TOP GUN : Inside the RAF (where did it go?)
A few days ago I was at the supermarket checkout and the lady on the till had just received a text message from her son, and was fizzing with pride that he had just passed his Army driving test. A small thing, you might think, but I mentioned that I had had been in the RAF, said that I believed life in the military is what you make it and that I wished her son every success. I suspect that most of those airing their minor gripes here still look back on their time in uniform with pleasure and pride, remembering the unique experiences, achievements and friendships they had along he way. Of course you have to take the rough with the smooth, but that is true in every walk of life - as the saying goes, if you can't take a joke you shouldn't have joined. If they're anything like me they're not much interested in the opinion of failed air cadets and the other civilian clingons that hang around here.
I have nothing but admiration for the armed forces and those that make a career in them. It just wasn't for me.
Nice to see that you are so uninterested that you posted a 19 line rant though. 🙄
Civilian clingons [especially civil servants] are also in disfavour. I'm hurt, I tell you, devastated, physically sick, and mental elf is on the blink.
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Thought police antagonist
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Looking forward to it, in fact as it happens the RAF have released a video on Poseidon torpedo dropping training
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOU6Lanvy8Y
cheers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOU6Lanvy8Y
cheers
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The civilian members of the team could be a moveable feast, Some were quite chameleon like, happy to be pseudo military when it suited them, e.g. mess membership. but just as ready to play the civilian card when it suited them. Others played a full part and were welcome additions to the war effort.
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The civilian members of the team could be a moveable feast, Some were quite chameleon like, happy to be pseudo military when it suited them, e.g. mess membership. but just as ready to play the civilian card when it suited them. Others played a full part and were welcome additions to the war effort.
Perhaps these days the rules have changed, but some [all?] UK civilians in RAFG were subject to the Air Force Act .......... [I never enquired too deeply what I had signed up for] and many had "Dormant Commissions" to be activated at TTW. The upside was mess membership, the downside was annual NBC training and traipsing off to stores to make sure your warrior outfit was still available. These gave the dubious protection of the Geneva Convention ....... our civvy ID passes would be swapped for RAF ones.
There really wasn't much of a "civilian card" to play .......... if you didn't wouldn't or couldn't fit in there were enough volunteers in the UK as replacements. The worst cases were those who failed to respect married quarters and regarded march out as a box-ticking exercise. These gave civvies such a bad name that I always ensured that they were black-listed as never to be sent overseas again
My last RAF serving contact retired a few years ago, and I expect the above is dinosaur waffle.
It is certainly dinosaur waffle these days, I never had much of an issue with the met staff but they were a fraction of the attached civilians, The SCEA was one of my personal bugbears.
Last edited by Ninthace; 4th Sep 2023 at 09:48. Reason: Sp
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Rather good tonight, I thought.
Very interesting segment about the RAF Regiment - also in Akrotiri.
Poseidon segment was good too - what a contrast to my one trip in a Mk3 phase 3 Shacklebomber in 1969. But good to see an uckers board in the 120 Sqn crewroom!
Very interesting segment about the RAF Regiment - also in Akrotiri.
Poseidon segment was good too - what a contrast to my one trip in a Mk3 phase 3 Shacklebomber in 1969. But good to see an uckers board in the 120 Sqn crewroom!
Was busy putting two airliners to bed so must catch up.on All 4.
I thought it was a bit dull, to the extent that I might not bother with the rest. The pairs lead sortie just seemed to be a repeat of the Typhoon two-ship the other week.
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The helmets IIRC also allow you to track targets through the airframe, Ie looking down.
latest version
https://www.baesystems.com/en/produc...ounted-display
latest version
https://www.baesystems.com/en/produc...ounted-display
The helmets IIRC also allow you to track targets through the airframe, Ie looking down.
latest version
https://www.baesystems.com/en/produc...ounted-display
latest version
https://www.baesystems.com/en/produc...ounted-display
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The taxiways were not wide enough/strong enough..... (though a week after that excuse they managed to bring a Voyager in with the PM and a dozen or so VVIPs)
Then the taxiways were uprated and widened .... then the excuse was crew duty times
There was scuttlebutt that the AirTanker contract had some financial penalties for not RTB if it were possible.
IMHO I always got the vibe that the real reason was that if Voyager had to overnight at LOS the crew would have to stay in their respective messes rather than at home if they were at BZN or in a nice hotel on rates if they were elsewhere. (But I might be cynical)
However I do recall a time when Voyager did fly to LOS to collect a Sqn to go on a Red Flag deployment - but then flew back to Brize to collect the other "hangers on." It always seemed a bit wasteful that after hanging about in the Brize "departure lounge" for 4 hours we then flew back over Scotland on the way to the USA.