Back in 1976, which is slightly longer from today than it was from Danny's back then, I did God-knows how many compass swings on Hunters at RAF Brawdy whilst holding 'twixt TWU and OCU.
Same basic technique, but the heading accuracy for the 4-point swing had to be within a couple of degress. At least we had a turntable of sorts; you taxyed so that the 'inside' wheel was on the turntable, then turned with locked inner wheel. Take the readings from the groundcrew mate, fill in the figures in the book, then adjust the G4F box accordingly. Then do the check swing; if all OK, taxy back and write the jet up. If not, then do it all again....
Now there was only one minor snagette. You had to do the whole thing with the hood closed so that the E2B was correct. Summer of '76 with the hood closed and no cooling meant that one became a sopping rag after such an event, particularly in the T7 with its big hood.
One Friday afternoon, I finally managed to get a T7 into limits and taxyed back to the line. Then a long walk across the aerodrome back to my flight office, only to find that everyone else had locked up and gone home. So another long trudge to the guardroom to draw the keys, before I could finally dump my bone dome, turning trousers and leg stranglers, grab my SD cap and walk back to the OM.... Where the first Happy Hour beer barely touched the sides.
Come Monday morning, the Flt Cdr told me "BEagle, OC *** sqn was driving home and saw you on the main drag looking rather dishevelled in flying kit without your hat on...".
"Boss, I'd just spent an hour cooking in a T-bird, walked miles and found you'd all buggered off, then walked to the guardroom and back to get the sodding key. Please give OC *** sqn my apology and tell him to stick it up his ar*e!"
"Hmm, I'll probably rephrase that....."
(*** could perhaps be 234, but I won't say.....).