Ministerial taxi service
What a shame the proud history one of the leading scoring fighter squadrons of the Battle of Britain is reduced to being a polly taxi service.
Mind you at least they are still operating from the same airfield that the top scoring squadron flew from.....
No doubt such history is lost on the tos**rs taking advanatge of this facility
Mind you at least they are still operating from the same airfield that the top scoring squadron flew from.....
No doubt such history is lost on the tos**rs taking advanatge of this facility
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GeeRam, exactly who are you classing as to**ers?
It is difficult to have served for almost 40 years without becoming slightly aware of the history of the Royal Air Force. And being reduced to a polly taxi service? You really have no idea what tasks 32 Sqn carry out in support of not only the executive arms of the Royal Family, government and the military, but other operational units. They are a highly flexible and important transport squadron. Also, there are many sqns in the Royal Air Force that have roles that are radically different to those they had during WW2 and other eras. Keeping the sqn alive in new roles has always been a feature of the evolving Air Force.
And exactly what do you mean by 'taking advantage of this facility'? When I last looked I discovered that it is a discussion forum, where individuals may insert their views of the subject under discussion.
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, which is precisely what this government does with monotinous regularity. You cannot continue to hammer people and bang on about standards on one hand at the same time as bust open those same standards with the other. It's called hypocracy. Hence the discussion.
It is difficult to have served for almost 40 years without becoming slightly aware of the history of the Royal Air Force. And being reduced to a polly taxi service? You really have no idea what tasks 32 Sqn carry out in support of not only the executive arms of the Royal Family, government and the military, but other operational units. They are a highly flexible and important transport squadron. Also, there are many sqns in the Royal Air Force that have roles that are radically different to those they had during WW2 and other eras. Keeping the sqn alive in new roles has always been a feature of the evolving Air Force.
And exactly what do you mean by 'taking advantage of this facility'? When I last looked I discovered that it is a discussion forum, where individuals may insert their views of the subject under discussion.
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones, which is precisely what this government does with monotinous regularity. You cannot continue to hammer people and bang on about standards on one hand at the same time as bust open those same standards with the other. It's called hypocracy. Hence the discussion.
Hellbound
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FJJP
I think you read GeeRam's message incorrectly - read's to me as if he is calling the Politicians abusing the Queen's Flight T****rs, not Queen's Flight itself! (If I am wrong, then I agree with you, but I am sure GR will be back in a bit to clear it up!)
I think you read GeeRam's message incorrectly - read's to me as if he is calling the Politicians abusing the Queen's Flight T****rs, not Queen's Flight itself! (If I am wrong, then I agree with you, but I am sure GR will be back in a bit to clear it up!)
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You bunch of wingers! When you signed up to take the Queens shilling you committed yourselves to doing what you are told, when you are told. That is known as obeying an order. Your only option if you don't like it is to resign. Put up or shut up!
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Originally Posted by jonesthepilot
You bunch of wingers! When you signed up to take the Queens shilling you committed yourselves to doing what you are told, when you are told. That is known as obeying an order. Your only option if you don't like it is to resign. Put up or shut up!
. Perhaps if people don't comment on the profligate waste that we sometimes see, the lack of spending on urgently required equipment to equip operational fleets (see Nigegilbs thread re the Herk) then we would truly have Armed Forces to be proud of: 'I do it 'cos I'm told to' is to deny the intelligence of the people in the system
. Of course when you try to resign a la the doc currently being CM'd that doesn't seem to work either, until the situation gets out of hand and people have to dig their heels in rather than admit there is something wrong.
Daring to challenge the 'thats the way we've always done it' way of running the Services is an essential natural evolutionary response. To run away from such a challenge, i.e. to get out or resign, is not, I would suggest, the way to get things changed, or develop Senior Officers.
Sorry 'bout the rant but sometimes I feel the rage building inside
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JtP, crikey matey chill out a bit. This is just a forum where people are able to vent their frustration with things, and that is what people are doing. No-one is suggesting going on strike, and everyone will continue to do their jobs with an outward smile, but it doesn't mean they have to like it.
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Tony Blair is the first prime minister in recent years to use commercial flights, having done so for his holidays since 2000, other than one occasion where security advice was to the contrary.
and the other comment regarding travel...
"Let the ba$tards pay out of their own money" ....why should they? When have you ever paid for duty travel out of your own pocket?
Lets face it boys, we are all much the same....agreed, we probably dont travel as much but I bet there are servicemen and women who probably do travel as much and we don't expect to travel cattle class, so why should they?
and the other comment regarding travel...
"Let the ba$tards pay out of their own money" ....why should they? When have you ever paid for duty travel out of your own pocket?
Lets face it boys, we are all much the same....agreed, we probably dont travel as much but I bet there are servicemen and women who probably do travel as much and we don't expect to travel cattle class, so why should they?
Originally Posted by South Bound
FJJP
I think you read GeeRam's message incorrectly - read's to me as if he is calling the Politicians abusing the Queen's Flight T****rs, not Queen's Flight itself!
I think you read GeeRam's message incorrectly - read's to me as if he is calling the Politicians abusing the Queen's Flight T****rs, not Queen's Flight itself!
I thought it was damn obvious actually....
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RAFLOO
The fact is that we DO travel cattle class!
Have you ever travelled AT to Basra? maybe the other sunny sand pits we frequent? Perhaps you would care to enlighten us all as to which Air Force you are in?
We are NOT all the same, and if you are a serving officer then you must know that.
When was the last time you took your wife and sprogs on holidfay courtesy of the Air force??
Jones, you need assessment mate - go see the MO pronto Tonto!
Kind regards
TSM
The fact is that we DO travel cattle class!
Have you ever travelled AT to Basra? maybe the other sunny sand pits we frequent? Perhaps you would care to enlighten us all as to which Air Force you are in?
We are NOT all the same, and if you are a serving officer then you must know that.
When was the last time you took your wife and sprogs on holidfay courtesy of the Air force??
Jones, you need assessment mate - go see the MO pronto Tonto!
Kind regards
TSM
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I have never taken my wife on Holiday using RAF Transport...But, there again I'm not the Prime Minister. I'm not a terrorist target. I'm not the head of the Governement. I'm not responsible for making policy and decisions of the government.
However, having travelled to the US many times whilst in my last job, I always travelled Business...except once, when flying with Virmin and we travelled Upper Class.
You are correct though. We are not the same. We are servicemen who do as we are told and act upon orders. Politicians are not and deserve every perk they get. If you would prefer to be in receipt of the perks politicians receive...then you know the answer.
However, having travelled to the US many times whilst in my last job, I always travelled Business...except once, when flying with Virmin and we travelled Upper Class.
You are correct though. We are not the same. We are servicemen who do as we are told and act upon orders. Politicians are not and deserve every perk they get. If you would prefer to be in receipt of the perks politicians receive...then you know the answer.
Out of interest, who tasks 32 (TR) Sqn? Presumably there are rules about who in government can task them and under what circumstances, in which case the issue becomes one of whether or not the rules were broken.
Surely ministers or whoever can't just ring up EGWU and demand to be taken from A to B irrespective of circumstance? Isn't there some distinction as to whether they're acting as UK Government plc or purely as politicians?
Surely ministers or whoever can't just ring up EGWU and demand to be taken from A to B irrespective of circumstance? Isn't there some distinction as to whether they're acting as UK Government plc or purely as politicians?
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Alfred Bonny Lad
We are not talking about using, more about abusing
Watch the cakes, we don't want them to burn them and filll the atmos with too much carbon do we?
Do you suggest we rename 32(R) Royal Flight - 32(P) Presidential Flight?
We could go the whole hog here with a re-paint job and call it "Sleezy Jet",
but with this airline you get all the trimmings
So, a simple scenario. You go to a surgery via your constituency, or to an essential euro meeting, ( Italy springs to mind), where you will be staying in a payed-for 5* 'freebie pad' for a fortnight (which coincides with your holiday - how lucky is that!). At the end of that meeting (2 weeks), 32 Sqn suddenly arrive to take you home, to save the cost to the tax payer of you having to stay in a hotel overnight, plus the cost of losing a day's work, ie (being on the train or stuck in the traffic) How lucky is that?
So that's ok and value for money?
This gravy train PM and his QC wife have already declared openly and publicly "They have no nostalgia for by-gone eras" whislt trying to sack 1000 years of history and the Lord Chancellor. Meanwhile, she is earning fortunes on the back of supporting Human Rights through obscene Legal Aid payments - plus giving touring speeches at $20000 a shot wherever 32 Sqn take her
A Downing Street spokesperson says no one was available for comment as they are on holiday somewhere on the continent with 32(R) Sqn
We are not talking about using, more about abusing
Watch the cakes, we don't want them to burn them and filll the atmos with too much carbon do we?
Do you suggest we rename 32(R) Royal Flight - 32(P) Presidential Flight?
We could go the whole hog here with a re-paint job and call it "Sleezy Jet",
but with this airline you get all the trimmings
So, a simple scenario. You go to a surgery via your constituency, or to an essential euro meeting, ( Italy springs to mind), where you will be staying in a payed-for 5* 'freebie pad' for a fortnight (which coincides with your holiday - how lucky is that!). At the end of that meeting (2 weeks), 32 Sqn suddenly arrive to take you home, to save the cost to the tax payer of you having to stay in a hotel overnight, plus the cost of losing a day's work, ie (being on the train or stuck in the traffic) How lucky is that?
So that's ok and value for money?
This gravy train PM and his QC wife have already declared openly and publicly "They have no nostalgia for by-gone eras" whislt trying to sack 1000 years of history and the Lord Chancellor. Meanwhile, she is earning fortunes on the back of supporting Human Rights through obscene Legal Aid payments - plus giving touring speeches at $20000 a shot wherever 32 Sqn take her
A Downing Street spokesperson says no one was available for comment as they are on holiday somewhere on the continent with 32(R) Sqn
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I seem to be a bit slow today, must be the booze I had last night. I thought that 32 Sqn were the ''Queens Flight'', have I missed something? Since when did the members of the ''B liar, which project?'' qualify as royalty? Somebody please tell me that HRH Lizzy Windsor is still head of state or has that changed while I have been asleep? Politicians get outrageous allowances for transport so they should stop using the RAF as a bloody taxi service.
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ACW599 asked:
I am going back a few years, but when I was at STC, 32(TR) Sqn was tasked by the Comms Fleet Tasking Agency (CFTA). This was, IIRC, a sort of off-shoot from the 2 Gp Ascot organisation in B Block (1st Floor?), but I don't think there was any direct link between the 2. I suspect there have been a lot of changes since then (I left in 2003), but I would imagine something similar is still in place?
One thing I do recall was that the people in CFTA were generally of the view that they were under-tasked by the forces as a whole. Sure, there are always lots of complaints about having to be bussed long distances within the UK to meet flights out of AT bases (Lossie-Bz springs to mind), but the suggestion was they were not asked to provide support, so did not do so. Of course the other side of the argument relates to cost - I guess if the Staish has a coach and a couple of drivers available for the cost of the diesel, he or she is unlikely to fork out several thousand quid to have the guys taken to Bz by 146! Whether such trips can be covered as trg flights is another issue.
Sorry, rambled on a bit there.
Back to the thread.
rafloo wrote:
Err only every time I've used my own vehicle, when the mileage rate is about 55% of that which even the tax man considers reasonable! MPs' allowances and expenses? Bring them on.
STH
Out of interest, who tasks 32 (TR) Sqn?
One thing I do recall was that the people in CFTA were generally of the view that they were under-tasked by the forces as a whole. Sure, there are always lots of complaints about having to be bussed long distances within the UK to meet flights out of AT bases (Lossie-Bz springs to mind), but the suggestion was they were not asked to provide support, so did not do so. Of course the other side of the argument relates to cost - I guess if the Staish has a coach and a couple of drivers available for the cost of the diesel, he or she is unlikely to fork out several thousand quid to have the guys taken to Bz by 146! Whether such trips can be covered as trg flights is another issue.
Sorry, rambled on a bit there.
Back to the thread.
rafloo wrote:
When have you ever paid for duty travel out of your own pocket?
STH
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There are very few (if any) instances where the coach transport is provided by a Station MT section, it normally done by civvie coach firms, at full comercial rate.
OD
OD
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I think that 32 lost the tag "Queen's" in 1995 fella....There now called "The Royal" Squadron and are tasked to not only carry "The Royals" (Not the Marines).......but also VIP's.
STH....."Err only every time I've used my own vehicle"...why would you use your own Vehicle for duty travel?
There are very few (if any) instances where the coach transport is done by a Station MT section, it normally done by civvie coach firms, at full comercial rate.....Thats cos its cheaper to rent rather than buy a bus. If it were cheaper for the MOD to buy a bus rather than rent one.....err?
Finally...."So, a simple scenario. You go to a surgery via your constituency, or to an essential euro meeting, ( Italy springs to mind), where you will be staying in a payed-for 5* 'freebie pad' for a fortnight (which coincides with your holiday - how lucky is that!). At the end of that meeting (2 weeks), 32 Sqn suddenly arrive to take you home, to save the cost to the tax payer of you having to stay in a hotel overnight, plus the cost of losing a day's work, ie (being on the train or stuck in the traffic) How lucky is that?
So that's ok and value for money?"....That sounds like normal procedure for Jaguar squadrons.
STH....."Err only every time I've used my own vehicle"...why would you use your own Vehicle for duty travel?
There are very few (if any) instances where the coach transport is done by a Station MT section, it normally done by civvie coach firms, at full comercial rate.....Thats cos its cheaper to rent rather than buy a bus. If it were cheaper for the MOD to buy a bus rather than rent one.....err?
Finally...."So, a simple scenario. You go to a surgery via your constituency, or to an essential euro meeting, ( Italy springs to mind), where you will be staying in a payed-for 5* 'freebie pad' for a fortnight (which coincides with your holiday - how lucky is that!). At the end of that meeting (2 weeks), 32 Sqn suddenly arrive to take you home, to save the cost to the tax payer of you having to stay in a hotel overnight, plus the cost of losing a day's work, ie (being on the train or stuck in the traffic) How lucky is that?
So that's ok and value for money?"....That sounds like normal procedure for Jaguar squadrons.
>I am going back a few years, but when I was at STC, 32(TR) Sqn was tasked by the Comms Fleet Tasking Agency (CFTA)<
Does Heron Flight convey anyone other than Naval personnel? If so, did (or do) CFTA task them as well?
Does Heron Flight convey anyone other than Naval personnel? If so, did (or do) CFTA task them as well?
Is it really that far out that the head of state, especially one from a country as prominent as the UK would unfettered access to aircraft?
One of the perks of the job.
One of the perks of the job.
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Hi guys
Always watched and never really posted but as someone who is very in the know about 32(The Royal) Sqn heres my bit
1. The Queens flight ceased to exist in 1995
2. The Sqn does roughly speaking, 10% royal/30%ministerial/60%military flying
3. Every flight is scrutinised before CFTA accept the booking and the party doing the booking has to pay for the hours they acrue on the jets(818 pound an hour for a 125 etc)
4. The sqn has spent the majority of the last 5 years heavily involved on Herrick and Telic with at least one jet in muscat/thumrait/PSAB/basra/al udied etc.
5. We also do Comp A's/extraditions and lots of other crap that we never get any credit for.
Just a shame that people only ever see "royal" in the title. The royals/ministers spend way more time with netjets as we are always on deployment.
Just info for those who want to make informed posts!
Always watched and never really posted but as someone who is very in the know about 32(The Royal) Sqn heres my bit
1. The Queens flight ceased to exist in 1995
2. The Sqn does roughly speaking, 10% royal/30%ministerial/60%military flying
3. Every flight is scrutinised before CFTA accept the booking and the party doing the booking has to pay for the hours they acrue on the jets(818 pound an hour for a 125 etc)
4. The sqn has spent the majority of the last 5 years heavily involved on Herrick and Telic with at least one jet in muscat/thumrait/PSAB/basra/al udied etc.
5. We also do Comp A's/extraditions and lots of other crap that we never get any credit for.
Just a shame that people only ever see "royal" in the title. The royals/ministers spend way more time with netjets as we are always on deployment.
Just info for those who want to make informed posts!