AA62,
Totally agree on your thoughts on the life rafts. I worked on White team AES at Colerne 71-73, where we did Base 3 Servicings. As an Airframe Fitter, I often got involved in the removal and refit of the life rafts, it was always a problem. Not sure what changed, but at the end of my career(Late 1990s) I was in charge of Blue Team AES at Lyneham, where, removal and fitment didn't seem to be such a challenge. Perhaps the lads had just got used to doing it.
I believe that the incident regarding the in flight deployment of the life raft happened in Canada and the aircraft was diverted to an airfield called Sept Isles. I knew the GE on board, who was asleep in his hammock at the time. After landing, with the crew inspecting the remnants of the life raft around the horizontal stabiliser, someone suggested the GE should have a look, its rumoured that they had to go and wake him up, he was still fast asleep in his hammock.
Smudge
