Originally Posted by
IsDon
Maybe that's because the RAAFies had to earn wings.
Retirees have many years vested in the history of Qantas.
Gen Y cadets and the like just bought theirs.
Not this retiree. TAA, seconded out, wet, to the Govt. for mineral exploration, and using a DC3 ( VH MIN) flying at around 500 ft, eight hours a day, so it wasn't long before her pilots, designed their own uniform. Stubbies, army socks, army boots, and a baseball hat. That was it. The Skipper getting to wear a Mickey Mouse badge on his hat, just so they knew who was who, if we pranged her. All happy, all good,until one day on arrival at Boulia, we were ( much to our horror) greeted by the Grand Poobah of TAA, Capt. Frank Ball, and a couple of Govt.head honchos. Looking like a couple of homeless, we had to face the traumatized boss, whose face said it all.Ordered back into line flying uniforms, we took the trio out the next morning and headed straight over the desert. It was not long before their ties,came off, shirt sleeves rolled up, coats disgarded as we sat there stoic with our uniforms stuck to us, but uttered not a word. Finally they decided they had had enough, and asked for her to be turned around, desperate to be out of the heat, and a beer. Nothing more was ever said about our flying gear during the rest of our tenure,as we returned to line flying each about 7 kilo's lighter, despite our steady diet of beer, when off duty. See, uniforms mean diddly squat, its the flying that counts, and what they put in your bank acct. And that sort of flying is irreplaceable.