I learnt to fly on the 3s & 4s at Fawlty Towers in the mid 60s; you went through to 1st solo on one Mark and then converted to the other. Esentially, the 3s, being relatively underpowered were used for low fatigue sorties such as IF and High Level Nav whilst the much pokier 4s were used for GH and Low Level Nav, hence the much higher fatigue consumption. The 3s were usually flown with 1/2 tips whilst the 4s were flown with full tips because of the higher fuel consumption--don't know if this contributed to the fatigue usage. A Mk 3 with full tips was a very dozy jet until the tips were empty.
At times we operated out of Barkston Heath, the first instructor to get airborne was allowed to do a semi-official beat-up which could be quite entertaining to watch:-
I've seen air trafficers baleing out of the tower as a JP flew at them exceedingly low.
One a/c broke so low around the tower that from where we were watching you would swear his tip tank was in the long grass.
An aircraft doing a roller on the taxiway just outside the huts as main met brief was on.
On guy just did a simple low run down the runway but then pulled up a tad and rolled inverted----regretably he'd forgotten to raise the flaps so there was now a significant downwards lift arrow in charge. As he disappeared over the ridge going downhill we awaited the worst but after a few seconds a JP staggered into view, thankfully the right way up and going upwards.
At Fawlty Towers, the 2 QFIs who flew past the CIs office, canopy wound back, lots of bank and top rudder waving 2 fingers each at the CIs office, after all he was out of the office wasn't he----no, he'd just got back in!! Lots of SDO for that.
Later, I was a QFI at Linton on 3s & 5s (later 3As & 5As), there the first part of the course was flown on 3s, the later part on 5s. At one stage the main runway was resurfaced and we operated off the short for several months. On a hot day, a full tipped Mk3 gave you some very unusual close views of the woods on the western boundary when flying from 28, I distinctly recall looking the local herd of deer seemingly in the eye as we staggered airborne.
There is a story from Acklington concerning an overseas stude in a full tipped Mk3. He was on a GH sortie, Air Traffic watched in bemusement as he disappeared in a straight line over the North Sea after getting airborne on the NEasterly runway. They politely asked him to turn and come back over land but he declined "My instructor told me not to turn until the tips were empty"!! Eventually they dragged his QFI up the tower who convinced him the instuction merely applied to Max Rate Turns, not any old turn.
Anyway, a grand old aircraft, as honest as the day is long--not something you can say about it's replacement.
