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308had suggested that I did not spill too much beer on it the night before. We then were interviewed in depth about what had happened. A few days later we went out and saw the wreckage and I went up to Leeming to thank the Mountain Rescue Team for their efforts. The chaps who had been on the team when I was Officer I/C had been posted but they were amused that I had seen things from both sides. They had been told to look for the missing propeller blade and on their last sweep of the area found it. This speeded up the diagnosis of what went wrong. We were then sent down to Peterborough hospital to have a scan. The military hospitals had been closed as a cost saving measure and all the equipment that MOD had bought had been handed over to the NHS. When we arrived for our scan, we were curtly told that we were there to make an appointment for a scan and it would be weeks before we could advance up the queue. In the event we saw 2 Squadron Leader doctors who were working at the hospital. They prodded and poked as doctors do. They asked me if I could touch my toes and I told them not to be ridiculous. They told me that they thought what appeared to be a significant back injury, was probably from an earlier injury. The only thing I could think of was when I broke a rib on Otterburn. In the end they declared me fit to go back flying as soon as I felt able. They told Dode he would have to be cleared by the Linton Doctor when he felt able. The next week I was told that the Wing Commander doctor who should have seen us was giving a talk to a flight safety course that day and so could not see us. She told the course that I had broken my back and so they were a bit surprised to see me walking about the Squadron when they got back. Eight days later I had a check ride with another spec aircrew friend Rod Leigh. I think I went straight up to 13,000ft for a spin. Actually, my back was really painful, particularly when we pulled G. I had to wedge myself into the cockpit when students were flying aerobatics and supported my back with my elbows on the side of the cockpit. It took a