Aircrew Rations

[comedyjock]

Anyone heard the rumour that aircrew rations are being withdrawn from 1 march?

[airborne_artist]

It's a cost-saving measure. In future all grow-bags will be limited to a max 36" waist. :E

[MG]

Good job I'm on a ground tour then.

[Party Animal]

The aircrew rations budget was already reduced by 90% when we cut the Nimrod Force! ;)

[Could be the last?]

Beat me to it PA, although we have the 'Toilet Man' holding with us and what he doesn't know about Aircrew Rations..........

[ALM In Waiting]

They already are, in the sense that pax and crew frozen meals are now the same. Sadly, they have reduced crew meals to pax meals rather than upgrading the pax meals :(

[Could be the last?]

Didn't BA go down this route recently, and then both guys at the front went down with DnV in flight, along with several pax. Hence, why the crew always get something different and at different times...........

[PPRuNeUser0211]

I've heard (pretty definitively) that the "high energy" aircrew rations (i.e. the nutty draw in the tea bar) is being removed pretty much altogether. Not exactly surprising in this day and age!

[Fareastdriver]

the crew always get something different

IIRC they have been doing that for thirty years or so.

[just another jocky]

pba_target - you are correct Sir.

[ALM In Waiting]

Different meals for Capt, Co etc but same as pax size and quality i.e. Chix or Fish.

[chinook240]

Good job I'm on a ground tour then.


I can't believe you said that - where does all the mountains of choccy in your office come from?:eek: If only the aircrew knew.

[Could be the last?]

So what about the guys on Q at RS15, or the SAR crews and those holding whatever RS for the upcoming games? :ok:

[NutLoose]

Better get some in quickly then...


http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/Desperate%20Dan%20cow%20pie.jpg

[Geehovah]

I was always grateful for the post flight biscuit:}

[Bubblewindow]

We had ours withdrawn last year. It's bring your own now. It actually works out better on the waistline and innards but worse on the wallet!
Entitled to claim back a few quid if the flight goes over 5hrs 5mins but after filling out the paperwork it has to get past the disgruntled , omni-pregidous orderly room corporal who might get around to typing it into the "system", eventually !

Even the trolly dollies on the VIP flights have to bring their own sarnies while the fat cats in the rear get the top nosh!!

BW

[NutLoose]

Will keep a look out on eBay for RAF surplus tinned tuna then, probably have cornered the market.

[Equilibrium]

Thought food was mandatory on long flights, but never mandatory to eat it! :eek::eek::eek:

[Cornerstone958]

Ah! looks like the 'Winged Master Race' will soon be back to the White Cardboard Box and powdered Orange!:D

[Bubblewindow]

Part of our pre-flight brief requires the pilot in command to check the crew have brought sufficient rations. Minimum of a sandwich , water and choc bar or fruit.
We have a stash of coffee also but milk is often forgotten :yuk:

BW

[Could be the last?]

What are they going to do with all the Benson's crisps, and more importantly, what are they going to do with all the 'blanderizers' they prepare the food with?? :O

[SaddamsLoveChild]

To be honest it will stop the bean stealers taking it out of the draw for their kids or for the journey home, if you want parity of treatment with civvies it goes both ways - bring a packed lunch or prep your own butty box......................its not difficult.:E

[switch_on_lofty]

What next? Surely not stationery?

BTW not sure about the preventing stealing argument, you could apply that to anything...

[Shack37]

Thousands made redundant in the pie industry.

[Bubblewindow]

Our meals were supplied by the officers mess and they were getting X amount of money per head from the budget. The X outweighed the product* so I bet they ain't happy bunnies loosing out on several flights a day!!
*usually made from the previous evenings leftovers. Those who ate in the mess the evening before a flight were rarely impressed.

BW

[oldmansquipper]

I`m told there are still aircrew lockers full of tins of Heinz Tomato soup in the old Flying Clothing Section at Waddo.....Been there since the Vulcan days...:rolleyes:

[PTT]

Nibbling away at the perks... :rolleyes:

[Equilibrium]

I so remember with a degree of satisfaction of receiving my first 'Butty Box' for free on an MCT trip cos i had just moved out of service accommodation. :D

Such a sad feeling that this emotion won't be felt by those (if not already made redundant) young thrusters that follow. :sad:

Bye Bye Pies & all those bruised apples etc :D:D:D:D

[INT_QRU]

I remember a Nimrod sortie where we had some chap with gold stuff on his hat along for the ride. Fair play to him, we were informed before the trip that he did not want to bother with VIP rations, he would eat the same as us.

Stu B***** in the galley doing the cooking sets a chix curry in front of the man who duly tucks in. He turns to Stu and suggests that the food is not as warm as it could be.

Stu leans over, sticks gloved finger in the middle of the curry, tastes it and announces "Naah - its OK"

One very surprised VIP wishing he had gone for the fancy rations!

[Bubblewindow]

I'd say a certain cook's (oh, sorry chef's) kids won't be happy here either. Many's a Sunday morning I'd go to the mess to pick up our box of rations to be short choclate bars or yummy hazelnut yougurts.
"there's none left im afraid ".
Funny how the press had a couple of boxes of Kit Kats and Mars Bars in it on Friday then?
Only seemed to run out when he was Duty Coook??:=

BW

[Door Slider]

Can someone in the know please confirm that this cut is to high energy rations only and NOT in flight rations. Some of the previous posters seem to be talking about both.

Thanks

[Hueymeister]

A RN Surgeon Commander has completed the paper that has killed high energy rations. I need a sugar buzz sometimes during a 7hr leg east/west bound :uhoh: 3-5 hr rate down from £2.97 to £0.15. Looks like the RN are still exacting revenge for moving Guam and scrapping the Harrier...what next, no Merlins for the Junglies as a parry&repost?:sad::}:ok:

[Wander00]

Back in the early 80s some bright spark in the system decreed that IOT cadets could no longer take Mars bars to camp. That meant staff could not either. People started to lose weight and feel odd, so someone - a nutritionist or some such like measured the work rate at camps 1 and 2. Long time ago but I seem to reacall the reqirement that generated was an astonishing 7000 calories a day, against a ration (enhanced) of about 3500 or 4000 calories a day. The ban on Mars bars was lifted! (I cannot eat a Mars bar other than when sailing, but even I was eating 2 or 3 of them a day!)

[Ken Scott]

At the secret Oxfordshire base crew meals have gone, replaced by pax meals (which are tiny). Rumour has it (& this is a rumour network) that a Tri* steward set fire to a crew meal in the food warmer so they are now considered to be 'unsafe' to prepare - even in those ac equipped with microwaves.

Butty boxes are still being supplied for MCTs.

So we're not yet at the stage where crews have to stop at Lidl (opening soon....!) on their way to work to get their rations before departure.

But it's probably only a matter of time......

[Exascot]

I would try to avoid MCT like the plague but my hound looked forward to my return with the Scotch Egg from the Gateway House 'Butty Box'. She would catch it mid-air as I bounced it off the kitchen floor :)

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/32684975/Scotch%20Egg.jpg

[BEagle]

And as for the Robirch pork pie, which was usually so stale that the inside rattled around like a dice in a cup...

On Vs, I always gave my Mars Bar to the AEO for his young daughter. She was really upset when we were re-crewed later. I also used to give the piece of cling film wrapped moustrap cheese to one of our Air Engs on the VC10K - his shih tzu loved it. But then In-Flight started giving us some wrapped soft cheese instead - he tried his hound on that and then spent half an hour combing the residue out of its whiskers/ears/paws....

To be honest, I'm surprised that crew rations (except for trips of over 5 hours) weren't binned years ago.

[Ken Scott]

To be honest, I'm surprised that crew rations (except for trips of over 5 hours) weren't binned years ago.

But a trip of, say, 4 hours, involves at least 1 1/2 hours before & at least 30 mins after (or possibly a great deal more if parked on the south side of EGVN & waiting to cross the runway) so that's at least 6 hours on duty & unable to go to the mess for a meal. The butty box makes an attempt at nutrition to tide you over that period & when measured against the operating cost of the ac it's hardly the biggest consumables cost.

[Bubblewindow]

Can someone in the know please confirm that this cut is to high energy rations only and NOT in flight rations. Some of the previous posters seem to be talking about both.

Hi DS,
From my end (I'm not British Forces) its a complete cut in rations. Unless you include the ration packs in the life rafts !! :yuk:

BW

[Ken Scott]

I've started driving around the ring road to avoid the traffic lights by the building site so I'll bow to your superior knowledge of discount supermarkets.

More of a Waitrose man myself......

[Old Speckled Aircrew]

[QUOTE=BEagle;On Vs, I always gave my Mars Bar to the AEO for his yong daughter. .[/QUOTE]
Beages, a Mars Bar for an AEOs young daughter sounds like a fair swap to me.

[Ken Scott]

I see they have one in Marlborough.

And Chippenham, Cirencester, Melksham & Wantage.

[dagama]

Quote: I see they have one in Marlborough.

...... and soon in Malmesbury, I hope.

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

Beages, a Mars Bar for an AEOs young daughter sounds like a fair swap to me.

Depends on what she was offering in exchange for said mars bar :E

[ancientwarrior]

Never mind your high energy tooth rotting delicacies.
What will happen to the COMPO SAUSAGE mines?
;)

[NutLoose]

Here you go, the ideal meal, am I taking the p*ss?

BBC NEWS | Americas | US army food... just add urine (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3915659.stm)

[Wensleydale]

I'd always go for a Milky Way: the sweet you can eat between Mars Bars without losing your appitite!

[Bubblewindow]

God forbid there were 5 mars bars and 1 Lion Bar in our box.
That's when the trouble started, scrambling to the Galley, pulling rank, pulling hair :hmm::mad:

I soon learned to be the one to quickly stock the galley while the others warmed up the systems :E

BW

[The_Agent]

More penny pinching.

With a 2 hour plan, 1 hour brief, 1:15 flight, 30 mins in-brief/de-kit and 30 mins debrief conducted 2 or 3 times a day, I am not always able to get a lunch break. Grabbing a mars bar etc between sorties has been a welcome calorie boost, so no need to grumble. Our aircrew rations were only ever claimed retrospectively against actual hours flown (though eaten by everyone!). At about £0.50p per hour, it wasn't a big deal, but enough to make sure something was available between sorties. Not anymore.

Guess the powers that be would prefer I 'down tools' to get a lunch break, I guess?

[Lima Juliet]

I have a nagging memory about high energy rations being introduced from a Board of Inquiry recommendation on suspected Hypoglycemia of a Jaguar Pilot involved in an accident? Anyone else remember this - or am I just going mad? :}

[Fox3WheresMyBanana]

Don't know about Jag guy. Do know about an F3 pilot with visual problems (talked down by nav) to which rations may have been a contributory factor. Have, as SFSO, had to get the Staish to order OC Catering to provide edible in-flight rations to avoid more problems like this.

On the other hand, given the reduction in flying hours, is it common to miss normal meals these days?

Shocked we've got through 3 pages without a mention for Gala Pie (so here it is).

Anyone manage eating an entire box of jaffa cakes in less than 11 seconds? Team effort, obviously, starting from a closed box..
Though given the number of dairy cream sponges I was offered on my one flight on the kipper fleet, there may be certain individuals who can come close!

[The Old Fat One]

Here you go, the ideal meal, am I taking the p*ss?

BBC NEWS | Americas | US army food... just add urine (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3915659.stm)


Nuts...

Adding bodily fluids to inflight meals was invented by maritime I think. "Co, galley, would you like the special sauce??" :E:E:E

[teeteringhead]

I have a nagging memory about high energy rations being introduced from a Board of Inquiry recommendation on suspected Hypoglycemia of a Jaguar Pilot involved in an accident? ... may have kept them going but they were around long before the Jag was!

ISTR being told they were introduced to ameliorate the effect of sweet rationing (which ended Feb 1953) and sugar rationing (ended Sep 1953)!!

Surprised they lasted so long .....

But I do recall a "rations man" (G****m B*****m when a mere sgt) saying to the marrieds:

"Sirs, I'm just putting in the nutty ration order - which sweets do your brats prefer!" :ok:

[Whenurhappy]

I haven't been aircrew for 2 decades but I recall a report in Airclues in the late 1980s warning about the impact of 'sugar high and sugar low' that follows ingenstion of chocolate or similar sweets. I recall it was cited in thecase of a single pilot op Cessna Caravan lost off the east cost of the South Island, NZ, in c 1989.

I have a very sweet tooth yet if I am driving I avoid the temptations fo teh Petrol Station sweet shelves. I find I get drowsy very quickly; some years ago I wrote off my VW Golf heading for RAF Digby, dozy momentarily based on an evening meal of a packet of biscuits.

[high spirits]

The money from aircrew rations also goes on isotonic drinks. On a sandy summer det they can make a major difference to the on task time you can get out of a crew working in a 55 degrees c cockpit.

Especially when the liquid cooled vests that were purchased turned out to be unfit for purpose. More ducks nibbling away at the collective goodwill I fear.

[AOJM]

Good bye pot noodles

[nice castle]

and good riddance!

[VIProds]

In the mid 60's, Air Ministry instructed me to carry out "flight Trials" on Air to Air TACAN as there had been complaints that it was losing lock-on at distance.

They alloted me two Victor Tankers & one hour to take readings. For the first flight, we got into our flying "romper" suits then went & had a full English breakfast.

As we were driven out to the aircraft, I enquired what the large stainless steel box containing sandwitches & chocolate bars was for & was informed that if we had to ditch in the North Sea our energy levels would still be high (thanks for that).

Eight hours later, on our return to Marham we went into the Mess room & had a full three course meal - I could get very used to this, so had a few more trial flights before fixing a design problem.

[NutherA2]

During exercise Limejug 70, operating out of Malta, our pair of F4s had to start to RTB before our scheduled end of task, on account of low fuel, since the Buccaneer targets had turned up early and the tanker wasn’t due for a while. During our recovery we intercepted the outbound Victor before (I think) it had reached Top of Climb. Between us we took all the off-load he offered, so he went back to Luqa while we went back to CAP over the “fleet”.

Checking later during an informal debrief showed that we had been airborne about 4½ hours and the Victor for about 45 minutes.

After landing we were fed a standard egg & bacon night flying supper. The tanker crew were a bit put out that their short trip barely gave them time to finish their in-flight rations; but conceded that their pre- and post-flight steaks had been very good.

[A2QFI]

For some medical reason, possibly connected to long flights at altitude, we used to get a hi protein/lo carb meal pre and post flight which was helpful in the early 1960s when under 25 and not getting all the allowances.

We couldn't get into Eastleigh so operated out of Nairobi/Embakasi. Eastleigh catering couldn't deal with the logistics so we ate in the airport restaurant and sent the chits to Eastleigh. I remember lobster being popular for the post-flight meal!

We were also issued with a bizarre flying suit which could be passed off as a uniform and oddly positioned zips which resulted in it being knows as a "Breast-feeder"!

[ShyTorque]

Adding bodily fluids to inflight meals was invented by maritime I think. "Co, galley, would you like the special sauce??"

Navy? Not necessarily anything to do with rations, then .....

[St Johns Wort]

Teeteringhead.

You can remember GBH as a Sgt doing the ration returns:eek: You must be very old;)

[Ron Cake]

As noted by several others, a feature of the V Force in the 1960s was the apparent belief that crews needed to be continually fed. The operations blocks incorporated a kitchen and dining room, complete with white coated stewards, that remained open throughout the flying programme. After self briefing the crews would settle in the 'aircrew feeder' for a three course meal. Loaded on to the crew coach would be a large box stuffed with tins of soup sandwiches, sweets (often teeth ruining polos) and assorted cold drinks. It was the co pilots job to lug this about. Some resented the chore, but they were encouraged to think it was all part of preparation for captaincy. On landing it was back to the 'feeder for another blow out. And if it was the right time of day, you could be back to the Mess in time for dinner. Later, the entitlement was cut back - if you flew ,say, a one and a half hour air test you no longer got the after flight meal - it was a bitter blow

It would be interesting to know why V force crews, and no others, were provisioned in this way. it was once thought to be aero medicine factors but what about other roles. Many were more demanding that V force flying, eg Canberras in RAF Germany. Their crews just had to make do.

[teeteringhead]

You can remember GBH as a Sgt doing the ration returns You must be very old ... I must have lied about my age when I joined.... :(

It was definitely him - I can hear him saying it now - and he'd hardly have been Rats-Man with a crown .....

[Party Animal]

RC,

Not just the V Force. Finningley (Training Command) had a marvelous feeder that provided a great steak 'n' chips followed by choc ices just before a 2 and a half hour Dominie ride. Not sure if that followed across to Cranwell post 94 but it was very much appreciated during my time in training.

[iRaven]

Ah, the FYY feeder - my saviour after 'drinking on the weather' with a night out in Donny only to be faced by CAVOK and a nasty LLTS sortie with Uwe the German!

Happy days :ok:

[Milo Minderbinder]

"It would be interesting to know why V force crews, and no others, were provisioned in this way."
It was to fatten you lot up. After you dropped your bombs on Russia, you wouldn't be coming back: you'd have to land somewhere in Siberia or Mongolia, and it might be a while before you got any more food.
Besides which, I've heard those Mongolian women like their men big and rotund...

[Tankertrashnav]

Had to smile at Ron Cake's description of V Force rations. Things had definitely gone downhill at Marham by the time I got there on tankers, although the aircrew feeder certainly provided a very good breakfast. Tins of soup in the in-flights would have raised a hollow laugh. The Victor was equipped with a special can heater. A can of soup, placed in the heater just after take-off might be just luke warm on finals after a very long sortie! Never once saw it used.

[Al R]

TTN,

Be grateful you never had to endure tins of 'cheese possessed'! The CVRT armour of the 80s and 90s also had a Boiling Vessel which was nothing more than a (sharp edged) kettle/pressure cooker conveniently located in front of the doorman at shin/patella height (depending on whether you were QCS material or not). I don't know what was more dangerous to the vehicle occupants - that thing whistling in protest as the clank bounced at 30 mph over the bondu and catching the troops in turn as they debussed, or the vehicle commander standing on a 220 gallon jerry can of petrol.

Still nothing like those glorious tinned sausages though. :(

[Airborne Aircrew]

God, I loved cheese possessed... mmmmmmmmmmmmmm... :O

[FantomZorbin]

......... and the square sausages!!!!!

[HTB]

Cheese possessed? That could be an omen. I don't remember square sausages in Vulcan rations (sounds like you had to eat 'em cold or have a galley to warm 'em up).

The key to soup heating was to start warming at taxi, with the prospect of a 4-5 hour sortie (not uncommon on 27 MRR) and hope not to go u/s early - and be very careful if you forgot to pierce the can at stage 1 of the process. Not that I pesonally tried it - but had a cupboard ful of assorted soup at home:ok:

And don't forget the prospect of a weather scrub invariably caused a mad dash for the feeder - so get the forecast early and eat before planning.

Mister B

[Courtney Mil]

The oatcakes....

[Fareastdriver]

Tinned processed cheese was the best fishing bait ever in Borneo. Moulded over the hook it would be in the water for every bit of five seconds before some fish had it. After a time they used to jump out of the water for the open tin just like the Hamlet adverts.

[Airborne Aircrew]

At times tin of Cheese, Processed, (possessed), and a compo can opener could be heaven.

[Tankertrashnav]

AA and Al R - I once helped organise a wine and cheese party (remember those?) in the mess at Kai Tak. All of the cheeses had little name tags, and many were curious about the câmpeau, asking what area of France it came from.

A few finally tumbled!

[BEagle]

According to the Catering Manager at RAF Brize Norton, rations will cease on Sept 01 2012 for flights of less than 5 hours.

I seem to recall that 4:35 was always the minimum auth'd time for a Vulcan flight in the late '70s - the idea being that when :15 taxying at each end was included, it totalled 5:05 and was therefore just sufficient for a pre-flight feeder meal. Plus a Mars bar for the AEO's daughter.

Are they planning to build an Aircrew Feeder at Brize.....?? 'elf 'n safety or some other bluntness of the nanny-society stopped squadron tea bars flogging rat pies, so what other option will there now be?

[Mend em]

Shouldn't we be combining this with the 'UK Maritime Reqts A Secret' thread. My experience is that it was the maritime boys and girls who knew how to smuggle rations on board.....

[Ken Scott]

According to the Catering Manager at RAF Brize Norton, rations will cease on Sept 01 2012 for flights of less than 5 hours. This will also count if you aggregate two short flights together i.e. the ground time on a flag stop will not be counted as part of the hours. Get your wallets out AT crews you need to buy yourself some food.

So, doing the maths, reporting 2 hr before chocks plus 2 x 2 hr legs, 11/2 hr for the flag stop plus 30 mins after flight equals an 8 hr day without any rations.....do we still get tea & coffee I wonder?

[NutLoose]

Would it not make sense to simply carry on providing meals if requested but bill for them as in the US?

see
The unofficial box nasty hall of shame (http://www.choxnpinz.com/141starlifter/boxnasties/box.html)

thought this one was excellent LOL

http://www.choxnpinz.com/141starlifter/boxnasties/lemo.html

Not exactly as advertised, but after talking with Tom, I understand why. It seems Moron has boxes on back-order for the last 3-months, and supplies are hard to come by so they do what they can. Their flight meal orders went from 18 meals in Nov 2002 to 6410 in Jan 2003. Ground meals in Nov 02 were 2000 meals, in Jan 03 it jumped to 27000 with no additional manning authorized to build them all.


As our loadmaster said, "When the meals are brought out in a garbage bag, you should take that as a sign".



Some one must have been having a war somewhere :E