Went to S Cerney as a J/T,sub Cpl,A/Sgt(aircrew cadet) in `62/3`; lovely,bracing BreconBeacons,frozen rivers,and `zip` wires,lived in the Sgt`sMess Annex with 4 other ex-airmen , with our own `batman`....no `bulling`,polishing,etc whilst all the rest on 181Cse were learning the ropes..much time spent playing snooker whilst the `orfissers` had haircuts/polished boots/brasses,blancoed belts/ends of rifles to be avoided ,etc. Went to Syerston after that,but I think we may have been down to 3 ,or were shortly after..Myself,Bill Taylor and Pete/Dave .? Harris.
Other NCO Aircrew there were,Jim Lawn,K McBrayne,Al Mavin,and `Smudge`Smith,on course ahead of us(160 Cse).We were told that we were the last NCO Pilot Cse,assuming that was RAF wide.The course that had just graduated had been `p***ed-off because the `trophies`( best handling/navigation/ground-school/aeros/had all been won by George ? Black? ,a Sgt pilot,who would have won the Leadership trophy as well,but was deemed `ineligible`.... Think he was commissioned straight away.....
My main instructor was MPlt Alex Naismith,and there were several other Masters there as well,also in the Link Trainer,and the Station Nav,both Polish(Z S Boyko?); Station Barber was Polish as well.....
Anyway,in the fullness of time, Bill Taylor and I both got our Wings; mine is dated 20March 1964 in the logbook,but I have no date for the graduation Parade,even though I was a `pimply swot` and got the G/School trophy.
Other names(horfissers) on the course were Frame ,Budd,Ray,King ,Goddard,Dacre,Fisher,H-Baker,Wyer....
Taylor went to Shacks..later BA I believe ;I didn`t fancy being a co on Hastings/Bevs/Shacks,and we,as NCOs were not allowed to fly real jets,so I went to helos...