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What's with "Crabs"?


ErikB

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Splitbrains were the original two trade (Airframes/Engines) apprentices. The thing today is to make a rigger have sooty knowledge as well, with the sooty doing the opposite. Luckily I got out before I became part sooty.

I'm of the original SAC(T) generation that was unlucky enough to join up in the short space of time between the last of JT's on their fitters courses and before they brought in the current AMM scheme. I would much preferred to have been a JT! I say unlucky though, at least we only had to go through trade training once (unless you count going back to learn to be a sooty for 6 weeks!), the rest of it was purely 'on the job' modern apprenticeship based.

I as a Direct Entrant was never called a splitbrain

I always find the old splitbrain thing a bit confusing. My only experience is from usually listening to some old Chiefs arguing about which was best! So Appos were splitters and DE's were single trade?

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The bait and the trap. Sounds like you're speaking from experience.

If you've been in long enough, that bit of Jailbait eventually can be found at Grab a Granny nights!

Mike

been there, done that, got the fridge magnet

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I'm of the original SAC(T) generation that was unlucky enough to join up in the short space of time between the last of JT's on their fitters courses and before they brought in the current AMM scheme. I would much preferred to have been a JT! I say unlucky though, at least we only had to go through trade training once (unless you count going back to learn to be a sooty for 6 weeks!), the rest of it was purely 'on the job' modern apprenticeship based.

I always find the old splitbrain thing a bit confusing. My only experience is from usually listening to some old Chiefs arguing about which was best! So Appos were splitters and DE's were single trade?

If you go back far enough some Appo's were single trade (like some of the Crusty's where I work now), but when I went through Halton as a DE Rigger the Appo's were split brained.

John

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I always find the old splitbrain thing a bit confusing. My only experience is from usually listening to some old Chiefs arguing about which was best! So Appos were splitters and DE's were single trade?

Up until a certain time there were single trade appos. Then some high on top decided to go with dual trade appos (as I think that the civvies had gone that way). So at Halton you had the Heavy appos (Airframe/ Engines) and at Cosford the Lighter trade appos (Air radar/ Air comms/ Flight Systems). Although the lighter tardes seemed to do all of the jobs that they were supposed to the heavies normally stuck to one or the other and even then normally Airframes. I have seen a few heavy appos that have done both trades mainly on helicopters.

There was also a now near extinct breed which was the Super Tech Appos, which were intended so I have been told to work on the TSR2. These appos did all trades except for weapons, as bombheads are a breed to themselves.

Direct Entrants were meant to be a quick way of getting to the rank of J/T in a single trade for people in civvy world who had worked in industry or had already done an apprenticeship. But like all schemes it got diluted a bit and they ended up taking people straight from school who had the right qualifications and passed the apptitude test. They spent 9 months learning their trade and were often known as 9 month wonders or blunders and were hated by fitters and appos alike.

As an aside another name for a pilot is the seat to stick interface.

Another name for avionic trades that comes from the Tornado worls is Sperms, as lots of them go out to do a job, but only one of them can actually do it.

The bait and the trap. Sounds like you're speaking from experience.

No luckily I live on the other camp, but like most people I have heard the stories.

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Split Brains are definitely Apprentices only... the new fangled dual traders just don't have the three years of 'character building' that we had :).

Edited by Inso
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Anyone that done time at St athan. The "fanny bowser" used to drop of the VC (valley commandos)on the training camp. Makes me want to run screaming just typing about it.

Did any other unit or base do this?

Try Wittering. The dreaded "Corby Commandos" arriving en masse for the Tuesday night NAAFI "bop."

There are (as yet!) unconfirmed rumours of a unamed SAS man found wimpering in a corner near the emergency exit doors.....................!

I think they also "hit" North Luffenham and Cottesmore at various times!

Selwyn

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These appos did all trades except for weapons, as bombheads are a breed to themselves.

At one time there was a plan to combine the weapons and electrical trades into a single Arm/Elect trade. It came to nought when all the leckies ran away screaming! :D

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At one time there was a plan to combine the weapons and electrical trades into a single Arm/Elect trade. It came to nought when all the leckies ran away screaming! :D

You sure the Leccies weren't chasing the RAFP Alsations, or is that a story for another Website................ :winkgrin:
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At one time there was a plan to combine the weapons and electrical trades into a single Arm/Elect trade. It came to nought when all the leckies ran away screaming! :D

They did that in the FAA. As mentioned in an earlier post of mine in this thread. 'cos I was a Weapons/Electrical Mech. I didn't find anything to run away from. The only time I would get concerned was fitting an armed Mk10H seat into a SHAR. But I guess it was because I joined up as such and didn't know anything different.

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Direct Entrants were meant to be a quick way of getting to the rank of J/T in a single trade for people in civvy world who had worked in industry or had already done an apprenticeship. But like all schemes it got diluted a bit and they ended up taking people straight from school who had the right qualifications and passed the apptitude test. They spent 9 months learning their trade and were often known as 9 month wonders or blunders and were hated by fitters and appos alike.

Sorry Jabba old mate, it might have taken only 9 months to turn out a heavy DE (and even that seams a long time to teach somebody how to tw*t things with a hammer :banghead: , the primary colours and how to count "one, two, many, lots"), but us avionic trades had an awful lot more to learn, as a Flight Systems DE my training was 18 months of purgatory (Cosford) and they didn't even teach us how to play bridge or uckers! :fraidnot:

Wez :whistle:

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but us avionic trades had an awful lot more to learn, as a Flight Systems DE my training was 18 months of purgatory (Cosford) and they didn't even teach us how to play bridge or uckers! :fraidnot:

Wez :whistle:

Ah but you soon learnt how to play and stay in the crewroom.

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Ah but you soon learnt how to play and stay in the crewroom.

Had to keep the Riggers and Sumpies company, it took a while explaining that the card suits were called clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades not blobby trees, pointy reds, blood pumpy thingys and shovels. That was before teaching them to count without taking their shoes and socks off! :banghead:

Wez

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it took a while explaining that the card suits were called clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades

I think you'll find that's hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades. :tease:

Edited by Enzo Matrix
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I think you'll find that's hearts, clubs, diamonds and spades. :tease:

Not in bridge order - no wonder us fairies always beat the heavies, it was almost as bad when playing heavies at uckers, two dice with six sides, I thought some of them would expire trying to count that high! No wonder the rules of the game were always on the bottom of the table, it gave them the excuse to upend the table whilst taking their shoes and socks off!! :winkgrin:

Wez

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Bridge?!?!?! That's not a man's game. Try Hunt The er... lady.... Now that's a fighting man's game! :fight:

I thought all crew-room card games were full body contact games anyway - certainly are in my experience! :chair:

Wez

Edited by Wez
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I thought all crew-room card games were full body contact games anyway - certainly are in my experience! :chair:

Wez

Full Contact Ukkers although not a Card game can be very intense!

I Personally saw a window broken by a player on the OCU line at Wittering during a Game of Ukkers ................................!

Selwyn

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Full Contact Ukkers although not a Card game can be very intense!

I Personally saw a window broken by a player on the OCU line at Wittering during a Game of Ukkers ................................!

Did he throw the uckers board through it or was he thrown through it himself?

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Did he throw the uckers board through it or was he thrown through it himself?

Seen both of those events occur... ...only as an innocent bystander you understand :whistle:

Wez

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Seen both of those events occur... ...only as an innocent bystander you understand :whistle:

Wez

You innocent?

Sorry Jabba old mate, it might have taken only 9 months to turn out a heavy DE (and even that seams a long time to teach somebody how to tw*t things with a hammer :banghead: , the primary colours and how to count "one, two, many, lots"), but us avionic trades had an awful lot more to learn, as a Flight Systems DE my training was 18 months of purgatory (Cosford) and they didn't even teach us how to play bridge or uckers! :fraidnot:

Wez :whistle:

Come to think of it the Lecky DE course was also 18 Mths, but only 2 of that was trade training the rest was dog recognition

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Seen both of those events occur... ...only as an innocent bystander you understand :whistle:

Defenestration seemed to occur regularly in the Neuralgia Club in Deci. I've been through that window myself!

Eventually they replaced the window with a big sheet of perspex which would clip straight back in to the frame.

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Did he throw the uckers board through it or was he thrown through it himself?

It was an Angrily thrown dice (doublebond, home made) that did a ricochet off the board and through the window. It looked just like a bullet hole!

Selwyn

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It was an Angrily thrown dice (doublebond, home made) that did a ricochet off the board and through the window. It looked just like a bullet hole!

Selwyn

So it was the result of a petulant hissy fit rather than as the result of an 8-piece dicking?

Lightweight!

Another happy day in the crewroom!

Wez

Edited by Wez
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