harkins wrote:Finningley Boy wrote:I'm sure there is a reason, but this centenary is looking, so far, like a dreadful valediction.
FB
Do you mean for the Tornado or the Royal Air Force as a whole? As much as I'm excited about the coming display season, at times I can't help but feel this is a bit like a humans 100th birthday. Barely aware of what's going on and will soon be deceased.
I think both Harkins, I do not seek to be contrary on UKAR. My point is simply I'm irritated by hype dressing up a pedestrian, lacklustre endeavour as a spectacular one to remember. The RAF it would seem are unable and or unwilling to make a particular effort. Not entirely their fault, but Cosford is a most unsuitable choice of venue for holding an event, sponsored by and on behalf of the RAF. Make no mistake, this is their own party, not RIAT, far too many people think RIAT is an RAF event, it isn't, its well supported, indeed, better supported by the RAF than anything else, even Waddington and Leuchars often couldn't compete. However, Cosford is too small as an airfield to stage such an event as the RAF's centenary, it has no room. It has of course a fantastic museum, but you can go there anytime, like Duxford. When the Lightning, Buccaneer and Phantom retired they could manage something, at least a solo display and a large formation somewhere. Then of course they weren't supporting a deployment overseas at the same time. Then again the RAF are running down available airframes at quite a pace. It the aircraft is that vital against Daesh still, then why the rush to dispense with a heavily relied on aircraft anyway? It seems meeting targets for running down assets and saving money (or trying to) is the primary object of the exercise?!? Lord West makes a very good point about our attitude toward the Armed Forces, if the NHS or welfare budget had sustained the same rate of draw down or anything like, I shudder to imagine the public reaction, long before matters got so far. A question for you sir, do you think that HM Forces are being run down to the point of failure to make it easier to privatize the lot?
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