Paras without planes

[sausage2]

Seems we have run out of Hercs for paras to jump from, cos of constant ops. Tell me something I did not know.

Daily Mail (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1195781/Paras-planes-RAF-running-Hercules-strain-Iraq-war.html)

[Blighter Pilot]

Not enough aircraft is one thing - the RAF has failed to mention to the Army's top brass that we don't have enough C130 crews qualified to drop para's (apart from some specialist units).

Mainstream C130 crews are no longer taught para procedures during their tactical course and most crews who were once qualified are no longer current.

Perhaps our C130 crews should opt to fly the Skyvans? At least then we would have some trained aircrews.:mad:

[Yeoman_dai]

ooo look, a can of worms...


It's not like our Airborne Brethren need to jump out of aircraft for ops anymore do they? 1956 was a looong time ago, although in fairness to the RAF Reg they were planning to take an Iraqi Airfield by jump during Op Granby. Wasn't their fault the Cheshire Reg had got there first by driving :ok:




Don't worry Para types i'm only joking

[BEagle]

For years, they used balloons at WOTG.

Then the balloons went, and they used the C130.

The C130 was deemed 'too costly', so they used Hunting's Skyvans under contract.

Then they said they couldn't afford the contract, so binned the Skyvan.

"We've got enough Hercs to cope", said the MoD.....

Now it was obvious to anyone except an MoD bean counting idiot that they hadn't....

As has now been proven. Told you so.

So now it's back to Skyvans.

Maybe they'll be back to balloons again once they've worked out how much they'll have to pay for Skyvans......:hmm:

[CirrusF]

Except you can't (or at least couldn't) get your wings jumping out of balloons. You have (or at least had) to do a full-on scarey batallion night-jump with full kit, using both doors, so you could have the full experience of a 10% casualty rate jump...

[NURSE]

I remember hearing there were problems with the J model and dropping paratroops were those resolved?

[Top Bunk Tester]

Well fornicate my ancient footwear, it must have been a figment of my imagination but I could have sworn I've gone to sleep with the dulcet tones of four Allisons in perfect unison at least 4 nights over the past fortnight. My house is right on the IP for WOTG. I also haven't seen a K dropping for ages, for reasons obvious, but the J seems to be busy. This begs the question, are they ours? Couldn't see any red stars on them so left the NBC kit in the loft. If they are ours, then who's crewing them? :}

NURSE

If I remember correctly it was a problem with sim sticks meeting at the rear of the a/c in a rather inappropriate manner. I believe this was solved a long time ago.

[NURSE]

The problem I'd heard about was to do with the difference in speeds between the K & J models that may have created the effect you describe. Glad they've goten it sorted.
Mind you weren't the paras shown jumping into Normandy a few weeks ago in the UK press including the daily mail!