"I'VE LOST MY RIO" by Lt. Geoff Vickers

[MAINJAFAD]

Back before I escaped from ADGE to Satcom, I remember the Fighter Controllers recounting how one of their brethren had done something similar from the back of a Hawk during the mid-80s. The analysis wasn't as forgiving as the one in this article!

Heard the story while at a now closed unit not far from a Hawk MOB, when back seat rides were offered. I said to the guy organising the jolly’s, any chance of getting on a ride during a Mirror Image ACM sortie. The reply, No because they don’t take passengers on any ACM sorties, after a Fighter Controller called Wedge had banged out of a Hawk on one.

Funny you should mention that......last night, I was told a similar story by a Sq Ldr about a fighter controller grabbing the handle who swears blind that he never touched anything. Wonder if it's the same guy.

It is, though what is probably a myth was the part of the story that I was told at the time, which had the maker of the bang seat putting a large reward up for the recovery of the seat, to prove that he had pulled the handle (the incident happened over the sea).