As someone involved at squadron level in the early days of FTA / FSTA, I recall a visit from a retired tanker Stn Cdr who was heavily involved with one of the consortia.
When we discussed the possibility of a boom, we told him that we would welcome it - as it would mean a 3-person crew requirement rather than the ridiculous 2-person crew which was being proposed at the time....
Nearly 20 years ago now....
