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Old 10th Dec 2022, 15:22
  #13 (permalink)  
gums
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: florida
Age: 81
Posts: 1,610
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Salute!

We had a RAF exchange pilot with us in the 354th TFW at The Beach, but when USAF deployed us to Thailand for the first end of the war effort in 1972, we had to leave him behind and he flew with the training unit until we returned 6 monthes later. Strangely, our USN exchange pilot also had to remain behind despite the common enemy and such. We understood that this was not the Queen's war for the RAF fellow, so no problem.
One of my F-102 instructors was an RAF pilot, but our training unit was not "combat coded" like the 356th Squadron at The Beach in 1972.

I often wonder if all NATO air forces would have thrown the restrictions out the window during the Cold War if the balloon went up, and I suspect they would have.

RAF pilots flying operational missions was a big surprise when I first read books about the Black Lady. I think Dreanland Resort has excellent links to many U.S. black programs, so take a look.

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