More of the BBC's legendary accuracy? :hmm: Perhaps this is why flying BA to the states is so tiring?

:suspect:

Hmm. Let me guess . . . Will it be the Sqn Ldr F3 (Ex) Nav or the abo that gets chopped .. . . . . . .. . .

Hard times. I remember when I got chopped. The reason given was that I didn`t listen to what was being said to me (or something like that, I wasn`t really paying much attention at the time :p !!!

What the chopee needs is a Multi`s slot. That`ll bring a smile to his face !

Good series, it actually shows the RAF in a positive fashion for once, unlike the damn adverts we're showing currently.
What I would like to know is, where the hell did they get the music from?! Xylophones and French Horns??? Come on BBC, we're fighter pilots, not ballet dancers! What ever happened to some good old fashioned rock and/or roll.......

Whatsa matter you... hey !!
 

Good old fashioned rock and roll would be nice, however there would be the matter of who would pay for the fees. Also, if they played the old stuff, the RAF would be seen to not be 'keeping up with the times'.

Instead of the good old Guns and Roses, Kiss, or ACDC, it would have to be The Darkness, Peter Andre, or even the inevitable soon to be released Jordan single.

Bring on the porny French horns... :p

For those of us who have access to Sky but did not watch the start of this surprisingly good series due to the clash with 'Spitfire Ace', heads up. It is about to start a run on analogue TV (BBC 1) in Wales which also happens to be available on Sky on channel 942. It will start broadcasting on Wed 18 Feb at 7.30pm. Apparently it has been given the prime time slot on BBC 1 due to it outperforming any other programme on the digital channel it has been running on and universally positive comments.

Word from Valley is that there have been no adverse comments from either the personnel there or from the Taffia. Personally I think it's streets ahead of any programme I've seen about the RAF and as Gordon is going to say shortly when he taxes our few remaining shekles, "I commend this programme to the house".

Here in the USA we can't see any of the wonderful programs you in the UK have on television. NBC tried to make a program about F-15 training, and made an episode of MTV Real Life (the most unreal program you have ever seen!).

The British are just so much better at making "you were there" documentaries which dont insult the viewers intelligence. (Maybe its just having a father who was an Indian Air Force pilot and still uses "Dash it" and "Bang On" in his conversation!)

The only one I have seen is "Test Pilot" the BBC documentary of ETPS around 1985. I have the "books accompanying the BBC/ITV/ etc presentation of X" for the rest

Is there some way to obtain these videos?Will some kind soul point me towards viewing heaven? The ones I am interested in are
1. Test Pilot
2. Fighter Pilot
3. Top Gun (29 Sqn in Canada)
4. Flying Soldiers (AAC pilot training)

And now off course
5. Combat Pilot and
6. Spitfire Ace

I would pay good money for these!

Cheers
Worf

I think I saw some of the said vids on Ebay and/or Amazon, perhaps worth a look there?

MT

Chromate: Can people receive "Discovery Wings" 'over there'?:oh:

GIjoe,

As far as I am aware, the good Sqn Ldr used to be a nav on Phantoms and later the F3.

If you missed it 1st time .......
 

The six part series of 'Combat Pilot' is to be repeated on BBC2 (Analogue), starting on Monday 10th May 2004, at 19:30 (BST).


Also on BBC Wales Digital (2W), at 20:00 (BST).

Bloody hell it's almost 20 years since I last bumped into Les Garside-Beatty. He's obviously been hammering the sausage and mash!!!

Great news about Combat Pilot going out over the network. I've seen it and it's well worth a view, especially for those few remaining studes in the FJ pipeline who will end up at 4FTS.

Worf

Send an email to BBC America and ask them to show it out there.

Worf, another good one was 'Phantom Pilot', made in the 70s with a holding Phantom pilot (good egg, but chopped at the tactical flying training stage and went on to Hercs) as the budding fighter jock. It had some good flying shots but was marred slightly by the unreal fact that every time he bowled up at a new base he had a different, new sports car. Just didn't happen in those days!

Just a reminder, 2nd episode is on BBC2 tonight at 1930.

'Muzak'.............
 

.......where do they get it from?
It's like the stuff you get when you're put on hold on the phone these days - or 'elevator music'
...That apart, seems quite a good series to me.....the 38 y.o. former Nav certainly has balls for sticking to his guns and getting what he wanted - so far, at least..........

So which one of the two got the chop?

I can remember when 208 Sqn used to fly Buccs out of Lossiemouth!!

I wonder if anyone else sees the slight irony of the RAF's future FJ pilots being trained by an outfit that started out life as an RN Sqn?

I watched for the first time last night, looked good on tv, albeit some bits were predictable, e.g CCS training, no doubt all good PR - just as we are about to cut the need to recruit for a few years, great timing eh!!

Can anyone tell me if this is any more than a re-hash of the series 'Fighter Pilot' made in the 80's. i.e is it more than just a modern version of what has been done before??

FIGHTER PILOT
 

I think I was about 14 at the time and I watched the original avidly. However, it's a while back, so please forgive me. IIRC, the previous started at OASC with the selection tests, and followed with Cranditz punishment. It also included JP trg. Perhaps what I am trying to say is that the previous programme covered more of the lead-in to be a pilot, and I think (as a programme) was better for it. These guys appear to have just popped-up at Valley (even though previous phases of trg are often referred to), giving the wrong impression. That said, overall, the programme doesn't do us any harm, so I am all for it.

Again IIRC the only guy who got through was the ex-milkman (name anyone?) who went Buccaneer.

I haven't seen the rest of the series, but I think next week we will see some of the non-pilots that enable it all to happen. Too often the myriad of supporters don't get a look-in, but NBC and E&E Exercises are worthy of public interest?

I've got the book somewhere. The glossary contains the colloquial RAF term W@NKER with the explanation 'Someone little liked or trusted'. Searched the book but could never find the word used anywhere but in the glossary. How times have changed ...

I was interested to see in the programme that there was a "creamie", that is (as I'm sure most of you aircrew types know) someone who is streamed directly from FJ training to go back as an instructor.

How often does this happen? I would never had thought that the RAF would do this, and particularly not on FJ training. I would think they would at least do 1 tour on a front line Sqn, and then perhaps be fast tracked to become an instructor, but to go directly from training ...???

What ever happened to instructors having experience and passing it onto the students?


Flarkey

Sir Toppham, The ex milkman who made it all the way in the original Fighter Pilot series was John McCrae. Where is he now??