Help needed identifying someone who is potentially lying about RAF experience
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Finding a Walt
Tell him you are collecting the service numbers of ex service friends for comparison. If he doesn't spout it very fast he didn't have one.
If you meet his wife ask her, she will too. Service number was essential knowledge for every wife for all sorts of issues like medical treatment, station library, station nursery school etc.
There is a large service manual called "the retired officers list", we used to ink out the re, you could check his name in it or get a service chum to do so. There is one on most units so any serving person can help. You might be able to get access at one of the stationary office stores or even ebay
If you meet his wife ask her, she will too. Service number was essential knowledge for every wife for all sorts of issues like medical treatment, station library, station nursery school etc.
There is a large service manual called "the retired officers list", we used to ink out the re, you could check his name in it or get a service chum to do so. There is one on most units so any serving person can help. You might be able to get access at one of the stationary office stores or even ebay
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Tin, as Whenurhappy said, the Service ran out of money to keep the RAF List in print and the Retired List at all so any book on the station would date from no later than mid-2005 and may therefore have been binned by now.
If you meet his wife ask her, she will too. Service number was essential knowledge for every wife for all sorts of issues like medical treatment, station library, station nursery school etc.
Just a thought??? What if the OP is..... "The gentleman in question claims to have flown Hawks in the RAF in the mid to late 1970s" and looking for info?
Bet you never thought of that. It was quite a common ploy by myself and other operators in MI6 to gain intelligence.
Bet you never thought of that. It was quite a common ploy by myself and other operators in MI6 to gain intelligence.
BEagle
I congratulate myself on remembering my checks from one day to the next. 32years?! Good skills. Although I can claim to have ten times as many Hawk hours as your good self (and counting) so I really ought to remember.
Just to refresh your memory, pressing the relight button offloads all non-essential loads on the engine, such as the generator and HYD 2 system.
But I'm sure you could have remembered that if you thought hard enough.
Anyway, that's enough tech talk before I get the inevitable bead window call.
After all, the mechanics of the Hawk are one of our nation's most closely guarded secrets!
BV
Just to refresh your memory, pressing the relight button offloads all non-essential loads on the engine, such as the generator and HYD 2 system.
But I'm sure you could have remembered that if you thought hard enough.
Anyway, that's enough tech talk before I get the inevitable bead window call.
After all, the mechanics of the Hawk are one of our nation's most closely guarded secrets!
BV
Come on then Spim...
......today was going to be the day. Did you? Or did you not as someone else suggested "grow a pair" and tackle him head on? We're all agog -ish.
The Ancient Mariner
The Ancient Mariner
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as Whenurhappy said, the Service ran out of money to keep the RAF List in print and the Retired List at all so any book on the station would date from no later than mid-2005 and may therefore have been binned by now.
as Whenurhappy said, the Service ran out of money to keep the RAF List in print and the Retired List at all so any book on the station would date from no later than mid-2005 and may therefore have been RETIRED by now
Sounds better
Last edited by NutLoose; 10th May 2013 at 23:26.
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Evening gents
Update: Our mystery man was confronted and now admits that he was UAS and the Hawk stick time was back seat and once only (apparently, it was the ride of a lifetime...)
I also (subtly) checked colleagues plus the on-file CV - no inflated RAF claims, so no risk to the wider project.
Our hero is chastened and knows that he is under scrutiny. Case closed.
Thank you all for your kind advice and PMs.
Update: Our mystery man was confronted and now admits that he was UAS and the Hawk stick time was back seat and once only (apparently, it was the ride of a lifetime...)
I also (subtly) checked colleagues plus the on-file CV - no inflated RAF claims, so no risk to the wider project.
Our hero is chastened and knows that he is under scrutiny. Case closed.
Thank you all for your kind advice and PMs.
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One is glad it has all been settled amicably with no detriment to your project, a win win situation one would say.
I was in a listed company who's Group Managing Director was the youngest pilot on the Berlin Airlift.
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Also , to a different audience, he was the youngest captain of an R.N. ship on D-day.
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Also , to a different audience, he was the youngest captain of an R.N. ship on D-day.
The Air Force List was last published in 2007 and the Retired List in 2006 (IIRC).
Although the Air Force List shows all officers and substantive warrant officers or master aircrew and also lists some senior public servants it is always just that little bit out of date, even when just printed.
The Retired List, however, only lists those commissioned officers who RETIRE; that is they - generally - held a permanent commission at the time of their leaving. An officer on a short service commission, who leaves at the end of that engagement, is not deemed to have retired but merely reached the end of their period of service. There are some variations, as with everything but not too many.
Perhaps an easy way to resolve the problem is to contact the Flying Wing Adj at Valley, explain the issue and just ask him to look at the course photos on the wall between dates A and B and let you know if P/O X's name appears. You can tell him that the info is essential to clinch a major commercial deal and if he wants you to write you can do so. Reassure him that you don't want to know anything else - just was this chap actually there! You'll probably get a blank reply but it's worth a try. They do have a community relations officer who might be a better bet.
Old Duffer
Although the Air Force List shows all officers and substantive warrant officers or master aircrew and also lists some senior public servants it is always just that little bit out of date, even when just printed.
The Retired List, however, only lists those commissioned officers who RETIRE; that is they - generally - held a permanent commission at the time of their leaving. An officer on a short service commission, who leaves at the end of that engagement, is not deemed to have retired but merely reached the end of their period of service. There are some variations, as with everything but not too many.
Perhaps an easy way to resolve the problem is to contact the Flying Wing Adj at Valley, explain the issue and just ask him to look at the course photos on the wall between dates A and B and let you know if P/O X's name appears. You can tell him that the info is essential to clinch a major commercial deal and if he wants you to write you can do so. Reassure him that you don't want to know anything else - just was this chap actually there! You'll probably get a blank reply but it's worth a try. They do have a community relations officer who might be a better bet.
Old Duffer
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The London Gazette is a good source of reference. Amongst other things, it lists commissions, officers' promotions and honours and awards (excluding the special peoples').
One fine SCT day, the boss being away, the junta persuaded the system that some formation practice would be in order.
We had some studes lurking about, a couple of whom asked to come with us.
"Have you done any formation before?", I asked one of them.
"Not really - just half an hour in an F-16"
Which was actually true as he'd been selected for the exchange trip to the US which was available in those days, lucky blighter.
However, halfway through a rather sporting 'tailchase' came the call to knock it off - "Top Gun is serving lunch!" as my chum in the other aircraft described it.
BV, yes, that's what I remembered - attention getters, alternator and part of the hydraulics off line. Which would have been just great at unstick...
I gather that the brakes, anti-skid, relight, compass system and lateral stability were all improved in the years after my short time on the Hawk. But no offset TACAN, the Gnat student's friend...
We had some studes lurking about, a couple of whom asked to come with us.
"Have you done any formation before?", I asked one of them.
"Not really - just half an hour in an F-16"
Which was actually true as he'd been selected for the exchange trip to the US which was available in those days, lucky blighter.
However, halfway through a rather sporting 'tailchase' came the call to knock it off - "Top Gun is serving lunch!" as my chum in the other aircraft described it.
BV, yes, that's what I remembered - attention getters, alternator and part of the hydraulics off line. Which would have been just great at unstick...
I gather that the brakes, anti-skid, relight, compass system and lateral stability were all improved in the years after my short time on the Hawk. But no offset TACAN, the Gnat student's friend...
There is little point looking for anything recent in the London gazette, becasue, err, the RAF no longer 'Gazettes' it's officers. Stopped in the mid-2000s, along with a published RAF List - both a rather mean-spirited cost-daving measures.
Still think the ridiculous decision to scrap the published version of the AFL (and army and navy lists) was stupidly mean spirited. Still find my copy of the last printed version (2007) a useful source of reference.
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tiger_mate
Knowing well your artist's attention to detail, I'm pretty sure you didn't mix up the two flying badges illustrated at Post No 54.
Volunteer officers supporting the Air Cadet Organisation are commissioned into the RAFVR(T), and as such, are subject to AFA 06.
If you have more details of those allegedly wearing flying badges to which they are not entitled - even on No 5 HD - please PM me with details, and I will ensure they are "appropriately counselled on their error of judgement"!
VMT
DA
Knowing well your artist's attention to detail, I'm pretty sure you didn't mix up the two flying badges illustrated at Post No 54.
Volunteer officers supporting the Air Cadet Organisation are commissioned into the RAFVR(T), and as such, are subject to AFA 06.
If you have more details of those allegedly wearing flying badges to which they are not entitled - even on No 5 HD - please PM me with details, and I will ensure they are "appropriately counselled on their error of judgement"!
VMT
DA
