RNAS Wittering??

[roughneck1]

Is it a rumour or have the fish heads managed to take over another light blue asset!!!:confused:

[LateArmLive]

Not that I'm aware of, although being part of Joint Force Harrier there are a few of them about. I don't know that they're all fish-heads though!

[Navaleye]

No! would be given a proper name like HMS Harrier !

[Pierre Argh]

Is it a rumour or have the fish heads managed to take over another light blue asset!!!Just exactly how many RAF assets have the RN previously taken?

[Safety_Helmut]

Just exactly how many RAF arses have the RN previously taken?:E

S_H

[Pierre Argh]

"How many arses....? " ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha, ha, ha ha, ha... I don't think I've ever heard anything so funny?

[HOODED]

Don't know about Wittering but I hear a lot of light blue are pulling the yellow and black on the new 800 Sqn at Cottesmore. Aparently they are not keen on the new Dark Blue managements ideas of how things should be run. A lot of talk of "when we're at sea" is not helping I fear.

[RNGrommits]

Hooded
What a load of absolute nads.
Most of the harrier force have had 2-4 "boat" deployments by now, so the GR7/9 force are about as marinised (sp) as the shar force ever was (therefore have just as many "on the boat" dits!).
As for the original Wittering comment, I'll think you'll find more Navy at Cott than Witt- trust me, I should know. And from the officers end of JFH, the bulk of the light blue/dark blue issues have vanished/never existed in the first place.
The RAF enjoy the rich traditions that we bring - see Taranto night for details, and most of the Navy pilots enjoy the GR7's.
I'm not even a pilot and I am really enjoying the whole experience of being up here at RNAS Rutland!
ps - fish heads drive ships an stuff, not work for the Fleet Air Arm!

[The Rocket]

Well I'd certainly be pulling the Yellow n' Black if I had to work with RNGrommits!:E

But I'm sure that the lads really do enjoy the rich traditions you bring.

Especially that "Golden Rivet hunting" game you sailors are particularly fond of.:ooh:

[AllTrimDoubt]

Especially that "Golden Rivet hunting" game you sailors are particularly fond of.:ooh:
You've been reading too much BEagle mate.

[BEagle]

Rutland Water is probably the largest area of water most bona jet mates would ever wish to see.....

Still, sales of soap-on-a-rope should pick up in Stamford.

[HOODED]

RNGrommits, I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear, it's the majority of the squadrons light blue that are unhappy ie the groundcrew! The aircrew probably wouldn't give a stuff about how things are done as long as they are given some "serviceable" ac to fly. I know the RN pilots are happy with the GR7/9 and I also know that the RN/RAF intigration at groundcrew level isn't as happy as you may think. Just look at the number of redundancy aplications from engineers in RAF Rutland compared to the rest of the RAF.

[Pierre Argh]

Whilst these arguements about PVR rates etc are getting somewhat off thread... I suspect an equally major source of discontent is time spent living in a non-airconditioned tent, pitched in the middle of a desert? I don't think it's just to do with going to sea?

[AvQuack is PONDering]

Is it a rumour or have the fish heads managed to take over another light blue asset!!!:confused:
How many of these light blue assets were actually dark blue in the first place? I am told there were around 80 RNAS' at one time.....:)

[Navaleye]

Goog point AVQuack. I can think of a scottish RAF Station beginning with "L" as a good example

[Pierre Argh]

... and an RAF College beginning with Cranwell

... and all those 20(something) squadrons.

[flown-it]

..and a Welsh aerodrome beginning with B..(or has that closed?)

[Onan the Clumsy]

Tent? you were lucky.....

[Bismark]

Of course if the C**b Harrier boys are unhappy they can always hand the whole thing over to the FAA and they can then move back to Yeovilton where they belong.

Talking of the FAA Harriers (GR7s) are they going to have "Royal Navy" painted on them when 800 and 801 form? And, as it is going to be 50/50 manned, is COTT going to have both an RAF and RN name (names on a postcard to AOC 1Gp)?

[The Helpful Stacker]

Talking of the FAA Harriers (GR7s) are they going to have "Royal Navy" painted on them when 800 and 801 form?

Probably. It'd be a bit daft to be a Navy numbered sqn with RAF written on the side. But then again the 20(somethings) have 'RAF' on them.

And, as it is going to be 50/50 manned, is COTT going to have both an RAF and RN name (names on a postcard to AOC 1Gp)?

JHSU has more Army personnel working on it than RAF at Odiham but its still RAF Odiham. Why is this significant? 800 and 801 will be sqns, not the entire strength of the unit. As long as there are more crabs than foot shufflers at Cottesmore then why should it require an 'HMS' name?

There are plenty of RAF personnel working at Fleetlands at the mo, should that unit get a nice RAF name?

[LateArmLive]

Sorry to make a pedantic point, but we won't have FAA Harriers, or RAF Harriers, just JFH. The Sqns will continue to paint a proportion of the jets in their colours as they always have.
It seems to me that all this bitching about Light vs Dark Blue is from the people who have never worked with the "other side". Believe it or not, and I hate to rain on the Doom-Merchants parades, but JFH is working very well, and morale on the Sqns at Cottesmore is good. People keep going on about this big transition to the Navy GR7 Sqns, bit if you look at 3(F) today you will notice they've had a huge proportion of RN for a long time. It's not going to be a massive change in terms of personnel when 800NAS stand up in April.

[Bismark]

sqns[/i], not the entire strength of the unit. As long as there are more crabs than foot shufflers at Cottesmore then why should it require an 'HMS' name?
There are plenty of RAF personnel working at Fleetlands at the mo, should that unit get a nice RAF name?


I thought COTT will be pretty well 50/50 manned?

[LateArmLive]

Not really, it's still an RAF station that will have 2 RN flying Sqns and 2 RAF flying Sqns. There's more to Cottesmore than just flying. (Never thought I'd hear myself say that!)

[southside]

Most of the harrier force have had 2-4 "boat" deployments by nowNo they havent....! When was the last time a UK CVS went on a deployment ? 1999? or was it 1997. yep, 1997.

[Still Smiling]

Last boat deployment I was on was in 2005, and that's not being pedantic with terminology of "deployed" vs "embarked". The GR7s were embarked and did conduct operations from the CVS. And yes, JFH to the greater part is working. Certainly from the officers side there's pretty much no difference which service you're from and Taranto night and BofB nights are enjoyed equally by both services. The RAF have lost a light blue Sqn of GR7s and there are plenty of dark blue non-flying jobs on the base at Cott but it certainly doesn't stretch to 50/50 manning.


849 NAS doing op stuff off of the boat in 05:

http://www.navynews.co.uk/articles/2005/0503/0005032404.asp

Thought there was a bit on the GR7s but couldn't find it!

[dirtygc]

Tent? you were lucky.....

What can be worse than a tent? Lusty per chance!

Tier 2 accom is worse and right next to poo pond to boot! Been a strong easterly today, time to don the face welly.:yuk:

[LateArmLive]

Southside, it surprises me that you're talking rubbish again. :rolleyes:

[ORAC]

Number of people doesn´t, necessarily, decide who "owns" a station. Ask the Stn Cdr at RAF Mildenhall.... :hmm:

[FJJP]

Anyone would think that Cottesmore had never seen the RN before. 360 Sqn was 25% funded and manned by dark blue.

All worked fine then, no reason for it to be any different now.

Southside, as always, talks from a platform of substantial ignorance...

[RNGrommits]

Southside, are you sure you are in the same navy as me?

Certainly where I work there are NO RAF/Navy issues.
I have never seen any issues in the mess.
My neighbours on the patch all get along
& i havent seen any Navy vs RAF street brawls outside the Spar shop.

I am sure there are issues, just as there are issues in any single service station, but those who seem to want JFH to fail & become an interservice bitching match are going to be badly disappointed.

[WhiteOvies]

Back to the original post! 20(R) Sqn at RAF Wittering will come under the wing of 'Forward' (RAF Cottesmore) effectively becoming a lodger unit at RAF Wittering. RAF Wittering will cease to be a 1 Grp asset but will continue to be RAF Wittering. There's more to RAF Wittering than just flying too (ask 5131 BD Sqn or 2 MT)!

Dark blue/light blue - equal opps all round for ship or 'Stan deployments. See articles in Navy News/RAF News/Air Forces Monthly for details!
Rant off :bored:

[Navaleye]

No they havent....! When was the last time a UK CVS went on a deployment ? 1999? or was it 1997. yep, 1997.

November 2005, also Marstrike in Feb 05.

[Southside.]

Yes I am in the same Navy. I am actively involved in commanding a vital part of the supply chain for JFH and I think I am well qualified to comment on this matter than certain crabby-type posters here.:p

[teeteringhead]

I am actively involved in commanding a vital part of the supply chain ... does that mean "stacker"?

... or should I say "pusser"? ;) ;)

[Southside.]

Yes, the RN supply branch has pussers ('stackers' to the RAF).

I have been lucky enough to be a part of this rewarding part of the RN since I was scrubbed from Observer training 2 years ago.

FLY NAVY!