I have only just come upon this thread - my God, 36+ pages of Vulcan memorobilia! I left St Athan in the middle of 1964 as a brand new LAC A Mech A (48th Entry) and was posted to Scampton, into the Base Servicing Hangar. Initially very boring, being the gopher
However, the opportunity to move to E Dispersal as a Linie came along (as did my SAC badge). What fun - Blue steel fridge pack changes, canopy seal changes and other delights, outdoors in mid-winter and lots of Micks and Mickey Finns. My first winter Mickey Finn to Lossie was in a Whistling Tit flown by someone who thought it would be fun to do the trip at low level. We were all in para seats and 99% of us rapidly needed a sick-bag - except the guy sat opposite me who thought it was great fun. Ours was the last laugh (well, grimace), as at some point after we had emptied lthe previous night's NAAFi intake, he had some form of fit and we had get the Loadie to administer oxygen. The pilot then took pity on us and climbed up above the weather.
Night shift on the QRA pan at Lossie. Four beasties armed with Blue Steel and regular checks on the gyros etc needed, so no crafty kips - except the the Plods supposedly guarding the aircraft and their loads. One came into the dispersal hut and said that, as I had to be awake and out-and-about to keep an eye on the aircraft, he and his mates would kip down in the hut. 3.30am and four sleeping policemen get a rude awakening when I run in shouting "Intruders, intruders" and they stagger out, bleary eyed, waving their pistols. Ha - very satisfying.
I think it was after that exercise that we returned to Scampton in a Hastings, very shortly indeed after the terrible accident involving loss of life , due I think to a fatigue-failure - very worrying.
On one occasion I thought (in a panic) that I might obliterate Lincolnshire - on QRA I was using one of those diesel driven 'donkeys' to pull a set of air bottles up to recharge the rapid air and misjudged speed / closing distance and rammed the arm of the donkey into the nose of the Blue Steel - phew, no bang, Crew Chief didn't see it, so carry on with the job.
Another week on QRA - one Plod per pan and two (standing in front of aircraft on opposite pans) were alleviating their boredom by bouncing a golf ball between them. A rather too vigourous throw saw the ball bounce over the head of the other Plod and bingo - a hole in one, straight down the intake. A somewhat career-limiting moment for the pair of them as the aircraft had to be stood-down from QRA whilst a sooty was shoved down the intake to retrieve it - which he luckily did as it had not gone beyond the first set of blades.
I can still clearly see the 4-ship launch from Finningleys ORP at a B of B day. In the practice, ISTR that the first two of the four aircraft had 201 engines whilst the third had 301's. Sixteen Olympuses simultaneously starting and spooling up is quite an event from close range. As they rapidly pulled out onto the runway, I had to dive behind a Houtchin and watched in awe as they belted down the runway with the third aircraft struggling not to overtake his less powerful brethren. He was put in the number one position for the day itself.
I was only at Scampton until March 66 when I had to suffer the indignity of being forced to accept a posting to Seletar
Has anyone ever tried rigging the slat and flap system on a Twin Pioneer - guaranteed to result in madness.
Anyway, despite involvement over the years with lots of other wonderful aircraft, the Vulcan remains my only true love (aircraft-wise, that is).