In the early days of Blue Steel at Scampton, there was a a dearth of flying hours. So often, if the aircraft was serviceable, the missile was not and vice versa. And there were endless problems getting both systems aligned. The result was that much of routine flying consisted of TPF (Training Profile) sorties. This meant flogging 'round the bombplots doing 2A attacks much as our colleagues at Coningsby were doing.
Almost all Blue Steel trips were with the training round (BSTR). Trips with the 'wet rounds' were rare. The presence of HTP on board sharpened the wits - temperatures were monitored with eagle eyes. In two full tours at Scampton I did only eight BSWR trips and one of those resulted in a hasty diversion to Wittering with rapidly rising HTP temperatures. On another occasion we bravely took a 'wet round' to the MBF dispersal at Bedford for a week. I think we took extra fire tenders and crews but I'm not sure RAe, whose airfield it was, knew what was going on.
P-N You are right; the Blue Steel force did not normally taxi at Readiness 02. But I seem to recall one exception. It sticks in my mind because, knowing we weren't going anywhere (pajamas under flying suit rig), the pilot let me have a go at taxiing. The experience engendered a new respect for Vulcan pilots - the thing was impossible to keep straight!
.......one final comment about the Blue Steel role in those days. My two Sqn tours covering 1963-68 produced only 1865 hours total. I bet the Coningsby lot got at least half as much again with their annual junketts to the Far Eas tand the the like.