The Avroe Shackleton mk2 Phase 3 ( I can be definite as they were the only ones I flew as an AEOp in at R.A.F. Ballykelly). They frightened me ****less
and I decided there and then I had made a terrible mistake with my career.
I was really grateful to a Squadron Leader P Staff based in MOD who spent a long time at Headley Court as a patient ( as was I ) AND who managed to change my next posting (Nimrod MR1). This took countless lunchtimes during our early legs walking exercises in the Cock at Headly because he had me originally posted to Kinloss but he was a man of his word (P Staff seldon are)
and I found myself on the first Nimrod crew conversion for 203 sqn.
The Nimrod wasn't quite as frightening if you had a reasonably competent group of chaps (three of them) in the flight deck. If you din't have, then it could be just as frightening as the Shackleton except you got there quicker. Enough of the Nimrods in various forms went down and the end result was they were a sad result of their previous form with the few remaining ones at Kinloss dripping fuel everywhere and the stink inside was incredibly horrible. Sad really and although I was now just a mere reservist I thought why am I
continuing to do this ? I think it really was just for the company of the guys at Kinloss. My other real life, - the one that builds nice places and the attendant mortgages that goes with them - was so much better.
When the last Nimrod that went in because of **** practices on maintenance (120 sqn crew 3 ) I shed a tear. Because of those bad practises and crap design of the airborne refuelling system, the Nimrod became the worst aeroplane in my service career.