Wow - how many tangents?!

SACSmith started with 'I think that the RAF should make all personnel take part in fitness training' - let's look at the broader issue than the narrow 'I can drink beer, smoke tabs and still pull 6G' nonsense!

Diet and fitness are inextricably linked to education and lifestyle. There are not that many obese aircrew - there are none on my station. There are a lot of medically obese and LAZY young airmen. At my last fitness test, we were barely beyond the fast walk stage when 2 of the youngest (and overweight) lads just gave up. I was not so much shocked at their lack of fitness at their lack of determination - they had not even broken out in a sweat or started puffing. They just did not like it and stopped.

MajorMadMax hits the nail on the head - we are a TEAM. One person's problem will invariably impact on us all. We are a fighting force liable to be deployed to any number of inhospitable situations and be expected to function efficiently. The 'I can do my job' blah may be true when that entails waddling in from the married patch for 8 hours of sitting behind a desk but will it hold water under more stressful circumstances? Can Cpl Fats remain alert after long days in a hot/cold working environment? Will Sgt Lard be able to drag his colleagues out of a burning building after a car bomb attack? These are very real scenarios that we are now routinely exposed to. I want to be able to rely upon those around me.

Blacksheep - you have a screw loose. We do NOT need to be able to 'Dig and Shoot'!? We DO need to be able to perform basic military tasks (fire-fighting, first-aid, on-scene commander, etc) under more demanding circumstances than peacetime normal.

I agree with SACSmith - fitness is fundamental to a professional military force and the opportunity to train should be provided in core working hours.

Beam me up.

Well i think CT and OPEVAL may show up certain aspects of what has been discussed here and especially what MajorMadMax has alluded to, the fact that WE IN THE AIRFORCE ARE A TEAM! If you do not want to pull your share of the work, due to physical fatigue and lifestyle, then perhaps you should think as to what are you doing in the Airforce? This was highlighted last year on our Stn exercise, the i can't be bothered factor and the someone else will do it aspect were all too apparent.

As i write i'm currently on vacation downunder and have just spent two days at Amberley Air Base and have seen how a real team works. Perhaps the Regiment have a point when they comment every year at GDT time that we have become the Farce Force!

I hope the EFA PTIs know what they're doing. My last AMTC was a few years back, but we were told the best fighter pilot in fitness terms was the weight lifter with no detectable neck, the next was the bar slob and the worst was the runner/jogger. It was all to do with the runners having too low blood pressure and blacking out under g too easily. Will we end up with a fit looking EFA sqn that experiences one too many g-loc incidents?

Many moons ago while doning quantitative and qualitative manning analysis for USN /USMC came across the analysis for a USMC F-14 squadron.(Yes I know there never really was one) I found an extra factor in the math for the techs and asked the Master Chief what it was for. He said an extra 10% is always added in to USMC squadrons to give them the time to go do PT, get uniforms ready for parade, go to the rifle range, and other military duties (as if keeping the a/c servicable isn't). The numbers dont lie, so hpe Eurofighter squadrons get 10% extra.

Takes tongue out of cheek long enough to blow raspberry in general direction of portly Star Fleet gentleman. <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

********************************. .Through difficulty to the cinema

Blacksheep,

Fairy Nuff. I was being a tad too serious - I thought you were too - should know better by now! Must have been a long day. Incidentally, what are you doing posting at 0420??? Get some sleep man!

Now where's my corset?