1500 according to the Times.

Super Blunder
 

Anyone else heard that the person responsible for the study into this new Academy is also the same PR*T who signed up to the Super Hangar?

And what now for Cosford?

If this is going to be the new 'Centre for excellence' does that mean until now, our training has been below standard?

We are assuming of course, this money is not being spent on Wales to earn votes! Cut free these klingon colonies (like they want!) and England will be far better off for it !!

Contreversial, but true !!

Listening to some of the hyperbole and guff thats been sprouted over the past few months, you would genuinely think it has! Some of the language used has been quite offensive to the current staff who have been delivering training to service personnel for a good few decades now, and whatever one thinks of the training regime its done a pretty good job IMHO.
We have been told, for example, that we would receive the necessary training to deliver the highest quality of technical instruction, oh really :confused: So we haven't been capable of doing that up to now then?
An in-house bid was not considered because it couldn't be innovative enough, oh really:confused: I can't be innovative in the way I do my job then? Bollox!

Our good commandant was accompanied by a Prof Molineux who apparently headed up the decision making team. he gave a quick spiel on the whys and wherefors of the decision and at the end stated that it wasn't a political decision..... Really? So why the hell did you feel the need to tell us that then eh prof :rolleyes:

Tonka the plum said:

"We are assuming of course, this money is not being spent on Wales to earn votes! Cut free these klingon colonies (like they want!) and England will be far better off for it !!"

Course it's for votes. It's our 'loony Celts' turn. You Saxon-Norman-German mongrels had long enough a turn. Be fair!

As for klingons being cut free............ Lord give me strength.

CG

(One of the huge majority of klingons who are British and don't want independence.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6268427.stm
:ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh: :ugh:


NAAFI Bop will be interesting with all the inter service testosterone kicking about.
Duty Officer and SNCO are going to be busy

Concur.

Ymlaen Britain!

Nahhh, give ME strength :ugh: :ugh:

South Wales has had its share of the cake before and blew it.......

......Thinks DARA...hmmmmm, cat 5'd Tornado, trade practices that made H Bloggs garage look like a Ferrari main dealer..........

And now, like Oliver Twist, it wants some more :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Split

You seriously think the location was the cause of that debacle? Nothing to do with the civilianisation of military a/c servicing, swiftly followed by lowest bidder gets the cheapest labour- monkeys and nuts etc?

CG

The vast majority of people in Wales Do Not Want Independence thank you very much, as much as we do not want a Welsh Assembly.
It may surprise people to know that not only were those 5000 jobs announced today but also a further 1000 jobs elsewhere in the region by private investors, it is an area ripe for investment and growth.
This was one bid that all the political parties , local businesses and general population got behind.

So would this new centre of excellence be the same centre of excellence that trashed the Tornados in the early 90s???

http://www.parliament.the-stationery.../1129/1129.pdf

Makes interesting reading, gives an indication of what exactly other than fresh air was going through their minds during the decision making process. Was interesting to see that Members of the Welsh Assembly argued that St Athan would be good because it had a drive to work population of 600,000 within 45 mins and an academic & trg infrastructure to support the development. I'm not sure of the exact numbers, but I reckon Cosford has the potential for a far greater sub-45min drive to work population than St Athan (I think Bham has a population > 1million and the West Midlands conurbation > 2 million).

And as for the academic & trg facilities near to Athan: in addition to those already at Cosford, there are universities at Bham, Aston, Wolves, Coventry, Stafford, Keele - all near by. And in the proposal, I don't see any mention of Cardiff based educational establishments getting involved in supporting the development.

But as it also clearly states in the report, Wales provides 9% of all MOD recruiting, but gets only 6% of MOD funding (cracking logic here).

1. Maybe that's because Wales doesn't have many bases / facilities there that it only gets 6% of the funding.

2. If you build at St Athan, does that mean that all those 9% will go there?

3. So what if Wales provides 9% of all recruits?! That just means that 91% come from elsewhere - why not put it somewhere else.

Looks like another Noo Labour smoke & mirrors job!:sad: Oh well, if nothing else, at least that's one Labour MP guaranteed to keep hold of his seat at the next election.

Not at all. I was simply responding to the apparent suggestion that South Wales should have got this investment by dint of some economic our-turn-ology. I was pointing out that the region has had a previous chance to make good on a major defence contract and screwed it up big style.

Wales provides 9% of all recruits do they? What's that then, a couple of regimental mascot sheep and the manpower for the Welsh regiments within the army? Let's all give a big well done to Wales then. As for only getting 6% of MoD funding, why should they get more? That leaves 94% to be spent around the rest of the UK on things such as ESF for Hercs, the correct kit for the troops in the sand pit, as well as other bad places. Aeroplanes don't keep themselves in the air Neil and it isn't magic either.

Oh well the votes have been bought, I suppose we will have to put up and shut up.

Now just watch the Tolls on the Severn bridges rocket. Maybe this will bring in more VAT for Mr Brown.:)

Will it cost as much to demolish Cosford as they have spent on it over the last 10 years or so?

One has to remember that England has never returned a majority for a labour government, they get into power purely on the votes of the regions, namely Scotland and Wales. Did we really think that NuLab could ever see this contract go to an English shire? As far as NuLab are concerned, the MOD are little more than a job creation scheme for whichever unfortunate constituency has the misfortune to be landed with a labour MP :hmm:

So let me set the record straight, The cock up at Saints was put down to the private company Airworks ! Now the MOD would never contract this company again.... or would it ?

Renamed VT Aerospace, as many of you know they are now providing us:-

air engineering and maintenance training
aircraft rectifications and modifications
antenna maintenance
communications systems
computer networking
ground-based radar systems
management training
project management
simulator maintenance
structural modifications
technical recruitment
vehicle modifications

Not bad for a company that damaged more than 15 of our finest frames !!!!

Due largely to that particular company's inability to recruit labour, skilled in the aerospace sector, from the local marketplace at the price it was willing to pay.
In spite of its geographical advantage, Cosford regularly has problems recruiting AND retaining the personnel it needs at the price the MOD is willing to pay. So, unless Metrix is prepared to up the ante and recruit the right people at the right price then it is likely to hit upon the same problems. But not to worry, as long as the board members and senior managers get their company cars eh?
Oh it'll find staff alright, but you pay peanuts, you get monkeys as they say. And if you're happy for the future airforce to be trained by monkeys then fine. But don't for one second try to tell me that Metrix will do a better (or even on-par) job of it using people who haven't ever faced the day to issues every liney has to contend with than the old sweats at Cosford/Halton ever could.

Taking an objective view, is it not better to choose a site with a large developed airfield with plenty of room for expansion compared to an airfield on a restrictive site in the congested West Midlands?
On a subjective note I think the new museum building at Cosford is a monstrosity which has ruined the appearance and ambience of the place!

With this lot forming 'Metrix' http://www.metrixuk.com/ what could possibly go wrong . . . . . . . ?

Banal & insulting to the point of stupidity! Never met an Englishmen, Jock,Taff or Paddy outside a unit with regional connections?None in the RAF or RN?
It was the 'British' armed forces in which I served,what about you?

Oh dear PJ,

You don't wanna go suggesting objectivity round here mate!

CG