Originally Posted by
kenparry
In the 60s the RN was unable to fill its flying posts wholly with its own people, and RAF pilots and navs were loaned to the RN to fill the gaps. This was quite separate from a small number of exchange postings. Not just on the Buccaneer - at the end of my Chivenor course in 1966, a couple of pilots were asked to "volunteer" to fly the Sea Vixen.
Navs too, one of my F4 instructors was Dorman-Jackson aka Super Nav. He said he exited a Sea Vixen after a particular arrival on board before the pilot realised the undercarriage had collapsed.