Can't agree that the Spey was 'pretty bombproof'. It was distinctly fragile, especially in the early days when its TBO was about 50 hours. Even though the TBO was progressively increased, the Spey's flashbacks and associated (but unspecified) damage were never really sorted out by endless mods, tweaks and interviews with RR reps. Still, it is worth remembering that it was the world's first reheated turbofan and so I suppose it was all part of the learning process. Even the F-15 had engine stall problems in its first few years of service. But the turbojet J79 was made of cast iron, with cast iron bits and pieces and cast iron moving bits. That was bombproof!
Another problem with the Spey was that it was shorter than the J79 and so the engine's weight was further aft, making for a more pitchy aircraft than the other versions. This made some precision work - such as strafe - more difficult, so BEagle's score of 52% was pretty damned good. I take my hat off to him.
