Danny - yr last
"From the earliest days, a full power run-up on the ground needed an erk or two grimly hanging on over the tail, as well as full back stick, to hold your kangaroo down"
My old Mum (will be 92 in August) a Wren Air Mech. (E) 747 Squadron RNAS 1944/5 was doing just such a run-up in a Seafire. She brought it back to idle for a little while before opening it up again without looking in the mirror to check that the two matelots who had been tasked with sitting on the tail were still in situ. Alas, they had unilaterally decided to go behind the hangar to have a fag, so my mum and her Seafire tipped over the chocks and an embarrassing splintering of prop and shock-mounting of Merlin ensued. She has never told me if she got the rap for this - or if the nicotine cravers took responsibility. C'est la guerre non?
Ian BB