C130J NCA
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: UK East Anglia
Age: 66
Posts: 678
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I left in 2011. In my last years a number of HOEU Loadmasters had been trained as instructors for the Precision Airdrop System (PADS). They were presented with an instructors badge. (I have one without the "Instructor"). The HOEU was a AWC Unit. PADS was essentially a carry on computer system hooked up to UHF Radio which would compute the Calculated Air Release Point (CARP) from GPS position data from dropsodes which were dropped on a first run. There was always a desire to integrate this with JAMPA but that was too difficult back then. There is a Youtube video of the system in use at night in Afg. I would guess that things have moved on somewhat since then. Certainly the Loadmasters were doing more than making tea and handing out white boxes to the Drivers Airframe.
MPN11, my post was meant to be tongue in cheek hence VSO(desk). I just think that's probably the line of thinking that led to the change. IMHO the similar names are confusing rather than helpful.
It wasn't seen necessary to rename Navs (or Observers) RIOs or CSOs during the F4's UK service life. I am of the 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' school.
I can't see why the RN saw the need to change Tiffys (Artificers) in Engineering Technicians or why Jimmys slowly changed from Number 1 to XO (though the latter was probably just organic cultural change driven by USN dominance in NATO and the love of acronyms).
It wasn't seen necessary to rename Navs (or Observers) RIOs or CSOs during the F4's UK service life. I am of the 'If it ain't broke don't fix it' school.
I can't see why the RN saw the need to change Tiffys (Artificers) in Engineering Technicians or why Jimmys slowly changed from Number 1 to XO (though the latter was probably just organic cultural change driven by USN dominance in NATO and the love of acronyms).
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Often in Jersey, but mainly in the past.
Age: 79
Posts: 7,802
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Tongue location was noted!
’My’ role title was usually SATCO, but curiously at XW it was ‘OC ATC Sqn’ ... which sounded nice but used more ink!
’My’ role title was usually SATCO, but curiously at XW it was ‘OC ATC Sqn’ ... which sounded nice but used more ink!
