BBC Series - Fighter Pilots
 

I've spent the last few evenings watching the above series on YouTube, and throughly enjoyed doing so. I recognised Martin Withers as a QFI, and kept my eye open for Courtney, believing he'd be at Linton & Valley around that time. I flew with a former Linton instructor, whilst he commanded No 11 AEF after retiring from regular service, but didn't see him.

My question is, did anyone from this forum appear in the series?

BBC Series - Fighter Pilots
 

If you watch the parade ground scene at OCTU, you can see me sweeping the square. My cse were the support Sqn for the graduation, however, I believe the grad ball scenes used in the documentary were of our grad.

I think you'll find.... The series was called "Fighter Pilot". Not "s".

Made me join the RAF!!

Chinook240 correct
 

I also appeared in the same scenes. The BBC camera crews were on a work to rule so did not film parade preparation or the Graduation Dinner that was Blue Sqn instead of Red that was being filmed the rest of the time. I also followed the course through Valley

Knew JM when he was on Buccs at Lossie, :) Good guy who would not suffer fools but earned respect because of the way he went about dealing with them.

Still a pilot who threw his maps on the floor but i guess that kept me in a living picking them up :) One particularly nasty individual (a rarity thankfully) did walk to his Jaguar with just that, the scraps of his maps off the floor, having berated me for not having the OS map he required immediately to hand, moral do not leave your maps lying about. Formation leader knew and approved - Happy days :)

Si, I'd left Linton before they filmed this. Actually rather glad the film crews weren't around in my time there. I'd have had to spend too much time combing hair, keeping large watch in plain view and wearing aviator shades. Id rather look good than be good!

C-M...you might want to rephrase your last sentence...or maybe not....

This series almost made me not apply to join - thought the odds were too long! Still, when I did go through the Officers' & Aircrew Selection Centre at RAF Biggin Hill successfully, I did attribute this series to my success in part - forewarned is forearmed!

Watched it again last night. The only difference I could see was the long hair and flares plus the Candidates' Club had a Star Wars gane machine in it!

LJ

I don't think too much had changed when I went through OASC, there was still a tatty space invaders machine for 'entertainment'. :rolleyes:

TV documentaries rarely reflect to full story, but this was very good viewing.

The guy who taught me to fly was an instructor from around that time. Watching the series I see where his sympathetic manner and gentle training technique come from...:)

Watched the first episode of this last night. Would be interesting to know how different the OASC course is now. Do they still call it OASC?

Another old pilot and myself were on a VR(T) Cadet Force Officer course a few years ago, and part of a morning was at the testing centre. The physical and mental testing are similar, except that the machines are computerised (our generation's electro-mechanical machines were in a mini museum section! (which cued a joke from a PE teacher on how we should have been also).
We did a few of the tests. The two pilots passed (still got it!) and everyone else failed - including the PE teacher (dismally). We just smiled; he didn't. ;)

The leadership exercises looked similar, except they are clearly a lot safer - physical strength and agility are less helpful now.

It was first shown as I was digesting the bumpf I had received on the UAS in the post. When I applied to join some weeks later, I knew what to expect and wasn't disappointed! I have it on DVD and can watch it through from start to finish if the mood takes me.
It is a pity they didn't do a follow up on the main characters some years later. I understand one of the guys was planning a book on the series, 'to put the record straight'. It has been mentioned on here before.

There is a paper presented in 1999 by the Brits to the Yanks on the evolution of RAF pilot aptitude testing here:
http://www.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/p010369.pdf

It's only 6 pages,and describes the underlying philosophies as well as the changes.

Looks like we're the same generation rolling20. I did my Cadetship selection in May 1981 and likewise found the series extremely useful. I later flew with one of the main characters who had re-roled as a nav.

You would be correct there Fox. Gave an 18 year old a fascinating insight into service life. Happy times when I look back :)

Well, I've been watching all these posts about "Fighter Pilot" for some time now and unfortunately, I might give away my Pprune name by clarifying a few issues.
I was very much involved with the series at Linton, my old Sqn Cdr from Canberra days was the RAF liaison officer who accompanied the BBC team throughout. This led to some early stacks for me and numerous visits to local hostelries!
One of my students, who was filmed, was not destined for fast jets and we both realised this at an early stage in his training. He did however become an experienced Hercules Captain.
CFS, in their infinite wisdom, apparently used some of my airborne comments, (taken out of context I might add) to show how "not" to train students.
The producer, Colin Strong, wanted to "feel" the pressure the students were under, so it was decided to give him 14 hours dual training, (the amount all students would get to first solo).
Unfortunately, unlike the RAF students who had a PPL or had completed 30 hours previous flying experience, Colin's only flying experience was as a passenger in a B-747!
He went solo on a Jet Provost on Exercise 14 at Elvington. I was that QFI!

Isn't that what you all do anyway when you aren't flying? :cool:

The resurrection of this thread brings an answer to something I've been wondering about for a while. "Where's Fox3 been?" Now I see he's been banned. Seems a bit odd; not the sort of guy to do anything inflammatory. Anyone know what happened. Or aren't we allowed to talk about it?

Some in my current job manage it while flying...

Courtney, I was wondering about Fox3 myself... :sad:

Fox 3 - not the sort of guy to frighten the horses - what can he have done? Hope he is not unwell, but "banned"

Possibly he may have been a bit too outspoken about some of the choppy choppy types in the ME?

Agree with Courtney, OS and Wander ... Fox3 is sorely missed by the regular CapComp Crew :(

Remember it all too well, really disrupted day-to-day training and the producer/director was a PITA left-wing pinko.

Most of the Valley Hawk flying was done by the staff, very little was student flying and I spent kin hours at high level looking for trails so he could shoot the opening sequence where the roundel appears with the trailing Hawk.

My a... is still sore.

It had the potential to be a very good programme but the directors personal agenda spoilt it and the RAF and the poor studes he followed suffered as a result. The Navy's version, Warship was much better.

I would like to have seen the chap who wanted to join 'For the glamour' get selected for training.

Would have been fun watching him get through.

odanrot,

The "Director/Producer" wrote a book about it, didn't come across as anything like you suggest, or is it that he's just not a foaming at the mouth right wing nut job?

pr00ne: are you implying that anyone who's pro-military has those characteristics?

Pr00ne. No he was more the quiet Jeremy Corbyn type. Now that was 3 quid well spent.

Odanrot,

A nice guy then.

Ken Scott,

Are you?

This thread made me youtube the whole thing earlier. Whining to an airship about leave (and admitting that the leave was a big + in joining) must've gone down well; and well done McCrae- but I wonder how many innocent people slit their wrists due to close contact with him! He smiled once, but it was confirmed subsequently as a bad attack of wind. I bet he got nada on the side when he was a milkie!

CG

Yes, watched it myself a few months ago.

I flew with one of the instructors in a different life - he played Father Christmas in an episode of 'Airline".

Always had a personal 'bar' available for 'room parties' (much to my cost!!!) :}

His comments about preferring to live off base ensured that the AOC ordered them all back to their rooms in the Mess!:ugh:

:=

I was on the same 6 month long CFS JP course as John and I don't think we lost anyone along the way, even in the bar, even after after a few beers. It was very interesting hearing his stories of how exactly some of those scenes (especially the one about leave and the one about living off base) were manufactured.... if the production team deliberately pee people off for long enough, especially on a Friday night and keep the cameras rolling they'll get some stuff worth using.......

Goes to show JM was right when he said to me one point "funny how everyone remembers I was a milkman, no-one remembers I'm a graduate....."

Was that even mentioned?

CG

As an aside if I recall correctly you 'only' needed 5 O levels back in the day to be able to apply for Pilot.

Am I correct?

Would 5 GCSE's get me in now if so? :)

Back on topic, sort of, getting a degree and then going to work as a milkman hardly stamps you as someone dying to fly fast jets does it?

And I fully expect flak for that sentence.

And this is probably been covered before but cannot be bothered to search. Sorry.

Was there any pressure from the Higher-Up's to get someone on FJ's from the Officers that were filmed just to show the RAF in a good light?

The man I'm talking about was slated for giving the worst instruction during one of the approaches?!

Great bloke in my experience!

:)

As an aside if I recall correctly you 'only' needed 5 O levels back in the day to be able to apply for Pilot.

Am I correct?

Would 5 GCSE's get me in now if so?

Back on topic, sort of, getting a degree and then going to work as a milkman hardly stamps you as someone dying to fly fast jets does it?

And I fully expect flak for that sentence.

One of the best pilots I met was a "Sheet Metal Worker" before he joined up.

Hmmm, I think the series shows, pretty much, the way it was. Good and bad.
Some good filming. And, yes I did go through it myself at the time!:p:p

OAP

I encountered the BBC luvvies and that 'Director/Producer' at Valley when I was doing a Hawk refresher course.

The Director/Producer came across as a typical BBC pinko, but not as loathsome as pr00ne's fellow traveller Comrade Corbychev.....:yuk:

Derr...

Nope, thanks to Nu Liabor's "everyones' a winner" education system then only A-levels will crack it.

LJ