I have spent some time reading the various threads on PPRuNe and have to say I am in total agreement with the previous comments WRT the state of the RAF. I am also close to the black and yellow option, being one who joined as a lowley mech many years ago having now done 1-3rd line tours as well as Stn, industry and DLO type tours, the current one presently being a JEngO tour. Not only has the Air Force reached the point where the consitent errosion has destroyed what little ethos and pride many of us had in the RAF but the fact that none of the Airships (gawd bless em!) have made any effort that can be shouted about to stop, slow down or even reverse the current state of affairs. As with many I am bitter, but bitter that the clowns who control the Military don't seem to realise that the fact that the entire forces are not only overstretched, underfunded, underequipped with morale so low that if it baled out from a snakes a**e it would still be able to get full deployment before impact. More importantly it is not just sites and forums such as PPRuNe that are shouting about it but that everyone knows it and they (the luvies at No 10) and the Seniors of the Services, with the exception of Gen Dannett seem to want to do nothing about it, and our Airships are the worst of the lot!!
I (as do many others) spend most of my time fighting to justify why the gapped posts I have NEED to be filled by PMA, why with only half manpower we can't keep all the ac serviceable as the stupendous lean and E2E studies have removed what we need to do just that. I could rant on and on and on about how the contractorisation of our 2nd and 3rd line is not working but in actual fact I don't give a flying toss about Fwd and Depth or stats or E2E or lean or customers or business processes or SOR or URDs any of the other poxy and irritating issuses that have been forced upon us. All which get in the way of all of us being able to do what we need to and want to do. We are in the Air Force, the aim of which is to genrate and project military power around the globe to protect our interests at home and overseas and to act as a force for good (hell I did remejber somthing from Cranners). But if Mr Blair/Brown continue in the current direction there will not be an Air Force in a couple of years.
I have spent a lot of years working with some of the best people in the world, and made some lasting freindships to boot, but the time has come where my family need a daddy at home to see them grow up. I also understand as do we all that the powers that be are more interested in costs and money than ability and capability and have for a long time failed to acknowledge that they need to SUPPORT the forces, not just make mouth music. It saddens me so much that the reason I will be leaving the RAF is that I no longer have any trust or faith in those who are in control.
All I can say is good luck to those who choose to remain, you have my thanks, appreciation and understanding.
