Tell that to the blokes who were on QRA in October 1962. I was at school at the time but I have flown with lots of men who genuinely thought that they were never going to see their families again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I really enjoyed the first episode and found it entertaining, informative and highly relevant in the 21st Century. The characters displayed the same skill, professionalism and passion for flying as any of their forebears but came across as openly honest human beings, not deferential, hide-bound automatons.

Roll on the next episode.

Given the programme's references to 'Top Gun', it's quite appropriate that the Fleet Air Arm was responsible for creating the original US Navy ‘Top Gun’ school at Miramar Naval Air Station near San Diego.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukn...y-British.html

I enjoyed the programme-its very different to the Fighter Pilot Series of the 80's when I was dreaming of a Bucaneer/Tornado cockpit for myself.

The Top Gun thing is a little cringeworthy to be honest, but Joe Public will identify with that more (and after all this programme is aimed at Joe Public, not current or ex-mil pilots).

And yes, the instructional technique does rather seem to have changed since the John McRae era, but its a different world with different students, and as long as the finished product is fit for purpose for the front line, then who cares?

I'm not sure the but about logging into the F-35 was particularly good PR though....although the other insight into operating the jet was very interesting.

I have just watched the programme, having recorded it, and having been conditiioned by reading this thread beforehand. I get the part about it having been dumbed down to make it accessible to the general public, and I don't have any conceptual difficulty with this. My only gripe is with the extent of the dumbing down, exemplified by the recurring references to "fast jet driving tests". Surely even the dimmer elements of the general public deserve something a bit more thought provoking and insightful than this?
The programme makers seem to have been given some pretty special access, particularly in the US, but appear to have squandered it producing something with marginally less gravitas than the "epic" Eddie Stobart series.
Heres hoping episode 2 is a bit more substantive.

To be fair, I'd have imagined there's a fair few who thought the same from time to time...

In the 1970s, fast-jet pilots learned to fly the Gnat at Valley, then did a short Hunter refresher course before going to TWU at Chivenor or Brawdy. The courses at Valley were very much 'Training Command' and a lot of time was occupied learning how to stop the Gnat trying to kill you! There was NO 'tactical' formation flying; indeed, the TWUs wanted to teach that from a clean sheet.

Moving to TWU, you went into Strike Command. No more read-and-white trainers, you flew green and grey fighters - and the ethos was very different. Hard work, it is true, but very rewarding with lots of low level, simulated attack profiles, live strafe, bombing and rocketing at Pembrey range.

But when the Hawk appeared on the scene, it replaced Gnat/Hunter at Valley AND Hunter at TWU. A lot of savings could therefore be made in type conversion. But Valley was still 'flying training' and TWU was still 'tactical training' That changed further when the rather despised 'mirror image' scheme started, Chivenor closed and everything went to Valley. Which meant a lot of wasted time with detachments at St Athan for weaponeering at nearby Pembrey.

Along came more technologically advanced front line jets and training on the Hawk T2. 'Fast jet driving tests' apart, flying the aircraft isn't as demanding as the Gnat / Hunter as it is safer. has vastly better cockpit ergonomics and systems and live weaponeering is no longer deemed necessary. So no waiting for the cloud to lift at Pembrey any more, or for someone to shoot the flag off the back of Puddy's Meteor ending the air-to-air range sortie at Hartland . Synthetic training systems are in greater use - all we had at Brawdy was a Hunter sim and bits from crashed aircraft nailed together to teach gunsight control etc.! Low level planning now uses an automated system rather than paper maps and gorilla snot glue; also I would doubt whether 'sight piccy' drawings are necessary given the HUD symbology now available. No-one could possibly prefer the faff of sorting out half a dozen Hunter cine mags on the way to the range, of that I'm sure!

So yes, the new era training is hugely different to that of previous years. Whether students and staff really interact in the air as they did in the programme I do not know. Lucky blighters will eventually fly F-35B or Typhoon; the failure rate is quite reasonable these days but hard work is still needed, albeit with a different emphasis.

It's just such a pity that the RAF has been forced into MFTS though - but I suppose that'll give instructors greater opportunities to gain instructional experience than if they were merely biding their time champing at the bit to get back to the front line.

pr00ne, old horseman, surely such a post would be better sent as a Private Message?

And get a haircut! ;)

Actually, maybe I am naive (don't answer that), but I joined to fly aeroplanes and never gave war a thought. War was something that happened before my time. It would never happen to me. Years later, after a career practicing for war in FJs, I moved over to VC10s. When I arrived as a bumped up Jag mate, I was told in no uncertain terms by the 'Old Guard' that the VC10 would never go anywhere near a war zone. 13 years later I found myself flying into the FEBA, at night and with no nav aids (apart from a wonky IN) and no lights, wearing AR5, whilst Scuds flew over the top. I actually had a good war, even though I had been shot at by nasty missiles (there and previously in the Balkans). But my point is that I definitely did NOT enlist knowing I might have to pay the ultimate price. Like many of my young generation, I knew nothing, I thought nothing and peace time flying was the only thing on the menu. Maybe I had Baldrick's bullet :)

Your post Beagle merely shows how young you are. Or does it prove that I really am a dinosaur :)

Signed, your Gramps.

Did a stude actually say it had taken NINE years to get form attestation to Valley - is that all I the training machine or is he a transfer fro another branch or commissioned from airman service. If true makes a nonsense of the age limitations for entry to aircrew training

I always thought that 617 squadron were a BOMBER squadron so why is it called Fighter Pilot ????