Aircrews perspective of TSW?

[Real_McCoy]

Just curious to know, how the wing (thumps hand to chest) are regarded by the "two winged master race" :)

[diginagain]

Not a current user I'm afraid but historically I always had the highest regard for them.

[Door Slider]

Only 'single' not so master race, i have always had a great service from 'the wing'
From the Balkans, Iraq and around the UK.
My only gripe although some time ago, is that the standard of cooking at Omagh was usually pretty low!!

Great bunch of guys and girls. A truely operational part of the RAF.

[jayteeto]

Once again, a past user who held them in the highest regard. From '2 suitcase man' who had one full of clothes and one of porn mags (great character) through to the hero who waded into the burning Puma wreckage with no protective clothing at Bessbrook, trying to help the trapped crew.

[flyingbush59]

Hey,

I'm AAC Gazelley and we always go to Stafford for gas because the guys / girls there are spot on! good job the RAF

[Gnd]

Used them allover the world - awsome.

Don't let them go.

[wg13_dummy]

TSW are top blokes and birds and most if not all in the Corps hold them in the highest regard (apart from the short fat useless Sgt in GV in 95-96 who **** his pants in the corrimec then buggered off without clearing it up).


Agree ref Stafford. Quick, easy and always friendly. When and why did you stop doing bacon butties for the crews??

[Lurking123]

Great guys but you stink of fuel. :ok: I remember deployments where all the other nations (and the AAC before the whole lot became JHC) would swing by Tiswas because they would get such a good service.

[Faithless]

Top dudes....But I think Fish has had his fair share of Avtur fumes.....his brain has turned to mush now:}

[minigundiplomat]

The Wing are an awesome collection of individuals, doing a fantastic job. The only exception I have come across being the FS at Bastion last summer....a complete tube!

Otherwise, they are held in high regard for a damn good reason.

[TheWizard]

As already said, generally a really professional bunch of hard working guys and girls.
Always provide a great service (especially one Christmas in Armagh, but that is another story!;):oh:) and keen to help out.

[Tiger_mate]

I am curious as to the need for this post. Real_McCoy, is there a reason why you desire the positive comments that you were bound to receive?

FWIW I have never seen or heard anything other than a genuine respect and gratitude for the boys and girls who often work in poor conditions and awfull weather to provide a stirling service. Hot Pies in the middle of a busy Bessbrook day were always appreciated as was the 'Can Do' attitude to pretty much whatever was asked.

The only thing that I would change is your base location; as I would like to see the Wing based at the top secret military helicopter base in the midlands, then after refuel a lunch stop would be in order.

[Dundiggin']

Back in the bad old days of drum refuelling just about everywhere using the heavyweight Kelston fuel pump (try 6 and get 1 working!!) and the more recent days of the Zenith electric pump I can only add to the praise already foisted upon the TSW.

They have made my life much easier and indeed happier with their never-say-die attitude to life in the boondocks!! I remember NI when all we had were barrels of fuel! Then Castledillon was built and what a difference!! It was always a pleasure to bring you the much deserved beer at Christmas!

Well done the magnificent people of TSW and many thanks for at least 30 odd years of 'force multiplying!'. ;) :D

[Big Cat Handler]

No idea why Real_McCoy wants to know, but I've always had good service from TSW, whichever NI/Iraqi/Afghan $h1th0le they might be stuck in,. Sadly, the nature of their job means I rarely stop so I don't get to see them and thank them directly. Hopefully this thread goes some way to making up for that.

I wonder if any other groups are reading this and wondering why they don't get such a glowing thread dedicated to them? The Movers, for instance...

BCH

[Mr C Hinecap]

BCH - perchance the pumping of fuel requires less reliance upon others, whereas the loading and unloading of aircraft of tonnes of freight and hundreds of PAX relies upon many variables outwith the control of the Mover?

:rolleyes:

[minigundiplomat]

Chinecap- not often we agree.

[Fortyodd2]

In my experience as a customer, both in and out of the military, (with one small exception), they have always been absolutely superb. :ok:Previous posters are correct about the fuel smell though!

[PlasticCabDriver]

is that the standard of cooking at Omagh was usually pretty low!!


You must have hit a bad bunch! it was always outstanding as far as I can remember. They were always the first to be set up with Sky, porn and beer fridges on ex as well - maybe because they did it so fcuking often!

[WASALOADIE]

Excellent bunch of guys (and girls) to work with. Shared many a time with them in various places world wide and always recieved a top service.

[PTR 175]

Thank you TSW for providing us with those nice big bouncy castles behind our hides at Vandell. :)

[ScottishCop]

I'm not aircrew as you can tell by my name, but I have had the honour to come across the TSW lads and lassies whilst on detachments to Akrotiri! What a top bunch they are and REALLY know how to party. Made alot of friends in TSW. Keep up the good work!

[Rude C'man]

Top Blokes and lasses especially the one with Falsies at Banja who isisted on topless refuelling. Oh and the one who bust our tele at Dungannon with a 9mm . Seriously though fookin good team keep up the hard work guys and gals

[NUFC1892]

Don't want to take anything away from TSW but not all refuellers are from the wing! I (and many others) have done the job in Belize (Salamanca Camp) and FI (Hill Cove & Fox Bay as well as temp sites scattered around the rest of the islands) for rotary wing and Gutersloh (Hohne, Sennelager etc) for fixed wing. Hot (and cold) Refuelling is just another part of the supply trade, alas in my experience most wing warriors consider it to be the be-all and end-all and would be lost in most other supply environments.

That said, they do a good job in often less than ideal environments and have my respect for that :D- I do wish though that they would show the same respect for less tactical (but nonetheless essential) arms of the supply trade.

I suspect there may be incoming

[4mastacker]

NUFC1892 - No incoming from me - I hold a similar perspective. I certainly remember the POL staff at MPA (including the Tac Fuels and replen sites) all seemed to come from Lossie, Kinloss, Leeming, Lyneham and Marham (with the exception of the sgt pongo in the PSD and the solitary Pioneer). Some of our 'customers' - including the Lt Col OC Supply Wing - seemed genuinely surprised when they discovered that we were not from Stafford.

That said, I met many wing warriors over the years and, in the main, they were a sound as a pound and very good at what they do in difficult and, all too often, dangerous situations.:ok:

[Sue Bravo]

TSW - unsung heroes of the Battlefield Helicopter Force. Always appreciated by the aircrew fraternity; the role they fulfil should never be understated.

[seafuryfan]

Yes, Sue Bravo, without TSW and the POL guys where would we be? On the ground, unable to do the mission.

Like the techies, adminers, cooks, medical, dental, deep hub servicing, IPT, chaplains, works services, GD, Police, FDO, ops, ATC, fire, met, supply, armourers, and housing, ALL do their bit to ensure that the mission is accomplished.

So let's celebrate TSW in this thread, and give thanks for the can-do, 24/7 attitude that is 'TISWAS'. And hopefully they're no longer so 'unsung'.

[nice castle]

Unfailingly excellent service from TSW in my experience. I try and avoid blowing TSW to sh!t when I pitch up and depart, and when I wave 'thanks' from the cockpit I genuinely mean it - they're a good bunch.

I don't have time to shutdown and go and say hello most of the time - I try to do so when possible though.

But from me, it's a big:ok:

To echo an earlier point about all the other support elements which need recognition - we do appreciate all the effort, and it should always be the aim of anyone in charge to make it plain and clear to those involved, just how their contribution makes up part of the big picture...(Just my 2p)

[Emerson Cahooners]

LEGENDS.
:ok:

[The Helpful Stacker]

Out of all my years in the RAF I never felt as appreciated by those of the aircrew master race as during the six years I was honoured to have served on TSW.
Whilst a thread such as this is nice I know myself and many others have always been content with just a wave or mouthed "thank you" from the loadie as you depart or a quick nod of the cab before departing.
In all honesty 'The Wing' is the only part of the RAF I truly miss. Rarely found in glamorous locations and no time for teabreaks nor room for passengers but a rewarding posting nonetheless.

[R SCANDAL]

Nothing to add but my support I'm afraid. I landed on at a FOB a long way east of Greenwich and the boys were digging in and setting up the bladders. It was about 45 deg and they were a long way outside the wire. They were preparing to operate this temp FOB in the badlands for up to a week on fairly hard routine. Proper unsung bunch of people.

[Winch-control]

Yep, just to add, a great bunch that work extremely hard to make things happen.
Not come across a bad un, from Macedonia, Split, Malaysia, Mauratania, NI, UK of course and lovely FI to name but a few.
These guys and gals certainly deserve all praise due 'over', that is...
Service second to none.:D

[ewe.lander]

:ok: Belize, SPTA, Otterburn, Falklands, Bozz, 'orrid exercise locations alles uber der platz and the emerald toilet.

Looked after me on Rotary & Fixed Wing with avtur, food and a smile. The unseen heroes of all military aviation deployments. sun bathing on the fuel farm at Bessbrook to skip bombing with underslung fuel bollox, life was good! Thanks guys......

[Real_McCoy]

I am curious as to the need for this post. Real_McCoy, is there a reason why you desire the positive comments that you were bound to receive?

Not especially, I am new to the wing and unaware of the reputation TSW earned - until now! I know the supply trade is not so highly regarded in "normal" channels!

Also, the thank-you letters on the notice board in the HQ building from sqns we RTR seem to have dried up :)

[ShyTorque]

TSW? Top blokes in my time.

Except the one who could well have killed my Puma, me and my crewman, as well as himself and his bowser, at a field refuelling site in Germany, twenty five years or so since :}

How? By carelessly releasing a twelve foot by ten foot piece of painted black hessian "cam" into the main rotors as we hovered to land next to his bowser for replen. The hessian sheet got entangled with the rotor blades and the aircraft was out of cyclic control and doing its own thing for about ten seconds at fifteen feet agl. It was mainly by luck we didn't hit the bowser. When I got it under some control on the ground (actually, we more or less fell out of the sky) the main blades were about six feet over his bowser and he was running.....

Still have bad dreams about that one; I'll bet he does too.

[Shack37]

Please pardon my ignorance guys, it's been a long time. What is TSW?
Guessing some sort of forward supply as opposed to forward "store".


Ignore the question please, just saw Tactical Supply Wing on another thread. (by Real McCoy)

[A.Agincourt]

My dealings with the lads in the FI and at Stafford, not to mention the many other places they seemed to inhabit, have always been excellent and they were on many an occasion the reason for a successful sortie. But if I ever meet that Tw** who kept giving me Mars Bars and Kit Kat's at a rate of 10 each per 50 litres of fuel uploaded at Port San Carlos I'll .....................I still don't know how they worked that scam.

Top Blokes, Top Service - good memories.:ok:

Best Wishes

[Real_McCoy]

But if I ever meet that Tw** who kept giving me Mars Bars and Kit Kat's at a rate of 10 each per 50 litres of fuel uploaded at Port San Carlos I'll .....................I still don't know how they worked that scam.

That doesn't make sense?!

[The Helpful Stacker]

Makes perfect sense to those in the know.;)

[Horrible Little Man]

Is that an addmission of guilt ;)

[WokkaCrewman]

Brilliant bunch of people, given a choice of refuellers, TSW everytime for me!
Keep up the sterling work TisWas!

PS Is Bob McBey still on the wing? He must be a hundred years old if a day!

[Horrible Little Man]

"Mr TSW" is still present and correct :)