It was even better at Valley in the mid-'70s. After finishing the Gnat course, we would usually have to wait for a TWU slot, so were given a Hunter 'refresher' course. A couple of days of 'tech', read the pilots notes and pass the tech exam, some simulator sessions in the Mk6 sim before flying the T7 - which seemed like an airliner compared with the Gnat.
But the day of one's first solo in the single seat Hunter was always memorable. These weren't normal Hunters, they were stripped of Sabrinas, guns and radar, with the ancient Rebecca DME replaced by TACAN. Added to which they were painted in high-gloss polyurethane and hence went like the proverbial off a shovel. As one mate commented "I finally managed to change to Approach at 10000ft, forgot to set 1013 until about 20000, then muttered "OK God, I have control!". We referred to them as 'GT6' Hunters after the sports car of the time - and they must have been the highest performance 'trainers' ever used by an AFTS! Truly superb, they were!
I can still remember that aroma of burnt AVPIN on start up!
Last edited by BEagle; 12th Sep 2013 at 09:26.