Before this descends into Monty Python’s Yorkshireman Sketch of “Luxury...we had it tough...”
Let’s answer some of the ‘outrage bus’ questions.
1. The 4g to 5g sortie was a famil trip - no point in pulling the wings off of the jet, it’s there to familiarise the student in the aircraft before the harder stuff starts (ie. to ease them in).
2. Where are the maps and charts? You will have seen the Mission Planning Aid in the TV programme and oddly enough we plan electronically these days - colour printed maps and IP/Tgt runs are still carried in case the kit stops playing.
3. 6g in a JP? Really? I don’t recall more than 5g for most of my JP flying.
4. Calling instructors ‘Sir’ on Advanced Jet Training (AJT) - this is equivalent of a little bit of the old AFT and TWU - I don’t recall calling my instructors “Sir” on TWU or even on 4FTS. So I suspect that some folks’ memories are playing tricks on them, as I can’t recall calling any of my instructors “Sir”, unless a Sqn Ldr/Wg Cdr/Gp Capt, and I have been flying in the RAF for 30 years.
So how about looking at the positive stuff - we still have a fast jet flying training system that other countries pay good money to use, we now have a far lower ‘chop’ rate as we actually teach and test these days, it is a far healthier learning environment, we have a modernised trg aircraft that now reflects the FL type they will go to (with airborne electronic threat simulation that instructor can bring up during the sortie), we now have a fast jet trainer with a basic collision warning system and the aircraft that we are training them to fly on the FL are far more capable than any than went before - 9g Typhoons and 5th generation F35s. So let’s just enjoy the filming and the insight to a trg system that is vastly different to even the one 15 years ago. The only real criticism I have over this trg system is the fact that we didn’t plan enough capacity in it from SDSR10/SDSR15 and so now we have too little capacity/aircraft for what we really need.
Finally, the young men and women that will be the future of the RAF and FAA are still very fine individuals indeed - there are still very few “w**k*rs on your wing” - probably as many, by percentage, as there ever were. It’s just that this new breed are culturally different, but underneath they still have what it takes to do what is asked of them.