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Old 9th Aug 2011, 07:26
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Wensleydale
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
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I particularly liked the FLt Lt shuffling papers on the floor as if there was some form of order.
All the mission tasking (ATO, ACMs etc) are handed to the crew on paper - with 10 consoles on the aircraft then there can be significant amounts of it (especially when the mission goes past midnight). Most of these bits of paper are classified and the poor Surveillance Controller on the aircraft has to sign for it all pre-mission. At the end of each mission it all has to be collected and signed back in - piece by piece. It has been known for the odd bit to end up in pockets/navbags etc so the on board check is carried out before anyone leaves the jet. (Oh the excitement, but its not as exciting as the interview with PC plod next day should you loose a sheet). The most paper I saw was during GW2 when the amount of paper produced filled over 2 large cardboard boxes that used to hold 12 bottles of water! The poor printer in the Mission Planning cell ran continuously and only just managed to keep up - the paperwork printing for the next mission started as soon as the previous one had left. It took about 30 minutes to check all the paperwork out.

The big empty area in the middle of the aircraft is where the USAF E-3C has its extra 4 consoles - the NATO E-3A carries seating here. The space is extremely useful for debriefs and the inevitable card school during long transits.

What the video didn't show was a picture of the Situation Display which has become somewhat classified in recent years and it can't be shown on film any more - I would assume a similar reason for the lack of sound track. In effect, you can't show the crew at work anymore.
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