Gosh - there's a lot of vitriol flying around here! I don't normally get involved with some of the spite and bile spouted 'round these parts - but it's a quiet afternoon so here's a view (just mine of course, and worth no more nor less than any of yours):
I'm not really going to comment on Pablo who was my TO on XV, my formation leader in GW1 (for 1 mission of course!). I was also in the a/c he was bouncing when he went in in Germany. Other than to say, when criticising people it's important to get your facts right. So:
1. Foldingwings - "Don't think he ever made it above pairs lead!" - Factually incorrect.
2. Tankertrashnav - "...unlike another Gulf War veteran I could mention who has carved out a lucrative career as a spokesman on all matters aeronautical on the dubious basis of having been shot down by the Iraqis. No names.... etc, etc" - Well, perhaps, but all I do is express an opinion in public on TV & radio - as many others love to do on these public forums. Curious that. And if you can identify any of my utterances as factually flawed, I'll be happy to correct them.
3. Foldingwings - "The guy mentioned above, by tankertrashnav, who never corrects people when they refer to him as a Tornado pilot and was responsible for being shot down (he screwed up) is of the same mould." - Factually incorrect on so many levels:
Firstly, my challenge to you is to produce one single occasion when I have not corrected an interviewer (when I have been present - I can't do it if it's pre-recorded or in print) re. the pilot/nav description so often misused in the press. I will gladly donate £100 to Combat Stress if you can find a single one.
Secondly, just for fun (and as you seem to spend an inordinate amount of time slagging off people and telling 'When I Was...' tales on pprune, it will give you something more productive to do), I challenge you to find the one single occasion when I actually did describe myself as "one of the pilots shot down in Iraq" - if you can find it, you'll know why it was imperative I said that at the time. Again, £100 to Combat Stress if you manage it.
Thirdly, if you can demonstrate the causal link you clearly know between your claim that I 'screwed up' and was subsequently 'responsible' for being shot down...you guessed it, another £100 to Combat Stress. Hint - there was a long thread about this many years ago on pprune.
If you can do none of these things, perhaps you might like to make a donation to charity...or even admit you were wrong?
4. Threeput - "One might gather from that that I don't have much of a liking for people of the ilk of Mason and Peters/Nicholl (the switch pigs f**k up monkey). Sue me if you dare you three chimps" - An interesting one this one 3put, a 1 star made the same claim a few years ago when having a go at me in the press. He was more than keen to withdraw the comment after being threatened with legal action, and the newspaper apologised. Still, I've never shied away from the fact that I could have made a switch pigs over the tgt - interestingly, the Sqn QWI later gave a very interesting chat about what might have gone wrong (not switch pigs), but as with many QWI lectures, it was a bit over my head.
3putt - as you seem to spend huge amounts of your retirement doling out bile to everyone from me to an AOC, perhaps you'd like to join in the Combat Stress challenge too? It's a very good cause.
5. Olive Oil - "Shot down, or blown up by their own slick bombs, jettissoned live close to the ground? I think we should be told" - Now that IS a new one I've not heard before! But really, the post crash research (some good pictures in Tornado Down) seemed to suggest a SAM 14 if I remember correctly. Still, in the spirit of good will, if you can even come close to justifying that claim.....yeah, you know where the £100 will go.
best wishes to all,
John