cheekychimp - "Where's the laughing emoji when you need it? Medals are awarded for 'Risk and rigour ' not going on the lash in West Germany for a few years."
Speaking solely about Fast Jet flying, my contention is that the Cold War period was VERY MUCH more dangerous than current peacetime or operational flying.
I would pose the question: How many British Fast Jet aircrew have been killed in training or on operations since GW1? You can probably count the number on one hand.
Compare your answer to the scores of Fast Jet aircrew killed during the “peacetime” Cold War flying. This is not just about medals, it’s about the risk to your pink body every time you got airborne.
We didn’t complain about the risk at the time: we were doing the job we loved and there was an adrenalin rush on almost every flight. One advert for RAF Fast Jet aircrew in the 60s said:
“Same old thing every day - Excitement!”
That was about it. If you found it too exciting then you left and joined an airline, with a better chance of surviving to pick up a pension.
The reason that Cold War Fast Jet flying was so hazardous was because official NATO policy called for almost all Fast Jet Ground Attack and Recce operations to be carried out at Low Level. Hence we had to train all the time at Low Level, in and out of the weather, with constant risk of birdstrike, wirestrike, mid-air collision, ground impact, etc. etc.
Think about trucking around West Germany at 420kt in formation at 250ft agl - permanent industrial haze, windscreen covered in insects, and you are always looking out for the bounce. Everyone else flying in the area would be at the same height as you and therefore a potential collision risk.
In addition, risks had to be taken to get the job done with some of the crummy equipment we had. For example, how many aircrew today continue on task in peace or war with no HUD or no radio? We were having to do that in the Cold War (and in the Falklands war), and it was SOP in peacetime training. I’m not saying that’s good or bad, it’s just a fact.
ExMM