Royal Saudi Air Force - impressive toys, but are they any good?
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BEags,
Such talk had to be discouraged by the Staish, but most (and he) felt that there was awful substance in what you suggest. I most certainly did. Hunters, even in manual, did not have a history or tendency to dive into the ground from a hitherto stable approach.
"Astagh-firu-Allah"
The little basta*d.
Such talk had to be discouraged by the Staish, but most (and he) felt that there was awful substance in what you suggest. I most certainly did. Hunters, even in manual, did not have a history or tendency to dive into the ground from a hitherto stable approach.
"Astagh-firu-Allah"
The little basta*d.
Hmmm.... If the Stn Cdr ('Tojo'?) tried to keep such a lid on speculation, then there must have been very strong suspicions...
שבת-שלום
שבת-שלום
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Impressive Toys
IIRC, the impresive Saudi toys at RAFC in late 60's included a lamborghini miura, pontiac firebird, shelby cobra, and, allegedly, various Playmates at College Balls!!
To which you can add a Ford Thunderbird - and the black Aston Martin DB6 which I once witnesssed 'burning doughnuts' on the JMPG! When the same driver was the 'penult' duty bod keeping an eye on his Junior Entry, his religion didn't stop him from drinking beer in the JM bar....
Due to various Saudi 'problems', allegedly these spoiled-brat princelings were eventually banned from being within a 50-mile radius of central London whilst at the Towers.
Due to various Saudi 'problems', allegedly these spoiled-brat princelings were eventually banned from being within a 50-mile radius of central London whilst at the Towers.
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The Middle East Forum has some interesting articles but is rabidly isolationist, pro Israel and also strongly anti European. A glance at the list of director's names might indicate why. That it is also highly critical of Arabs is therefore no surprise.
On a different note, my experience of training with "internationals" was that the Middle Eastern guys were all present due to family influence rather than ability or merit and had no intention whatsoever of learning anything, rather that they were there to be taught. This rather subtle point was brought up during a night out with some of our instructors who were at their wit's trying to teach these goons. It subsequently became very obvious that the onus was on the instructors to "teach" the skills into the trainees' heads with no expectation of effort required on the trainees part. Thus any failure was that of the instructors inability to teach effectively rather than of the students' failure to learn. How do you deal with that?
They were not issued with licences, grades or pass/fail results, merely a "certificate of course completion". I had it on good authority that a failure or chopping a stude mid-course would result in losing the contract as an indication of the school's failure to teach!
They sent one such steely-eyed hero back to the Royal Saudi Police armed with said certificate as a "helicopter pilot" having gone through the motions of a year-long approved CPL(H) course yet still only "safe" to make a single solo circuit (with his instructor a bag of nerves) after a full hour of dual revision - at the end of a 150 hr course!
On a different note, my experience of training with "internationals" was that the Middle Eastern guys were all present due to family influence rather than ability or merit and had no intention whatsoever of learning anything, rather that they were there to be taught. This rather subtle point was brought up during a night out with some of our instructors who were at their wit's trying to teach these goons. It subsequently became very obvious that the onus was on the instructors to "teach" the skills into the trainees' heads with no expectation of effort required on the trainees part. Thus any failure was that of the instructors inability to teach effectively rather than of the students' failure to learn. How do you deal with that?
They were not issued with licences, grades or pass/fail results, merely a "certificate of course completion". I had it on good authority that a failure or chopping a stude mid-course would result in losing the contract as an indication of the school's failure to teach!
They sent one such steely-eyed hero back to the Royal Saudi Police armed with said certificate as a "helicopter pilot" having gone through the motions of a year-long approved CPL(H) course yet still only "safe" to make a single solo circuit (with his instructor a bag of nerves) after a full hour of dual revision - at the end of a 150 hr course!
Last edited by Agaricus bisporus; 6th Nov 2010 at 14:12.
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Princelings
Beagle, correct! and the very term "penult" would mean nothing to those who do not now know!
Was once able to say that I had walked in the steps of a Saudi prince - M.....n bin Faisal bin Saud gave me his patent leather dress shoes!!
Flying with Sqdn Ldr B...l J..o, asked him about teaching the Saudi royals, reply was "teach them just the same as you, except we don't tell them to to look in the mirror - you never know"!!
JMPG is now a carpark? Felt totally wrong to be told to drive across the main CHOM parade ground last year - could hear CWO Garbett turning in his grave!!
Was once able to say that I had walked in the steps of a Saudi prince - M.....n bin Faisal bin Saud gave me his patent leather dress shoes!!
Flying with Sqdn Ldr B...l J..o, asked him about teaching the Saudi royals, reply was "teach them just the same as you, except we don't tell them to to look in the mirror - you never know"!!
JMPG is now a carpark? Felt totally wrong to be told to drive across the main CHOM parade ground last year - could hear CWO Garbett turning in his grave!!
The abbreviation 'CHOM' (or, even worse, the acronym) I've always held to be utterly superfluous. The correct term is simply 'College Hall', surely?
I'm sure that the erstwhile CWWO would indeed agree that the only correct method of crossing such hallowed ground is by marching across it!
I'm sure that the erstwhile CWWO would indeed agree that the only correct method of crossing such hallowed ground is by marching across it!
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Beagle,
quite right, apologies for drifting into "yoof speak" !
Was always, and still is College Hall.
Distant memory tells me that a prize was "allegedly" invented for M....n bin etc etc on the basis that he actually played the game - 94C ?
As to "impressive toys" - IIRC the princelings had a spare supercar between them so as not to be without transport when the sound system on the Thunderbird etc was iin for servicing!
lectures in Whittle Hall would pause to listen to the sound of whichever V8 was arriving late!
quite right, apologies for drifting into "yoof speak" !
Was always, and still is College Hall.
Distant memory tells me that a prize was "allegedly" invented for M....n bin etc etc on the basis that he actually played the game - 94C ?
As to "impressive toys" - IIRC the princelings had a spare supercar between them so as not to be without transport when the sound system on the Thunderbird etc was iin for servicing!
lectures in Whittle Hall would pause to listen to the sound of whichever V8 was arriving late!
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CWO
A2QFI,
slightly before my time I think, though the presentation of the Jack Holt pace stick is clearly still an honour.
The CWO standing on College Hall and b.....g a slack flight cadet on Junior Mess parade ground still resonates!!
As does the CWO watching Cranwell v Sandhurst rugby, big hit on "one of ours " big shout from CWO - "Do you know it cost X? million pounds to train that gentleman to fly" !!
IIRC there was a Saudi royal visit, Royal Guard of Honour required, bit of a struggle to find a Saudi princeling who had ever done drill, let alone be the guard of honour commander !!
slightly before my time I think, though the presentation of the Jack Holt pace stick is clearly still an honour.
The CWO standing on College Hall and b.....g a slack flight cadet on Junior Mess parade ground still resonates!!
As does the CWO watching Cranwell v Sandhurst rugby, big hit on "one of ours " big shout from CWO - "Do you know it cost X? million pounds to train that gentleman to fly" !!
IIRC there was a Saudi royal visit, Royal Guard of Honour required, bit of a struggle to find a Saudi princeling who had ever done drill, let alone be the guard of honour commander !!
