Pilot Officer Windsor anyone?
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As the JEFTS at Barkston Heath usually carries out the ab initio training for the joint services, why is HRH going straight onto the Grob 115 at Cranwell rather than the Firefly at Barkston?
Doesn't it make you proper pilots fume at the boy wonder wearing your coveted wings. Why not post yours back in revolt.
What a great idea! Mrs B still has a pair of wings in her sewing box.
Unfortunately I am unable to return my ACM uniform complete with RAF wings and toy town medals as it was lost in the dry cleaners.
What a great idea! Mrs B still has a pair of wings in her sewing box.
Unfortunately I am unable to return my ACM uniform complete with RAF wings and toy town medals as it was lost in the dry cleaners.
For Brakedwell
Plus an excuse for the aformentioned lady to wear a rather "fetching" fancy dress uniform
I believe you must be thinking of The Princess Royal's uniform as Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) rather than her perfectly standard uniform as a Rear Admiral as Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy.
For Davaar
Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Mountbatten of Burma: 1st Sea Lord
And also Chief of the Defence Staff - and he wore submarine "underwater wings" after they were awarded in July 1971, presumably based on his service in two submarines in 1917-18. He was also an Honorary Air Marshal whilst Chief of Combined Operations but, unless someone knows better, I am not aware that he wore any form of flying badge or, indeed, whether he ever wore RAF uniform.
Jack
PS To offset some of the rather sad and off-colour comments about The Earl of Wessex, it may be worth pointing out that he is Honorary Royal Colonel or Colonel-in-Chief of three regiments and Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service - and a father of two .....
PPS Based on some of the precedents quoted for the award of flying badges to Royals, it seems no more extraordinary to me than captains of civilian fixed or rotary wing aircraft wearing four stripes when their service counterparts captaining similar or identical aircraft are wearing one or two stripes - or even chevrons in the case of helicopters!
Plus an excuse for the aformentioned lady to wear a rather "fetching" fancy dress uniform
I believe you must be thinking of The Princess Royal's uniform as Colonel of The Blues and Royals (Royal Horse Guards and 1st Dragoons) rather than her perfectly standard uniform as a Rear Admiral as Chief Commandant for Women in the Royal Navy.
For Davaar
Admiral of the Fleet the Earl Mountbatten of Burma: 1st Sea Lord
And also Chief of the Defence Staff - and he wore submarine "underwater wings" after they were awarded in July 1971, presumably based on his service in two submarines in 1917-18. He was also an Honorary Air Marshal whilst Chief of Combined Operations but, unless someone knows better, I am not aware that he wore any form of flying badge or, indeed, whether he ever wore RAF uniform.
Jack
PS To offset some of the rather sad and off-colour comments about The Earl of Wessex, it may be worth pointing out that he is Honorary Royal Colonel or Colonel-in-Chief of three regiments and Commodore-in-Chief of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service - and a father of two .....
PPS Based on some of the precedents quoted for the award of flying badges to Royals, it seems no more extraordinary to me than captains of civilian fixed or rotary wing aircraft wearing four stripes when their service counterparts captaining similar or identical aircraft are wearing one or two stripes - or even chevrons in the case of helicopters!
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as a few people have remarked, it seems to be a longwinded stunt just to get the gongs. am i the only one who remembers idi amin decked out in all his armour in the 70s,yet anytime charly appears for a function he comes decked out like a f
ing christmas tree!!! where did he get all that scrap iron from????
ing christmas tree!!! where did he get all that scrap iron from????
Red On, Green On
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To those who complain about the monarchy, and the heir to the throne getting free flying lessons (and tank/ship driving lessons) when the rest have to pass OASC/AIB/RCB etc (work hard at school btw), I have just two words to say:
President Blair
See, now you realise why the Windsors, who may not be perfect, are a lot better than anything we might otherwise have.
President Blair
See, now you realise why the Windsors, who may not be perfect, are a lot better than anything we might otherwise have.
So will every cab he takes up be classed as a royal flight then?
Well he's not on the list, maybe it's the trainers he's wearing.
Manual of Air Traffic Services Sct1 Ch8 P1 1.1
Liz
Phil
Chaz
Cammy
Randy
Ed
Mrs Ed
The royal formerly known as Mrs Phillips
Turn the page
MAts1 Sct1 Ch8 2.1.5
Training flights by any member of the 'firm' planned and carried out VFR or IFR under the control of an ATS surveillance unit will normally be classified as Royal flights. When a member of the royale family intends to carry out flying training at RAF or civvy aerodromes CAS-T if required, is to be established blah blah blah
Perhaps he'll make the list if he changes his footwear
Well he's not on the list, maybe it's the trainers he's wearing.
Manual of Air Traffic Services Sct1 Ch8 P1 1.1
Liz
Phil
Chaz
Cammy
Randy
Ed
Mrs Ed
The royal formerly known as Mrs Phillips
Turn the page
MAts1 Sct1 Ch8 2.1.5
Training flights by any member of the 'firm' planned and carried out VFR or IFR under the control of an ATS surveillance unit will normally be classified as Royal flights. When a member of the royale family intends to carry out flying training at RAF or civvy aerodromes CAS-T if required, is to be established blah blah blah
Perhaps he'll make the list if he changes his footwear
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Group Captain Nick Seward said as future head of the armed forces it was important that William understood the "ethos and history" of the RAF.
Is it me or do some people have to moan about anything these days?
Do you think he will pass the RAF fitness test?
Seriously though, you all seem to think that he should be treated like any other Officer going through pilot training. Newsflash! He's not like any other Officer and he never will be. You Crabs are getting some good PR out of this exercise and you still find room to moan about it. If he went to the Fisheads for flying training (or God forbid, the Army) you'd moan that the RAF was not being equally recognised by the Royals/Government/JHC.*
Reminds me of the time that a Pongo and a Crab were offered a drink of water. The Pongo was asked if the glass was half empty or half full. 'I don't care' said the Pongo, 'I'm thirsty'. And he drank the water. The Crab was asked the same question and he answered hysterically: 'That's not water, it's poison. You're all trying to kill me so that that you can take my job'. 'I used to have loads of glass's of water and they were all full, now most of them are half empty and those that aren't are ruined'. 'I bet you Pongo's are responsible'.
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What a bunch of sourgrape tossers some of you are. Happy New Year, welcome to 2008. For once, and probably the only time, I'm in complete agreement with VVVthing. Give the young Royal a break, he'll still be better trained than the average PPL, and do you know what the medical, academic, age and fitness requirements are for the budding private pilot?
The military and particularly the RAF needs all the publicity it can get and Fg Off Wales will provide plenty.
Edited 'cos I don't know my Plotoffs from my Fugoffs (thanks brakedwell) and I forgot that Windsor had expanded to Wales!
The military and particularly the RAF needs all the publicity it can get and Fg Off Wales will provide plenty.
Edited 'cos I don't know my Plotoffs from my Fugoffs (thanks brakedwell) and I forgot that Windsor had expanded to Wales!
Last edited by Romeo Oscar Golf; 4th Jan 2008 at 15:43.
R O G
I think he is now FLYING Officer Wales.
BTW: It may be their train set, but we are paying for it!
I think he is now FLYING Officer Wales.
BTW: It may be their train set, but we are paying for it!
Last edited by brakedwell; 4th Jan 2008 at 15:57.
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BTW: It may be their train set, but we are paying for it!
I may be a grumbling miserable sod for thinking that this foray into flying for Prince William is total arse dressed up (by the RAF) as serious flying training.
BUT
What a bloody good point the above post makes. Yes it is the Royal Air Force, yes it is their trainset but it is the hardworking public (just about to be hit by a hard recession in 2008) that will be paying for this. No I'm not a Republican I just believe firmly that the chap should do things properly or not at all, maybe spending his acquaint with the RAF in another capacity. Hell we all know that the FTS is hardly the "real" world of the RAF. Oh and another rant, if he MUST fly then why is he going to Linton prior to the Squirrel? Are they predicting a RW rethread already
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I remember risking life and limb in a College of Nautical Studies welding booth as a clueless first year AeroEng stude at Glasgow University on the same basis as this - familiarity with the things you're going to require technicians to do as an Eng even if you yourself won't be doing them (and thank god for that!) so that you have some comprehension that (a) it's hard and (b) of what they mean when they tell you what can and can't be accomplished with the techniques available. We were required to make reasonable attempts at the tasks, not perform them as technicians with far greater training not to mention recency would do.
The training referred to in this thread might come in handy to "advise and warn" a Bliar like PM who thinks the Armed Forces are there to say "how high" when he says "jump - without a budget".
The training referred to in this thread might come in handy to "advise and warn" a Bliar like PM who thinks the Armed Forces are there to say "how high" when he says "jump - without a budget".
Last edited by MarkD; 4th Jan 2008 at 18:40. Reason: clarity
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What a waste of time and space.
Will he ever fly in battle ..........no.
Will he ever be put at risk.........no.
Will he get the best kit............yes.
Will folks have to suck up to him.....yes.
Will he ever fly a kite carrying an arm full of snags.......no.
Do we have time for him..............no.
Will he crash..........well his dad did many times....... runs in the family then........!
just another brick in the wall
Will he ever fly in battle ..........no.
Will he ever be put at risk.........no.
Will he get the best kit............yes.
Will folks have to suck up to him.....yes.
Will he ever fly a kite carrying an arm full of snags.......no.
Do we have time for him..............no.
Will he crash..........well his dad did many times....... runs in the family then........!
just another brick in the wall
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Will he ever fly in battle ..........no.
Will he ever be put at risk.........Yes, something with only one engine is risky.
Will he get the best kit............yes but no better than anyone elses.
Will folks have to suck up to him....No, it is voluntary.
Will he ever fly a kite carrying an arm full of snags.......nobody should have to.
Do I have time for him..............Answer for yourself. I do (have time for him).
Will he ever be put at risk.........Yes, something with only one engine is risky.
Will he get the best kit............yes but no better than anyone elses.
Will folks have to suck up to him....No, it is voluntary.
Will he ever fly a kite carrying an arm full of snags.......nobody should have to.
Do I have time for him..............Answer for yourself. I do (have time for him).
Last edited by A2QFI; 5th Jan 2008 at 14:38.
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Give the bloke a break. He's eventually got to do a very demanding job - (have you travelled far?, is this your family? X 10,000), reading endless red boxes when he's got a hangover, never being a minute late, all the rest of the demands of Royalty - which he didn't ask for and can't escape. Surely he gets a bit of light relief.
You're beating your head against a brick wall if you try to apply 'normal' rules to Royalty. In this century it is an anomaly and you can find 101 reasons why its absurd. However, by and large, people seem to like it, (even the Aussies are loth to give it up), it seems to work and it sure as hell beats President Blair. If part of Prince Williams responsibility is going to be as head of the Armed Forces, it make sense for him to get some experience of them. No, he's not going to complete a full RAF wings course because he's not going to be an RAF pilot. In the year 2040 though, when the government is planning yet more cuts, it might be nice to have some senior support from someone who speaks the language.
As regards the cost, gimme a break. His entire training will cost less then the MOD spends on buying art and his entire fuel burn will probably be less than that of one Red Arrows display.
You're beating your head against a brick wall if you try to apply 'normal' rules to Royalty. In this century it is an anomaly and you can find 101 reasons why its absurd. However, by and large, people seem to like it, (even the Aussies are loth to give it up), it seems to work and it sure as hell beats President Blair. If part of Prince Williams responsibility is going to be as head of the Armed Forces, it make sense for him to get some experience of them. No, he's not going to complete a full RAF wings course because he's not going to be an RAF pilot. In the year 2040 though, when the government is planning yet more cuts, it might be nice to have some senior support from someone who speaks the language.
As regards the cost, gimme a break. His entire training will cost less then the MOD spends on buying art and his entire fuel burn will probably be less than that of one Red Arrows display.
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What annoys me is not the fact that the two princes have undertaken military careers, or even token military careers, or even token military careers without any prospect of active service (acknowledged that Harry wanted to go to the sandpit).
It is the fact that the two princes are constantly out on the lash at the same time as undertaking their token military careers. Not just a happy hour pint or eight, but Bacchanalian displays of excess that would shame even Manchester United. If they are put into uniform as part of the public face of the monarchy, then they should act the role 24/7 - or at least indulge with some discretion. It isn't that long ago that OCRs were still in force, and I recall tales of JOs not long before me being b0llocked after being seen down town in denim trousers!
I am a loyal subject of HM, but if we want to maintain the institution then the standards need to be maintained....respect is not unconditional after all.
It is the fact that the two princes are constantly out on the lash at the same time as undertaking their token military careers. Not just a happy hour pint or eight, but Bacchanalian displays of excess that would shame even Manchester United. If they are put into uniform as part of the public face of the monarchy, then they should act the role 24/7 - or at least indulge with some discretion. It isn't that long ago that OCRs were still in force, and I recall tales of JOs not long before me being b0llocked after being seen down town in denim trousers!
I am a loyal subject of HM, but if we want to maintain the institution then the standards need to be maintained....respect is not unconditional after all.