OMS had the privilege of being with Bill on II(AC) Sqn (The worlds oldest fixed wing Sqn) at Laarbruch and I have very fond memories of him. I remember him stood on the gold dispersal spline watching the Dutch show off their brand new F-16s by getting airborne in a very short distance and accelerating into a vertical climb (because they could) Bill, our senior jag pilot said..."I`ll show em" and took off in the Jaguars more sedately style (i.e. using re-heat to taxi and making sure the traffic lights in Well were at red before rolling).
Of course....His party piece came in the landing phase...streaming the chute at about 10 ft above the threshold - he could bring the jet to a halt before the end of the piano keys....
For a different take on his "wheels up" incident take a look at website shineytwojag
ShineyTwoJag
and read "the SENGOs Shoes" in the stories
Best of luck with the book...it should be a great read!