maybe just maybe she had to perform better than the other male aircrew during the year of her application because there would have been the inevitable “can a woman do the job as well as a man” prejudice to overcome.

I reckon this is close to the truth. On a website run by female US combat pilots that I sadly can’t find at the moment, I remember seeing some FAQs for aspiring female pilots, the advice being that you have to be better than the guys in order to compete.

Anyone fancy parting with nearly 15k for the front end of a Tornado F2?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RAF-Panavia-Tornado-ADV-Fighter-Aircraft-Cockpit-Section-Ideal-Simulator-Project-/130619898695?pt=UK_CPV_Aviation_SM&hash=item1e698d7b47

Not a stripped out one, anyway.

I was under the impression that the Gulf War losses were exacerbated by the use of the JP233 weapon, which required the crews to fly straight and level along enemy runways.

But the ever delightful Wikipedia says otherwise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JP233

Cockpit sold for €15,301 and the Fouga for €88,521.

When I enquired about this a few months ago, I was told that they want to sell it as part of a package with a flyable Sea Harrier, despite it being listed as “IDEAL FOR COLLECTOR, MUSEUM, SIMULATOR, MOVIE PROP ETC”. Also inspite of “POA” I was not vouchsafed the asking price.

That calls to mind a great yarn in Dick Lord’s book “From Tailhooker to Mudmover”..he was flying a Vixen on air interception practise, and his his observer vectored him onto a blip at 40,000ft near Filton. On closing it was apparent that it was a Vulcan…easy meat. They both went into a turning chase and Lord was staggered by the fact that not only did the Vulcan outturn him, forcing him into prestall buffet, but began to outclimb him too. Only as it levelled and flew away did he see the fifth Concorde engine slung under the fuselage……

Tony Buttler’s Sea Vixen book contains a number of Aircrew testimonies on Vulcan intercepts, including the following by Cdr Peter Buckley as an example:

“The most difficult aircraft to mix it with was, surprisingly, the Vulcan. With its huge delta wing it could out-turn almost anything – particularly at height. If your intercept wasn’t correct the first time and the Vulcan turned towards you, he would be on your tail within seconds. One would then be humiliated by the sound of the Vulcan pilot transmitting “dagga dagga dagga dagga” simulated gunfire in your earphones!” (p. 150).