Have really enjoyed this thread - and seeing the pics in #191 had me scurrying for my logbook; only flew XN589 once, on 19 July 1977 (Ex 85, Nav 10, solo around LFA11 for 1h00m). I then retraced a search I did a few years ago to see if I could find the current location of the one I flew my first (ever) solo - XM412. I wonder if she really is still languishing behind a grotty barrier at Balado...
I've noted quite a few names from other posts (I was lucky enough to be a stude on 1 Sqn
); 14 Course were our senior Sqn-mates, while their predecessors (9 Course) were still around during our groundschool phase. I personally thought that 14 had the right attitude when it came to the "Sqn Mascot" provided by 9 - the Boa Constrictor. As soon as 9 were off the base, ISTR that the snake was donated to a local zoo while they kept the gerbils that had been bought as rations for Hissing Sid.
I never had a problem with the "stude for a pissy-little-job"/ "my names Den but you can call me Sir" attitude at Linton - reaching the dizzy heights of L/Cpl in the pongoes before transferring had inured me to all that. Not having flown anything other than a parachute before the JP, I did find it daunting comparing my progress with the crewroom 'aces' who'd had Flying Scholarships or been through UAS. I had a real problem with underconfidence - right up to the formation phase. When I saw what the 'aces' were actually like, I genuinely wondered if I was then just seeing them on a really bad set of days. My (A2) instructor, who eventually followed my path onto rotary, said it was a useful lesson then gave me a stern warning about veering from underconfident to cocky. I heeded his advice then, and always afterwards too - there were some really top-quality instructors at 1FTS, and I will always be grateful for the start they gave me to the best possible career.