RAF missing a trick?
 

Anyone else reckon the RAF is missing a trick with regards to publicity and recruitment?
It seems every time I turn on the tv there is another documentary about he RN, the latest one the very good documentary about Queen Elizabeth entering service, before that there was Warship about HMS Ocean, RN School about their basic training school and others including Royal Marines.
The RAF would benefit massively from some sort of tv publicty show/documentary.
Lots of positive and exciting stuff that could be used to publicise what the guys and girls get upto around the globe.

Jayand
 

"Lots of positive and exciting stuff that could be used to publicise what the guys and girls get upto around the globe."

Maybe but not convinced. The RAF has made a huge mess of Air Cadet Flying, pilots have been made redundant in recent times and those training today take years to get through the system and onto the frontline. Engineering? RAF Cosford "The Home of RAF Engineering" has not maintained its flying units in years thanks to contractorisation and the VGS first formed there in 1948 was disbanded. I fear RAF Cosford mostly trains bright young people to change boxes which are sent back to the manufacturer, not sure airframes or engines much different.

I recall the best that the TV system could do for the RAFs image were two purile efforts called: "Get Some In" and "Around The Watch Tower".

The first dealt with a group of NS airmen and the latter some remote radar site commanded by a wg cdr. Both efforts were truly awful IMHO.

Even when the RAF was involved in "Helicopter Rescue", the RN seemed to have greater exposure than did the air force.

It ought not to be beyond the capability of the RAF media and comms mob to develop a series following a couple of people through the system or even to have a couple who were at both ends of the system - one a recruit t'other an experienced operator.

Regrettably, the whole thing would be spoiled because it would have to be served up with large doses of inclusivity, diversity and several other 'itys', instead of just telling the story and getting the message across.

Old Duffer

Back when the last recruiting crisis arose, MoD(Air) asked some advertising company about the best way to catch the attention of prospective recruits....

"What's the demographic you have in mind?"
"Mainly young men in their late teens, so what do you suggest?"
"Bums and tits"
"What? We couldn't possibly allow that"
"OK - your choice. Unlikely that you'll grab their attention any other way. Here's our invoice...."

Recruitment is always ongoing and needed.
Perfect opportunity to film out in Akrotiri right now, what better than a hot, sunny overseas base with lots of Operational and social/sporting stuff going on? They'd be queing up at the AFCO's.

Going back to the original question posed at the start of the thread, I do believe the RAF is missing a trick here.
The various "fly on the wall" documentaries featuring the Navy, of which the Queen Elizabeth series was the latest, are basically free adverts for the Navy and are almost 100% puffery reminiscent of 1950s Pathe newsreels. The degree of deference shown, and the almost sycophantic adherence to the party line could almost restore faith in the media, if you didnt know better!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching them, and they are interesting, but they could hardly be described as hard hitting, insightful or thought provoking. Nevertheless, I invariably come away from them with a warmish glow about the Navy.
Even allowing for the fact that their recruitment needs are different from the RAF's a bit of free goodwill never comes amiss, and could help address what seems to me to be a growing issue, that the visibility of the RAF to the UK public continues to diminish .
The TV companies need content to fill the airwaves, and this sort of thing is cheap to produce and hence attractive to them. Why not take advantage?

I have a very jaundiced view of 'publicity' programmes. They can't be insightful, thought provoking etc because the great unwashed couldn't understand them or would rapidly lose interest in the subject matter.

The thought processes of many, including those at supposed bastions of education and learning, are very shallow and their knowledge of anything other than the 'here and now' sparse.

O-D

Trades Description Act?? You'd have to put in a statement "you might also finish up at Lossiemouth or Mt Pleasant"...............:bored:

Almost certainly would end up at Lossiemouth given dwindling number of other bases! You're not comparing Mt Pleasant to Lossie though surely? ;-)
It doesn't have to be hard hitting or too in depth, look at the helicopter hero's programme on tv just now, they have tv crews at three or four seperate locations and show the interesting jobs they get called to.
Could easily do similar for RAF, imagine a crew being followed on Q getting scrambled to an intercept, tonka crew in Cyprus flying into Syria, humanitarian job somewhere sunny for a C17 or herc crew, a crew following recruits at Halton or Cranwell, new MPA Sqn forming at Lossie, Reaper ops etc.....there's plenty of material

Lossiemouth THEN Mt Pleasant.......

these days they'd probably get a better response showing drone operators and people working on decent trades.. 99% of people don't think they'd qualify for aircrew anyway

Sell quality training ............. especially to those who don't go off to do Advanced TV programming at their local "Uni"

Did we not try this thirty years ago with "Fighter Pilot", which I do not remember as a great success. It certainly set the cat amongst the pigeons with such issues as the lifestyle of the "livers out", causing the RAF to insist that first tourists had to live on base or in quarters. It is essential to retain editorial rights to prevent the media from setting its own agenda.