In my (albeit brief) acquaintance with the RN and RAF the gaping divide seemed to be between the RN's pragmatic and 'operational' approach to events compared to the RAF's obsession with bureaucracy and procedure. When things go awry on a ship anyone and everyone needs to take such action as is necessary on the spot often without waiting for instructions and this has translated into a can-do and will-do attitude that the RAF never seemed to have. Mogwi's illustration re low flying is a perfect example. A RN colleague of mine went on to instruct at Shawbury at the joint helo training school and one day was tasked to collect a VIP from another station. He did his planning and was stopped by the duty Ops Officer who told him he wasn't authorised to go as the weather was too bad - it was a blue sky day. The Ops goon pointed out there was fog visible to the North. But I'm going South he explained...No, standing orders say fog in the vicinity, no flying...and my pal was an instructor - teaching IF! You couldn't make it up!
The difference is exemplified by the old tale of the crab and RN officer who pass each other in the Gent's. Seeing the RN officer shake off the drips, zip up and leave the crab later approaches him in the bar and rather haughtily anounces that at Cranwell they were taught, for hygiene's sake, to wash their hands after a pee. The Naval officer retorted that at Dartmouth they were just advised not to pee on their fingers...
I shan't go into the Junglies sleeping under their cabs in the desert in Iraq while the Chinook pilots wouldn't deploy anywhere without air-con portacabins and showers positioned in advance, or the GR3 guys whingeing about being embarked away from home for a week or two and claiming sub standard accommodation allowances which gained them little respect, as one would imagine.
Later in both civvy helo and airline ops the ex RAF were always the stiff, inflexible operators always calling Ops for instructions/approval while the RN and Army guys were almost always much more easygoing and creative too when it came to workarounds and problems.
There's definately a substantial cultural difference.
Last edited by meleagertoo; 12th Apr 2023 at 10:21.