Whether or not Gp Capt Burt wore his hat when making his statement is of much more importance to (some) mil posters here than to the public - most of whom would neither know the correct protocol nor care. Surely what matters (in this context) is the impression he gave to the public.
IMHO, as a member of the public, he had a difficult task, did it well and gave a good impression.
In contrast, some of the comments posted here (on a forum open to and read by the public) both about the young pilot who died and about the RAF have been more damaging to the image of the RAF than the fact the Gp Capt didn't wear his hat if/when he should have.
airborne aircrew
You accused another poster of looking a little childish and throwing his teddy out of his pram when he responded forcefully to silly criticism of someone he knows to be a good man. IMHO as an "outsider" with no axe to grind, he's not the one who's looking childish here.
Last edited by Flying Lawyer; 29th Oct 2009 at 00:24.