All
Tuuckiebloke has a very fair point to make.
In my time I have flown or worked with all three services. The trouble with all of them is they have that can do attitude and we all get stuck in and get on with the job. The moans and gripes are still the same as they were 25 years ago when I first started flying. However, now we have this modern medium of pooters and prune on which to air our moans. And it’s not just the flyers who have justified moan. Menders, benders, stackers, scribbles, medics, uncle tom cobley and all, and dare I say it scuffers are all in the same pooh and I don’t think it will ever change because of the way we are.
We had exactly the same in the Falklands war and its immediate aftermath. I remember going ashore and living in a sheep shed. Half a bloody squadron there and nobody had even thought to include us on the ration strength! Then we got kicked out into tents so the sheep could come in for sheering. It took nearly 14 months before we moved into porta cabins at Kelly’s.
The big problem then as it is now is that we aircrew types are doing only a short time there but a very fast and regular rotation. We actually see the conditions getting worse. All the lads and lasses on four or six month stints in Basrah do there stint and then they are safe for at least 24 months. They don’t know any different. To them it is just one crap tour and once done forget about it for a while. The same is true of the execs there. They do there bit agree to change something but are tour ex before it is implemented. Next bloke in has his/her own agenda. Big wheel and groundhogs spring to mind.
The conditions we are living and trying to work in are a flight safety hazard; and I do mean all of us. The trouble is who is going to do something about it. PJHQ say 2 Gp problem; 2 Gp say PJHQ. Both call truckies whingers. We have now lost two aircraft post war and god forbid we lose another. We are all our own worst enemies because we will all press to get a job done even if we are knackered. It takes big balls to stand up to the boss and say no I can’t work on this aircraft or no I’m too F****D to fly. The sooner dome desk jockeys come out of their ivory towers and have a look see what the real world is like the sooner all our detachments will be a safer place.
Rant Over.