Flying coverall availability
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: teeing it up on the 16th
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I know that they are uniform, but my response was in reaction to the fact there is a shortage of flying suits. I wasn't aware that they never wore out, as claimed. Indeed, if this is the case, why is there a shortage?
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wiltshire
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AG young man at least have the good grace to read all the replies. The reason there is a shortage is because :. .. .a. There are more wannabe's wearing aircrew clothing than there are aircrew wearing aircrew clothing. .. .b. The important man who counts the beans did'nt set enough aside for most of the the important things in life.. .. .c. A similarly important man, who no doubt used to count beans, but now signs contracts to procure's things could'nt be trusted to buy a bag of apples.. .. .Nuff said!. .. .Happy Herc Mate. .. .all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: London, England
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Maybe now would be a good time to offer up for sale a couple of the old Mk14 flying suits I used to wear when gliding until I discovered the USAF and Dutch flying suits...??? The Dutch suits are basically very similar to the USAF ones but tend to come in sizes other than 38L for the more amply proportioned amongst us!. .. .On a more 'anorakish' note, wasn't the RAF in the process of changing from the traditional plunging neckline Mk14A suit to a high neck darker green suit more in keeping with the USAf type...???. .. .Putting my serious hat on for a minute, as a civvie aviator I despair that guys like you at the sharp end aren't getting the kit you rightly deserve. Whay can I see parallels with the 1939 Defence Policy...???
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Little colonial airfield in the land of prawns, beer & roos
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A couple of points .... . I'm now having to wear USAF type ovies and I miss the old Pom version as it had decent pockets to keep your hands warm, could hold two beers at landaways and upset the Senior P as you slouched around!!. . Also years ago I heard (In the bar!!!) that the company selected for the then new supply of ovies managed a swift one in that their 'regular range was in all coulours of the rainbow for the display posers and civie companies, BUT if the MOD wanted olive green that would be an extra xx% thank you very much!!!. . Don't know if it's true but knowing the MOD there's a high probability!!!!!!!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" />
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: UK
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SOD IT! LETS ALL ADOPT THE FOLLOWING RIG/DRESS!. .. .SUMMER: SHORTS AND T SHIRT AND FLIP FLOPS (DRESSES OPTIONAL FOR ROYAL!). .. .WINTER: JEANS, TIMBERLANDS AND FLEECE!. .. .OH.........657 ALREADY DO THAT ALONG WITH 7 DONT THEY!
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: Abingdon, Oxfordshire, U.K.
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I am the Original Skylark 4 (BNK). Beware of imitations.. .Even I am not old enough to remember the 1939 Defence Review, but I know what you mean and see the analogy. Didn`t I see in the Telegraph a few days ago that Blair was going to allocate 25,000 Sojers to some Euro-Army. By my reckoning, that`s about one quarter of all we`ve got. Who is going to do all the other things that soldiers do, like keep the Irish from murdering each other, UN Duties etc.. Same goes for kit. You can only send half the fleet if you have more than one ship.. .. .Mike W
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: UK
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When we (that is HM Forces in general)get involved in an operation it hits the press for maybe a week or two and then it gets forgotten about. Then something else blows up (excuse the pun), and off we go again. What I think a lot of people tend to forget about, or not be aware of is that we don't just all pull out and go home. We leave people behind who need supplying and re-supplying and changing over and 11 divided by 10 does not go.
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: London, England
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Mike,. .. .Nice to see us Skylark pilots have such impeccable taste in flying clothing and also appear to share the wisdom that only comes from flying 30+ years old aircraft...!!. .. .'Not the tall one'
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: UK
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If you're not actually intending to fly on a particular day that you decide to turn up to work, why do Crabs aircrew always have to wear ovies?? Are you lot really that insecure that you're worried someone might not realise you're aircrew unless you're wearing a gro-bag? <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" /> . .. .Hell, if that's the problem, why not carry your helmet/headset all the time and put a lifejacket on just to make sure they can't miss it!! (After all, your predecessors in WW2 did it!). .. .Funniest and saddest thing to watch is the Crab that drives to another base for happy hour. He'll quite happily change into civvies to drive but then has to get back into ovies at the new base!!! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Confused]" src="confused.gif" /> . .. .Helmet on, "INCOMING!" <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />
snafu - Presumably what you refer to as 'Ovies' is what is now known as No 14 Dress in the RAF?. .. .Best you don't go to certain RAF aerodromes in your sailor suit - you might be confused for a customs and immigration wallah!. .. .Personally I think that the only decent RAF working dress was the Lightning/Vulcan era barathea battledress - the one with flush epaulettes and zipped pockets. Wedgewood blue shirt, tie and No 2 slacks looks fine with the Aircrew Leather Jacket, of course, but it isn't allowed.....although it's much smarter than No 14 Dress!
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Hook, Hants
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Admit it SNAFU; you find us all absolutely irresistable. If you carry on like this I shall stop visiting that grey abomination you all bob around in - don't anyone say the O word!!! pip pip
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Death Star
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It's true what some are saying though. If your not actually on a flying duty that day, then wear other kit. Even if it is your no 14 b o l locks or what ever. If I'm not flying, I wear CS95. Do you have to prove you are pilots all the time by wearing a grow bag? Or is it insecurity?
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Wiltshire
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I wonder why our Navel chums are so concerned with what other men are wearing this year, I hope it's not the usual Blue Oyster Club thing <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" /> . .. .Or maybe it's that they feel a bit threatened now that the RAF are about to re equip their flat top boats with proper Harriers to replace the ageing birds they currently own. Add to that there seems to be a need for proper heli's at sea hence the increased use of the "Chinny" and soon us "crabs", in our bags!, will outnumber them onboard. With that in mind it's only a matter of time, as a cost saving measure of course, before one of our "fj" mates does a 2 week "cross over" to become ships captain.....imagine that.. .. ." ankers away". .. .Happy Herc Mate. .. .all spelling mistakes are "df" alcohol induced. . . . <small>[ 17 March 2002, 05:17: Message edited by: Always_broken_in_wilts ]</small>
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: On the ORP
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I suggest the best answer to this shortage of flying kit is for all to do what one of the Lightning Sqns (Tremblers I think) did on it's first deployment to Cyprus.. .. .On arrival, all the pilots doffed their goon bags on the pan to reveal some very crumpled but complete DJs underneath--this was shortly after a certain James Bond film was on the streets. Now, this would solve all problems; I'm off to stores to try to get issued with a DJ, hopefully a new one in the wrapper and not a refurbished one from a chopped (sorry, restreamed) student.
What's 'CS95'? Sounds like some advert for aftershave worn by the mud-dwellers: "After flying in my helo, I always wear CS95. It makes me fink I'm a real ruffy-tuffy". .. .The current guidance regarding the wearing of No14 is fine - but I do agree that it takes a really small-willied person to wear a flying suit on some of the occasions suggested here!. .. .Perhaps we should junk all variants of the RAF's No 2 uniform and make everyone wear either CS95 in either its current 'grunt with gun' version or in a version suitable for flying any military ac. I don't see the need for all the 'fifty hours over North Yorkshire' badges - just a tone-down name-and-brevet badge on the left tit and a tone-down national flag on the left shoulder would do.
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: in my combat underpants
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SNAFU - you hit the nail on the head - everyone must know who is aircrew - it is the law. Whe else would you see 'em sweating like the proverbial on the occasional sunny day if they have to wear blues? It is because you wear a brevet on your jumper and not on a shirt - 'they' would just look like one of 'us' otherwise. Don't argue, we know it's true! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Over Here
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Abso-bloody-lutely Stacker!! My solution is for RAF PILOT on the rank slides. Let's face it, just about every other branch/trade does it...RAF REGT, RAF POLICE, UKMAMS, TCW, TAC ADMIN (for f*cks sake!) - what DO they do by the way?. .. .Hurrah for us!. .. . <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="cool.gif" /> <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />
Join Date: Feb 2000
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I find it amazing that so many on this thread feel that the wearing of flying clothing by...er...flyers is indicative of insecurity. I would have thought the constant bleating by the non-aviators on this issue displays almost Freudian envy of our humble No 14 working dress. I wonder if the USN/USAF have to endure this pathetic debate? Probably not as all flyers up to General rank wear the kit all the time as a matter of professional pride in their primary job of their service.. .. .The original issue on this thread has been lost, in that when are we going to sort out this scandalous shortage of flying kit? The attitude of those who stack the stuff is not very promising of an early solution to the problem.
BEagle,. .Badges, who needs stinking badges? My view is that I know what I do and if anyone else needs to know, I will tell them, otherwise, their ignorance is bliss. Badges and baubles are OK for formal occasions if that is what flicks your wire but for normal use, NO!