I met and worked with a certain Master Pilot Blackwell in 1979 in ATC at RAF Manston.

We were told he was ex Spitfire / Hunter / Lightning Pilot to name some of his types flown.

We all respected him greatly, despite his love for Arsenal FC.

ps. I believe he still got paid flying pay somehow too!

I remember working alongside a MACR John Tatum at Mountbatten in the ealy 80's, who often got into the helicopters that came out for SCSR drills and flew as pilot to keep up his hours..... and he was a gentleman to work with.

As many of you know, the RAFVR(T) staff pilots on the AEFs were all commissioned as Fg Offs. On No 6 AEF there were many who, to join, had to forgo their exalted ranks, A.M., AVM, and even one or two Sqn Ldrs. But Fg Off Bill Ryall's claim to fame was that he was the only one of us who had been promoted when he joined, having retired from full time service as a master pilot.

Wasn't that Master Pilot Blackwell-Smyth??
He was at Bishops Court Killard point circa 78/79.
My first encounter with NCO Aircrew!!

As for the Hairy Marys I joined in Sep 75 and was one of the last Swinderby Courses to be issued with it. It was withdrawn from use early/mid 76.

TG

A lot of the old NCO pilots were commissioned as Supplementary List Officers in the 50s. There had their own tie. On it was a ladder with just two rungs on the bottom.

In my day......as an SAC you had to have signed on for more than five years to qualify for the 'non-hairy' blues; the longer engagement qualifying for a better quality cloth, known as a T63 if memory serves me correctly. The effect of course, was clear and evident segregation by the SWO when looking for likely candidates for parades! As a "Hairy" airmen I never did one! The posh lot in barathea copped the lot!:ok:

Hairy Battledress - is that now known as "Combat Soldier 45"?:8

... who was of course the legendary M Plt Taff Walker .. who warranted (geddit!) a front cover picture on Air Clues when he retired .. and was dined out of the Officers' Mess (as well), and presented IIRC with a large piece if silver, and were many touching speeches .....

...... none of which he could hear, cos he was deaf as a post by then! :ok:

Ref the original question, just came across the following, written by Bill Billings, who edits the Shack Assc magazine, The Growler.

;)

Nothing to do with the daring exploits of the NCO pilot type then.

Ever heard the warning : 'NGHHWASP' ?

(Never Go Hedge-Hopping With A Sergeant Pilot)

When I was undergoing training at Finningley in 1980 there was a Master Pilot who worked in Ops and hosted morning prayers each day. Can't remember his name, though.

At cease work on the first few days after it was officially declared to be summer it was amusing to observe the married blokes standing in the rain waiting for buses from Akrotiri to Limassol, all of them in KD shorts & shirt and wearing RAF blue raincoats. It looked like a flashers convention!

It looked like a flashers convention!

Ah, but we don't all have your experience, Ricardian .... Only kidding, I was an in-patient at a military hospital when a four-stripe - and subsequently two star - friend came to visit me and brought the main ward to a standstill when he came in wearing a raincoat with his trousers rolled-up out of sight - until he "revealed" himself!:)

Jack

PS For the avoidance of doubt, he was not in uniform!

Worked with Master Pilot Gus Beveridge at West Drayton in about 1989.
Cantankerous old controller who thought nothing of berating aircrew on the RT.