My memory is a bit vague on this, tempus fugit, but I do recall that we handed the top pins to the pilots (and at some stage found a suitable place to stow the hard bit of their headwear - the Mk 1 bonedome - while they continued with g-type cloth inner helmet straight out of WWII). The canopy firing mechanism, and pin stowage was, I think, housed behind a perspex cover on the bulkhead above and behind the bang seats.
Quite right. They used to fasten the bone dome to the yellow grab handle behind the respective seats. Then some bright copilot (amazing) said if you put MY bone dome behind the Captain's seat and HIS on my seat then we can reach our own without the Nav Rad having to pass them forward.
And on Shiraz - Steff E. This was yet another IX Sqn wreck.
At one point, without checking my book, I think IX had 5 consecutive crashes.
PS, Checking my book I find Scampton managed to reduce the orbat at some point.