I’ll keep well away from weaponry, not that I ever knew much about it. Cracker post Blacksheep, and 100% correct on your last point. The RAF of the 60’s was definitely a different air force for ground crew, at least for those on Vulcans. So long as the aircraft were kept ‘S’ with a minimum of delay, I found it incredibly casual. In my 7 years with Vulcans I only once fell foul of ‘discipline’, and 38 years later the incident still rankles. ( I hope 60’s vintage Electronic Counter Measures aren’t still classified!)
5.30 one afternoon, Cottesmore 66’ish, and I’d parked the MkII Ford Zodiac in the lay-by outside of the accommodation block for ten minutes. Into the block walks the Flt Lt i/c ECM. A Bomber Command signal required that the Green Palm VHF Comm Jammer frequencies be changed immediately. The opposition had obviously done some up-grade with their fighter control comms. The Flt Lt had heard a grapevine whisper that I’d privately developed a way of re-tuning Green Palm without removing the kit from the aircraft. To change the frequencies conventionally, removing re-tuning and re-fitting the equipment, would take around 10 man hours per aircraft and, meanwhile, two or more otherwise serviceable aircraft would be off-line.
This put me in something of a predicament. I’d been tuning Green Palms in the aircraft for some months using the ‘forget’ proprietary method and knew from the Stornaway ECM test range results that the scheme worked perfectly well; in fact much better than the ‘approved’ method which didn’t account for the odd de-tuning knock between ECM bay and aircraft - but it was hardly SOP. After striking a deal with Flt Lt that we’d change the SOP’s ‘tomorrow’, and back-date them a day or two, I agreed.
The method was simple. Tune the aircraft’s PTR175 UHF Comm precisely to the first harmonic of the required VHF frequency and then manually tune the Green Palm until the VHF jamming tones came through the UHF. Do the same with all channels. Lock it up, sign it up - job done.
Into the Flt Lt’s car, forgetting all about the Zodiac in the lay-by, and off to QRA to re-tune the first aircraft. The whole night went like clockwork, with fleeting VIP status - did I need a meal bringing from the mess, anything we can get you, is the waiting transport to your liking, did I need a rest? Need a rest! This was fun – the only thing that mattered was getting the job done in record time and how soon I could sign-off the last aircraft, naturally in accordance with the SOP’s, as yet unwritten. 9.30 the following morning was the answer to that one.
So at 10am, returning to the accommodation block feeling very knackered but very pleased with myself, there’s my car still in the lay-by with a note from Plod’s dog telling me to report to the Guard Room. The result, and with the full knowledge of my dolt of a Squadron Leader who ignored the pleadings of the Flt Lt and my immediate boss, top man Sid Murray, my car was banned from camp for two weeks, for illegal parking. Thank you indeed Squadron bloody Leader C…y. You wouldn’t be attending the May 23rd Vulcan re-union at Newark Air Museum would you? Oh, alright. After 38 years maybe the rankle has subsided.