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Old 24th Apr 2017, 15:42
  #85 (permalink)  
Rossian
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: morayshire
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The "If you ain't FJ you ain't ****"........

..... mentality caused the ME world to lose a lot of potentially good operators.

My experience was watching Nimrod QFIs spending a lot of time building up a young man's confidence. They had either washed out at Valley or in two cases who come to mind, a FJ OCU. Those two went on to become very good squadron captains then squadron commanders and station commanders.

One did need a stern talking-to in the back bar one night along the lines of "Listen matey you failed that course, get over it, stop harking back to "when I was on....." and start trying to become the best co-pilot you can be". He went on to do well and is a thoroughly nice chap with it. (Even though he's a pilot and VSO)

I speak as a non-pilot (as oxenos will no doubt attest to in a micrisec) but I watched a fair number of young men going through that evolution from down the back.

The Ancient Mariner
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