Victors rool OK
Ahhhh.... the Victor cockpit views from Senior Pilot bring the memories back.
Swivelling the Nav Plotter's armchair 180 degrees, looking DOWN and acting as an extremely sarcastic Check Pilot for the 2 numpties up front. Only joking, genus piloti.
Some of you may remember my Captain - Bill Palmer. A japester par excellence on the ground but totally different airborne - went on to fly umpteen thousands of Captain hours with Swissair.
The Co-Pilot - poor Dave Mallett - on leaving the RAF he joined No 3 Sqn RRAF - was killed in a Jan 1977 Dakota incident whilst on a low level supply mission in Rhodesia.
Victor layout compared to the Vulcan? No comparison - flew a few times on competition umpiring duties in B Mk 2s from Waddo and Scampton. As heard on a TV programme the other evening - "Flying downstairs in a Vulcan was akin to travelling backwards in a windowless coal cellar."
As for Vulcan emergency evacuation? I well remember part of my Vulcan flight safety briefing (XM652 Sqn Ldr Lamont) - if the nose wheel leg is down, jump off the steps, grab hold of the leg, swing round and away you go. As he was a 2 and a half ringer unknown to me discretion overcame valour. But my thoughts were - "aye right, you have got to be fecken joking. I am full NOT of tricks like that."
My most energising 'brown adrenalin' experience of the Victor Cockpit view. Zooming along at FL390 M0.88, there was an explosion in the front cockpit (about 5 times as loud as 9mm practice on the pistol range) and the cockpit filled with dense smoke. Without any prior warning the canopy jettson lever had been activated. I swivelled around to front cockpit view expecting I know not what.
I should explain - this was on a 3 times round the UK 10hr training sortie for overseas deployment (fully re-tanked half way through). After about 5 hours Bill was a bit sore in the arse and swapped seats with the Nav Radar for a 10 min or so break. Dave M was doing his pilot thing.
Yup - you've guessed it. The Nav Radar (a very tall individual) was grappling around under the LHS seat to lower same. He pulled the wrong lever.
The Canopy DID NOT jettison. And at that height and speed I thank the Good Lord. To this day I am uncertain as to why - the reason I was given was cabin pressure <> outside air pressure. That seemed a bit odd to me ie the Captain would have to depressureise prior to ejection?
Any Victor piloty person care to amplify on this?