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I have had many days where the crabs would run out of crew duty having logged 8/10 hrs flying, when in fact their matelot colleagues who have been flying with them all day have only logged 6/7 and thus can still continue to fly, even though they've both been strapped to their seats for the same amount of time.
Commonsense, a commodity lacking in certain forces, would dictate that, once again, the fishy folk have got things wrong.....
Beags, quite where have we 'Fishy Folk' got it wrong? What' is this 'once again'? Where have we previously showed daftness? (not that we are immune from doing so you understand, like anyone else) The blokes on the ground are in a far worse position than we are with far less sleep, more privations and in far more danger; they require our capability, it is our job to provide it in the best and most efficient means possible whilst maintaining an appropriate margin for safety.
Our common sense dictates that, given that RW hours here are severely limited by higher and that we in the RN have always recorded airborne time it seems wise to continue this - firstly it's what we've always done and secondly we might have half a dozen or more pax/refuels of 10 minutes plus - that's an hour straight away for a quiet day. If we log chock-chock then we will add another 1-3 hrs per tasking line per day and these are hours that then can not be used to support those on the ground. I'm not paid to accrue BA / Virgin tokens as fast as possible, I am paid to move blokes, water, ammo and kit by air because by doing so the body count is lower and the severely injured are fewer.
Perhaps you think we lack common sense since we are seeing ourselves off with fewer hours and longer on the poles? Maybe we are but I somehow feel happier doing that, providing a better service to others in need, rather than thinking of how I can better serve myself.
Edited for mong punctuation...