I would suggest the RAF was at it's most capable when those serving were proud to be doing so, and the general populace were wholly supportive of the armed forces.
Finningley Boy wrote of 1963 when the "V' force was at it's peak. I was at Finningley in '63, and remember well the occasions when we wouldn't have to pay for our drinks in the local pub. The locals seemed to know those who worked on the line, perhaps we were always the scruffy ones. And when travelling anywhere in the UK just required a person to wave their thumb whilst wearing uniform and passing motorists would go tens of miles out of their way to assist said person in getting to their destination.
In those days, no effort was too much in helping to protect our way of life and our country. I believe we still had the same ethos as those who had served before us during WWII and immediately after. The Soviets were an ever-present threat, and we manned the barricades more so than either of the other two services. I still stand tall from my years in the RAF.