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Top Guns - Inside the RAF

Cat Techie

Sergeant
Licensed A/C Eng
533
182
43
Yes - And he never bollocked an airman - he asked them who their SNCO was and took the matter up with them to issue the bollocking!
Was a brilliant bloke and his replacement Ging 2 was as good. The last one at Colt was more old skool.
 

Junter

LAC
70
32
18
Bumps for the projection of HUD data into the helmet.
Ah thanks, I couldn't work it out. Thought it might have been for making the jockey's swede a bit more more stealthy but that didn’t make sense as Typhoon isn't a stealth aircraft 😀
 

Rigga

Licensed Aircraft Engineer
1000+ Posts
Licensed A/C Eng
2,163
122
63
Was a brilliant bloke and his replacement Ging 2 was as good. The last one at Colt was more old skool.
The last SWO at Colt was a mate of mine’s husband. He got me into the Mess as a Social Member as I’d just left the RAF from Laarbruch.
Sadly, he died far too early some five years ago.
 

Rigga

Licensed Aircraft Engineer
1000+ Posts
Licensed A/C Eng
2,163
122
63
I was a little dissappointed to see that the Line guys didnt have the where-with-all to fix a flying control snag! Was this because there is only one black box in the RAF to fix it? - or that the line guys are limited to just kicking tyres?
 
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I was a little dissappointed to see that the Line guys didnt have the where-with-all to fix a flying control snag! Was this because there is only one black box in the RAF to fix it? - or that the line guys are limited to just kicking tyres?

It's more likely that they don't have the scale of workforce out there to commit to chasing a snag for days on end while maintaining readiness for the other a/c. With the aircraft offline for a while, it probably makes more sense to just replace it and for it to be dealt with back in the UK. It'll be RAF 'line guys' mending it in the UK with all resources and tech support if needed, rather than away from MOB.
 

Rigga

Licensed Aircraft Engineer
1000+ Posts
Licensed A/C Eng
2,163
122
63
It's more likely that they don't have the scale of workforce out there to commit to chasing a snag for days on end while maintaining readiness for the other a/c. With the aircraft offline for a while, it probably makes more sense to just replace it and for it to be dealt with back in the UK. It'll be RAF 'line guys' mending it in the UK with all resources and tech support if needed, rather than away from MOB.
so, to put it more simply - not enough guys or enough skills on Det....?
I thought the idea of a Det was to work as a single unit at a new place???
 
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so, to put it more simply - not enough guys or enough skills on Det....?
I thought the idea of a set was to work as a single unit at a new place???
Ideally, but this is the reality....I'll refer you to the retention problem currently underway, and the many gapped posts around units - which means more ooa for everyone and lest time for AT and other opportunities. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.
 

Rigga

Licensed Aircraft Engineer
1000+ Posts
Licensed A/C Eng
2,163
122
63
Ideally, but this is the reality....I'll refer you to the retention problem currently underway, and the many gapped posts around units - which means more ooa for everyone and lest time for AT and other opportunities. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.
Sorry to say that ‘the retention problem’ has been going on for about 30 years now. Most organisations would have thought of a way around it by now - a good apprenticeship or a variety of educational carrots somewhere - but perhaps a persistent 20-year war has broken the former chain of willing volunteers?
 

muttywhitedog

Retired Rock Star 5.5.14
1000+ Posts
4,597
642
113
As long as there is an option to leave with an immediate pension, then there will be a retention problem. Those who the RAF would benefit from staying tend to leave once they hit that point, as they realise they can earn the same wage outside, whilst simultaneously picking up around a third of their RAF salary for free. You are left with too little experience led by leaders lacking in quality.
 

Cat Techie

Sergeant
Licensed A/C Eng
533
182
43
Sorry to say that ‘the retention problem’ has been going on for about 30 years now. Most organisations would have thought of a way around it by now - a good apprenticeship or a variety of educational carrots somewhere - but perhaps a persistent 20-year war has broken the former chain of willing volunteers?
The civvy aviation world for engineers is just as bad.
 

Rigga

Licensed Aircraft Engineer
1000+ Posts
Licensed A/C Eng
2,163
122
63
The civvy aviation world for engineers is just as bad.
The relatively small company I work for has just 30 employees and has just started 4 B1 apprentices which , we hope, will turn into LAEs in four years. Two of our earlier appreciates have their B1 applications already in to the CAA. The worst that can happen is that they leave the company - so yes, retention is an issue but not insurmountable in civvy Street.
 

Cat Techie

Sergeant
Licensed A/C Eng
533
182
43
The relatively small company I work for has just 30 employees and has just started 4 B1 apprentices which , we hope, will turn into LAEs in four years. Two of our earlier appreciates have their B1 applications already in to the CAA. The worst that can happen is that they leave the company - so yes, retention is an issue but not insurmountable in civvy Street.
You have a system in place? My place requires 7 B1s. We have 2. Having a live licence. You don't. Not enough about. Your licence is not current so is worthless.
 

Dan_Brown

Sergeant
941
132
43
Enjoyed the latest episode, Stn Cdr seems a good guy and it was a bit emotional watching the WO leaving after 34 years.

I like watching searching for the OS stuff in the background, nice big monitor displaying "Official Sensitive" (albeit 12 months old). Not seen anything pink yet :)
 
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