Discussion
Is there a thread on this? TV tonight 20:30 BBC1. Wonder what else will be on this year.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-43...
RIAT will be interesting.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/entertainment-arts-43...
RIAT will be interesting.
Fluid said:
And replaced by what?
Take a look around the world!The RAF only operates in support of the navy and army anyway. We already have the Joint Helicopter Command and that works well. A combined defence force would be acknowledgement that the old system is extremely top heavy and a waste of money.
I was in the RAF 1981-90, if it matters.
Tony1963 said:
Fluid said:
And replaced by what?
Take a look around the world!The RAF only operates in support of the navy and army anyway. We already have the Joint Helicopter Command and that works well. A combined defence force would be acknowledgement that the old system is extremely top heavy and a waste of money.
I was in the RAF 1981-90, if it matters.
Whilst I agree that there is a need to save money and it is time to start properly looking at previously sacred cows, I don’t think disbanding the RAF is the way to go. There’s a very good reason that almost every country has kept an independent Air Force, and that the Canada experiment didn’t work.
As for flypasts, yes I do know but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait! Not my place to give out the info, but I’ve seen the plan and I think you’ll like it

cuprabob said:
Simpo Two said:
Geoffrey Wellum: '...the cockpits were full of ghosts'
A very moving statement...Those 2 old dears who delivered the aircraft were very entertaining. Sad that one has passed.
frodo_monkey said:
Really? I must have imagined all that time I spent flying over the Middle East...
Whilst I agree that there is a need to save money and it is time to start properly looking at previously sacred cows, I don’t think disbanding the RAF is the way to go. There’s a very good reason that almost every country has kept an independent Air Force, and that the Canada experiment didn’t work.
As for flypasts, yes I do know but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait! Not my place to give out the info, but I’ve seen the plan and I think you’ll like it
I'm not RAF but heard unofficially (they might have changed since)...but good luck if youre involved!Whilst I agree that there is a need to save money and it is time to start properly looking at previously sacred cows, I don’t think disbanding the RAF is the way to go. There’s a very good reason that almost every country has kept an independent Air Force, and that the Canada experiment didn’t work.
As for flypasts, yes I do know but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait! Not my place to give out the info, but I’ve seen the plan and I think you’ll like it

frodo_monkey said:
As for flypasts, yes I do know but I’m afraid you’ll have to wait! Not my place to give out the info, but I’ve seen the plan and I think you’ll like it 
100 RAF aircraft on the 10th July has to include some rather special examples 

Also looking forward to Daks over Normandy next June. Should be quite a beautiful spectacle.
Tony1963 said:
Take a look around the world!
The RAF only operates in support of the navy and army anyway. We already have the Joint Helicopter Command and that works well. A combined defence force would be acknowledgement that the old system is extremely top heavy and a waste of money.
I was in the RAF 1981-90, if it matters.
Which shows you know jack about how airpower is deployed and you have never been at the forefront of such deployment..The RAF only operates in support of the navy and army anyway. We already have the Joint Helicopter Command and that works well. A combined defence force would be acknowledgement that the old system is extremely top heavy and a waste of money.
I was in the RAF 1981-90, if it matters.
The Army and the Navy can only operate in conditions of Air Supremacy (or at best Air Superiority) FFS. So who the f
k do you think provides that?Good luck thinking you can win a ground or sea engement without air superiority.
It also shows you know jack about 'Defernce Forces' have evolved. If you had actually some study as to thaht you propose, ie the Canadian Defense Forces, and what they found that binning the seperate Services didn't work, and why they decided to effectively reinstate the seperate srvices
What did you do in the RAF BTW?
As for JHC? The Govt are looking at binning AAC FFS!
cuprabob said:
Simpo Two said:
Geoffrey Wellum: '...the cockpits were full of ghosts'
A very moving statement...Those 2 old dears who delivered the aircraft were very entertaining. Sad that one has passed.
Reference to other events possible, sure it will be great. Awful lot of times on my hands from now on so lets see what we will have.
cuprabob said:
Simpo Two said:
Geoffrey Wellum: '...the cockpits were full of ghosts'
A very moving statement...Those 2 old dears who delivered the aircraft were very entertaining. Sad that one has passed.
Can't say I was that impressed with last nights programme, too much "I'm a celebrity, look at me" instead of 100 years of the RAF.
The Cold War era was nearly half of the lifespan of the RAF, yet it got a brief mention in respect of the V-Force nuc deterent, and nothing about UK QRA, nothing about RAFG, nothing about decades overseas in NEAF, FEAF etc.,etc.
Not much chance of any celeb involvement in those things I guess.........

TV gets shallower and shallower with each passing year.
The problem is that TV producers and programme commissioners no longer trust their audiences to be interested unless there is a "showbiz" or "media culture" aspect to the programme. Content and facts are no longer enough.
And why do they think like that? Because it is THEY who aren't interested in the facts and it is THEY who want "media culture" embedded in the programme to try and make it interesting to themselves.
They assume everybody is like them.
Ironically, this is not new. Back in the days when BBC (in particular) made some great aviation related programmes, the people making and presenting these programmes often had direct experience of aviation - many having served in the RAF (Raymond Baxter, for example). Progrtammers tend to make programmes that interests them first. It just so happens that the current generation of programme makers tend to have worked in the media their entire working lives - so bring very little or no knowledge beyond "media" savvyness to their programme making.
The problem is that TV producers and programme commissioners no longer trust their audiences to be interested unless there is a "showbiz" or "media culture" aspect to the programme. Content and facts are no longer enough.
And why do they think like that? Because it is THEY who aren't interested in the facts and it is THEY who want "media culture" embedded in the programme to try and make it interesting to themselves.
They assume everybody is like them.
Ironically, this is not new. Back in the days when BBC (in particular) made some great aviation related programmes, the people making and presenting these programmes often had direct experience of aviation - many having served in the RAF (Raymond Baxter, for example). Progrtammers tend to make programmes that interests them first. It just so happens that the current generation of programme makers tend to have worked in the media their entire working lives - so bring very little or no knowledge beyond "media" savvyness to their programme making.
Gretchen said:
Watching this. I thought it was a series not a one off. Repeated on 1st April at 3.15pm for anyone who’s missed it.
U.K. Flypasts? Please share!
I am told RIAT on Friday is going to be good. jmorgan said:
frodo_monkey said:
There’s a few bits and pieces in the pipeline... 
Best wait until June/July!
Cannot say what?
Best wait until June/July!

Ginetta G15 Girl said:
Which shows you know jack about how airpower is deployed and you have never been at the forefront of such deployment..
The Army and the Navy can only operate in conditions of Air Supremacy (or at best Air Superiority) FFS. So who the f
k do you think provides that?
Good luck thinking you can win a ground or sea engement without air superiority.
It also shows you know jack about 'Defernce Forces' have evolved. If you had actually some study as to thaht you propose, ie the Canadian Defense Forces, and what they found that binning the seperate Services didn't work, and why they decided to effectively reinstate the seperate srvices
What did you do in the RAF BTW?
As for JHC? The Govt are looking at binning AAC FFS!
I suspect his point was less about the value of airpower than who owns itThe Army and the Navy can only operate in conditions of Air Supremacy (or at best Air Superiority) FFS. So who the f
k do you think provides that?Good luck thinking you can win a ground or sea engement without air superiority.
It also shows you know jack about 'Defernce Forces' have evolved. If you had actually some study as to thaht you propose, ie the Canadian Defense Forces, and what they found that binning the seperate Services didn't work, and why they decided to effectively reinstate the seperate srvices
What did you do in the RAF BTW?
As for JHC? The Govt are looking at binning AAC FFS!
Between 1941-45 the United States managed to prosecute a global war, across multiple theatres, achieving either a favourable air situation or air supremacy in each, with an 'air force' that was subordinate to the Army chain of command
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff



