1. Windy hill, Lightnings, early 80's. Reheat lit by a "Hot Shot" of fuel pumped thru turbine, engines staggered with one short jet pipe & one long one. Long one needed help as the flame was too weak to light so they designed a "hot streak" injector to keep the flame alight. When there was a reheat light up problem the best way to diag it was wait till dark (easier to see and all the big boys had gone home!!) take the jet over the open chocks by the detuner. Someone would run the jet and 2 people would sit in a landrover a hundred feet or so behind. On the signal you would engage first gear, watch the jet pipe for the hot shot and hot streak flames, rev the engine like f&ck and dump the clutch before the reheat lit !! Get it wrong and it became hot and unpleasant !!
2. APC Cyprus
, same outfit. Borrowed a Jamacan liney from LTF for the det. Insisted on wearing a woolen multicoloured hat on the line. Walked directly behind a jet waiting to taxi... just changed direction thru 90 degress and became a human candle wheel... hat one way, ear defs the other, skinned knees and elbows.....
3. Same outfit, Big det at St Andrews F4 home, 4 Lightnings on the ORP providing QRA cover. Survival scramble at the end of a great week. Ours were gone in under a minute.. few mins later the Tooms start to taxi out and depart. Many minutes later a scraggler appears on his own (crew in snag I guess). We lined up on the edge of the ORP & runway and polity applauded him for his efforts. He suddenly turned towards us, taxied in, swung his arse to us as he was level and opened the throttle, kicked himself level, engaged reheat and took off with the Nav giving a farewell "Salute" with his middle finger. As we saw him descending on us we run away bravely and tried to hide behind the Huchins. No good. All of us, the steps, covers and other ground equipment were scattered to the winds. Anyone out there remember this one ??
HH2