Combat Pilot on BBC2
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Henry Crun
Most of the blokes on 208 in my time had gone through Strad under "Stuttering Mac", so plenty of anecdotes circulated. One that springs to mind was at the morning prayers when Met said the weather would stay lousey until afternoon. So "Mac" cancelled flying for the morning and told all the stus to report to Flights at 1400. One stu had the temerity to point out that, being Wednesday, it was Station Sports afternoon. Mac went into full tirade mode:
"Ssssssports afternoon? SSSSSSSSSPORTS AFTERNOON! I know you fffffffffffuc*ing sssssstudents! All you dddddddddddo for sssssssssports is lie around in your fffffffffffuc*ing pits bbbbbbbbbeating your bbbbbbloody bbbbbbishops!"
That would have gone down well on "Combat Pilots" - eh?
Most of the blokes on 208 in my time had gone through Strad under "Stuttering Mac", so plenty of anecdotes circulated. One that springs to mind was at the morning prayers when Met said the weather would stay lousey until afternoon. So "Mac" cancelled flying for the morning and told all the stus to report to Flights at 1400. One stu had the temerity to point out that, being Wednesday, it was Station Sports afternoon. Mac went into full tirade mode:
"Ssssssports afternoon? SSSSSSSSSPORTS AFTERNOON! I know you fffffffffffuc*ing sssssstudents! All you dddddddddddo for sssssssssports is lie around in your fffffffffffuc*ing pits bbbbbbbbbeating your bbbbbbloody bbbbbbishops!"
That would have gone down well on "Combat Pilots" - eh?
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Strikes me that a few of you guys are actually RAF pilots yourselves. hoping to join up myself when i finish uni, do any of you have any tips or interesting things i should know about??
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nickdearden.
Steady on old chap.... actual RAF pilots on a Military Aviation Forum. Whatever next?
Seriously, I suggest you do a little research (try the search button on this forum for example) think about what you really want to know and put the question on the correct thread. Finally and most importantly,engage brain before mouth(or finger).
Roghead, old, tired, knackered ex RAF aircrew shag.
Steady on old chap.... actual RAF pilots on a Military Aviation Forum. Whatever next?
Seriously, I suggest you do a little research (try the search button on this forum for example) think about what you really want to know and put the question on the correct thread. Finally and most importantly,engage brain before mouth(or finger).
Roghead, old, tired, knackered ex RAF aircrew shag.
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nickdearden,
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What do the RAF do?
2. Where are they currently employed?
3. Why are they there?
4. Why do you want to join the RAF?
This is NOT intended to sound like a whinge. Far from it!! I am still in, still enjoying it and still feel that it is a job worth doing. You need to ask yourself the questions because you will be required to answer them during at least one of the interviews when you try and join. If any of your answers are "I'm not sure", then you won't get in. There will be a lot more, very searching questions to be answered and you need to be sure in your own mind that your answers are not just what you think 'they' want to hear but what you really believe.
If you are keen to join for all the right reasons, come on in.
Ask yourself the following questions:
1. What do the RAF do?
2. Where are they currently employed?
3. Why are they there?
4. Why do you want to join the RAF?
This is NOT intended to sound like a whinge. Far from it!! I am still in, still enjoying it and still feel that it is a job worth doing. You need to ask yourself the questions because you will be required to answer them during at least one of the interviews when you try and join. If any of your answers are "I'm not sure", then you won't get in. There will be a lot more, very searching questions to be answered and you need to be sure in your own mind that your answers are not just what you think 'they' want to hear but what you really believe.
If you are keen to join for all the right reasons, come on in.
(a bear of little brain)
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Can anyone tell me how many episodes there are please? (I'm recoding it for someone and I want to know if I've got room on the tape).
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Speaking of Episode 5 - anyone have a digital recording of it please? I have all the others in MPEG-2 from a Digi TV card. Just stupidly missed that one...
Thanks in advance... either message here or PM...
NoD
Thanks in advance... either message here or PM...
NoD
Dave McBride? I once squipped for a 'Harry' McBride, but he sported a dodgy tash and was quite....Hang on...thought he looked familiar. Also spotted three ex Harrier mates (?) Sak, Rog and Don??
Wiggy you wouldn't happen to be the famous squip sh@tter upper? I well remember moving to the Fag (3F) at Laarparts and nipping off to the 'malley 'whilst 'annon' got airborne for a 1hr night T10 Goggles trip (no lights?). Was on the way back to do the AF's and had the lid down on my hairdressers car....goto where the peri track went past the threashold and became aware of a black 'shape floating over the trees'...........
got a car full of jet noise, sun type temperatures and a view of two glowing nozzels .....Magic!
Wiggy you wouldn't happen to be the famous squip sh@tter upper? I well remember moving to the Fag (3F) at Laarparts and nipping off to the 'malley 'whilst 'annon' got airborne for a 1hr night T10 Goggles trip (no lights?). Was on the way back to do the AF's and had the lid down on my hairdressers car....goto where the peri track went past the threashold and became aware of a black 'shape floating over the trees'...........
got a car full of jet noise, sun type temperatures and a view of two glowing nozzels .....Magic!
(a bear of little brain)
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Just been to France for a trip to Le Mans. Part of the time we were stying at a farmhouse in Normandy, owned by a Brit. The farmhouse was in a French Air force low flying area - lots of low-level Mirages.
The owner was telling us about a tv programme that had been on about training the pilots, sounded very much like the French version of 'Combat Pilot'. They hadn't watched much of it but in the bit they had seen one of the trainees was having a 'caps on, no coffee' interview with his flight commander getting a rollicking for eating a sausage while flying a low-level mission.
Not at 250 ft over Wales I hope.
The owner was telling us about a tv programme that had been on about training the pilots, sounded very much like the French version of 'Combat Pilot'. They hadn't watched much of it but in the bit they had seen one of the trainees was having a 'caps on, no coffee' interview with his flight commander getting a rollicking for eating a sausage while flying a low-level mission.
Not at 250 ft over Wales I hope.
Combat Pilot on the Beeb.
Just nailed the thread, John, and your comment, quote:-
>>The RAF has used creamies for a long time 40 plus years to my knowledge. They are students who have done exceptionally well and which their experienced instructors also see as having instructional potential.<<
My first Instructor on the JP at Linton, back in 1962, was a "creamie".
Thoroughly good bloke who could be relied upon totally to understand any of my training problems that cropped up.
His favorite occupation however was to nip down to Kemble regularly to play with a Hunter, not that his heart wasn't totally into flying training !
However the Lightning figured quite highly in my debriefing ; budding fighter jock without a doubt but he couldn't beat me at "Are you there, Moriarty" ?! and even had a job later, only getting away from a North Sea "bounce" by setting his a*se on fire !
Two of his comtemporaries were Roger Austin and Mike Graydon.
Wonder what they'd think of one of their "dark blue jobs", now in the twilight of his career, with over 20,000 hours and still teaching aeros. in a Pitts??
Hope your career was just as successful, Pete. I'll always be grateful, - even if you didn't have any war stories.
Rgds, Sleeve Wing.
>>The RAF has used creamies for a long time 40 plus years to my knowledge. They are students who have done exceptionally well and which their experienced instructors also see as having instructional potential.<<
My first Instructor on the JP at Linton, back in 1962, was a "creamie".
Thoroughly good bloke who could be relied upon totally to understand any of my training problems that cropped up.
His favorite occupation however was to nip down to Kemble regularly to play with a Hunter, not that his heart wasn't totally into flying training !
However the Lightning figured quite highly in my debriefing ; budding fighter jock without a doubt but he couldn't beat me at "Are you there, Moriarty" ?! and even had a job later, only getting away from a North Sea "bounce" by setting his a*se on fire !
Two of his comtemporaries were Roger Austin and Mike Graydon.
Wonder what they'd think of one of their "dark blue jobs", now in the twilight of his career, with over 20,000 hours and still teaching aeros. in a Pitts??
Hope your career was just as successful, Pete. I'll always be grateful, - even if you didn't have any war stories.
Rgds, Sleeve Wing.
Last edited by Sleeve Wing; 18th Jun 2004 at 08:22.
Does anyone know if there is a particular area where the RAF frequent whilst flying over The Big Country? I've often heard that there is a specific valley that other aircraft, as well as the Hawks, fly down. Is there any truth behind this or not?
Last edited by Gingerbread Man; 21st Jun 2004 at 13:26.
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I have a vague recollection (15 years ago!) of being in the Nant Ffrancon (Ogwen?) Valley in North Wales and climbing up to Cwm Idwall (SSSI) with a group of Environmental Scientists.
A potentially boring day (for me) was considerably improved by a series of flypasts by Hawks, Tonkas and Harriers. I think it was a one-way valley and ac would enter LL Capel Curig, leaving NW towards Bethesda. (I am sure womeone will correct me if that is no longer the case), with all the traffic flow in the same direction for safety. The valley is L-shaped. Ac would climb and bank hardover at the bend before pulling down and continuing at LL. I seem to remember that at least one didn't quite get it right and disappeared over the ridge (Glydr Fawr?) behind us.
A potentially boring day (for me) was considerably improved by a series of flypasts by Hawks, Tonkas and Harriers. I think it was a one-way valley and ac would enter LL Capel Curig, leaving NW towards Bethesda. (I am sure womeone will correct me if that is no longer the case), with all the traffic flow in the same direction for safety. The valley is L-shaped. Ac would climb and bank hardover at the bend before pulling down and continuing at LL. I seem to remember that at least one didn't quite get it right and disappeared over the ridge (Glydr Fawr?) behind us.
