Danny:-
Chugalug, I'd never heard of the Thruxton Jackaroo
tbh, Danny, you hadn't missed much. We studes were less than impressed, having each been issued with the complete Biggles Kit of helmet (with Gosport "earphones" rather than electric ones), fur lined boots, Irvin jackets, gloves silk inner, gauntlets outer leather, etc etc, only to find that we could leave it all packed away as most of our flying was to be in this proverbial bus! Unlike you I don't remember the numbers but the thrill of being in a "real" aeroplane when we quit the Jackaroo for the Tiger Moth is still vivid in my mind.
Geriaviator, I'm glad to hear that you did the right thing in turning this uninspiring caterpillar back into the glorious species of Lepidoptera that it really was. Hopefully the same thing happened to most of the others, though the one or two remaining examples bear warning to others who might have a similar "good idea". I seem to remember that the project was under the auspices of one Sqn Ldr Doran Webb who also presided over the Wiltshire School of Flying. At least that ensured the launch customer base, indeed probably the only one. It might perhaps have been he who ruefully warned that "the Jackaroo will knacker you", for I doubt if it made him rich.
Danny:-
There is no such thing as a comfortable pilot seat in any military aircraft - at least as far as the one-man-band operators are concerned.
Bit late to start complaining now, old chap. As you say we multi seat wallahs faired much better, once we had become unencumbered of the bang seats and parachute harnesses that were part of the training system. The Hastings pilot seats would have done justice to a Pall Mall Club, upholstered as they were in a tasteful shade of green leather, fully adjustable, equipped with arm and head rests, in short a fitting tribute to Mr Handley Page's awareness of the importance of satisfied customers. Unlike Mr Lockheed, who fitted out his wares solely for large Texan cowboys, I suspect. Those of lesser stature needed to resort to variants of a child's booster seat to see over the control column...