Tabloid - 'Choppers Away'

[Mr C Hinecap]

Sorry......

CHOPPERS AWAY

Nov 29 2004


RAF 'copter pilots get sex change..paid for by MoD

By Nathan Yates Exclusive


TWO RAF helicopter instructors at the same base have had sex swap ops - paid for by army chiefs.

The male squadron leaders, both married, are now called Sue Brown and Toni Dewhurst.

The pair, back at work after each had £30,000 surgery, wear female uniforms and insist on being called Madam.

One officer said: "Dewhurst used to have a large moustache and they are quite burly types. Neither looks too feminine.

"Brown throws a wobbly if anyone calls her Sir. Both are very prickly about it.

"They have families and I'm not sure what their wives think. By and large the men just get on with the job. But it can be difficult not to find it amusing."

Sue, the more senior of the two, is an ex-Phantom jet pilot while Toni used to be called Tony. Photos of them as men and as women adorn the walls of RAF Valley in Anglesey.

An MoD insider said: "One RAF officer who wants a sex change is rare, two on one base is unprecedented.

"There are bound to be questions over whether the MoD should be funding this."

But an MoD spokesman said yesterday: "Gender reassignment is a medical matter, so we provide support in the same way as with other medical issues."

nathan.yates@ mirror.co.uk

[Trumpet_trousers]

...so, no more USLs for them, then....;)

[TD&H]

"Both are very prickly about it." Oh and how can they be that now?!:confused:

[althenick]

Forgive me for asking this, but this is a wind-up right? I mean, you hear so many incredible dits about the services these days that it's hard to believe whats true:confused:

[FatBaldChief]

Hang on.......... All the female instructors I've ever encountered in the RAF have looked like men. Is this just the first public realisation of something that has been happening for years?

PS It was nice for the Army chief to pay for the RAFFY Ops.

Fat, Bald and the last time I looked, still a man:8

[althenick]

....... JUST CHECKED THE MIRROR WEBSITE - OH MY GHOD ITS FOR REAL!



:ooh:

[jayteeto]

Oh my god it's true you say???
Well there are some elements of truth in there but a lot of tosh and confusion with other cases. I was friends with Sue in her past life and she was a helo pilot. Another person was the Phantom Navigator who changed. Sue did a good job at Innsworth last tour and I am certain will do a good job at Valley. Get a life if you want to slag them off. Judge on performance and let them get on with life.....
Good headline though...

[SirPeterHardingsLovechild]

I knew Toni when we were on the 84th Airborne Cavalry

The Mirror says she used to have a 'tache.


I take it she's had to give up smoking her pipe as well!


HOOT AND ROAR!

[Systemessage]

I bet that operation is 'quite painful' - Ew!

[althenick]

jayteeto

I'm not slagging them - I'm just not sure what's the truth these days (Print of whatever media)

[Hueymeister]

Jayteeto...here, here. Both Caz and Sue are capable individuals..if they want to be women, who are we to stop them?

[Thomas coupling]

replacing 'tache' for 'touche' eh?:suspect:

The main thing is that their work doesn't deteriorate and they keep beavering on, old boy (sorry girl).

What did I sa..................................

[Trumpet_trousers]

....shouldn't this be merged with the 'Hacked Off' thread?.....

....just a thought.....:E

[Eagle 270]

..if they want to be women, who are we to stop them?

Fer f'sake!

Of course its the mind of a normal person isnt it?

[Trumpet_trousers]

Where's the foetus going to gestate...in a box?

....it's the right of every man (or woman) yes, thank you brother (or sister)...etc. etc.:E

[teeteringhead]

I'd watch out for something in the water in Shawbury if I were you jayteeto - that seems to be the common factor!

But seriously - and as you know I had quite a bit to do with them in the past - the boys seem to accept the "ex-boys" quite happily if they can still do the (aviation!) business. Seems fair to me......

....... and the SH force (in particular) is hardly known for its Political Correctness;)

[foldingwings]

Glad to see that the Army paid!

Perhaps not enough T:mad:s of their own!

OK. I'll leave now!

[FatBaldChief]

Rather harsh PPF I think. Why should the fact that you feel you are in the wrong body make you any less able to do your job? I am the least PC person you could meet (I think it has gone far too far) but each to their own has always been my outlook. If they are still effective and competant what is the problem?

Born into a man's body. Alright a fat one :8

[norvenmunky]

So which fitness test do they have to do?

Does gender re-assignment mean they have to do girly press-ups and no.3 on the bleep test?

Hold me back, where's the queue to get my gender chopped off?

[teeteringhead]

They become "legally female" at Stage 4 of 5 (don't ask), and then get reassigned as service females, so would do female fitness tests etc etc.

Could be a potential problem during CDT and witnessed sample taking .... legally female but (ahem) not completely repositioned yet........

[propulike]

As if anyone would want to look :yuk:

[BEagle]

Well, it can't have been an easy decision for these folk to have the 'knife and axe' job... But if it's helped them, well, good luck to them.

Gives me a shudder to think of what must have been involved though.

[SiClick]

This all happenned ages ago, why is it suddenly an issue?

[propulike]

Ummm, because of the Daily Mirror article refered to in the opening post?

[EESDL]

Good luck to them, but as already been said..it's been a while. Just strange how none of the RAF lot even look remotely female and yet some co-pilot has to go to the Far East to get caught out.....

I've flown with some right 'tarts' and they haven't even had the op!