Dear All,
I think it's about time we drew a line under this whole subject. Having been there at the time, I can assure you that the two pilots interviewed had been in the bar for some time and GQ had agreed not to publish pilots names or photographs. The moral of the story is this; never speak to journalists (even if they say it is in confidence). Both pilots concerned made the comments "tongue-in-cheek" and this is known as "banter".
I think everyone, whether the uniform is dark or light blue, would agree that the standard required to pass through FJ training is very high - most pilots are in the top 5%. The pilots concerned in this article are both of a very high calibre - you don't fly a single engined dinosaur off a tiny boat in the middle of the sea without being; confident, stupid, both.
Let's stop all the bitching and concentrate on the stuff that really matters. Could be a warm Xmas for some.
Dear ORAC,
Yes the FA2 is being scrapped. Yes it is an out of date airframe. No it can't pull many G. Yes it is the only single seat fighter aircraft in the UK ADR. Yes it does have an arse-kicking radar and missile. Just ask the latest QWI course at 56 Sqdn - they will tell you how good it is. Comment from the chap that runs the NSR ACMI after a recent 6 F3s v 4 FA2s; " I can't believe they are scrapping your aircraft".
It may not be the greatest AD asset - but it is still as good as the F3 - in some cases better.