If your arguement is why keep a base open for the sake of history -what justification is there in keeping Cranwell open?

Apart from the RAF College (and associated facilities and training area), HQ Central Flying School, DCAE (for now), OASC, 45 Sqn, 55 Sqn, and the Tutor Sqns, absolutely none.

I wonder what it was doing at Syerston. Makes a change from the gliders I suppose…;)

Probably hiding from spotters…

…and not doing very well!:D

Ryanair could always move in and call it Leeds East……..:p

Naaah, London Lincoln International.

why not put the bbmf there? is it just the cost implications? reds+bbmf+HHA and maybe 558 would be a win win for everyone?!

Possibly as they already have a perfectly good setup at Coningsby?

(and if it is this lot again, my last faith in the voters will go in smoke)

You mean you actually have faith that a significant proportion of the population’s voters actually have the intellectual ability to make a sensible choice anyway?:D

And of course, the rest of the world will co-operate with our deployment/retirement cycle, & not do anything which might need carrier-based aircraft.

The question is do we have the capacity and money to do anything else, even if it was in the national interest and in line with current policy? The current and near future “threats” seem to lend themselves to have the ability to establish a land based force. I can’t think of many situations we’d be operating alone either, rather than in coalition with the US.

Calculated gamble?:)

Would this move perhaps make pilot recruitment into the RAF that more difficult?

If I was interested in joining the RAF to fly fast jets I would most likely not be too keen on 6 month deployments away on ship. If I was interested in joining the FAA as a pilot instead I would obviously relish the deployments afloat and would not likely mind the occasional tour on terra firma.

Perhaps some former FAA/RAF pilots in this forum could comment?

Not really, because it’s been entirely possible to be deployed on an RN ship as an RAF Harrier pilot for some time. Then putting the statistical probability of eventually ending up on the Harrier fleet, you’d be daft to use that as a reason. Obviously there’s the danger that of you join the RAF, the numbers might not add up, and you could end up being a truckie, at ISK, or flying round in circles in an E3D.:)

I’m sure there are probably more than enough people applying for pilot slots in the RAF anyway to ensure there isn’t a recruiting crisis.

Band is furious that the navy is taking the brunt of the cutbacks caused by a £2bn black hole in the defence budget, the sources said.

Someone’s got to, and the way it’s going at the moment, and for the foreseeable future, it has to be a RN. Yes, some of their assets are vital and untouchable, but others are not, and I suspect it would have cost considerably less if they’d left Cottesmore light blue in the first place, rather than the admin palaver of making it “purple”.

We have a deployable air force, so what difference will it make deploying the light blue on ships. Did it a lot before, when the GR force was purely an RAF asset.

Well if the rumours in another thread about the MOD contract with the PFI tankers is to be believed, these “Sentry R2” aircraft will either not indulge in a2a refuelling during peace time (as the PFI’s will be drogue only)

Unless they do it from USAFE tankers of course.:)

or additional funds on top of the UK electronics fit is going to have to be found for the probe and plumbing to mirror the E-3D

That would seem sensible, and facilitated by the purchase, rather than lease of the aircraft.