Common Core Skills

[Wyler]

Yesterday I completed my annual Common Core Skills course at the GDT Section. It started at 0830, included 45 minutes for lunch, and finished at 1600. Apparently, I am now qualified to do the following:

a. Extinguish a domestic fire using a variety of appliances.
b. Treat all the casualties and assist the Paramedics.
c. Strip and clean an SA80 in the desert, Arctic or jungle.
c. Protect the locality using succinct warnings and aimed shots (in a strong breeze as well).
d. Do all of this in full NBC kit, and in a gas environment.

Does anyone know of any other one day courses that provide you with such and exciting and varied array of qualifications.

In case anyone doubts my claims, I have a fistful of different coloured bits of card that will prove otherwise.

[LateArmLive]

You lucky thing! Now you'll be able to look forward to doing IDT and IRT, then you'll be able to do all the same things you listed as well as having a brief on the desert being hot and sandy! And even better you'll be taken away for your primary duties for even longer which allows our already overstretched force to get even further behind in their work.
What a lot of empire building rubbish :yuk:
Best of all, the new aircrew parachute drills take 4 hours to complete instead of 20 mins in the gym with a PTI. Add this to all the other uesless qualifications (IDT,CCS,IRT,EO), time away on Ops, leave (whatever that is!) and you'll see that there are approx 72.5 working days left in the year!
Blunties- shoot them all!

[Widger]

Wyler,I would say that the most important skill you have refreshed is the Firefighting!Bring on Fresco!!!!

[SlipperySlappery]

Good old CCS hoop. Did they teach you anything useful - like how to use your gun in Basrah when some git might try and kill you or are they still on the ticking boxes routine that serves no purpose other than to justify the Regiment's existence.

I did some really special RAF Regiment training before I went to Basrah. Couldn't use a real Land Rover for the ambush drills because:

1. Some made-up waffle about health and safety
2. 'That's a bronze age dyke sir and we can't drive on it'

Useless bunch - couldn't even pick up the Army application form when they went to the tri-service recruiting office

SS

[FFP]

I would add to that list Wyler the fact that you are able to list the distinguishing features of a sub surface nuclear explosion and what to do in an event of a nuclear blast (Don't you love it when the rock says in a matter-of-fact way "Pressure wave goes over, secondary wave comes over and stand up !")

These are the things that'll save you come the day !!

Our advice for a Nuclear Blast is Duck and Cover !! (Issued by the MoD)

[Wyler]

Ah yes, the positive and negative blast scenario. Piece of cake, pick yourself up and totter off to the nearest shelter for a quick rub down and a pint. Having treated several casualties on the way of course.:ok:

[sooms]

I'm sure the RAF Regt feel the same way about a lot of the stuff in CCS- it is setting a basic standard. We are, after all in a military service.
I've seen ccs/gdt change many times in the last 23 years and it's nowhere near the chafe it used to be. At least the Regt now try and make it as painless as possible- it is aimed at everyone, from a PAS Sqn Ldr to a newly arrived LAC.
Not many years ago it was 3 days long on some units in the uk, more in RAFG. I remember running twice round the rugby pitch at cottesmore in full ipe and S6 just so we were nice and sweaty for the cs chamber- no reason other than to give the rocks a laugh.
Personally, I don't have a problem with it and if it finishes early so much the better. Remember, most of this stuff started post-kosovo when the lack of sto training in the RAF was shown to be badly lacking. We have brought most of it on ourselves.
I saw at first hand the results at skopje with people turning up without a clue how to put up a 12x12 or even how live in field conditions. Funny for us SHF vets to watch, but embarrasing nevertheless. Did chafe a bit though later when they bought IDT in and we all had to 'learn' it.

Don't knock it- just do it, laugh at the k******s getting it wrong and get the tick for another year.

I do find the current trend towards more warlike stuff- section battle drills etc. rather worrying though. We must be carefull not to think we are something we are not. An Infantry soldier is a very special bloke..his job is to close with the enemy and kill him at close quarters, it takes the Army/RM/RAF Regt a long time to train someone to do it, especially when his mates are going down all around him. An afternoon running round the airfield is not enough and is quite frankly dangerous to think a rifle section of RAF personnel are capable of assaulting an enemy position under effective enemy fire.
Defending yourself, a flying site or reacting to a vehicle ambush are one thing, proper soldiering should be left to the guys who are trained to do it.

Just for the record- I am not a rockape.

[Talking Radalt]

Tick-tock Rock probing Guins on NBC blah (complete with killer judo-chop hand action to denote lucky victim)....
"Roight then! Wot :mad: cullaaaaaah..<long pause> does wun cullaaaaaaaaaah deeeeetectaaaaaaah paypaaaaaaaah turn when subjected to :mad: nerve agent?"
Long pause whilst the hand of death sweeps for a target then
pounces....:rolleyes: (Oh no, Cpl! I'm SO scared! Please don't pick me!:eek: )
"......YEW!"
Killer hand fires an imaginary lighting bolt my way......
:hmm:
"Who me? :} Oh right :uhoh: Errrrrr.......I dunno but if it's only ONE colour paper, does it really matter what colour that is? If I see ANY coloured spots, we're in the dwang, right?:cool:"
"And what if someone comes along wiv a felt tip pen? Then what?!!!!:mad: "
"I'd shoot them for being a complete knb and compromising the integrity of our NBC defences"
Stunned silence from Tick-tock with a look of "This does not compute"
RAF Reg: Some of the RAF's most powerful fighters operate on the ground. Note: some :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:
The sooner someone with a big hat and a nice desk identifies CCS, IDT, IRT, HRT and all the other twatting Ts we have to chase as a load of token ass-covering hoop, the better.
For example, why spend an entire afternoon being lectured in how to light a paraffin stove (last seen in my grandfather's green house in the late 70s) and comedy exploding Tilley lamps when the first thing the same set of Tick-tock Rocks tell us when we reach the Land of Sand and those lovely rubberised tenty Nissen hut thingies, is that under no circumstances are naked lights to be used anywhere within a 500 nautical mile radius.
Logic, Rocks, ever seen them in the same room?

[SlipperySlappery]

Sooms,

I didn't have a problem with the whole CCS regime until I found myself en-route to Basrah city centre one bright and sunny morning with a rifle that I was able to operate in accordance with the CCS regime of tick testing. However as the gits had taught me to shoot through the night sight, I could hardly be considered CR on the thing.

SS

[Tigs2]

Talking Radalt
:D Desperately need to see that turned into a comedy sketch!

[Yeller_Gait]

Talking Radalt,

Funniest thing I have read on here for a long while, and the sad thing is that it is all so true.

Our CCS starts at 7-30 with a RAFP lecture about security. WTF has that got to do with CCS, other than getting the day off to a bad start by having to be in at 7-30. Having recently attended the second year of these RAFP presentations, perhaps next year they will actually turn up early in time to start at the correct time.

The next good one here is that for aircrew that are not currently in a flying post, they now have to do SA-80 drill, rather than pistol. It does not matter that you have a posting notice in your hand saying that you will again be front-line aircrew next month, it just means that you have to arrange another waste-of-a-day at the Regt Flt to do the pistol converison again. Talk about job creation schemes.

I could go on, but loosing the will to live talking about CCS on a Friday night ...........sorry

[VigilantPilot]

Totally agree with what has been said.

Each new career climber invents another test. There is CCS, fitness test, operational fitness test, aircrew conditioning test...

Actually, what really infuriates me is not CCS but the Fitness Test. I have amassed about three times the number of stamps on my card than I have had years in the service. Every time I go to a new unit, the admin policy dictates they want you to do fitness tests in the month of your birthday, or on a particular month, or at the start of a course etc. I go to the gym about three times a week and I just find it a complete waste of time.

Roll on the new operational fitness test. I cant wait to shovel sand through a hole from one box to another. :rolleyes:

[Climebear]

My last CSS was at RAF Uxbridge (who parent us Watford types). Nice early start meant having to fight through London morning rush-hour, and a day out of the office was a break from planning real-time operations and I was back in the UK not in some horrible part of the world. Still wasn't I pleased that I was subjected to a lecture about the proper way to wear CS95 including learning that I shouldn't wear the old type webbing belt - important stuff or what? Or maybe we could just bin that particular item and start a bit later. Then again, perhaps we could extend the brief to include regulations for carrying nice blue rucksacks as well ;)

To be far on the Stn Regt section, they were very professional and pitched the whole day at just about the right level. You could tell that they were embarrassed to give the CS95 brief; however, it had been mandated by the SWO. Can this only happen at the home of QCS and RAF Music Services? I hope so.

[dallas]

Rock Instructor: [dallas] what's the last thing you do at the scene of an accident?

dallas: Er...do you mean go home?

[opso]

Q: What's the first thing you do at the scene of an accident?

A: Er...do you mean have the accident?

[The Helpful Stacker]

My last CSS was at RAF Uxbridge (who parent us Watford types). Nice early start meant having to fight through London morning rush-hour, and a day out of the office was a break from planning real-time operations and I was back in the UK not in some horrible part of the world. Still wasn't I pleased that I was subjected to a lecture about the proper way to wear CS95 including learning that I shouldn't wear the old type webbing belt - important stuff or what? Or maybe we could just bin that particular item and start a bit later. Then again, perhaps we could extend the brief to include regulations for carrying nice blue rucksacks as well ;)
To be far on the Stn Regt section, they were very professional and pitched the whole day at just about the right level. You could tell that they were embarrassed to give the CS95 brief; however, it had been mandated by the SWO. Can this only happen at the home of QCS and RAF Music Services? I hope so.
I sympathise with you Climbear. Having previously been at a rehab centre in Surrey I too had the joy of having to travel to Uxbridge for my CCS courses at an ungodly hour ;) . The CS95 'briefing' is indeed embarrassing.

As you say though, the Regt instructors there were pretty good overall, doing what had to be done with the minimum of messing around for us.

On the 'blue bag' issue I was always under the impression that if you are not to wear 'blue' items with 'green' items (no mixed uniform). Surly the RAF sandwich bag would fall into this trap? Wouldn't a 'green' sandwich bag (like those nice daysack the Army get issued) make more sense in greens and couldn't it be issued instead of the black 'deployment' sandwich bag that seems to fill no requirement other than being cheap?

[Climebear]

HS

The mention of the Rucksack was, obviously, a poor attempt at sarcasm. I don't really care. I work in greens and have a (civvy) green daysac. Oh what a rebel.



If the truth is known, I also flagrently flout the dress regs when I deploy operationally by occasionally wearing my old rifle green stablebelt (on the basis that it took 18 weeks of hard graft at Winchester before I could wear it as opposed to 6 weeks mild exersion at Swinderby) what would RAF Uxbridge's SWO say!!

[dallas]

Although silly idea creep is definitely prevalent again today, pre-CCS was even worse. I always got the impression that someone high up in greenworld had been granted a day a year by the Air Force Board to dick the blue RAF around and then devolved responsibility locally as to what that dicking involved. I've done everything from assaulting machine gun nests (endex was when a pair of blokes chucked a stone into the 'nest' to simulate a grenade...not that any of us had ever even seen one), through to COLPRO. Until CCS, it was certainly different every year.

I did hear that IDT is now dead, to be replaced by the OFT. The reason given was the gap in our military skillsets has apparently now been bridged. In true left hand-right hand fashion, the new OFT promises to include an annual tent building lesson and, what I consider a brilliant own goal for a Service claiming to be 'stretched', a shovelling sand from one box to another test. Can't wait for the papers to get hold of that one!

"RAF shovels sand from one box to another as aircraft sit stranded"

or

"Victorian penal system tasks keep RAF pilots busy"

As posted earlier, I think most people would understand us being taught defensive measures, but section attacks by cooks and bottle washers is a joke. We need to remember our bit of 'warfighter first' is to provide the air bit.

[bayete]

Picture the scene....
Having crawled away from burning wreckage in nasty sandy place of your choice and with AK wielding baddies fast approacing, do you?
Slowly walk 20m pause turn around walk 20m.. repeat 10 times then:
Inrease speed slightly (making it harder for enemy to track you in his sight)and repeat 9 times.
Continue as above 10.4 times each time increasing your speed untill collapse on floor (minimising profile to approaching enemy) and do 13 press-ups:
Roll over and get head blown off by irritated man with AK47 as you approach your 27th sit-up.....sorry failed your test come back later for remedial.
or do you?
Just run away as best you can.

[engineer(retard)]

My favourite was advancing in full section order, laying down covering fire etc because the cook/chef whose lead it was did not know that carrying out a DI on a Landrover was a bit different to an IED.

One of the lads gave him a slight clue by requesting smoke grenades for cover while he checked the oil. At this point I could not breathe for laughing as we went through with it anyway.

[L1A2 discharged]

And the Rock that said "If you come a month early you will never be out of date, and over a full career you will only do an extra couple of CCS days". :yuk: My reply "But if I come late by a month every year it will mean at least 2 less CCS days over the same period".:ok:

Obviously before the time of digging holes and carrying heavy weights to show what heroes we would be.

[dantura]

IRT Honington, Pre Bosnia Det, Late 90's...
Landrover anti-ambush drill...
Female Sgt Nurse, 1 year in, giving covering fire to said ambushers, gets stoppage with SA80, stops firing.
Cpl rockape, "why have you stopped firing?"
Nurse, "cause I have a stoppage!"
Rockape, "so what do you do when you have a stoppage?"
Nurse, "Put your hand up!"

Us...roll about laughing, unable to continue anti-ambush :D, told Nurse is now casualty and have to carry her a mile up the bloody hill.:{

[16 blades]

told Nurse is now casualty and have to carry her a mile up the bloody hill.

I hope she didn't have the typical Issue WRAF body shape....

:E

16B

[seafuryfan]

"Right gents.." (briskly rubs hands), "..first aid."

"As you all know, St Johns have now issued Edition.." (insert random number) "..of their First Aid book so...." (as it is every bl**dy year:hmm: ) "... it is at odds with what's in your CCS book, which as far as I'm aware is still edition.." (insert further random number). "I'll show you the latest St Johns methods but your test will still be from the book".

"Ok gents, anyone know the number of compressions per minute for a casualty? Sir....? No, ok, I'll give you all a clue............." (sung very fast with accompanying vigorous arm movements equating to approx 180bpm) "NELLIETHEELEPHANTPACKEDHERTRUNKANDSAIDGOODBYETOTHECIRCUS (pause) OFFSHEWENTWITHATRUMPETYTRUMPTRUMPTRUMPTRUMP..." etc.

[Hoots]

I see that some are giving the Rocks a hard time, even saying they got the wrong application form at the tri-service careers office. Shame on you all. Over the years, 23 now, i have found the vast majority of them to be good instructors. Some think they are all stupid for being a soldier in blue, well i've kown lots of them over the years who have far more qualifications than i have but they are doing what they want to do. I used to be a ground electronics technician serving on Regiment Sqn's, i have many fond memories of my 7 years on different Regiment Sqn's. Some get hacked off these days at the frequent trips to the desert, back in the 80's and early 90's before i changed over to the aircrew world these rocks and associated engineers etc were down in the Falklands for 4 and a bit months then back for 12 months (4 Germany Sqns taking it in turn). They didn't whinge, they got on with it and throughout my time with them i became aware of how professional they actually were. So what am i getting at, firstly dont judge the Regiment guys by what you see on GDT/CCS, the guys im sure are only teaching what they have been directed to. Secondly, until youve served with these guys on a Sqn dont judge them as being second class soldiers, in many ways i believe them to be better than your average infantry man. Having seen the aptitude tests for the Army and RAF, even for Rocks, i know who has the higher standard and it aint the Army. (no offence meant to any Army guys)

So if you dont like the content of CCS blame the policy makers.

[16 blades]

In fairness, boys & girls, it's not the Rocks who are to blame for the CCS / IDT / IRT / blah blah fiasco that we are forced to go through every year / 28/56 days prior to deployment / whenever they decide its necessary (insert current policy as appropriate). It is all an ass-covering exercise by those in positions of command, now that 'common sense' no longer officially exists.

I once defended the RAF Regt to a member of our esteemed British Army whislt serving in a 'Joint' post - said British Army chap was intent on making the 'auld' Toast / Soldiers joke with the RAF Regt as the recipients. I reminded him that they are NOT soldiers, they are specialists in Airfield Defence, and proceeded to quiz him on exactly HOW he would attempt to shoot down an aircraft that was threatening his troop out in 'the field' with nothing but small arms....his response was amusing, at least. YOU try explaining the concept of lead/lag to a Squaddie, who's fastest-moving target ever would be a Tank doing 50 Km/h.

IMHO the esteemed British Army would do well to seek advice from the RAF Regt when they eventually take over the role that the RAF Regt currently fulfill.

This chimp even asked me "WTF is 'Force protection'?" (in between picking horse hairs out of his spurs).

16B

[Not Long Here]

I have heard that, in some of the RAFs more northern outposts, the annual CCS is now 9 Monthly so that is always 3 months in date!!:uhoh:

[The Helpful Stacker]

If the truth is known, I also flagrently flout the dress regs when I deploy operationally by occasionally wearing my old rifle green stablebelt (on the basis that it took 18 weeks of hard graft at Winchester before I could wear it as opposed to 6 weeks mild exersion at Swinderby) what would RAF Uxbridge's SWO say!!

Pensinsular or St John Moore?

St John Moore here.:ok:

[airborne_artist]

Peninsular or St John Moore? St John Mooore here

Takes me back - used to go to Peninsular Barracks with CCF - look at them now. (http://www.vrwinchester.co.uk/iview_java/source/37_peninsula_barrack_view2.html)

[Talking Radalt]

In fairness, boys & girls, it's not the Rocks who are to blame

Agreed, but there is a very wide-spread default setting amongst gunners that we're all stupid because we don't know the ins and outs and stuff they do every day. Any time a rock wants to ask to come and do some of that tricky flying stuff using a postcard-size guide book and an afternoon's tick-testing, I'm all ears. :hmm:

[Climebear]

HS

Peninsular (1982/3) - In my, day Sir John Moore hadn't been granted a sainthood;)

[dallas]

I'm told the Rocks are actually quite rated by the Army, as is the RAF as a whole in terms of NBC capability. We're not that highly regarded in terms of airlift capability, so clearly 'warfighter first' is having the right effect :*

[Radar Riser]

Apparently IDT is being replaced by OFT. What's the difference?

As for job creation schemes, how many courses a year do I need to do to practice stripping down an SA80/SLP, putting on an S10 and discovering that I don't really like CS gas?

I know it's a radical idea, but why don't we have one course that does everything and call it something like GDT, for ground defence training?

I know it's not the Rocks fault, they're just carrying out their orders from on high. But how many times have the people from on high been OOA in the last few years to get a reality check:mad:

RR

[Talking Radalt]

....and just how useful is an annual range shoot anyway apart from proving the armoury have been fcuking around with the sights again?
:hmm:

[FFP]

What's that they say about bad workmen and tools Talking Rad ;)

I just accept I'm crap at shooting :p

[JessTheDog]

I quite enjoyed CCS during my time in, except for the pointless tick tests. (yes, I know, sad git...:yuk: )

[Talking Radalt]

My point about a range shoot being some kind of "qualification" for current ops is this:
It shows no real ability to use the weapon, merely to operate it.
It's akin to giving someone a basic driving test then packing them off on the Paris Dakar.

[Snakecharmer]

Great stuff chaps... a fine reminder of the worst day of each year! Was I the only one who, having re-assembled his SLR / SMG / SA80 / pistol or whatever this year's weapon was, often ended up with a 'surplus' spring or arbitrary metallic lump on the floor?!

Having re-reassembled the weapon, I was then taken to the walled comedy store - the 25m range. Missing the target was never the issue (it was a given!), but the Rock's audible frustration that I'd managed to eject as many rounds sideways out of the middle bit of the gun and onto the gravel next to me as I'd managed to fire... cue Rock running to re-insert said rounds into gun for me to pop off in general direction of target, thus getting us all home in time for tea with all relevant boxes ticked!

Would have made sense if we had the time to do it 4 times a year and hence retain at least some of the information, or maybe I'm just thick and proud to be so.

The one piece of human warmth I ever detected from the Regt types was the last question on the tick test:

"Scratch and sniff - which one's nerve gas?!"