harrym
Ian B-B, re your 11427 had sometimes wondered how techies working on flying boats coped with the inevitable dropped tool problem – now, after so many years, enlightenment!
Not sure about spanners strapped to wrists, but my photo below taken in 1957 as the 205/209 Sqn Sunderland I was on was refuelled at Glugor (Penang) en-route from Seletar to China Bay (Sri Lanka) shows at least the refuelling hose attached securely to the fuselage - and what about the crew? - a long way down if one slipped!
And going back to the Beverley. When I did my AQM training at 242 OCU Dishforth in August 1959 we were introduced to the dreaded Beverley Trim Sheet, an abomination of the first order as you may well remember! Introducing as it did height into the fore and aft load weight distribution calculations. See below.
