William borrows a company Vehicle.....
I hope Torphy lays into his subordinate commanders over this - too much to hope for a royal interview without coffee or a 1069 but one can dream.
It strikes me that, like most things in life, this is a matter of personal opinion.
If you are pro-royal then the....perfectly normal training flight, good PR, its the 'Royal' Air Force for goodness sake, we've all done it, get a life, etc..... arguements come out.
If you are anti-royal then it's the.....waste of time, taxpayers money misused, rich spoilt brats, etc ....... arguements.
Personally I am very pro-royal when starting from the Queen and working down, but become less and less impressed when we approach the younger generation of 'Royals'. I think Zara gets it right, but I'm afraid I can't say the same for the young Princes. Any sympathy they may have had due to the tragic loss of their mother has long since evapourated in my mind. I feel they have the give:take ratio wrong at the moment. They have many opportunitys to misuse their position, the mark of their character is whether of not they take or decline those opportunities.......
Standing by for any incoming ........
If you are pro-royal then the....perfectly normal training flight, good PR, its the 'Royal' Air Force for goodness sake, we've all done it, get a life, etc..... arguements come out.
If you are anti-royal then it's the.....waste of time, taxpayers money misused, rich spoilt brats, etc ....... arguements.
Personally I am very pro-royal when starting from the Queen and working down, but become less and less impressed when we approach the younger generation of 'Royals'. I think Zara gets it right, but I'm afraid I can't say the same for the young Princes. Any sympathy they may have had due to the tragic loss of their mother has long since evapourated in my mind. I feel they have the give:take ratio wrong at the moment. They have many opportunitys to misuse their position, the mark of their character is whether of not they take or decline those opportunities.......
Standing by for any incoming ........
There had been a numbers of failures here in particular from Prince William, and the RAF who authorised this, in not realising how this would look to the public when it got out.. Why wasn't there someone prepared to say no to him?
When the forces rightly complain about lack of helicopters, which may be putting lives at risk, aren't people going to ask if that is so how can Prince William use one apparently as a private taxi?
I accept it was more than that and I'm sure there was training involved but it looks bad.
If only the Princes had a fraction of the common sense of the Queen.
When the forces rightly complain about lack of helicopters, which may be putting lives at risk, aren't people going to ask if that is so how can Prince William use one apparently as a private taxi?
I accept it was more than that and I'm sure there was training involved but it looks bad.
If only the Princes had a fraction of the common sense of the Queen.
Would this training sortie (presumably with a full crew of 4 on board) have still been flown at some point if Wills had not been there....yes.
Was it any extra effort to use a new field in the vicinity of Odiham...no.
Do some posters need a 'meerkat moment'....definitely! (Where you pull your heads out your ar$e and have a good look around you to see what's really going on).
PS: And how exactly is Jon Lake an 'RAF-trained' pilot. I mean, Air Cadets who got a few hours on Chipmunks in the 80's can claim to be 'RAF-trained'! (Like Jacko
) Can anyone dish the dirt on Jonny-boy?
Was it any extra effort to use a new field in the vicinity of Odiham...no.
Do some posters need a 'meerkat moment'....definitely! (Where you pull your heads out your ar$e and have a good look around you to see what's really going on).
PS: And how exactly is Jon Lake an 'RAF-trained' pilot. I mean, Air Cadets who got a few hours on Chipmunks in the 80's can claim to be 'RAF-trained'! (Like Jacko
) Can anyone dish the dirt on Jonny-boy?
A lot of fuss about nothing.
If it gave HRH a good insight into aspects of tactical SH flying with the benefit of hands-on experience, a good thing too!
I would suggest that this is of arguably greater benefit to the RAF as a whole then qualifying an Air Vice Marshal to fly the Typhoon. What possible need could there be for that?
If it gave HRH a good insight into aspects of tactical SH flying with the benefit of hands-on experience, a good thing too!
I would suggest that this is of arguably greater benefit to the RAF as a whole then qualifying an Air Vice Marshal to fly the Typhoon. What possible need could there be for that?
PS: And how exactly is Jon Lake an 'RAF-trained' pilot. I mean, Air Cadets who got a few hours on Chipmunks in the 80's can claim to be 'RAF-trained'! (Like Jacko) Can anyone dish the dirt on Jonny-boy?
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Beat me to it BEAgs,
A few flying hours spent giving the future head-of-state an insight into the capabilities of his air force and at a the same time countering some of the institutional anti-RAF rhetoric he will have been exposed to in the Army is money well spent.
It is certainly better value than allowing some here-today, gone-tomorrow CAS to display his prowess by soloing in the latest wonder-fighter (and I don't really begrudge that either!)
Did the RAF not have any media-savvy people keeping any oversight of this whole project to prevent such own-goals?
A few flying hours spent giving the future head-of-state an insight into the capabilities of his air force and at a the same time countering some of the institutional anti-RAF rhetoric he will have been exposed to in the Army is money well spent.
It is certainly better value than allowing some here-today, gone-tomorrow CAS to display his prowess by soloing in the latest wonder-fighter (and I don't really begrudge that either!)
Did the RAF not have any media-savvy people keeping any oversight of this whole project to prevent such own-goals?
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Yes, but he's now realised that the Navy's whole future is pinned on providing expensive mobile airfields for RAF aircraft 
Anyway he's only going there to widen his circle (of friends).
Anyway he's only going there to widen his circle (of friends).
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F/O Wales was always going to have a different experience of life in the light blue than F/O Bloggs. HRH simply has to take the rough with the smooth...
Smooth - Wings after 13 weeks, skiing holiday included. At the stick of a Chinook on week 14.
Rough - Media / Public attention when he tries to earn himself a bl*w j*b token by landing in his girlfriends back-garden.
Bolk.
I've re-worded that last sentence 3 times but 'back-garden' always looks like a euphimism.
Smooth - Wings after 13 weeks, skiing holiday included. At the stick of a Chinook on week 14.
Rough - Media / Public attention when he tries to earn himself a bl*w j*b token by landing in his girlfriends back-garden.
Bolk.
I've re-worded that last sentence 3 times but 'back-garden' always looks like a euphimism.
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William Borrows etc
BEagle. I'm surprised at you. The fact is that this was p*** awful Pr for the Royal Air Force, and if the press reports today are accurate (for a change) then CAS should be sacking someone pronto. Who the h*** authorised these flights, with the obvious risk of comparison with Afghanistan shortage of Helo capacity? Jp
Yes, Him
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Nah, Chinook base is Odious.
Whatever, what's done is done, it'll blow over. When does he go to sea? His first run ashore should produce some spectacular drivel.
Whatever, what's done is done, it'll blow over. When does he go to sea? His first run ashore should produce some spectacular drivel.
Isn't it amazing how many folks BELIEVE every word that is printed as "Gospel" .... a whole thread devoted to discussing a press report without a single proven fact...
so lets send out a single sentence and build a complete fabrication around it .. and if we use the "royal connection" then all the mugs will believe it.
What a waste of time .. must be a "slow day" in the press world.
so lets send out a single sentence and build a complete fabrication around it .. and if we use the "royal connection" then all the mugs will believe it.
What a waste of time .. must be a "slow day" in the press world.
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If it gave HRH a good insight into aspects of tactical SH flying with the benefit of hands-on experience, a good thing too!
Champagne anyone...?
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Should MoD PR et al have any common sense then will give this story the attention it deserves and ignore it. Apart from a few rabid anti-royalists this story will have have slipped off the national psyche but about, ooh, six this evening... I can't believe that so many supposedly educated people on these forums can be so seduced by the utter toilet that is printed by the tabloids.
Oh and can you droids stop twatting on about Afghanistan etc etc? How many times do you need it drilled into your thick skulls - aircraft have to stay in the UK so people can train on them. I suppose Odious could've used that 2 hr slot to strip, pack, ship to Afg, reassemble, operate, strip and then reship home again in time for the next wave.
If you do feel the need to saddle up your amply-legged equine transport then how's about you actually get onto the Govt on the real issue that's crippling us - lack of spares and engineers to fit them. Somebody tooling about in one of our trg aircraft for 2 hrs affects the price of fish not one iota.
When we start melting down railings and saucepans to make Spitfires then perhaps I too might display some mild angst but until that time can you people stop being such bloody drama queens.
Right, back to the plastering.........
Oh and can you droids stop twatting on about Afghanistan etc etc? How many times do you need it drilled into your thick skulls - aircraft have to stay in the UK so people can train on them. I suppose Odious could've used that 2 hr slot to strip, pack, ship to Afg, reassemble, operate, strip and then reship home again in time for the next wave.
If you do feel the need to saddle up your amply-legged equine transport then how's about you actually get onto the Govt on the real issue that's crippling us - lack of spares and engineers to fit them. Somebody tooling about in one of our trg aircraft for 2 hrs affects the price of fish not one iota.
When we start melting down railings and saucepans to make Spitfires then perhaps I too might display some mild angst but until that time can you people stop being such bloody drama queens.
Right, back to the plastering.........
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Spot the odd one out
Chap from motoring programme gets a jolly in a Typhoon.
Another chap from same motoring programme races a Typhoon in a sports car.
Weather woman gets a trip with Red Arrows.
Chap from another BBC programme gets a trip in a Typhoon.
Chap who's Granny owns the train set gets to go on a training trip in a Chinook
Didnt hear the press moaning about the others did we ???
Chap from motoring programme gets a jolly in a Typhoon.
Another chap from same motoring programme races a Typhoon in a sports car.
Weather woman gets a trip with Red Arrows.
Chap from another BBC programme gets a trip in a Typhoon.
Chap who's Granny owns the train set gets to go on a training trip in a Chinook
Didnt hear the press moaning about the others did we ???
Champagne anyone...?
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Nick, it most certainly was. And the Germans were bombing London. Personally I don't believe we've got ourselves a War of National Survival quite yet...
PICKS135 - the Royals are an easy target for those with an agenda, as your examples show.
PICKS135 - the Royals are an easy target for those with an agenda, as your examples show.
