LFittNI,
re your 3rd incident, I went to school with PJT. A mean rugby player too. Must admit I had not heard of the incident in that detail.
As far as your comments re the OCs etc, I am not sure I could substantiate your remarks, but I remember about that period an aircraft crash often meant a career crash for sqn cdr, possibly OC Ops and the stn cdr.
This led to a living-on-a-knife-edge syndrome which I am sure was not good for the individual's morale or his effective leadership. Success could be measured only by tasks met and taceval scores.