Mike Jen
The other instructor was probably me.
I joined up as a WoP in 62 and passed out of Compton Bassett with 25WPM. Various postings all over the then huge RAF!"! Iremember my first encounter with c/w on air/ground comms, it was a Beverley out of Seletar (34sqn?)...ruddy Air Sig had a bug key and me as green as grass couldnt hack the speed!
Wonderful days when comms with a 'kite' on c/w felt like an achievement....shacks/brittanias/hastings/beverleys/valettas/argosy/ etc etc then it all went downhill fast when H/F SSB came along and killed c/w almost stone dead.
In the 80's had the odd Nimrod siggy who, feeling brave, would zap out a QTH on c/w but the norm was SSB...in fact come to think of it the last real c/w comms on air/ground for me was probably the Shack.
C/W became 'tertiary' means of communications in early 90's. By then it was all Upavon/Architect etc etc and nowadays I suppose its all computer downlinks and GPS reports.
Saddo that I am I still have a battery operated key to drive er indoors daft with at times, and often QAP the airwaves searching for some c/w...which appears to be mainly confined to the former soviet block countries.
best bent wires may be best but bug keys are better by far
