Originally Posted by
Vendee
A bit of both really. Sad to see it go but proud to be a part of it. It also made me feel rather old because as a young airman, I remember this "state of the art" aircraft coming into service like it was yesterday.........only it wasn't yesterday
Me too. I first touched one as a newly qualified jelly tot in 1982. The old girl has done this nation proud, she had a difficult birth as the RAF came to terms with modern technology, those rebellious teenage years eventually saw her mature into a beguiling and capable mistress after she had the boob job (stretching a point but the GR1 to GR4 mods were significant in recent years).
I worked long hours on her in her youth to keep her ready for the unthinkable. Thankfully she was never called upon to do that, but she has risen to every other challenge she, and the people who made her work have served this country well. I never thought as a youngster, handing over yet another snag to the day shift, that I would miss her, but I shall.
Weemonkey's poem; perfect