Highest ranking VSO who still flies fast jets regularly
Thread Starter
Highest ranking VSO who still flies fast jets regularly
Hello gents,
purely out of curiosity, who in HM's Air Force is the highest ranking officer who still regularly clocks up fast jet time?
Are there VSOs or VVSOs who regularly put on a g-suit and head off into the yonder?
I realise quantifying `regularly' is a little difficult - so perhaps could frame it as `regularly enough to remain current on frontline type'
(That is assuming that in the military fast jet world there is some sort of requirement analogous to the three take offs and landing in the preceding 90 days to remain current on type that I have to fulfill to stay current on my bug smasher).
Question prompted by seeing a few steely eyed RAAF VVSOs down here (one Mark Binskin) for example - and wondering "I wonder if he still has a pole around occasionally?"
Or on reaching such exalted heights, does one just resign oneself to driving a desk and take the odd backseat jolly...?
.
purely out of curiosity, who in HM's Air Force is the highest ranking officer who still regularly clocks up fast jet time?
Are there VSOs or VVSOs who regularly put on a g-suit and head off into the yonder?
I realise quantifying `regularly' is a little difficult - so perhaps could frame it as `regularly enough to remain current on frontline type'
(That is assuming that in the military fast jet world there is some sort of requirement analogous to the three take offs and landing in the preceding 90 days to remain current on type that I have to fulfill to stay current on my bug smasher).
Question prompted by seeing a few steely eyed RAAF VVSOs down here (one Mark Binskin) for example - and wondering "I wonder if he still has a pole around occasionally?"
Or on reaching such exalted heights, does one just resign oneself to driving a desk and take the odd backseat jolly...?
.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Which was the ACM who justified still being allowed to fly single seat by explaining that, “It’s bloody good fun, and the survivors are worth having”.....
Thread Starter
Beags - I should have added `excluding chest beating Slavic muppets' and that's more of a fast bomber - B-1ski.
I hope they pulled some G's and tried to make him puke.
He's actually quite short, isn't he!
I hope they pulled some G's and tried to make him puke.
He's actually quite short, isn't he!
Never mind VSOs , it would be nice to hear that blokes (and girls) on the squadrons are flying their FJs regularly. Some of the average hours being achieved seem to be getting dangerously low.
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The FTRS system has put quite a few of us “oldies” back in the cockpit. Some of them were VSOs, does that count?
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I suppose prior to that would have been John Allison, who managed to blag one of the last UK military Lightning sorties, as well as the last UK Phantom one I believe a couple of years later.
Wasn't Steve Richie still flying service F-4 Phantoms in the USA as a Brigadier-General up until his retirement in '99..? I think he's still occasionally flying the F-104 as part of the civilian Starfighters display team, and he's now in his 70's.
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And Ken Hayr.
At Akrotiri in '71-72 the Air Care Stacey flew Canberra, Lightning, Vulcan, C130 and Whirlwind and all in one day. His penultimate flight ended when he jumped from the Herc, was possibly pickup by the MCU, flown to the beach in the Whirlwind where he then took control and flew back to the dispersal. I was told the Whirlwind crew declined the opportunity to accompany him.
At Akrotiri in '71-72 the Air Care Stacey flew Canberra, Lightning, Vulcan, C130 and Whirlwind and all in one day. His penultimate flight ended when he jumped from the Herc, was possibly pickup by the MCU, flown to the beach in the Whirlwind where he then took control and flew back to the dispersal. I was told the Whirlwind crew declined the opportunity to accompany him.
The late MRAF Sir Michael Beetham took over Khormaksar as a group captain and was promoted to air commodore mid tour and remained in post. Whether he was current on Hunters I dont know - he had Shacks, Beverleys, Argosies, Twin Pins and Whirlwinds to choose from as well - I doubt if he flew everything.