HAIRY
 

At one time NCO pilots, and probably other aircrew, were known as "hairys". We had one on the staff at 229 OCU in 1969, but he was commissioned shortly afterwards. Don't suppose many were left then. Can anyone remember or explain the origin of the expression?

Mike,

It may have refered to the uniform. Officers wore smooth barathea and airmen, and of course airmen aircrew, wore hairy blues.

That's my thought anyway.

Might be something to do with their hairy uniform

Hairy BD it was - we had it the the ATC too! Torture, though apparently it was much warmer if it got wet. Scant consolation for those working indoors.

I thought it was derived from "hairy-arsed" to denote older.

There were even 'hairy' Lightning pilots. There was a thread that named them on PPRuNe, but I haven't been able to find it.

So who were the last RAF NCO pilots, flying what, and when? And who were the last on a FJ?

Indeed it was the hairy NCO number two uniform. Withdrawn in 1975, I was on the first intake to get the new "thunderbird" jacket, which caused immense consternation to flight commanders and discip NCOs throughout the then Training Command, as every working parade (and there were a lot of them!) consisted of a mixed bag of hairys and international rescue look alikes!

Happy Days.

Like Gainesy, I always understood it to be 'hairy-arsed', referring to age.

Some answers in a couple of previous pprune threads: http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...lot-entry.html and http://www.pprune.org/military-aircr...-solution.html

Correct. Reference to the 'hairy' non-commissioned uniform phased out in 1972. Anyone commissioned from the ranks was/is known as an "ex-hairy" during OCTU/IOT.

The pic below gives a graphic demonstration of the different quality of uniform between commissioned and non-commissioned circa 1973. From the left: Officer No 1, SAC Hairy BD, Officer No 1, and the other 2 are Officer barrathea BD

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c9...n907/GSU73.jpg

On my last visit to OASC Biggin Hill in 1972 I met a Sgt pilot who said he was the last NCO pilot and was flying Whirlwinds.

It's not a much publicised fact that most of the Battle of Britain pilots were NCOs - who, in fairness were led by commissioned pilots ranging from the sublime to complete incompetents (so nothing has changed much there).

Once more it was the USA who 'did' for our NCO crews as they deemed it unacceptable for NCOs to control the delivery of nuclear weapons. That spelled the end for NCO captains and pilots and navigators especially. Obviously not to be trusted - which is why I find the Hooligans' hierarchy particularly satisfying where it would appear that ability is far more important.

V bomber crews were all commissioned as far as I remember and the NCO on board was a crew chief on Rangers.

Doubtless, I'll be corrected if wrong.

PS, I do remember shaving the inside of the serge (hairy) uniform as it irritated like hell (explains a lot doesn't it?) especially when damp. Personally I think it's 50/50 for the 'hairy' between 'arsed' and the serge.

He hasn't aged a bit!
 

My god MALM Watts hasn't aged a bit from this pic! :ok:

In training we wore hairy blues as did National Service officers.

Does that mean it's "Twey" standing next to him and when in hell did he do a brain change !!!:eek::eek:

There ain't no-one called Watts in that picture. That's outside Scampton's No 1 Hangar and that's the Vulcan Group Standardisation Unit.

With an incredibly young Sisemen raising a glass to the signboard what he produced :ok:

As one had become rather more hairy on the arms and legs during the Summer months, changing from KD to hairy blues in Autumn was a tad irritating.

In the early days of the Valiant there were some non commissioned AEOps. The catalyst for their metaphormosis to AEO was the carriage of the American weapon. I am given to believe that the requirement for all commissioned crew was an American one, however it may have been "home-grown".

NCO pilots were still around in Training Command at the beginning of the 1970s, but they seem to have disappeared fairly soon after that, giving rise to a number of very "well worn" Flying Officers.

YS

That is because it wuz banter :}

(and that bloke still looks like Twey)

One of the two Whirlwind Unit Test Pilots at Shawbury in 1978 was a Master Pilot - nice guy. At the time we believed he was the very last non-commissioned pilot still flying. Happy to be corrected though!

Master Pilot Alec Riddoch was the Unit Test Pilot at Shawbury (He had a Flt Lt understudy) and he was the last but one WO Pilot in the RAF - the last being at Odiham I believe.
I think Alec retired in 1978 too.

Seem to remember a master navigator on Phantoms around 1979/80. on the OCU I think.