Nice to see that PPRuNe can still bring out the misogynistic dirty old men in droves. I suppose a twitch down there is some sign of life for many.

And the Bromide in BEagle's tea at The Towers all those years ago must be working at last.

Women in uniform and no mention of this officer:

http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...h-York-007.jpg

[Photo cropped out of blood pressure considerations!]

I wondered how long it would take...........................

Well, I guess that's pilots for you - giggity!
http://www.seeklogo.com/images/F/Fam...eklogo.com.gif

#97 was not Walsall, it was RAF Laarbruch, as any fule kno.

Basically... Nobody has ever forgotten you.

Sometimes the Met Office website amazes me how even the live forecast is incorrect. Do they not have windows?

I had the pleasure of working with the Tac Met guys down at Stanley in 83.

OK, not as pretty as posted earlier, but they were dumped into a strange and extreme environment/climate with minimal room for error. And they did a wonderful job. Cheers, Brian (IIRC), who came home with me on the C-130 and the VC10.

I didn't give a sh*t what they wore, within the bounds of decency :cool:

Is there the equivalent of PPRuNe for weather folk where they can share their tales of derring do? You know, with threads for forecasters, presenters, weather techies, cloud gazers, storm chasers and the rest of the loons. Please share the address if there is, I'm dying for more.

S-D

To come back to the subject of discussion,

Will the honourable ambassador have been provided with at least a sufficient introduction to the service, to allow her to properly represent the rank at all levels. from the perspective of protocol, standards of dress, history and ethos, etc; in both theoretical and practical terms. ?

Is there a short course with a minimum standard for Honourable appointments? I am sure it will be both warranted. and expected. The lady surely will be expected to "carry it off"

Imagegear

Quote:
Sometimes the Met Office website amazes me how even the live forecast is incorrect. Do they not have windows?

Yes, of course "we" got/get it wrong on occasion.

Tell me, in which other field of human endeavour are forecasters/predictors/soothsayers more consistently accurate?

Financial: no
Political: no
Traffic: no
Medical: no
Int: no
Volcanoes/earthquakes: no

The fact is that you and I and all the other British tax payers are paying a very small amount each year for the very best forecasting service in one of the most difficult environments on earth. As a subscriber, you are of course entitled to a whinge. Constructive criticism is preferred.

One recalls a metman many years ago (Linton-on-Ouse? Syerston?) theorising that "British Unflappability" was a direct result of our notoriously unpredictable weather. On the principle that if we put up with the weather, nothing much else will faze us.

Seems reasonable to me - can't imagine what excitable Italians (other national stereotypes are available) would do in the face of our weather. ;)

Met Office New Super Computer
£97m supercomputer makes UK world-leader in weather and climate science - Met Office


Talking about this in the pub one wag commented that with all this new computing power they (the Met Office) will be able to get their forecasts wrong quicker!

Awakens a genetic urge to run ice cream parlours and fish & chip shops :ok:

Nae offence meant to the Spellas, Giuntolis, Nardinis etc where I used to live ;)

I swear that what follows is true.

I went on many field deployments with the Met. wagon. Most of these were joint NATO, or AFCENT or Northag. I was also UK TACEVAL rep. shafting NATO bases for three years.

I was constantly asked "how do you guys do that?" by Americans, Canadians, Germans, Italians and Danes. "That" was ordinary workaday forecasts of night minimum temperature, day max, fog formation, rain timing, bread and butter stuff.

We were NOT asked by the Belgians or the Dutch. Why not?

The latter two sent their some of field forecasters to the Met Office College to train, where they learned not to rely on crude computer predictions orginating in the USA or indeed anywhere else.

To this day the UK computer is a tool, and not an oracle, for the guidance of the wise, not the obedience of fools. As each model improves on its predecessor, so the fools can slowly take over of course.

"Does it always rain up here in the Lakes ?"..."Nah, sometimes it snaws !"
 

teeteringhead,

(Your #112): "On the principle that if we put up with the weather, nothing much else will faze us".

Why do you suppose that our ancestors sallied forth and colonised most of the known world ? - they couldn't put up with the weather back here any longer, that's why !

D.

Salad-dodger,

You have no idea of the excitement you can get from understanding geostrophic winds, thickness levels and entropy.

A well plotted tephigram is frankly a work of art, and if you can accurately calculate the MINTRA level, well whoaaaaaa, that's like giving your average crewman a 3 month old copy of The Sun when he's been on det for 5 months. :ok:

after what I thought had been a cracking tour serving 2,4,19 and 92 at RAF Guetersloh, my last briefing in front of the 1000 bomber raid-type assembly was followed by the Staish:

"Thanks for everything, now we won't need to adjust your contrail forecasts for your personal [and constant] error".

Now he tells me!

Forgive me but I can't be bothered to read all 6 pages but I wish to air a few points. I just hope that they haven't already been covered and stand ready to take flak if they have.

For Yozzer who said:

Rank badge or not it's the VRT on her lapels that denotes her relative position in this regard!

For others:

It might surprise you to know that all VRT officers undergo a Cranwell-endorsed OT course within their squadrons and then have to pass a 2-week intensive IOTC at RAFC Cranwell before they are commission confirmed! The whole process can take over 2 years to complete and there are no 'gizzits' or Green Shield passes! I have, in a previous incarnation, suspended VRT officers from their training as a result of poor progress or lack of suitability!

I have no great wish to see ranks inflated on a popularity vote but the role of 'ambassador' is, I am sure you would agree, better served in a senior position rather than in that of a junior officer no matter their previous credentials!

Bloggs:rolleyes:

Things have changed since I got my commission then. I was commissioned as acting Plt Off and had to satisfactorily complete a 1 week Initial Officers Course at Newton within 12 months. After 12 months and course completed, I was promoted to Fg Off.
On being given command of a Squadron, I was promoted to acting Flt Lt and once again had to satisfactorily complete a 1 week Senior Officers course at Newton.

Things have indeed changed chevvron, but not as much as Bloggs suggests.

Not all Sqns have a "Cranwell-endorsed OT course" embedded - the better ones do have local training, but it is not mandatory, nor is it officially "endorsed" by HQAC at Cranwell. If it were, it would be mandatory.

The VR(T) candidates do go through OASC - but without medical and fitness test. OASC grades them in a "batting order", but the yes/no decision is made by one of the Regional Commandants or the HQAC COS, who acts as overall Board Chairman. They then wear the insignia of Officer Cadets - white tabs and cap band - until their commission is confirmed after the one week initial course at the ACO Adult Training Facility (ATF) at Cranwell. They are then Pilot Officers. When appointed as Sqn Cdrs, they undergo another one week course at ATF before they are paid in the rank of Flt Lt (Fg Off is time promotion at present).

Apart from OASC, not that different from that which chevvron describes.....:ok: