Seing that the best RAF pilots going though Valley go to NTFC for the Weapons phase of their training, would that not make those RAF pilots as good as any of the Canadian Armed Forces ones???

Fair point, but to be fair its only 6 months of a 3-4 year training system. As for saying the best RAF students go there, I’ve always understood its more of a case of “X” no. Cse, you lot are off the NFTC, the next Cse of to 19sqn etc etc… – ie, bums on seats at the time – I wouldn’t think the system has the capacity to filter people to that extent. I stand to be corrected though.

As for the RN, as someone has pointed out, they do the same syllabus as the RAF at Linton and Valley, and go to 20(R)Sqn to convert to the Harrier GR7/9, so the only difference being there slightly more camp uniform… :p 😀

The RAF certainly did have some of the best trained pilots in the world. However, in recent years changes to the way training is structured and then delivered have had an adverse effect on the overall quality of the end product.

Really? Care to expand…

On the basis that the RAF can be so selective about who it recruits nowadays it can be in a very favourable position…

Perhaps someone would like to comment on this question. Why is it that, despite their involvement in many conflicts over the past 60 odd years, the last time that a RAF pilot in an RAF aircraft shot down another aircraft in a confirmed and contested air-to-air engagement, was Fg Off Tim McElhaw in a 208 Sqn Spitfire FR18 against a Royal Egyptain Air Force Spitfire LF9 on 22 May 1948?

Possibly because our air to air capability has been focused on long range interception, and consequently our equipment was unsuited to close combat…
Secondly, there have not been the opportunities. You can fault the training though can you – wasn’t the most successful SHAR pilot in the Falklands a Flt Lt at the time…

I really need to start going to these events again, always loved the graduations I went to a few years back before other things got in the way.

I was half hoping you might make this one Steven! I was too busy to remind you though! I think it was quite good considering the number of unavailable aircraft due to the flypast on Saturday… 🙂

Is it derated or is that all the PT6 pushes out?

I’m not entirely sure to be honest. That was a figure for the Embraer Tucano I picked up off the net. Certainly its around 750-800hp having spoken to people about it in the past…

This link seems conclusive… So about 400hp down on the Shorts Tucano, although (with my dodgy French) about 500kg lighter…

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/sites/air/decouverte/les_materiels/les_aeronefs/avions_ecole/emb_312_tucano

Is it not a French Embraer EMB-312F Tucano?

Great to see these pictures. I was working from home in the garden yesterday – a short drive away from Linton On Ouse and heard the jets but they were above (or in) the clouds – saw a nice formation of 3 Tucanos in the distance though. Wished I could have been there so seeing these has made up for it.

Having five Jags was quite an achievement too. Shame the Typhoons couldn’t make it, as we then would have had a full house of fast jets…

He used to be, but lost an awful lot of weight after finishing LOTR. He looks nothing like himself these days.

A lot of the beard seems to have disappeared too…

Was it me or was PJ a guest at the little airfield in Bedfordshire today?