Originally Posted by
Bob Viking
This is not a straight out dig but just a genuine query.
Why are/were RAF AT not more willing to drop personnel straight off at their home base after a detachment rather than making hundreds of people drive the length of the country to arrive and depart via Brize (or wherever it used to be)?
It seems to me that the Army might have been more willing to leave runways unmolested if they thought it might be to their advantage to leave it serviceable.
A company/battalion/battlegroup that has spent several months deployed to somewhere sh1tty might be quite appreciative of a drop off at home. Especially if home happens to be in Scotland.
We always blame the Army for screwing up runways but could the RAF have helped itself a little more in this regard?
I realise people’s immediate reaction will be to tell me to STFU, but do I have a point? Or am I just going to get a chorus of ‘crew duty’?!
BV
Bob, You need a pretty serious crash cat for a transport aircraft full of pax, so getting the appropriate number of fire engines to your runway at an army base would be n issue. The other reason ( excuse) they always quoted was passenger and baggage handling equipment , ie steps, conveyor belts and things.. Oh yes and PCN/ LCN.