“Welcome to the Bananas Flight”
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X7905200407 |
| Date | 01 October 1979 |
| Published date | 01 October 1979 |
| Subject Matter | “A Fellow Traveller” |
"A
FELLOW TRAVELLER"
"WELCOME
TO THE
BANANAS
FLIGHT"
Each year for the past five, the
John
Jay
College of Criminal
Justice in New York,
part
of the City University, which has strong
links with the Police
Staff
College at Bramshill, has organised what it
calls a
"consortium"
of eminent foreign speakers to
tour
various
regions of the U.S.A., lecturing at universities, colleges
and
police
establishments on a topical subject in the criminal justice field.
The
United Kingdom has always been well represented by a
number
of
speakers (three this year) predominantly,
but
not
exclusively, senior
police officers. A
number
of Chief Constables
and
Chief
Superintendents have figured amongst the U.K. contingent over the
years.
Due
to the nature of the assignment, the consortium has
become known colloquially in the U.K. as
"The
Flying Circus".
Recognised as hardened senior policemen who
can
look after
themselves
and
adapt
to anything, the participantsare met at
John
F.
Kennedy Airport in New
York
-usually on a
Saturday
afternoon-e-
and
throwing
caution
and
jetlag to the wind, are immediately
whisked into New York, pointed briefly at a hotel
and
wined
and
briefed until arespectable
hour
New
York
time, or 2a.m.
London
time, depending on the point of view. Well, at leastagood night's sleep
lies
ahead
and,
through
the haze, 14lectures in different cities in three
weeks does
not
seem
too
bad. And then the
European
metabolism
makes itself felt by waking up all the speakers -from the U.K., West
Germany,
and
Holland - at varying times between 3.30 a.m.
and
6.30 a.m. because, of course, it is really 8.30 or 11.30 a.m. - isn't.
it?Setting the pattern for the coming three weeks, the speakers -
even the non-drinkers like me -
are
whipped
off
in a daze to La
Guardia
Airport
with a fistfull of airline tickets
and
an itinerary
which would do credit to
any
whistle-stop politician. As two of
them
board
an aircraft to
O'Hare
Airport, Chicago, they almost
about
turn
and
head
back
to the comparative safety of England
and
Scotland
respectively. "Welcome to
the
Bananas Flight" says
the
slightly bewildered looking hostess. We
look
at each other. On
board
we find
our
seats - just. Passengers in excess of the seating capacity
are
milling
around.
"We're
overbooked" says the steward
intelligently.
"God",
1mutter, "I hope the pilot is more competent
than
the
crew!"
October 1979 379
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