RAF Handling Squadron

[Bro]

Can anyone tell me if RAF Handling Squadron still exists.

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Can anyone tell me if RAF Handling Squadron still exists.

If you mean the folks that write aircrew publications, as opposed to the folks that used to figure out how aircraft flew, then yes - rebranded as Defence Aircrew Publications Sqn (DAPS) at Boscombe

[H Peacock]

Ah, DAPS. So they’re the outfit responsible for ridiculous formatting and wording of recent RAF aircraft FRCs?! 😡

[Mach the Knife]

Ah, DAPS. So they’re the outfit responsible for ridiculous formatting and wording of recent RAF aircraft FRCs?! 😡

Possibly, but not necessarily. Industry partners and manufacturers supply document sets for some of the new aircraft. Which type?

[ptr914]

Industry may well write them now but the content has to be approved by the customer so any “ridiculous formatting and wording” is entirely the customer’s doing and responsibility.

[tucumseh]

Industry may well write them now but the content has to be approved by the customer so any “ridiculous formatting and wording” is entirely the customer’s doing and responsibility.

An area that has changed too often in MoD over the years. In January 2018, it was the HSE (and hence MoD's) position in the Sean Cunningham case that the equipment supplier was responsible for style, formatting, technical accuracy, approval, printing, dissemination, and retention of MoD's corporate knowledge, whether under contract or not; and that this was 'ongoing and non-delegable'.

[Mach the Knife]

Industry may well write them now but the content has to be approved by the customer so any “ridiculous formatting and wording” is entirely the customer’s doing and responsibility.

The content, formatting and wording is checked but getting any of it changed is time consuming, frustrating, expensive and rarely successful. Often, it is not achievable within the available resources. In effect the “customer” has very little influence or control over document sets delivered within the terms of the contract.

[Cornish Jack]

Ah, Handling Squadron and the immortal a l 11 (?) for the Whirlwind 10 ...
"In all instances, for hicopleter read helicopter" ... those were the days !

[Union Jack]

Ah, Handling Squadron and the immortal a l 11 (?) for the Whirlwind 10 ...
"In all instances, for hicopleter read helicopter" ... those were the days !

Reminiscent of the fabled RN gunnery publication amendment which read "for '****' read 'shot''. Apocryphal, moi?:rolleyes:

Jack

[Cornish Jack]

UJ - nothing apocryphal about the Whirly amendment - I held 10 copies and had to do the updates !! :{

[Ninthace]

UJ - nothing apocryphal about the Whirly amendment - I held 10 copies and had to do the updates !! :{
Ah updates. I received a severe telling off because the very classified docs I had in my safe were not amended up to date. My excuse that, to amend a document, one had first to receive the amendment, was not accepted :(

[brakedwell]

I remember the Handling Squadron from my youthful days when I lived at Tidworth in the early fifties. I was in the the CCF and we had a Sqn Ldr from the Handling Squadron living next door, who used to take me to Boscombe Down during my school holidays. i was very lucky to fly in the latest V Bombers, Canberras, Javelins and several older Jets. A couple of years later I joined the RAF and five years later joined a Squadron in Aden commanded by the same Sqn Ldr.

[Tinribs]

There used to be a story that an unfortunate jag pilot on experiencing an engine rundown while aviating followed his FRC to open the crossfeed cock. Shortly afterwards the second engine failed reducing his options to zero. Faced by a VSO some time later demanding why he done such a thing he requested the VSO to explain via the FRC, what he had done wrong. Some minutes later the VSo pointed to an appropriate paragraph at which point our boy displays his aircrew ever right stopwatch and says "I ran out of fuel six minutes ago SIR

[TBM-Legend]

Ah, go to the Base library and sign out the publication complete with a large pile of amendments which mean't doing many mostly turfing out the previous amendments..

[H Peacock]

Now amending APs long ago was relatively straightforward. Each pice of paper (ie double sided) had one AL state. Then, it changed to each side having its own amendment state, so page 9 (front) could be at AL4, but the back side could change to AL5! Such a ridiculous system that made the physical replacement of pages during the amending process far more onerous!

[Tinribs]

Officer and gentleman
Many year ago the RAF was administered by means of an AIR FORCE ACT debated and passed in parliament at intervals. The user document was called MAFL manual of air force law which denoted the many offences available for the unwary; one such was behaviour not appropriate for an officer and gentleman. I cannot remember what the punishment was. As the previous note manuals were changed by means of replacing a page or if really small in manuscript.. Some time in the 70s an amendment read "delete gentleman" that was a relief to many of us

[hoodie]

I remember an AP amendment where the replacement page was marked "This page intentionally blank - please remove and destroy".

On both sides.

(Makes sense, really, though - removing and destroying only one side might have been an initiative test. Can't help thinking there must have been an easier way of dealing with the situation, if only anybody could have thought of what that might be...)