The RAT fell off a Vulcan taking off at Cottesmore in late 1964 - I think it might have been Joe L'Estrange. It was in the early hours and normally I would have slept through any take off but because the noise was different - they aborted take off - I awoke and on enquiring what had gone on later found that the RAT had actually fallen off the aircraft but was dragged along by its cables.
We managed to turn our captains SD hat green. We were on QRA and were asked to do a compass swing. The AEO climbed aboard and turned on the batteries whereupon the AAPP cartridge started. Unfortunately the captain wearing his SD hat was just under the AAPP exhaust, was enveloped in a huge sheet of flame and the end result was a very cross green hatted captain. I seem to remember that the Crew Chief had a part to play in this as it was either him that turned the battery on or he had been doing something with the AAPP and had left it cocked for a cartridge start. The rest of us thought it very funny but were soon disabused of this!
ACW