@prangster
I don't think I said anything about landing the VC10. I did post about my 10 years as an F/E on B747 and commented about landing that A/C light, on another thread...... maybe you read that post!
For clarity and reference, forum members, please indulge with me in nostalgia, then I'll shut-up.
I was on the first batch of RAF crew on the VC10. We did our training at Cranebank under the auspices of BOAC. I was the youngest of F/Es selected as all others were from Britannia or Comet fleets...I came from the Hastings. In hindsight, I think I was an experiment but, nevertheless, I recall getting the best help and advice and assistance from my colleagues, most of whom had WW2 medals.
As soon as I left the VC10 conversion I was sent to Officer Cadet Training Unit RAF Henlow (OCTU), had a transplant and got a better uniform, and came back as deputy VC10 F/E leader. I obtained a 'B' category and joined the VIP crew captained by S/L 'Pete' Wooldridge AFC DFC. In those early days we employed the crew concept. Most were from the same fleets as I described but many others came from the V-Force...in time the crews became more diverse.
The first CO of 10 sqn was W/C 'Mike' Beavis, who I believe became an ACM. He also guided me in those early days of being a newbie. In return....I fixed his bike!
Sadly, the Flight Simulator F/E boss had a heart attack and suddenly died. I always wondered, later, if putting a medically unfit person as a Flight Simulator instructor was a good idea! Anyway, I was the obvious replacement, so I emptied my desk and walked up the street to 241 OCU and my new job.
My only previous experience of instructional technique was in Singapore (Tengah, Seletar) where I was seconded to the Malayan Aux Air Force (MAAF). We taught basic A/C Engineering to GE volunteer cadets and 2 pilots taught flying on Chipmunks...I believe some of those cadet pilots became the original local crew of Singapore Airways (SQ). Co-incidentally, I also gained a PPL on Chipmunks and my Riley Pathfinder needed a decoke coz I stole 100/130 octane to fill her up. I was i/c fuel bowser on the weekends.
Sorry, I digress easily.
I recognized my fallibilty in instructional technique and also saw the same in the team in the Simulator. I'm sure many members here have panicked when told they were to go fly the Sim in those days...it was considered the 'orror machine'.... so I attended the school of learning. The motto there was 'The art of teaching is to provide a situation from which others learn'. I have used that motto ever since...telling others how good one is achieves nothing except stroking one's own ego!
My tour in the VC10 Sim and my many visits and modification meets with Redifon were over in a flash (3 years). My next posting was Ops Officer on 511 Britannia Sqn, over the r/way at BZN, or 99 Sqn...I forget. I hated that job as my responsibilties, as a senior Fl/Lt, were less than when I was a Cpl in Transit A/C Servicing(TAS) at RAF Butterworth in 1956. I applied for an interview and subsequently visited MOD where they offered me service till 55. The interviewing Wing Commander, who used to be a Navigator on Hastings with me, advised they did not know where I would go next or what rank I could achieve, so I took Premature Voluntary Retirement (PVR)...and looked for a job in aviation.
It was April/May 1974 and OPEC had just raised the price of oil to over US$50 a barrel...silly me......looking for a flying job!
That's another story...... but thanks for reading this one.
Last edited by Davita; 23rd Aug 2013 at 08:44.