: Ståle Askerød Johansen

Photo by: Ståle Askerød Johansen

Everyone in the team worked damned hard in incredibly hot weather.  I can't speak for anyone else, but at the end I smelt like hard work and had received my first proper sun burn for quite a while!

There was even a magical moment when one of the last surviving pilots of WW2 was chatting with our injured pilot seen below.  I didn't managed to sneak out my mobile for a photo but it was very popular with the visitors.


2 days of acting in character with a very talented team from the Larp community. 
 
For those interested in the Norwegians in the RAF, I humbly recommend research into the 331 squadron, which this diorama was based upon.
http://www.europeanaf.org/history/331.htm

And there were the planes.

http://youtu.be/U9L8XHIPiS0

Thanks for reading!

R