Red Arrows To Finish - Has Tony Gone Too Far?? (Merged x 2)
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Red Arrows To Finish - Has Tony Gone Too Far??
I saw an article in the Express today saying that due to defence budget cuts the Red Arrows may have to cease flying perminantly, I thought they were part of the country's defence (in times of crisis/war)? Is this a case of the pen pushers at No10 going to far? Has Tony Blair gone too far? What is the real story behind this?
I can't imagine airshows without them and it would be very sad not to see them anymore, another thing that is recognised as being British, just going........
LJ
I can't imagine airshows without them and it would be very sad not to see them anymore, another thing that is recognised as being British, just going........
LJ
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been like that for many years!!!!!
Same ugly question raised its head when I held with them 10 yrs ago!
Cut the 9 ship reduce to 7 or 5...... all been posed before.
Just a matter of time in this shrinking penny-pinching Air Farce I suppose.
T
Same ugly question raised its head when I held with them 10 yrs ago!
Cut the 9 ship reduce to 7 or 5...... all been posed before.
Just a matter of time in this shrinking penny-pinching Air Farce I suppose.
T
I think you have answered this one yourself by admitting the source of this gem is from the (Daily) Express!
If at appears in tomorrows Daily Liar...sorry, Mail, then you just know it's B****cks!
Still, never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
If at appears in tomorrows Daily Liar...sorry, Mail, then you just know it's B****cks!
Still, never let the truth stand in the way of a good story.
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Most unlikely, I have to say. You must remember, however, that the Mail and Express tend to take an anti-Blair line and obviously, a headline like that sells papers.
A move like that, even if "cost saving" would be a disaster for a government; it's an excellent morale booster for the RAF as well as a flag flier for the country; were the government to ground them, the electoral damage would be very considerable, as well as being a gift to other parties.
A move like that, even if "cost saving" would be a disaster for a government; it's an excellent morale booster for the RAF as well as a flag flier for the country; were the government to ground them, the electoral damage would be very considerable, as well as being a gift to other parties.
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I will obviously take flak for this, but all these flying groups are so much waste of resources. The RAF, USAF & USN are there to fight wars; military bands, groups such as Red Arrows, T'Birds, Blue Thingys, etc, take money needed to wage effective war, and put them into bread and circuses. Too bad the mx, fuel, and salary resources hadn't been spent instead on providing body armour for those poor unfortunates killed in Southern Iraq; if the money was there, there is where it properly should have been spent, AND NOWHERE ELSE! For a change, I agree with Blair. Sam
Last time such a thing was proposed, a senior Air Wheel was summoned to Number 10 and given a sound handbagging by Maggie - no tea, no biscuits. Allegedly....
Amusing to hear the Niggle talking about egos.....
Amusing to hear the Niggle talking about egos.....
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Seeing the "Reds" was one of the reasons I wanted to fly, I had the pleasure at Easter of watching with my 15 year old son from the tower when they returned to Cyprus to complete pre-season trainning.
Having met quite a few of the pilots over the years I think you will find there are less "egos" to deal with than some who never quite made the grade.
What the hell is wrong with this country, having something to take pride in seems to piss some people off.
I say "hands of the Reds Tony B"
Tony R
Having met quite a few of the pilots over the years I think you will find there are less "egos" to deal with than some who never quite made the grade.
What the hell is wrong with this country, having something to take pride in seems to piss some people off.
I say "hands of the Reds Tony B"
Tony R
PPRuNe Engineering Dept Apprentice
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Come on, do you really think that Tony would dare take the Red Arrows, one of the best recruiting tools of any service, out of commission? Come on lads, he's not that crazy, is he?
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quote ....
"military bands, groups such as Red Arrows, T'Birds, Blue Thingys, etc, take money needed to wage effective war"
just imagine how much more warfare could be financed if all the Bands, display teams etc etc were eliminated
oh, and don't forget to shoot all the horses - maybe you could get rid of the royal family as well ...... another few millions for more war!!!!
all this war is such fun isn't it!!!!
xxx help us
(clarification for opsbloke - as far as I'm concerned my vote is that the horses, bandsmen and red arrows can go on for ever !!!
)
"military bands, groups such as Red Arrows, T'Birds, Blue Thingys, etc, take money needed to wage effective war"
just imagine how much more warfare could be financed if all the Bands, display teams etc etc were eliminated
oh, and don't forget to shoot all the horses - maybe you could get rid of the royal family as well ...... another few millions for more war!!!!
all this war is such fun isn't it!!!!
xxx help us
(clarification for opsbloke - as far as I'm concerned my vote is that the horses, bandsmen and red arrows can go on for ever !!!
)
Last edited by hobie; 21st Jun 2004 at 15:53.
Tony and the Reds.
'spose, after last Friday, we shouldn't really keep anything that makes the French and Germans look mediocre ?
Sleeve.
Sleeve.
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I was under the impression that the Red Arrows are self funded. ie they dont take cash from the defence budget. They are sponsored by various companies and any overseas tour is funded by that country. A quote from the red arrows website:
So there you have it. They will always be with us.
How much does the team cost to operate?
There is no meaningful answer to this question. The RAF already has the pilots and aircraft so they really cost nothing. The only real saving that could be made by not having the Red Arrows would be the cost of the fuel they use but that is insignificant when set against the advantages accruing from the Team's appearances.
The additional costs of sending The Red Arrows on overseas tours such as the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia in the autumn of 1997 and 1999 and Canada in 2002 were entirely borne by British companies. The Ministry of Defence takes the view that British tax-payers should not bear the cost of these overseas tours. However it is happy for The Red Arrows to demonstrate the “Best of British” overseas when the companies that stand to benefit are willing to pay the bills.
There is no meaningful answer to this question. The RAF already has the pilots and aircraft so they really cost nothing. The only real saving that could be made by not having the Red Arrows would be the cost of the fuel they use but that is insignificant when set against the advantages accruing from the Team's appearances.
The additional costs of sending The Red Arrows on overseas tours such as the United Arab Emirates and Malaysia in the autumn of 1997 and 1999 and Canada in 2002 were entirely borne by British companies. The Ministry of Defence takes the view that British tax-payers should not bear the cost of these overseas tours. However it is happy for The Red Arrows to demonstrate the “Best of British” overseas when the companies that stand to benefit are willing to pay the bills.