Originally Posted by
Martin the Martian
Haters can hate as much as they like, but the Red Arrows are the RAF's only real
PR tool nowadays, particularly with the demise of military SAR. How many British residents even see a military aircraft these days? How many people realise the BBMF is an RAF unit? Apart from the flypast over London how many people even know we have an air force?
And if you take the Red Arrows our of the picture then those figures will get even smaller.
Since when has the RAF's role been to be a
PR tool!?!?
A CAS that says to the politicians - Never mind your
PR I can't afford to spend that much of my budget on vintage aeroplanes and people who should be preparing for the war you're about to get us into would get my vote.
I'm not a hater - much to the contrary, several of my most cherished memories are of "the reds". But get real. Ten(plus) pilots, dozens of support personnel and millions of pounds when our flying training system is utterly screwed. Really!?!?!