Smudge
Thanks for the very detailed description of the method that you were taught about Vulcan brake parachute fitting. It was very much I how understood it to be.
I have seen an old photo of a brake parachute being fitted out on the line with a riser and giraffe being used to gain access to the stowage. Laid out on the riser is the closing tool and grease that was used.
No sign of any safety precautions in those days.
Yes I would have been in the last year of my tour when you arrived at Akrotiri. I had been posted to Luqa Malta in Dec 1971 but then the British forces were chucked out by Dom Mintoff so subsequently I was posted to Akrotiri. Had a great tour until the Turkish invasion in 1974 eventually being repat and posted to Wattisham in November.
56 Squadron at Akrotiri always kept us very busy in the brake para bay I think that we averaged about 30 or more brake chute repacks a day.
Did you return with 56 Squadron when it relocated to Wattisham?
I had almost a 10 year association with 56 as well as my time in Cyprus I worked with both Lightnings and Phantoms at Wattisham spending most of my time as the squadron Squipper.(Flying clothing) until 1980.
Pontius
The pin that you mentioned was in fact a shear pin designed to break to prevent overstressing the aircraft if someone like your skipper landed a bit fast.
ACW418
An accident waiting to happen and it did!!
Squippers have told me that they often fitted a replacement chute just by themself, as a packed chute weighted 220 lbs there must have been a bit of a knack to it.