Page 189 - Demo
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                                    185the grounds that %u201cif the graduate entry scheme is to be seen to be a success officers like this chap have to progress%u201d. He had been posted to a ground tour for about a year and was then being rehabilitated through CFS. The Commandant rejected him. The Station Commander responsible for not recording the accident in the pilots F5000 had been myFlight Commander on 206 Sqn Shackletons who stopped me hitting the Wing Commander when I was thereTowards the end of 1979, I was contacted by my personnel officer who told me I would be posted back to Nimrods shortly. Although I was coming to the end of my instructional tour, I was horrified. I told him in no uncertain words that I did not want to go. He said you will go, you will do the short Nimrod refresher course and then be posted back to 42 Sqn because you are earmarked for the OCU at St Mawgan as they are short of QFIs. I told him that there was a Nimrod pilot, Andy Collins, who was very keen to resume Nimrod flying and was not enjoying the JP. The poster said that he might fail the CFS Course. I replied that I was his Flight Commander and that he would not. He was actually a very promising student anyway. I was given a posting notice and just had to hope for the best. I can remember coming back after a formation sortie. It is quite clear in my mind and I can see the lead aircraft about to touch down at Dishforth, the number 2 is hanging in the air half way round the final approach and I am turning finals looking at them. I thought I cannot give this up. In the end with about 2 weeks to go, the posting was cancelled, and I think they forgot about me. In the end Andy did 2 or 3 years at Church Fenton before he went back. And Mike Blee who was posted back more or less at the same time, had to do a long Nimrod course and then flew as a third pilot for some time as there was no proper slot for him. Apart from enjoying the instructional flying, there were 2 other reasonsfor not wanting to go back to 18 Group. Firstly, Gabby said that she 
                                
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