Instructors from the past
Yashin
It seems then that Fred never gave up on physical violence and threats as a means of instruction. On my first assessed trip at Topcliffe in the Varsity in 1963 he dropped into the seat beside mine and crashed the fire-axe on the desk and announced that mistakes in sending morse warranted a "clatter round the side of the bonedome wi' the flat of the axe". As a tremulous APO with nil experience I remembered my horse breaking uncle's advice to a 10 year old lad -"never let them see your scared, all you need is an air of confidence". I said "Mr Reeves put the fire-axe back in the rack, I don't respond well to threats and if you don't like it we can talk to the chief instructor at the end of the trip". I even remembered to make sure I said it on i/c so that the captain (Master Pilot Dale, god bless 'im) would hear it too. I was shaking in my boots, as I had no plan B if he persisted. Later, when it was my turn in the right seat to do some airways reporting, MP Dale looked across at me and gave a BIG wink. Phew!
The Ancient Mariner