Originally Posted by
olster
As a humble and retired airline pilot I have followed this thread with interest. I have flown with many ex Red Arrows pilots and found them in the main extremely pleasant people coupled with fairly self - evidently stellar flying skills. Reading some of the above is a reflection of the world we now live in. There is obviously and deliberately a lack of detail but much reference to toxic behaviour and ‘inappropriate’ actions but no precise evidence at least to the wider public. Cue the standard internet pile on, including of course here but the reality is that outwith the inner circle we don’t know what actually happened. As a commercial aviator after a long and stressful day I have found comfort and stress relief from a glass or three of ‘refreshment’. It is unsurprising that the display and fast jet pilots wind down in a similar manner. Indeed I have joined in after a long flight with many former team members in my long haul days. I am not sure what we expect of either the Reds or fast jet pilots in general when the skill set must surely be a high level of controlled aggression, courage, concentration and physical / mental fitness. Put bluntly it is unlikely that you become a fast jet pilot if you really wanted to be an accountant in Woking. So there is in the modern era an intolerance of any behaviour that doesn’t fit the now societal need. The recent RAF push for ‘diversity’ would highlight the way it is going. In conclusion this is just a personal alternative view with the caveat that if there really was very bad behaviour defined by any era then certainly that is unacceptable.
You could say that of so many occupations. Nail.........head! An excellent summation Olster!