Top Guns - Inside the RAF

[muttywhitedog]

Ha! Was waiting for AMLC, so substantive Sgt, A/FS and they tried to send me on a 6 monther as A/WO.

Shows how fecked my trade is

Its definately gone downhill. I used to manage the OOA rota for 2 MT Sqn. They had an A/WO post in Bastion and their management wanted to fill the post with a newly promoted FS who had only just received his first SJAR after 6 months in rank - which he got a "likely". They didnt like it when I told them that policy meant someone couldnt have acting paid unless their last appraisal had a positive promotion recommendation, and I was leant on very very heavily by their OC and Sqn WO to turn a blind eye and let him go. and put the pay through on JPA. I stuck to my guns and someone else had to go, but guess what recommendation this guy got on his next appraisal!

 

[Cat Techie]

What astounded me about that WO was that after 35 years service he only had Air Ops Iraq medal! Where was he during the Balkans, Seirra Leone, Iraq, Afhgan and Shader!!!!!??????

Bad back? Mates in the drafter office?

 

[Cat Techie]

Probs Cosford, drawing Techy pay for doing something like CI, with perhaps a Falklands Tour thrown in.

I still recall the Drafters brief I received around 2009, where they showed us their live OOA list. My rank/trade was over 33% unavailable, and of those the person who sat at No1 hadnt done an OOA in 20 years, yet everyone else was doing one every 2-3 years.

My last OOA call up was 18 months warning. Feb 2007. By Oct 2007. It had gone to 2 weeks time. I was on my cross dressing course at Tossford so was canned from that list and stuck in the next hole in the Basrah list. Glass backs.. I spit at them.

 

[Rigga]

So, from all the above gripes not much has changed since the 1980s & 90s PWR lists that were dodged and ducked by so many. I remember one very ‘gung-ho warrior’ in Germany turned out to be VERY shy from going to the Falklands (“…it’s a bloody war zone”…) - and then have the cheek to turn up on ‘familiarisation tour’ of 5 days (between Timmy’s) partying to encourage him to get in line - only for him (and his Tour buddy) to refuse it all again.
There can be dozens of ways to dodge a tour that you dont want. - Shift workers might be working two jobs, they might have a poorly relative or a medical condition or even a hidden addiction. Bad Backs were always a favourite as its difficult to prove/disprove. There will always be dodgers - and many of the ‘characters’ pulling such a stunt would surprise you.

 

[Dan_Brown]

From a team of 6 of us, only 2 are fit to deploy. 1 has been downgraded since training - 4 years later and still on a biff chit.