I believe he's holding it the wrong way round
 

RAF boss draws his pistols

4 Jan 08

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, has been practising his pistol shooting at Bisley for the Air Officers and Station Commanders Pistol Match. He hopes to demonstrate to younger members of the Armed Forces a central part of military life - being able to defend themselves. Report by Ian Carr.
http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/De...pg&maxSize=210 Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy takes aim on a target 15 metres away
[Picture: Harland Quarrington]



Having emptied a full clip into the target from 15 metres, Sir Glenn Torpy rendered safe his 9mm Browning pistol and slipped it back into his holster. He stepped up to the target to see how good his practice session had been and to get a few pointers from the safety officer advising him:Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, President of the RAF Small Arms Association, is preparing to face a band of senior hot shots in the Air Officers and Station Commanders Pistol Match.
This is Sir Glenn's third year competing for the winner's trophy, something he achieved the first time he took part, but which he modestly passes off as "a fluke". Last year he came third. Something about his approach to the practice session makes you sense that he wants to improve on that this year.


Looking at the 20 other competitors, it appears the determination to win may also be burning very strongly in some of them. And why not? How often does someone still climbing the greasy pole of RAF command have a chance to challenge the man at the very top in a friendly contest on equal terms:Apparently no one in uniform is immune to the time sapping influence of two major operations.

"It gives us a chance to practise a central part of military life: being able to defend ourselves. I'm really keen to encourage that." Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff



This is a rare day away from the job for Sir Glenn, although it does not quite qualify as a day off:So how did he do, blazing away at the cardboard commando charging towards him? Not bad at all. Just as he did last year, CAS grouped his bullets nicely around the heart of the target, achieving third place with 107 points out of a possible maximum of 150.
He's clearly chuffed, but the shooting is not over yet. In the next event, each team of three will blast away at clay tiles on a rack ten metres away, shooting against the clock.


This time the rest of the competitors may be taking more notice of the career pecking order. Then again it might be sheer skill. Whatever, CAS and his team achieve a comfortable second place. Does he mind failing to achieve first position? No, not really. Well, maybe just a bit:You get the feeling that he is planning a few more practice sessions himself.

Good to see he is interested in a real core millitary skill rather than all the ethos tosh, ie: Where shall we get pissed or wouldn't it look good on my SJAR if I were an AP Mentor.
He might even see fit to replace our 1967 vintage pistols, a good design in it's time but designed before WW2!
I've been too busy to attend Bisley (RAFSAM) for the past 5 years, will be the same again this year :(

He's in the Army.

Thanks SRENNAPS

The whole point of this website is so one can express themselves. You can call me a pathetic individual and I can express my displeasure about who I perceive to be a weak and misguided leader i.e. Torpy. I'm not bitter and twisted about the Air Force - I thoroughly enjoyed my 6 years there. I feel its terrible that a fine service such as the RAF, from when I joined in '88, has been left to rot through a dreadful lack of investment into the much needed areas through poor leadership and outdated visions in procurement.

Perhaps c**k was a tad uncalled for but I resent mindless news articles by the MoD especially concerning such an ineffective individual.

So no offence directed towards you or the rest of the RAF, I have my views and am just as entitled as the next man to express them.

Maxibon

Back to thread, slightly. The last time I fired the SLP the rounds would have more effect if I'd thrown the damn things. Made a loud bang though. Do aircrew still carry PPK's? What would be your shooter of choice?

I left for similar reasons but at least this leader is getting off his backside and attempting to show some proper leadership from the front.

I always found them pretty accurate - I suppose it'd the old adage about the bad workman and his tools! :)

Oi! My tool is very accurate! Sorry. OK, close in it's going to ruin your day, granted. But this day and age is there a pistol that can keep the baddies a bit more than arms length away? What about the MetalStorm wunder gun?

20 years ago, Glen Torpy was a good egg. Myself and a few other junior officers had a fine night getting pissed with him in the bar at Bruggen not finding out that he was the new Station Commander until he walked in to breakfast the next morning...:eek: Followed by frantic mental revisions of last nights conversation for anything incriminating :uhoh:

Not a word on his side other than "morning chaps !"

Can't believe that he would have changed that much. Good on him !

Green, I would go for the Gloc 17.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:...ges/kwcg17.jpg

Light, accurate, well balanced and reliable...... just like the PPK or Browning....... Not.

Advo

Advo

Heard alot about them but never used one.

Small amount of moderation required there chaps. Please try to avoid naughties.............

Happy New Year.

PPP

Mile,

Great choice, but a bit heavy for our FJ friends?

Advo

Desert Eagle Point Five Oh!

Glock would be the sensible 'head' choice........:ok:

But, a Colt 1911 in .38 Super would be my 'heart' choice....:cool: or a new aluminium Colt XSE in .38 Super for a compromise between head and heart......:}

I think you'll find that BEags was issued with the trusty flintlock for dispatching the enemies of King Grorge on basic at His Britannic and Imperial Majesty's Collage for Aviating Gentlefolk back in 1783 and is therefore entitled to look down on your new-fangled revolving pistol contraptions that are clearly the work of the devil

I'd go for a Skorpion myself.

P229 Dak :o

AIDU,
Everywhere you go you are a pain!!
GAGS
E86

I prefer anything that uses blackpowder. Gives you a smoke screen to retreat if necessary.

I often thought that carrying a PPW was more of a placebo than anything else - if you were that far forward to use it deliberately, you were carrying something with a bit more clout as well; if you were there by accident, questions about calibre amd mag capacity become rather academic.....

I take it this has nothing to do with the new standards of 'markmanship' that I hear are now part of CCS.

CAS showing he is up to the mark, and 'anything I can do....'. I can't really complain about leading from the front I suppose - the sign of a good leader they say.

I've got a good idea for future recruitment. Let's get people off the high street and put them through infantrymen training. Keep the really fit guys and marksmen and weed out all the rest. Then give those that are left apptitude tests to decide what they will become, aircrew, ground trade, etc.

See most of you on the range at remedial pistol shooting!

No glasses? They make you wear glasses on the ranges over here.


Plus aren't you supposed to hold the gun with the handley bit horizontal?

Oh god, not another new initiative! How about flying aircraft? Can we launch that as an initiative?

Is it a criminal offence to want to shoot you, AIDU?


Flipflopman

Maple01, yes, you're right!

I never trusted the new-fangled idea of putting the bullets in the other end. Ramrod and ball down the muzzle, that's the way!!

But just think how his family would feel, it isn't very nice to be threatened with being shot etc etc......

And so went the rest of the PM from AIDU :rolleyes:


Flipflopman

Just amazed torpy managed to talk about something other than the typhoon!:}
Now he can talk about FJ's and shooting - cant wait for the next station visit:ugh:

I must say I'm always intrigued by the follow line that I hear at CCS / in the Crewroom / in the cruise.....

"The PPK is sh!t. You'd be better off throwing the thing at them !"

And I see it posted here too.

I'd love to test that hypothesis out one day. Shoot someone in one leg and then throw the gun at the other, see which one hurts / inflicts more injuries. Can't see it being the throwing option myself, but it seems that there are a lot more smarter people out there than I is that think it will, so maybe I'll be shocked ......;)

I'm afraid I have nothing to say about Torpy and the shooting incase you're hoping for an on-topic post. Sorry.

Seem to remember reading in Tornado Down that one of their PPKs failed to fire when the bad guys tried it?
Hope they are both doing well and Iraq is a distant memory. They showed me round a jet in 92, a few years before I joined :ok:

Many years ago, I was r-d'ed to be O i/c live pistol firing for a whole summer. Candidates came from far and wide, the ranges were top notch, the DIs and armourers were top notch, too.

The ammunition that was supplied lacked a certain "friction".

The rounds in question had been issued and signed for: 5 straight into the revolver, 5 to rattle around in the ammo pouch - for an eight hour shift. At the end of the shift, 10 rounds and a revolver handed back to the armourer. This occured 3 times a day! This had gone on for 25 years.

After 25 years and an incident where the bullets bounced off the bad guy's leather jacket (ISYN) , it was decided to withdraw ancient ammo and consign it to range duty.

I recall standing behind a portly WO, who favoured the "John Wayne" method of range shooting - hold it belt high, forewent the advantages of the double trigger and just cycled the hammer with his left hand. Of his 5 rounds, I saw 4 exit the barrel and land short of the 15M target!

The 9mm hi-power was quite sweet, as long as your thumb web was well clear of the cocking action!

I'm surprised you're still using the Browning, it was replaced by the Glock years ago...but in the days when we 'suits' in the Head Shed had to do our annual pistol qualification, we attended as we were, wearing the obligatory suit, followed by a duty lunch at Shelly Bay and a few glasses of whatever....I blame various COs, all GDs, of that wonderful establishment who didn't have enough to do.:D but knew how to start a party.

I line up on the range, in the classic two-handed, knees bent, take aim....and loud ripping noise as trousers split from front to back..

I spent the rest of the day wearing a long mac like a flasher. Got all the shots off however, and a marksman.:ok:
The Browning was a noisy little bugger.

its better than nothing
 

Fired the Browing in Baggers, made enough noise, kept some jundies head down and made my ears ring for a few minutes while I managed to run away with the American I was with, His beretta made more noise though...

One round did go through a car door at 10m, if I am honest it should have been the car next to it but hey I was sh*ttin myself and breathing like an RAF policeman on GDT:eek:. - it was an aimed shot though.

Does anyone know when was the last time shot down aircrew decided to shoot it out with the opposition like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". ?

Surely the weapon is issued as part of the survival pack for shooting rabbits ;).......or yourself if Terry is coming to get you :eek:

Not exactly......................:hmm:

AIDU - Terry is a mate of Al :ok:

Al and his mates are friends of Ossie :ok:

Al is in fact Alice which begs the question Alice? Alice?...who the f@ck is Alice? :E

Terry is properly called Terry Taliban. The Taliban is closely connected with Al Quaeda, which is largely run by Osama (Ossie to his mates) Bin Laden :}

I did mention to a FJ pilot once a facetious comment I had read to the effect that aircrew and guns were a dangerous mixture.

The response was "It's safe enough really. The only way you can hurt someone with one of the PPKs is to hit them with it".

More like Aliice? Alice? were the f@ck is Alice?....sung to their long suffering boss after a night in the Shepards...wasn't me