PA
Indeed I remember it very well. I also remember my comments at the time...I was still in, just. And I remember being told to get back in my box.
Also told to get back in my box in 1996 when I interrupted a presentation (the one often referred to on here) by the handsome ex AEO, with the words..."are you ****ing kidding me"
Back in my box again, when myself and the venerable Air Eng OBE did a presentation in the Icebox OM on why Nimrod 2000 was utterly bananas.
And also enroute Brass Nut when I bet a future member of the MRA4 project team it was 50/50 it would ever see service.
And believe me I was by no means a lone wolf. The idea that the whole of the maritime community was behind the MRA4 is an utter, utter myth. Many of us served through the AEW debacle and were well aware of the myriad of shortcomings with the airframe.
PS
I was also personally in the room at BAE, when a crew chief queried if the enlarged engine nacelles would interfere with the bomb door travel.
"Nope, we've simulated the flight conditions and they are fine", was the confident reply.
Crew chief... "I'm not talking about in flight...I'm talking about when we put them to 'Ground Load'
"Excuse me, the ground what now?"
"Ground Load, so we can get the weapons trolleys in".
Cue white faces, the air of panic and the rather obvious fact that they just didn't **** ing know what they were doing.
Last edited by The Old Fat One; 8th Jan 2014 at 17:48.