Originally Posted by
Lima Juliet
i think you are right Tuc. Also, for RAF
PR the BBMF is only joined by the Red Arrows and now a very small handful of RAF display types (Chinook, Tutor and Typhoon). Add to that the Falcons, QCS and the RAF Bands then that is it. Whereas the RN has the Black Cats, RN Parachute Display Team, Royal Marines Commando Display Teams, HMS Victory, Royal Navy Field Gun teams, Royal Marines Bands, Mast Manning Display Teams and then the Historic Flight. Seeing as flying is not the RN’s core business it is not surprising that it chooses to fund the RNHF via seperate means.
Moving onto the BBMF, it is incredibly cheap for what it provides for the RAF, far more so than the Reds. That said, the Reds are also an important part of the RAF’s
PR and also for international outreach. So trying to compare the RNHF’s importance to the RN to that of the BBMF to the RAF is not really a fair comparison in my humble opinion.
I think you are wide of the mark re VICTORY, RN Parachute team, Mast manning, Field Gun etc. I think all of these are either in the charity sector or self funded. RNHF was only part funded for a small maintenance crew. Running the aircraft relied on fundraising. The three MoD funded “memorials” used to be HMS VICTORY, BBMF and National Army Museum Chelsea. With VICTORY paid off to the charity sector what is the justification for MoD maintaining BBMF. Perhaps once RAF 100 is eventually complete (yawn) BBMF should go the same way as Victory.