Further to my OP. In the late Sixties I was a QFI at 34 Squadron on Viscounts among other types. There was a HQ Operations Command flight safety conference to be held at Williamtown and I was required to attend.
Rang up the then CO of the Mirage unit at Williamtown who was on our initial aircrew intake course at Point Cook many years earlier. Jim Treadwell, a lovely bloke.
"Hey Jim - Centaurus here. I'm flying to Willy for the OPCOM flight safety conference next week. I'll give you a couple of circuits in the Viscount if you can give me a ride in the dual Mirage." Jim was happy with that plan and I duly arrived in the 34 Squadron Viscount which we used as a taxi hack under the guise of continuation training.
Jim was the pilot of the Mirage and I was strapped into the back seat. I felt immediate claustrophobia as an airman fastened numerous restraining straps around my body and legs and by then I almost elected to stop the airman and say I want to get out of here now.
Jim was in the front seat and I didn't want to embarrass him so I stayed. When Jim then briefed me about various red warning light scenarios requiring immediate ejection, I was quite frankly really scared and deeply regretted my gung-ho phone call to Jim about swopping a Viscount ride for a Mirage ride.
We got airborne and eventually went through the sound barrier for a few seconds with Jim kindly letting me fly through Mach One so I could boast about it once safely on the ground.
He then joined for a PFL (practice forced landing) from around 20,000 ft over Williamtown. I asked him over the intercom what was his planned over the fence speed for the PFL. He said we never land from a PFL but go around from around 500 feet (if my memory is correct) due high sink rate and engine spool up time.
I think we turned base around 9000 ft and remember there were no flaps on a Mirage. I think speed on final was around 180 knots and I couldn't see much from the back seat. As I said, I was tightly strapped in and feeling apprehensive about the whole thing. Jim went around as briefed, and then went back for an initial from five miles, savage break left into downwind and landed smoothly on the piano keys, much to my relief.
There was an immediate harsh deceleration after touch down and I thought Jim must have really stamped on the anchors. Not so, as it turned out. It was the drag chute operating and all I can say from memory it was like max manual braking on a 737. Jim had not started to touch the brakes yet.
After the trip I couldn't get out of the cockpit fast enough and thanked Jim for the unforgettable (to me, anyway) ride. After lunch I pre-flighted the Viscount to give Jim some circuits. But he was too busy organising the flight safety conference to accept; which was a real pity. After that little episode I had great admiration for Mirage pilots which I still have to this day. Thanks a million Jimmy Treadwell. I understand you are still around.
