Kinloss........Whats Going on?
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Kinloss........Whats Going on?
What Is Happening At ISK???[/
Had a flying visit to Kinloss today, and it was a shame to see 3 Mighty Hunters sitting on the pan, loads of aircrew walking about irritated about the state of affairs, and all the visiting aircraft and crews seeing the Kipper Fleet on its knees!!!
It is time that the powers that be sort this famous fleet out, and get them back up where they belong!!! I know about the overstretch in the Middle East, but something has to be done ASAP, or the PVR rate will increase even further!!!
Lets get the MR2 back in the limelight for the right reasons, and look after our aircrew!!!!!!!!!!!!
minzastella
Had a flying visit to Kinloss today, and it was a shame to see 3 Mighty Hunters sitting on the pan, loads of aircrew walking about irritated about the state of affairs, and all the visiting aircraft and crews seeing the Kipper Fleet on its knees!!!
It is time that the powers that be sort this famous fleet out, and get them back up where they belong!!! I know about the overstretch in the Middle East, but something has to be done ASAP, or the PVR rate will increase even further!!!
Lets get the MR2 back in the limelight for the right reasons, and look after our aircrew!!!!!!!!!!!!
minzastella
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I was up that neck of the woods last Friday and saw one gracefully(?) making a final approach from the west. Thankfully they did not disturb my state of serenity as I replenished my spirit at the nearby Findhorn Foundation (which is worth a visit even for cynics as I was).
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Completely agree with Reddeath! Leave the groundies out of this. The plane is old, the manpower situation is incredulous, the flying programme unachievable and still NLS are expected to pull a servicable Nimrod from the magic hat! No change there then......
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Whats going on ?
Whats going on is the same if not worse that has been going on for the last couple of years. 30+year old aircraft being patched up and sent up !!
No thought given to the morale of the crews. If we as a family didn't get offered counselling after the Nimrod explosion 2nd September , then you can bet no one at the base did either. My son Ben loved every minute he was in the RAF but he would not have wanted to die due to a technical fault. And I know its not an isolated incident ,they are happening every day. The blue suits at Kinloss need to tell the MOD to get there fingers out and say ,Enough is Enough we are not puttting up with it any more . Spend some money get the manpower Get it sorted. You guys deserve better, than this. This government are bringing the services to its knees.
No thought given to the morale of the crews. If we as a family didn't get offered counselling after the Nimrod explosion 2nd September , then you can bet no one at the base did either. My son Ben loved every minute he was in the RAF but he would not have wanted to die due to a technical fault. And I know its not an isolated incident ,they are happening every day. The blue suits at Kinloss need to tell the MOD to get there fingers out and say ,Enough is Enough we are not puttting up with it any more . Spend some money get the manpower Get it sorted. You guys deserve better, than this. This government are bringing the services to its knees.
Guys, toddbabe has it correct (I think ZH was sarcastically taking the piss out of the new fitness initiatives.), It looks like you are to busy to see the funny side of anything these days.
No slur intended on your efforts to generate a flying program, that will not, and can not stop, for some ridiculous, badly thougt out idea.
Keep up the good work. At least some folk do appreciate what you are doing.
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You know, the thing that used to pull the military through all their hard times was the undying sense of humour of its people. It seems it has died.
I disagree. There are two things that used to pull the military through all their hard times. One was the undying sense of humour, the other was knowing that good times were on the way.
The humour remains.
I disagree. There are two things that used to pull the military through all their hard times. One was the undying sense of humour, the other was knowing that good times were on the way.
The humour remains.
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You know, the thing that used to pull the military through all their hard times was the undying sense of humour of its people. It seems it has died.
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Don't spread it around you've got four airframes, the beancounters at HM take all the defense budget and give it to anywhere else will be after one to flog off for scrap. Then thay can announce a 25% maintenance and operational cost saving and give themselves another undeserved pay rise.
If any eng's want to bang out and PVR I need a good fitter where I work, pay's not too brilliant but its all the crisps you can eat and no fitness tests or gate guard.
And we are maintaining the most up to date machinery of its type (VFFS) in the world!!!!
If any eng's want to bang out and PVR I need a good fitter where I work, pay's not too brilliant but its all the crisps you can eat and no fitness tests or gate guard.
And we are maintaining the most up to date machinery of its type (VFFS) in the world!!!!
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Unfortunately ZH875, things are not funny up here and sarcasm, in whatever intended form won't cut much ice up here. I am not a liney or aircrew but know they are all being ground into the ground at the moment trying to meet targets. Rumour has it that one shift of the visiting Air Officers toys have more personnel available than the whole of the line combined
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OK guys,
Joking aside, we hear of serious issues at ISK? What is the bottom line?
I hear of Aircrew refusing to fly the mighty hunter any more and QFI's, line Pilots and Flight Eng's PVR'ing in large numbers, what is the truth and what are the real reasons behind the issues?
Lack of faith in the frames?
Op tempo?
What????????????
Joking aside, we hear of serious issues at ISK? What is the bottom line?
I hear of Aircrew refusing to fly the mighty hunter any more and QFI's, line Pilots and Flight Eng's PVR'ing in large numbers, what is the truth and what are the real reasons behind the issues?
Lack of faith in the frames?
Op tempo?
What????????????
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Just a general point.
Kinloss has changed a lot since I have returned to the fleet.
It troubles me that over the last few years the most commonly used smilies have been , 
and, by a mile
. As opposed to what it used to be; 
,
and . A sign of the times I guess.
I am still hoping that the good times are around the corner so we can have a bit more
, 
, 
, , and lastly, but most importantly:
It troubles me that over the last few years the most commonly used smilies have been
, and, by a mile . As opposed to what it used to be; , and . A sign of the times I guess.I am still hoping that the good times are around the corner so we can have a bit more
, , , , and lastly, but most importantly: Join Date: Apr 2005
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I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate the big wheels who decided to reduce the Nimrod fleet a couple of years ago by 5 aircraft, a shift of Lineys and a Squadron of aircrew. We told you this would happen, it's not like we were busy!
The state of the fleet now is entirely your fault, but what do you care at least you'll get your pensions!
Teddy, cot, standby............................................ GO!
The state of the fleet now is entirely your fault, but what do you care at least you'll get your pensions!
Teddy, cot, standby............................................ GO!
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Over the past month or so, I have made a point to phone as many of my old mates up at ISK to try and get a feel from them of what its now like up there since the loss out in Afghanstan. What I have been told by virtually all of them is deeply, deeply worrying to the extreme.
Many of us on PPrune have egos as big as they come, and what most of us post on here is (and should be) taken with quite a biggish pinch of salt, however, the problems at ISK are most real and very serious indeed.
I don't think I have ever spoken to friends who are so sick-to-death with what is happening, not only to the aircraft that they fly, but to the station and the squadrons and the RAF in general. The stories of QFIs quitting on mass are correct. Reports of people refusing to fly in certain airframes are true Morale is 'non existant'
I am proud to say that I spent many years at ISK, and despite what anyone says, it WAS a great place. In the 70s, 80s and 90s the place was buzzing, it was just a great place to be, despite its location. The relations between everyone were outstanding, and there were very, very few problems at all. Now, I am assured that the place is close to meltdown and things are as bad as reports suggest.
Who's to blame? I don't know the individuals. But one thing is certain, it isn't the boys and girls on the station or on the line or on the squadrons, thats for sure. It is without doubt down to the faceless Civil Serpants and spineless Air Ranks, who have allowed a once-proud and great base to be brought to its knees by the constant errosion of the basic needs to keep things going. They should be ashamed.
I suppose its all down to money. The fact that the RAF have none (except for bloody stupid clothing promotions sh1t) but they have no money for the vital and essential needs of an operational front line station. And who is to blame for that? CAS? ACAS?, AOC? well the answer must surely be yes! all of them. These are supposed to be our leaders, and they have blatantly failed to pick up on the things that everyone said would happen. The crash simply speeded up the decline in morale and well being.
There are no quick fixes to this problem. Even a huge injection of cash at this stage will do little other than allow the 'patching up' to go on for a bit longer. I'm afraid that what is needed is a new breed of Very Senior Officer - one who is prepared to voice his opion, in public if necessary, but whilst he is still in uniform. It needs someone to have the balls to say 'enough is enough' and unless you change things, then I am going to quit, and I'm going to tell the world how it is!
Will it happen? ha ha ha ha ha, of course it won't happen. We don't breed senior officers like that anymore. I remember the very famous AOC 18Gp who stood up at ISK during the AEOp downbanding fiasco, and told everyone that 'he would resign if AEOps were downbanded' Well they did get downbanded, but did he resign?? Of course not.
To everyone at ISK, I think that most of us out here see and understand your plight. Those of us that have been part of that know how bad things are and hope that they will soon improve fo you all.
Tigs and Reddeathdrinker, you are both right gentlemen. In many cases the sense of humour has died and in others it hase become distorted. But lets all hope that it soon returns to where it should be, and Kinloss returns to being a great front-line station once again.
TSM
Many of us on PPrune have egos as big as they come, and what most of us post on here is (and should be) taken with quite a biggish pinch of salt, however, the problems at ISK are most real and very serious indeed.
I don't think I have ever spoken to friends who are so sick-to-death with what is happening, not only to the aircraft that they fly, but to the station and the squadrons and the RAF in general. The stories of QFIs quitting on mass are correct. Reports of people refusing to fly in certain airframes are true Morale is 'non existant'
I am proud to say that I spent many years at ISK, and despite what anyone says, it WAS a great place. In the 70s, 80s and 90s the place was buzzing, it was just a great place to be, despite its location. The relations between everyone were outstanding, and there were very, very few problems at all. Now, I am assured that the place is close to meltdown and things are as bad as reports suggest.
Who's to blame? I don't know the individuals. But one thing is certain, it isn't the boys and girls on the station or on the line or on the squadrons, thats for sure. It is without doubt down to the faceless Civil Serpants and spineless Air Ranks, who have allowed a once-proud and great base to be brought to its knees by the constant errosion of the basic needs to keep things going. They should be ashamed.
I suppose its all down to money. The fact that the RAF have none (except for bloody stupid clothing promotions sh1t) but they have no money for the vital and essential needs of an operational front line station. And who is to blame for that? CAS? ACAS?, AOC? well the answer must surely be yes! all of them. These are supposed to be our leaders, and they have blatantly failed to pick up on the things that everyone said would happen. The crash simply speeded up the decline in morale and well being.
There are no quick fixes to this problem. Even a huge injection of cash at this stage will do little other than allow the 'patching up' to go on for a bit longer. I'm afraid that what is needed is a new breed of Very Senior Officer - one who is prepared to voice his opion, in public if necessary, but whilst he is still in uniform. It needs someone to have the balls to say 'enough is enough' and unless you change things, then I am going to quit, and I'm going to tell the world how it is!
Will it happen? ha ha ha ha ha, of course it won't happen. We don't breed senior officers like that anymore. I remember the very famous AOC 18Gp who stood up at ISK during the AEOp downbanding fiasco, and told everyone that 'he would resign if AEOps were downbanded' Well they did get downbanded, but did he resign?? Of course not.
To everyone at ISK, I think that most of us out here see and understand your plight. Those of us that have been part of that know how bad things are and hope that they will soon improve fo you all.
Tigs and Reddeathdrinker, you are both right gentlemen. In many cases the sense of humour has died and in others it hase become distorted. But lets all hope that it soon returns to where it should be, and Kinloss returns to being a great front-line station once again.
TSM