Flap 62
My point about the difference between Fast-Jet flying nowadays and during the Cold War is that it was bloody dangerous then, even though it was ‘peacetime’ . Nowadays everything is much safer, both in training and on operations. People just don’t take the risks we used to in the old days - we had to in order to get the job done with some of the lousy equipment we had. I’m not saying that’s good or bad – it’s just a fact.
As an example, how many Fast-Jet operational sorties these days continue on task with no radio or HUD (in poor weather)? We were doing that in the Falklands War – it was SOP in peacetime training and if you’re desperately short of jets that’s the kind of thing you had to do.
Don’t get me wrong, I flew Fast Jets non-stop for 28 years, most of it Mudmoving and Recce, and I loved every minute of it. Had to bury quite a few old colleagues though.