Quote:
Originally Posted by micky1mo
How did it go "mag on" + "fuel pump on" + "contact"!!
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Ha ha! A bit before my time, I was a cold war warrior. We still had prop planes, mainly Shackletons, but I joined up in the jet age.
The start up drill on Jaguars was a bit more complicated:
Accompany growbag (pilot) on his pre-flight walk round and tut as he kicks the tyres that you just inflated to 150 bar.
Plug in guns and secure gun bay doors.
Strap in growbag.
Remove ejection seat main gun, drogue gun and canopy jettison pins and hand to growbag.
Try to recover ejection seat pins dropped by growbag.
Climb down and unclip ladder from side of airframe, place ladder on top of GPU.
When growbag remembers what he's supposed to be doing and nods at you, man fire extinguisher, check APU exhaust clear, then twirl a finger to indicate 'clear, start APU'.
Once APU running, check engines clear and twirl another finger to indicate 'clear, start engine 1'.
Once engine 1 running, twirl two fingers to indicate start engine 2.
When both engines wound up to idle, pull GPU lead and secure panel, climb up into nose-wheel bay and check weapon system circuit breakers all set, then take position at front of aircraft and perform arm signals to indicate control surfaces responding to growbag inputs - 'tailplane up, tailplane down, fin left, fin right, port tailplane with port aileron, starboard tailplane with starboard aileron, flaps and slats to mid, flaps down, flaps and slats up.
Pull remaining weapon pins and hold up for growbag to count.
Make 'pull pin' signal to growbag, give thumbs up when he shows that he's pulled his seat pan pin.
Make switch sign to indicate 'MASS to standy'.
Pull chocks and marshal aircraft out onto taxiway.
Rush back to crew room, make coffee, light fag, watch Rainbow.
Those were the days...