FSTA Runs Dry
 

:confused:
I hear that the Airbus consortium couldnt afford the PR visit to Bronze Newton and that the Stach had been asked to foot the bill from his yearly allowance.
Hope he told them were to go! Green Shield stamps and all!

In which case I must have imagined the flight in a bmi A330-200 courtesy of Air Tanker which several hundred of us experienced today! Nice to be invited to watch the start, taxy and take-off from the jump seat and to have the opportunity for a brief pole of the ac. This was a very useful visit and helped to clear up certain areas of misunderstanding.

Thank you Air Tanker, bmi, Airbus Mil and everyone else involved in arranging the visit!

..and it certainly didn't run 'dry'. Nice little snack and champers in First Class after my turn on the flight deck - served by very charming cabin staff!

Thanks also to the 99 team for hosting us in your palatial accommodation afterwards!

Do you still want those 767Ks then BEags? :D

Still doesn't answer the question of who paid!:rolleyes:

I have but one lingering area of doubt regarding the best FSTA platform, I regret that I will not state it here due to certain sensitivities.

Bug.ger me with a fishfork if that doesn't sound like a political reply........... But that's all I have to say about that!

Bagel :

That is the biggest U turn I have seen since Mr Fish told that little old lady, there would definately NOT be any storms the next day.

Spheres!!

If you've spent half you're life flying VC10s, then I guess it would be easy to be seduced by any reasonably modern aircraft - Boeing, Airbus, or whatever ! ;)

What's the point of having tankers, anyway? We only seem to use them for taking pointy jets on exercise to N America or SSII. Or at best, it seems that it is only by accident do they get left behind in the ME to help out the USN. In the meantime, no sign of RAF steely-eyed killers in ****.

Not that I'm having a go at the FJ pukes - it just seems that the politicos aren't interested in sending expensive stuff into the hills when we can get 'Dubya face-time' by sending in 'el-cheapo' 16AAB/45 Cdo and Wokkas to do Uncle Sams dirty work for him.

That's one of my worries Mike, the present Government will turn us into nothing more than an extension of the US. Soon that will be all we can do, considering the assets and capabilities we are losing c.f. a certain naval STOVL fighter.

Nice to see several hundred station personnel are so under-tasked that they have got time to swan around all afternoon on a junket sipping free champagne – still, keeps the wheels of military procurement well oiled I suppose.

Saucer of milk, dear?

In fact the majority of the people in the back of the ac were those who wouldn't normally get a chance to fly in anything; a few stn service personnel and some civilian personnel. Those stn aircrew who could fit the 2-3 hours into their programmes and who wanted to got the chance to fly in the ac and that was about all! There were also some people from MoD, Gp and DPA, as well as those from industry. So no, this was emphatically not a booze barge for 200 Brize personnel.

Incidentally, I have checked up on your nonsensical claim that A400M could not take-off from Lyneham at MTOW, it most certainly could! It probably won't have to when it comes into service, of course..........

And the words, 'crock', '$hit', 'of', 'utter' and 'C130J' were frequently to be heard. Often in the same breath!

Someone got a retirement consultancy job lined up then?:rolleyes:

Beags
What is the latest 'sign to fly' time - 77 mths (6.5 yrs)? If so, that means we won't see the A400M delivered to Lyneham/Brize/SMG until 2009? Also, will it be delivered with all the LL, NVG, formation flying and dropping clearances that are taking an extra 4 years for the J model to get? Or once again, will we not specify such 'useless' things in the contract and end up with another white elephant?

Mike - 'sign to fly' is 56 months with entry into service at 77 months. All bar one nation have now signed, the last nation is in the process of doing so. Final 'Sign' is anticipated by the end of June.

The Common Standard Aircraft will come with many of the features you mention. One nation is particularly keen for a good covert tactical night low level capability. An integral DASS is available; however I don't know whether the RAF has specified it. But survivability and NVG compatibility have been built-in from the outset.

With luck the expensive and procrastinating hand of QwintyQwoo won't be allowed anywhere near the project; instead a central multi-national tactical development organisation will be responsible for achieving the relevant clearances......

The C130J is nothing more than a digitally re-mastered 1950s design whereas A400M will be a generation ahead of even A330 as it will share A380 technology. Don't forget that, unlike certain aircraft companies, Airbus has always achieved 'first flight' on time - except for one design for which a different engine was specified after 'sign-off'. Even then it was only delayed 4 months....

He's got the job!:p

Sounds like Airbus has got it all sorted then ...... pass the champers!! :D

Nonsense, Klingon. I'm still flying for HMFC- although the ATPL/IR arrives next week!

Enough of your insinuations, now go and eat your qagh like a good Klingon or I shall arrange for some tribbles to be beamed over to you! (Trekkie-talk courtesy of Mark-the-Author!).

Saw a good bumper sticker once: 'Klingons. The Universe's Bikers!'

Live long and prosper! Or rather "nI'yIn je chep"

Good banter Beagle!
Some of that treckie talk sound like a flying manual I once read. The biker bit sound 'bout right though!

Whatever the future version of FSTA is, I hope lessons in one handed, four dimensional management are included. AAR trails will test the capacity of a 2 man flight deck.........both on the ground and in the air.

Unless of course Beagle knows something we don't?;)

BEagle:

"a central multi-national tactical development organisation will be responsible"

Can you name a successful model for this to be based on?

I can see a case for an AWC vs QinetiQ clearance argument/debate (suspect the ideal is somewhere in the middle) - but a multi-national one?