Air Clues is back!
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Apparently it was binned because we had too many expensive glossy magazines!!
I agree with that but they axed the wrong publication!!
welcome back! Not seen it yet but I'm looking forward to it!!
I agree with that but they axed the wrong publication!!
welcome back! Not seen it yet but I'm looking forward to it!!
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Innuendo? - Well, I know we're a part of the EU, but what do Italian suppositories have to do with this thread?
Perfecto mia amico - see (THIS is the result of a grammar school education - the ability to communicate effortlessly with Messrs All and Sundry).
Take careio
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It can't be a Sidcot can it?
The erks appear to have burned a "surplus" flying machine in their brazier, leaving the engine to be stripped for parts. Nothing much has changed for the RAF in the intervening 91 years then?
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Apologies for the acerbic comment but my computer now shows invalid hash too.
The address is air - wg cdr spry@ mod.uk
Tyoe without the dashes and it should work.
The address is air - wg cdr spry@ mod.uk
Tyoe without the dashes and it should work.
Last edited by Wader2; 23rd Oct 2009 at 11:51.
By simply adding yeh onto the end of a sentence, the locals could understand us.
As has been said before, Welsh lacks many modern words such as 'fire' or 'wheel', so a typical sentence at 'Jones-the-motor' would consist of a mix of impenetrable Welsh interspersed with 'throttle cable' or whatever - but the inevitable Druidic Grunt as a suffix.
Perhaps it's the Welsh equivalent of 'innit' or 'yeah' and actually pre-dated yoof-speak by several decades?
Good to hear that 'Air Clues' has returned. I hope there won't be too many of those turgid 'Air Power' articles, 'Letters From the Front' or exciting photos captioned:
'The Air Member for Supply and Organisation takes a look at the corridors of storage racks'
Thread Starter
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RAF News
I don't know why at least two of the contributors think I am trying to 'make a point' of some sort. I had just received my RAF News and thought others might like to know that there are some interesting stories to be read. Still, you can't please them all !
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Still, you can't please them all !
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Return of the Oracle
I wondered what had happened to Air Clues - no wonder if it died in 2002!!! During my early serving days, I remember the rush to get our hands on the latest copy when it arrived in the Crew Room. It was not glossy, but it was very readable, relevant, newsey, and most of all it was flight safety centred. Accident reports, "I learnt about flying from that", lifts from US, RN, and other flight safety magazines, topped up by info articles and stories of operations and ground safety matters made it a must!!
Later, sadly I think, the magazine was hijacked, albeit with good intent, by a senior officer who decided that Air Power education was a higher priority than flight safety. The result was that the "Star" officers read the boring stuff, the crew room cowboys did not, except the little bits about the real flying World.
Many years later, I worked in MOD alongside the Air Clues team: they were a couple of doors down from me. They were a great bunch, and oh my! - how hard they had to work to maintain the real RAF World content of the magazine, against the staff college inputs. However, the problem was that while the HQ staff officers had time to write learned submissions, scoring promotion points where possible, the real World workers did not. The Editor was always walking the corridors asking for inputs from us ex-flyers who were working in the real World. I wrote numerous articles over those years, had many photographs printed, but they were always behind the staff college stuff.
I really hope the magazine gets going again - however, it must be properly funded, and staffed. Mainly, I hope it gets back to being a Tri-Service crew room "must read", being flight safety, aircraft, and people orientated. I learnt a lot from those early editions I read as a Plt Off, Fg Off and Flt Lt. Amongst other things, it made me think a lot more about what I was doing in the air, and the pitfalls that could catch out the unwary. If the magazine must have staff college stuff included - I hope it goes to the back of the content.
As another thought, Air Clues was published in parallel with the Tri-Service "Joint Aircraft Recognition Journal". That publication lost its relevance as imagery in the public domain became more available, and BVR took over from eyeball, but in the changed World of current air operations, some of the original content and style might be included in the new Air Clues.
I wonder if the new Wg Cdr Spry (Editor) reads this thread? DARS being a Tri-Service organisation, there must be plenty of material available. I remember that the original Air Clues editorial staff were all civilian, only Wg Cdr Spry - a Sqn Ldr on the IFS staff - was a serving officer. Now I guess DARS has much more "clout", they could easily task unit and squadron Flight Safety Officers to write submissions on a bi or tri monthly basis to ensure a flow of news from the real World!!
Anyway, good luck Air Clues... Pythia
Later, sadly I think, the magazine was hijacked, albeit with good intent, by a senior officer who decided that Air Power education was a higher priority than flight safety. The result was that the "Star" officers read the boring stuff, the crew room cowboys did not, except the little bits about the real flying World.
Many years later, I worked in MOD alongside the Air Clues team: they were a couple of doors down from me. They were a great bunch, and oh my! - how hard they had to work to maintain the real RAF World content of the magazine, against the staff college inputs. However, the problem was that while the HQ staff officers had time to write learned submissions, scoring promotion points where possible, the real World workers did not. The Editor was always walking the corridors asking for inputs from us ex-flyers who were working in the real World. I wrote numerous articles over those years, had many photographs printed, but they were always behind the staff college stuff.
I really hope the magazine gets going again - however, it must be properly funded, and staffed. Mainly, I hope it gets back to being a Tri-Service crew room "must read", being flight safety, aircraft, and people orientated. I learnt a lot from those early editions I read as a Plt Off, Fg Off and Flt Lt. Amongst other things, it made me think a lot more about what I was doing in the air, and the pitfalls that could catch out the unwary. If the magazine must have staff college stuff included - I hope it goes to the back of the content.
As another thought, Air Clues was published in parallel with the Tri-Service "Joint Aircraft Recognition Journal". That publication lost its relevance as imagery in the public domain became more available, and BVR took over from eyeball, but in the changed World of current air operations, some of the original content and style might be included in the new Air Clues.
I wonder if the new Wg Cdr Spry (Editor) reads this thread? DARS being a Tri-Service organisation, there must be plenty of material available. I remember that the original Air Clues editorial staff were all civilian, only Wg Cdr Spry - a Sqn Ldr on the IFS staff - was a serving officer. Now I guess DARS has much more "clout", they could easily task unit and squadron Flight Safety Officers to write submissions on a bi or tri monthly basis to ensure a flow of news from the real World!!
Anyway, good luck Air Clues... Pythia
Last edited by VictorPilot; 23rd Oct 2009 at 13:11. Reason: addition
Yes, Him
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by a senior officer who decided that Air Power education was a higher priority than flight safety.
He also tried to hijack a script I was writing for the BBC air power series, insisting I used the terminology of JSP 34567 or something. The producer and I told him to f off at the high port as 99% of viewers would then need sub-titles, at which point he mounted his high dudgeon and left. Tosser.
Ah, the good old 'Recce Journal'!
In the first ever copy of 'Aircraft Recognition, the Inter-Service Journal', September 1942 (which I have in my possession):
there were prefaces written by the Minister of Aircraft Production, the First Sea Lord, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the Chief of the Air Staff, the Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps and the Inspector General of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Home Security.
By the way, I think it's a Spitfire Vb. Anyone confirm that?
In the first ever copy of 'Aircraft Recognition, the Inter-Service Journal', September 1942 (which I have in my possession):
there were prefaces written by the Minister of Aircraft Production, the First Sea Lord, the Chief of the Imperial General Staff, the Chief of the Air Staff, the Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps and the Inspector General of Civil Defence at the Ministry of Home Security.
By the way, I think it's a Spitfire Vb. Anyone confirm that?
Last edited by BEagle; 23rd Oct 2009 at 14:46.
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Air Power
LOL I can just imagine him doing just that!!! I did read the AP once .... I had to as it was required reading for promotion exams!!! Later on "Air Power" was a bit like a paint ball in MOD .... throw it and see where it sticks!!! 
The object of the exercise was to ensure the RAF got more "Long Term Costing" monies than the other services!!!
The object of the exercise was to ensure the RAF got more "Long Term Costing" monies than the other services!!!
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S41 nice rhetoric- maybe but call me a sceptic. Use the £ to increase the AFT and save lives? 1 hour might be all it took???? Broke MoD - return of another FS mag - can't see the benefit myself but hey, each to their own.
Yes, Him
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Often wondered if the fatal blue/blue on our Warriors by the A-10 in GW1 would have happened if the USAF had a similar magazine?
Certainly I'm sure the UK-based A-10 drivers could recognise most European kit, The Ol' Boys from the Guard units that I met always seemed to go by the tenet: "Ain't GI, so mus be Bad Guys".
Editor of Recce, Barry ???? was previously Ed of Airfix Magazine.
Certainly I'm sure the UK-based A-10 drivers could recognise most European kit, The Ol' Boys from the Guard units that I met always seemed to go by the tenet: "Ain't GI, so mus be Bad Guys".
Editor of Recce, Barry ???? was previously Ed of Airfix Magazine.
In 1994, Spam F-15s managed to shoot down their own Blackhawks over Iraq, thinking them to be Hinds (both helicopters were fitted with external, 230-gallon fuel tanks on sponsons mounted beside each side door with each tank emblazoned with large American flags. In addition to the flags on the fuel tanks, each helicopter was marked with American flags on each side door, on the nose, and on the belly). They killed 26 people in the process.
I was on detachment at Incirlik not long after. Some Spam decided that we should occasionally have 'full mission briefs' starting at o-very dark-hundred....
It started off badly when the Spam MetO started giving us the weather actuals for the ROZ some 6 hours or so before we were due to get there. "Any questions?" "Yes - how about a forecast"....
Then more 'hoorah' crap from the Cousins. We half expected "Padre, a few words please for our gallant aviators" - but fortunately that didn't happen.
Then followed a recce brief. By now the Brits were getting thoroughly pi$$ed off with this Spam overkill. CLUNK, first slide, F-15C.......
Cue Brit voice from the back "Hind, Hind! Waste the motherf****r! Hoorah!!"
Needless to say, Words were Had by the RAF Det Cdr soon afterwards.
I was on detachment at Incirlik not long after. Some Spam decided that we should occasionally have 'full mission briefs' starting at o-very dark-hundred....
It started off badly when the Spam MetO started giving us the weather actuals for the ROZ some 6 hours or so before we were due to get there. "Any questions?" "Yes - how about a forecast"....
Then more 'hoorah' crap from the Cousins. We half expected "Padre, a few words please for our gallant aviators" - but fortunately that didn't happen.
Then followed a recce brief. By now the Brits were getting thoroughly pi$$ed off with this Spam overkill. CLUNK, first slide, F-15C.......
Cue Brit voice from the back "Hind, Hind! Waste the motherf****r! Hoorah!!"
Needless to say, Words were Had by the RAF Det Cdr soon afterwards.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
No it didn't but it did change its name to Defence Recognition Journal and often features specific themes such as landmines and IRDs. It also has theatre specific themes which are especially valuable where you have troops (or airmen) transfered from a familar theatre to an unfamiliar one.
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Abiding memory of an Op WARDEN mass briefing callsign check - a succession of American voices uttering callsigns like 'Mugger', 'Switchblade' and 'Viper', followed by a taciturn Brit piping up with 'Badger'. Made me proud to be British.