Leaving the seat in a Victor was not possible. Ther was a large "fuel tray" hinged at the front which was in the up position when entering the flight deck. It was then brouight down before the show started. Following an early cat 5 due to electrical faults in this tray which caused all fuel pumps to fail on finals, the tray could not be moved once under way. The P tube was the only option; if you ever tried to use it when wearing an immersion suit you woul not repeat the experience. So NO - one did not leave the bang seat in a Victor. The Valiant was different. Get the AEO to put the top pin in (there was no seat handle) and it was quite possible to climb down and stretch your legs. I did it quite often as a co-pilot so as to be able to see what they were doing down the back and learn a bit.