You can have a pen, pencil, biro or whatever in your flying suit and the oilies won't bat an eyelid. But if they see you with a pen
torch, they'll start to gibber and froth about unapproved tools...
...so sodding well invent one which works and
is approved. You haven't managed that over the last 40 years....
When I did my night flying at RAFC Cranwell in the mid 1970s, 'they' were quite happy to issue me with Provost, Jet...Qty. 1, Bloggs for the flying of, but a night flying
torch? No way - "Go and buy your own and make sure they're securely attached to your flying suits!", is what 'they' told us.
So, many and varied were the solutions. I bought some Ever Ready thing from Boots which was about as much use for the walkround as a dozing glow-worm. But OK if I needed to read the map or whatever. Not that we could see much anyway as this was during the 3-day week and power cuts of Grocer Heath's time....
The late Don Turbitt bought a massive bike light on a stout crocodile clip and a huge battery; lamp in one leg pocket, battery in the other, cables running up one leg and down the other. "Right, Bloggs", quoth his QFI one dark night, "Simulated total electrical failure!". He then watched in amazament as Don deployed his Thing... CLICK! Followed by the equivalent of an airborne lighthouse - the cockpit lit up most impressively and could probably be seen from orbit. When the QFI had stopped pi$$ing himself laughing and wiped away the tears, he offered Don a 'proper' aircew torch whilst he tried to get his night vision back. Another mate dropped his Ever Ready thing, then pulled on the lanyard until he felt some resistance before wisely stopping and investigating - the lanyard had become entangled in the bottom bang seat handle, which had moved fractionally....
So he pushed it home, carefully recovered the torch and landed......very gently.
After a couple of similar incidents, the CFI ordered 'them' to issue us with approved torches.....
