"The varying standard of RAF threads"
I don't believe that they vary very much at all. They both look very smart but lets face it, they could be walking down the street looking like an absolute bag of $h1te and I for one wouldn't bat an eyelid. They have (along with the 182 recently decorated) and everyone else who has and are still serving more than proved themselves and as the majority of posters on this thread have so rightly stated, we are and should be hugely proud of them.