BBC `Fighter Pilot` series

[Romeo Mike]

When i was a mechanic in the air force, i was stationed at RAF Brawdy. While i was there, the BBC made a fly-on-the-wall documentary series filming the trainee pilots. I have tried searching for this on video, but it doesnt seem to exist. Does anyone know differently?

[Man-on-the-fence]

Better still
what became of those featured. I have read about it elsewhere on this BB but most of it was hearsay I think.

[Stan Evil]

Only one of the guys made it into front line service as a pilot, on Buccaneers. He later became a QFI and spent some time in Saudi flying BAC167s in the late eighties, early nineties. One of the chopped pilots became a nav, initially on the Canberra but then crossed-over to fast jets - Tornados I think.

[Man-on-the-fence]

Are any of them still in though??

Also what happened to those luck chaps from the test pilots series? I saw Dave Southwood dispalying XE601 at RIAT, bloody impressive.

[Kermit 180]

'Fighter Pilot' I taped years ago but the tapes are a bit jumpy now. The 'Test Pilot' series, the New Zealander Steve Moore is still in the RNZAF (WGCDR I think), was testing for the F16 but when the strike force was dissolved Im not sure where he went.

[You want it when?]

I too watched the show and remeber the "winner" being the Milkman with the MGB? I found the book of the series in a 2nd hand book shop a couple of years ago and it still makes a good read.

Much better TV than the recent Ladies into the Army show.

[BeauMan]

That was John McRae, if memory serves rightly. Apparently went on to Buccaneers on XV Sqn, which was quite some time ago.

The only other one who springs to mind was Martin Oxborrow, who ended up on Hercs. I bumped into him as an ATC cadet back in the late eighties, and remembering the name, uttered "Weren't you in that Fighter Pilot programme...?", whereupon his response was "Yeah. My mate will tell you all about it..." followed by a very swift exit stage left. Guess he wasn't too keen on the fame... <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Tonkenna]

JM taught me to be a QFI only last year. He is a top bloke.

High if you are out there in prune land.

Tonks :)

[Norman Goering]

When I attended OASC at Biggin way back in '89, they handed out a crummy photocopied list of recommended reading, of which Fighter Pilot was one. I couldn't find it anywhere so I wrote to the BBC. The book went out of print almost as soon as the print was dry on the first edition and whilst the footage is in the BBC archives, it weas never made available on video. As I recall, they offered to transfer it to video but it was a horrendous cost. I eventually found the book in a cack library. As previously said, an excellent read and was actually of some, albeit limited use - I passed. I've wondered since if actually tracking down such an old book was part of the selection!