---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: After my grandfather's plane took enemy…"
description: "\"After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was denied permission to land at the first available airstrip. In that classic British bureaucratic wa..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg"
---

#  After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was…

![“After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was denied permission to land at the first available airstrip. In that classic British bureaucratic way, they said he had to go back to your own airbase in the Midlands. They crashed between the coast and the airfield.” quote by Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg)

> “After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was denied permission to land at the first available airstrip. In that classic British bureaucratic way, they said he had to go back to your own airbase in the Midlands. They crashed between the coast and the airfield.”

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Bureaucratic red tape can cause deadly delays and tragic outcomes.

**In simple terms:** Red tape can be lethal.

Key Takeaway

Streamline decisions in emergencies.

Themes

bureaucracy war human cost

Mood

tense tragic

Type

historical critical

When to use this quote

- military planning
- disaster response
- aviation
- policy making

Key Concepts

political science ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance safety and speed?
- What reforms could prevent such loss?

A Different Perspective

Complex systems sometimes need checks.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Airbase Midlands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airbase-midlands-3995750/) [Airstrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airstrip-2171099/) [Available](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/) [Available Airstrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available-airstrip-3995752/) [British](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/british/) [Classic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/classic/) [Coast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coast/) [Denied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/denied/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Grandfather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather/) [Grandfather Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandfather-plane-3995751/) [Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/land/) [Permission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permission/) [Plane Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plane-took-1230275/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [“As I've already mentioned, 1984 and I were getting on famously. A no-frills setup, run without sentiment, snobbery or cultural favouritism, Airstrip One seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/as-i-ve-already-mentioned-1984-and-i-were-getting-on-famously-a-no/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“along the runway.  As the plane took off, Nikias gently took Diona’s hand, pulling it from the arm of the chair, where it gripped”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-kelly/along-the-runway-as-the-plane-took-off-nikias-gently-took-diona-s/)

[Marie Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-kelly/)

> [“When the plane took off with me in it, I felt strangely light—as if the strings mooring me to the life I’d made had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melodie-winawer/when-the-plane-took-off-with-me-in-it-i-felt-strangely-light-as-if/)

[Melodie Winawer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melodie-winawer/)

> [“She had always been this way: interested-quite unnecessarily, some would say-in the secrets of strangers. When flying, she always chose a window seat so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/she-had-always-been-this-way-interested-quite-unnecessarily-some/)

[Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/)

> [The plane took off at 8:10 in the morning - or that's when it was scheduled to take off. And that's when I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-olson/the-plane-took-off-at-8-10-in-the-morning-or-that-s-when-it-was/)

[Ted Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-olson/)

> [You get some sleep, Abigail," Townsend told her. "I'll keep watch." "That's very gracious of you, but being that we're on an airplane..." Even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/you-get-some-sleep-abigail-townsend-told-her-i-ll-keep-watch-that-s/)

[Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/)

> [We loved getting married on the east coast of Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cooper/we-loved-getting-married-on-the-east-coast-of-mexico/)

[Alex Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cooper/)

> [I feel like too many people on the West Coast, they're too needy. They feel they need Snoop or Game. I never did any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyga/i-feel-like-too-many-people-on-the-west-coast-they-re-too-needy-they/)

[Tyga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyga/)

> [Since I was a kid, I've had an absolute obsession with particular kinds of American music. Mississippi Delta blues of the Thirties, Chicago blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/since-i-was-a-kid-i-ve-had-an-absolute-obsession-with-particular/)

[Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/)

> [I have a West Coast rhythm section and a New York rhythm section. I've got them spread out all over the place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-mcpartland/i-have-a-west-coast-rhythm-section-and-a-new-york-rhythm-section-i-ve/)

[Marian McPartland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-mcpartland/)

> [You don't have to come from Trinidad to really love Harry Belafonte, you don't have to come from the West Coast to appreciate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-avett/you-don-t-have-to-come-from-trinidad-to-really-love-harry-belafonte/)

[Seth Avett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-avett/)

> [The United States is filled with power places. The majority of them, however, are to be found either along the West Coast and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-united-states-is-filled-with-power-places-the-majority-of-them/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [When you're "East Coast" person, you are so insufferable, and you have no idea. And I was. One, because I was miserable, and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mindy-kaling/when-you-re-east-coast-person-you-are-so-insufferable-and-you-have-no/)

[Mindy Kaling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mindy-kaling/)

> [I swam with my first shark in the 1980s. I was 20 miles off the coast of Rhode Island, working with a group of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-skerry/i-swam-with-my-first-shark-in-the-1980s-i-was-20-miles-off-the-coast/)

[Brian Skerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-skerry/)

> [I sound New York. I sound East Coast much more than a blonde person from L.A.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kavner/i-sound-new-york-i-sound-east-coast-much-more-than-a-blonde-person/)

[Julie Kavner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kavner/)

## More by Tom Hooper

> [I decided to be a filmmaker when I was 12. I had utter clarity that this would be my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-decided-to-be-a-filmmaker-when-i-was-12-i-had-utter-clarity-that/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [What's fascinating about the Australians is they have this quality that they are impervious to majesty. They're not awed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/what-s-fascinating-about-the-australians-is-they-have-this-quality/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [The more and more I work with really great actors, the more it's about opening yourself up to what they bring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/the-more-and-more-i-work-with-really-great-actors-the-more-it-s-about/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [My two great loves when I'm shooting are working with great actors and composing images.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/my-two-great-loves-when-i-m-shooting-are-working-with-great-actors/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [I began to think that if you're a stutterer, it's about inhabiting silence, emptiness, and nothingness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-began-to-think-that-if-you-re-a-stutterer-it-s-about-inhabiting/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [The relationship that Tony Blair has with Cherie Blair doesn't have an immediate binding effect on the body politic with Britain. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/the-relationship-that-tony-blair-has-with-cherie-blair-doesn-t-have/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [The more uncompromisingly specific you are the more you end up touching the bigger universal truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/the-more-uncompromisingly-specific-you-are-the-more-you-end-up/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [Well, I'm half Australian, half English and I live in London. That is the only reason I came upon this story. My Australian mother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/well-i-m-half-australian-half-english-and-i-live-in-london-that-is/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [In 'The King's Speech,' patriotism is utterly contained within a historical moment, the third of September, 1939, where the aggressor is clear, the fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/in-the-king-s-speech-patriotism-is-utterly-contained-within-a/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [When I was growing up my mother would say, 'Your dad may have to learn about being a father because he lost his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/when-i-was-growing-up-my-mother-would-say-your-dad-may-have-to-learn/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [I have a ton of scripts sent to me. At the moment, Im frankly struggling to catch up. Im reading through all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-have-a-ton-of-scripts-sent-to-me-at-the-moment-im-frankly/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [I appear to be drawn to iconic characters and what they reflect back to our cultures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-appear-to-be-drawn-to-iconic-characters-and-what-they-reflect-back/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [I mean, we've all had those dreams where, you know, we try to cry out and our voice won't come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-mean-we-ve-all-had-those-dreams-where-you-know-we-try-to-cry-out/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [Actors are programmed to see the worst. If you're talking about an actor's TV series, you say, 'I loved you last night.' And they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/actors-are-programmed-to-see-the-worst-if-you-re-talking-about-an/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

> [I think people enjoy finding out something genuinely new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-think-people-enjoy-finding-out-something-genuinely-new/)

[Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

[Explore all 59 Tom Hooper quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/)

## More Available quotes

> [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. The next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reed/i-wrote-when-i-was-a-young-teen-but-i-didn-t-put-an-eye-on-the/)

[Robert Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reed/)

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [Tell the truth about your wound, and then you will get a truthful picture of the remedy to apply to it. Don't pack whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/tell-the-truth-about-your-wound-and-then-you-will-get-a-truthful/)

[Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/)

> [No actor wants to choose - they just want all of the options available to them all the time; we tend to be pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-jacobs/no-actor-wants-to-choose-they-just-want-all-of-the-options-available/)

[Gillian Jacobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-jacobs/)

> [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [I used practically all the money I had available.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-ebbers/i-used-practically-all-the-money-i-had-available/)

[Bernard Ebbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-ebbers/)

> [But we need to be very clear: because of our decades of collective denial, no gradual, incremental options are now available to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/but-we-need-to-be-very-clear-because-of-our-decades-of-collective/)

[Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/)

> [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/)

[Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/)

> [I m Single , Eligible But Not Available .. Limited Edition :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faisal-khan-neal/i-m-single-eligible-but-not-available-limited-edition-d/)

[Faisal Khan Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faisal-khan-neal/)

> [I do worry because it takes all types to make our culture, to make our art. We need it to be available to all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-mcintosh/i-do-worry-because-it-takes-all-types-to-make-our-culture-to-make-our/)

[Neve McIntosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-mcintosh/)

> [So-called Western Civilization, as practised in half of Europe, some of Asia and a few parts of North America, is better than anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/so-called-western-civilization-as-practised-in-half-of-europe-some-of/)

[P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/)

> [The internal peace of every country depends upon the knowledge that force is available to uphold law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/the-internal-peace-of-every-country-depends-upon-the-knowledge-that/)

[Edward Grey, 1st Viscount Grey of Fallodon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-grey-1st-viscount-grey-of-fallodon/)

> [It is truly amazing that, with much less neuroscientific knowledge available, Hayek's model comes closer, in some respects, to being neurophysiologically verifiable than those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-fuster/it-is-truly-amazing-that-with-much-less-neuroscientific-knowledge/)

[Joaquin Fuster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-fuster/)

> [While it's wonderful that investors have access to all the data now available to them, it has become a full-time job to sift through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bartiromo/while-it-s-wonderful-that-investors-have-access-to-all-the-data-now/)

[Maria Bartiromo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bartiromo/)

> [I'm in production year round. I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/)

[Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/)

[Browse all 2,134 Available quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/available/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was denied permission to land at the first available airstrip. In that classic British bureaucratic way, they said he had to go back to your own airbase in the Midlands. They crashed between the coast and the airfield.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tom Hooper"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy-fire-he-was-denied-permission/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Available"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy-fire-he-was-denied-permission/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/624/tom-hooper-11526_available_after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy_2070647.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“After my grandfather's plane took enemy fire, he was denied permission to land at the first available…” — Tom Hooper",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Tom Hooper",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "After my grandfather's plane took enemy...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy-fire-he-was-denied-permission/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/after-my-grandfather-s-plane-took-enemy-fire-he-was-denied-permission/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
