Co-Pilot Solo
Catching up on this thread, I note the discussion on 'co-pilot solo' in Hastings aircraft.
I was a co-pilot on No 103 Hastings conversion course at Thorney Island in early 1963 - you know, when we had a really bad winter and we could walk on the frozen sea bordering the Island! We were the first course of pilots who hadn't previously completed a tour as second pilots, so the instructors were rather curious as to how we would cope!
Anyway, we were trained to fly in the left-hand seat and I note, from my log book, that I was sent off 'solo' (i.e. with another co-pilot as my co-pilot) on 7 May when I was still 21 years old and a Pilot Officer. Mark you, my co-pilot was a Flight Lieutenant who had just finished a second pilot tour, another Flt Lt was the navigator and I had two Flt Sgts as flight engineer and AEO/signaller, the last three of whom were, I think, on the training staff. As I was the first 'straight through' pilot to be sent off thus 'solo', the instructors brought wicker chairs out of the hangar to watch the entertainment.
They must have been somewhat disappointed when I didn't depart one side or the other of the runway (as almost all my colleagues did at some stage of their conversion). No, I completed my training without ploughing a furrow in the long grass .... until .... my Final Handling Test, when I did so spectactually!!
Later, in September 1965 whilst on exchange with the RAAF I flew my first 'solo' in a similar manner on an 'A' Model Hercules at the age of 24. After completing that conversion, we co-pilots would be rostered in pairs to carry out any post maintenance air tests that were needed over the weekend. When completed to the satisfaction of our flight engineer, we were authorised to fill in the remainder of a three-hour sortie doing whatever we liked! Shooting ILS approaches to Mascot (Sydney Airport) overflying the Harbour Bridge was fun, but my favourite was very low level flying over the tree canopies of the Blue Mountains, down amongst the birds.
In March 1967, when I was aged 25, the Squadron (No 36 RAAF) made me an official captain,and I stayed as such until the end of my tour when I next flew a 'K' Model Hercules at RAF Fairford. Happy days!