Amateur Aviator
8th Jan 2006, 18:03
**RANT ON**
So then, here it is. I’m in the sandpit. You know which one. I’ve just had to inform HQ that AA and crew have gone totally tonto, and to bring strait-jackets for immediate return to Blighty (Blackadder, Series 4, Episode 6, Scene 3 on the DVD to be precise).
“Why?” I hear some ask, although many ignore.
Is it because the mail isn’t getting through?
No. But maybe no-one likes AA.
Do your boots fit?
No. Size 10M are an inability and will be for quite a bit longer. But thanks for
asking.
Is it because the food would be rejected by Ethiopians?
No. It is as good as Service messes in the UK (but maybe not PAYD. I’ll let someone else do that one).
Is it because the weather is getting us down?
No. But you don’t need +50degC to sunbathe.
Is it because we are fighting a phoney war?
No. We are a force for good in the modern world.
Well, why then?
It’s like this.
The residents of the various Ivory Towers, in their air-conditioned offices, who travel a mile to work in their air-conditioned Land Rover V8 SEs instead of using the scheduled bus service, who sleep in their air-conditioned cor-i-mecs, who, IMHO, continually make, day after day, ludicrous decisions which they are entirely unqualified to make.
But it doesn’t end there. Why oh why are people put into jobs where they have to make these decisions? Why do they have to meddle with everything? Is it so they can be seen to do something in front of the Boss? Is a good report more important than getting the job done? Can they not make a plan on their own without bastardizing someone else’s plan, then take the credit? Can they not just say “Good idea AA, I wish I had thought of that one”, then curse themselves at their own ineptitude? Why can they not let the guys on the ground run with a plan or an op? Why do people make their jobs more important than anyone else’s? It may come as a surprise that the world does not revolve around their little portacabin or office. And there was little old AA thinking that flexibility was the key to air power.
Oh, that’s right. When people are put into a job they cannot do, they lose all ability to use a modicum, or any, common sense at all. So learn. That’s what we all do, isn’t it? No it is most certainly not. Time after time, we identify problems and come up with lessons learnt. But hang on. Some of those among us identified these problems years, weeks, even days ago ago. So why have they been forgotten? Again.
SLAP (That’s AA being told to stop using common sense).
We should stop being continually being surprised by these things. We have been playing the expeditionary warfare game for so long, you would think that we would be good at it by now. I’m out here to do a job. I strive to do that job to the best of my ability. Some may argue. Day after day I find myself not able to do that job for some of the reasons mentioned above.
So what do we do?
There is hope. A small example is that the “Window of NO” has become the “Window of MAYBE”. Hearty, non-ironic congratulations to the stackers. You have shown that the unwieldy beast can learn.
At the risk of sounding controversial, maybe we should try letting people run their own areas of specialization and not try to monopolize others to create an empire (draw your own conclusions from that if you will). Maybe we should start standing up for ourselves when others try to take over? Maybe we should not be afraid of upsetting people, not just telling them what they want to hear?
Maybe we should start selling long screwdrivers out here. That would soon start adding to my 20 free minutes of paradigm calls a week. It may even be enough to equal the free minutes prisoners get. But it’s all okay really, as we do get tax-breaks for all the time spent away each year. Just like MPs get allowances for their weekend homes and the like.
As you can tell, my crew and I have had an appalling few days.
I don’t expect sympathy from anyone, but I do know where it is in the dictionary.
I expect slander.
I don’t expect praise.
I do expect a chat with someone who gets paid more than me at some stage.
I don’t care.
But then what do you expect when you air your views.
At least it made me feel better, and that is good.
AA
Standing to attention, hat on.
**Rant Off**
So then, here it is. I’m in the sandpit. You know which one. I’ve just had to inform HQ that AA and crew have gone totally tonto, and to bring strait-jackets for immediate return to Blighty (Blackadder, Series 4, Episode 6, Scene 3 on the DVD to be precise).
“Why?” I hear some ask, although many ignore.
Is it because the mail isn’t getting through?
No. But maybe no-one likes AA.
Do your boots fit?
No. Size 10M are an inability and will be for quite a bit longer. But thanks for
asking.
Is it because the food would be rejected by Ethiopians?
No. It is as good as Service messes in the UK (but maybe not PAYD. I’ll let someone else do that one).
Is it because the weather is getting us down?
No. But you don’t need +50degC to sunbathe.
Is it because we are fighting a phoney war?
No. We are a force for good in the modern world.
Well, why then?
It’s like this.
The residents of the various Ivory Towers, in their air-conditioned offices, who travel a mile to work in their air-conditioned Land Rover V8 SEs instead of using the scheduled bus service, who sleep in their air-conditioned cor-i-mecs, who, IMHO, continually make, day after day, ludicrous decisions which they are entirely unqualified to make.
But it doesn’t end there. Why oh why are people put into jobs where they have to make these decisions? Why do they have to meddle with everything? Is it so they can be seen to do something in front of the Boss? Is a good report more important than getting the job done? Can they not make a plan on their own without bastardizing someone else’s plan, then take the credit? Can they not just say “Good idea AA, I wish I had thought of that one”, then curse themselves at their own ineptitude? Why can they not let the guys on the ground run with a plan or an op? Why do people make their jobs more important than anyone else’s? It may come as a surprise that the world does not revolve around their little portacabin or office. And there was little old AA thinking that flexibility was the key to air power.
Oh, that’s right. When people are put into a job they cannot do, they lose all ability to use a modicum, or any, common sense at all. So learn. That’s what we all do, isn’t it? No it is most certainly not. Time after time, we identify problems and come up with lessons learnt. But hang on. Some of those among us identified these problems years, weeks, even days ago ago. So why have they been forgotten? Again.
SLAP (That’s AA being told to stop using common sense).
We should stop being continually being surprised by these things. We have been playing the expeditionary warfare game for so long, you would think that we would be good at it by now. I’m out here to do a job. I strive to do that job to the best of my ability. Some may argue. Day after day I find myself not able to do that job for some of the reasons mentioned above.
So what do we do?
There is hope. A small example is that the “Window of NO” has become the “Window of MAYBE”. Hearty, non-ironic congratulations to the stackers. You have shown that the unwieldy beast can learn.
At the risk of sounding controversial, maybe we should try letting people run their own areas of specialization and not try to monopolize others to create an empire (draw your own conclusions from that if you will). Maybe we should start standing up for ourselves when others try to take over? Maybe we should not be afraid of upsetting people, not just telling them what they want to hear?
Maybe we should start selling long screwdrivers out here. That would soon start adding to my 20 free minutes of paradigm calls a week. It may even be enough to equal the free minutes prisoners get. But it’s all okay really, as we do get tax-breaks for all the time spent away each year. Just like MPs get allowances for their weekend homes and the like.
As you can tell, my crew and I have had an appalling few days.
I don’t expect sympathy from anyone, but I do know where it is in the dictionary.
I expect slander.
I don’t expect praise.
I do expect a chat with someone who gets paid more than me at some stage.
I don’t care.
But then what do you expect when you air your views.
At least it made me feel better, and that is good.
AA
Standing to attention, hat on.
**Rant Off**