brakedwell: If I remember correctly, whilst you were taking one half of that year's IDC to the States, another Brit was taking the rest around Europe and the Middle East, also with lots of time off. Those trips consumed an enormous number of airframe days from the month's Brit task - and there speaks the Upavon 'Tasking' chap at the time. There was no way they were ever going to survive the 74/75 Defence Review and its reduction of the ATF, but they must have been exceedingly enjoyable for both crew and pax whilst they lasted.
(The Imperial Defence College was the earlier name for what became the Royal College of Defence Studies [RCDS], and I've no idea what it might be called now, if anything of the kind still exists.)