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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2008 20:37:45 GMT 12
Alcoholic Punch or Fruit Punch?
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 2, 2008 20:59:23 GMT 12
Knuckle Sandwiches served day or night, anywhere in the world. ;D
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Post by oldnavy on Sept 3, 2008 12:58:28 GMT 12
The odd man is wearing an 801 NAS cummerbund. It's the same as their tail art.
NB: the reason for 800 NAS wearing the red cummerbund is because their first CO back in '33 was a Royal Marine...or so the story goes. And Bootnecks wear red cummerbunds so the Wafu's followed their CO.
What you should be impressed by is the apparent number of pilots! This is recent!! Even if you allow for 3 engine dudes, a fighter controller and an admin bod, there are still loads of "shit hot carrier borne jet pilots!" Even if 5 of them have funny light blue trousers... The laundry dudes must have thrown in too much bleech with the dark blues!?
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 3, 2008 13:34:31 GMT 12
It is my photo retouching skill (or lack thereof) from the screen grab OldNavy. I wanted to give them all that salt encrusted look - blow the consequences. ;D
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Post by oldnavy on Sept 3, 2008 16:24:34 GMT 12
No...I see the photo is not re-touched. Those light blue trousers have that "short, sharp, sideways" look about them. They are Crabs!! Crabs on board a ship!! Who'd have thought it considering the Fleet Air Arm was formed in the '20s as a small part of the Crab Force! ;D
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 3, 2008 17:01:29 GMT 12
Well if you want to go antedeluvian then before the flood was the Royal 'Navvy' Air Service (FAA in disguise m'lud): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Air_ArmBeginningsMain article: Royal Naval Air Service The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was established in January 1914 under the Air Department of the Admiralty . By the outbreak of the First World War in August, it had more aircraft under its control than the Army's Royal Flying Corps (RFC). The main roles of the RNAS were fleet reconnaissance, patrolling coasts for enemy ships and submarines, attacking enemy coastal territory and defending Britain from enemy air-raids, along with deployment along the Western Front. In April 1918 the RNAS, which at this time had 67,000 officers and men, 2,949 aircraft, 103 airships and 126 coastal stations, was merged with the RFC to form the Royal Air Force Fleet Air ArmOn 1 April 1924, the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Air Force was formed, encompassing those RAF units that normally embarked on aircraft carriers and fighting ships.[2] On 14 May 1937 the Fleet Air Arm was returned to Admiralty control[3] under the Inskip Award and renamed the Air Branch of the Royal Navy. At the onset of the Second World War, the Fleet Air Arm consisted of 20 squadrons with only 232 aircraft. By the end of the war the worldwide strength of the Fleet Air Arm was 59 aircraft carriers, 3,700 aircraft, 72,000 officers and men, and 56 air stations. The aircraft carrier had replaced the battleship as the Fleet's capital ship and its aircraft were now strike weapons in their own right.
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Post by flycookie on Sept 4, 2008 3:30:34 GMT 12
FlyNavy, maybe VF-805 had no cummberbund because the pattern would have been based on these dainty silk scarves........ The wardroom stewards would have needed six months' notice of your intention to wear such a cummberbund, so they could work all the giggling fits out of their systems. Oldnavy, behold ye olde Ark Royal's Phantom drivers during the ship's last cruise. You'll note a goodly number of them are lightly blue chappies. And...... look who got to do the last Phantom catshot! Top image from FlyNavy's PDF, next two from phantomf4k.org/ and the last from www.axfordsabode.org.uk/pdf-docs/arkroy27.pdfBack at the sports desk, it must be reported that there are few known pics of the new HMNZS Taupo out there. Kiwi navy PR are bloody hopeless.
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 4, 2008 8:37:00 GMT 12
At the end of Skyhawk use in the RAN FAA there was a RAAF exchange pilot briefly who returned to RAAF quickly once the end of fixed wing was announced (our 'birdie' on exchange in the RAAF at that time was the present CAF AVM Mark Binskin). Before that there were RAAF Navigators (one from F-111s) on exchange in the S-2E/G Tracker world, even embarked sir.
The chequered cravat lads are members of the 'Checkmate' aerobatic team. Ordinary VF-805 Squadron pilots would not wear such a thing.
Cummerbund pic to follow soonish like....
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 4, 2008 9:03:05 GMT 12
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Post by oldnavy on Sept 4, 2008 13:52:44 GMT 12
cRAFbs in the RN Phantoms?! That's right. I remember now...I think there were quite a few on the Buccs as well.
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 4, 2008 14:59:12 GMT 12
'New' VF-805 cummerbund which I gather would be worn with mess kit only but I don't know - never seen one until today. Perhaps it was worn with Red Sea Rig (OldNavy can say). The previous Sea Venom era cummerbund for mess kit was very flash but with black background for the squadron crest:
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Post by oldnavy on Sept 5, 2008 15:51:19 GMT 12
Indeed. Red Sea Rig, along with whatever the dress unifirm is that has a cummerbund (as distinct to a waist coat).
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 5, 2008 16:59:44 GMT 12
OldOne, Did the cummerbund have a black conventional backing so that it could be worn reversed (then at the opportune moment) revealed as the '805' 'bund (without bundy and coke stains of course)? ;D Vaguely I recall the old Sea Venom flash black cummerbund was reversible with it being 'flashed' at appropriate times but only for dress occasions (full mess kit). Then it was on for young and old. Me being the younger of course. ;D
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 6, 2008 11:12:00 GMT 12
And a delayed (belayed?) birfday greeting/joke for the birfday boy OldeNavale:
An Irishman walks into a bar in Dublin, orders three pints of Guinness and sits in the back of the room, drinking a sip out of each one in turn. When he finished all three, he comes back to the bar and orders three more. The bartender says to him, 'You know, a pint goes flat after I draw it; It would taste better if you bought one at a time.'
The Irishman replies, 'Well, you see, I have two brothers. One is in America, the other in Australia, and I'm here in Dublin. When we all left home, we promised that we'd drink this way to remember the days we all drank together.'
The bartender admits that this is a nice custom, and leaves it there.
The Irishman becomes a regular in the bar and always drinks the same way: he orders three pints and drinks the three pints by taking drinks from each of them in turn.
One day, he comes in and orders two pints. All the other regulars' in the bar notice and fall silent.
When he comes back to the bar for the second round, the bartender says, 'I don't want to intrude on your grief, but I wanted to offer my condolences on your great loss.'
The Irishman looks confused for a moment, then the light dawns in his eye and he laughs.
'Oh, no,' he says, 'Everyone is fine. It's me........I've quit drinking!'
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Post by oldnavy on Sept 8, 2008 13:37:55 GMT 12
Thanks Fliege Marine. Excellent true story from Dublin.
I understand the old days were very formal and to that end the 805 cummerbund was indeed reversible, but most squadrons wear their colours with pride these days, IE whenever the cummerbund is worn you will see the colour. NB: 800 have always worn red and I can only confirm 801 have always worn the chequered since the Sea Jet (SHAR) came into service.
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Post by flycookie on Sept 8, 2008 13:58:48 GMT 12
NB: the reason for 800 NAS wearing the red cummerbund is because their first CO back in '33 was a Royal Marine...or so the story goes. And Bootnecks wear red cummerbunds so the Wafu's followed their CO. Googled that interesting history, and, lo and behold, they were still lurking in birdieworld in Sea Harrier times. +++A royal marine pilot of 801 naval air squadron seen here in the cockpit of a sea harrier prior to take off onboard hms illustrious, during the squadrons detatchment to the ship oct / Nov 2001+++
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Post by FlyNavy on Sept 8, 2008 15:29:20 GMT 12
Thanks for the update Navel of Old. ;D
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Post by FlyNavy on Oct 9, 2008 16:51:50 GMT 12
Protector class inshore patrol vessels: HMNZS Rotoiti (P3569) HMNZS Hawea (P3567) HMNZS Pukaki (P3568 HMNZS Taupo (P3570)
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