Originally Posted by
OldLurker
I count 36 aircraft in the photo. Would that have been only one squadron? How many aircrew, and how many ground crew, would have been dedicated to that number of aircraft?
I recall the photo, I believe it appeared in a Sunday Broadsheet, I had just arrived at Gatow. I believe the aim was to reflect on what was the then new face of the RAF, Bruggen and Laarbruch had just finished re-equipping with Tornado GR1s, four squadrons a piece and an establishment of 48 aircraft a piece. This would be the entire RAF frontline fast jet fleet today. Lightnings and Canberras were still operational then and Hunters were still on the active inventory, imbedded on Training Flights with the Buccaneer units. As the oft used refrain goes, that's when we had an air force!
FB