Paw me claw me 814 me

[junglierating]

Just heard that 814 nas will disband later this week....bit of a suprise....can only assume that it is for admin reasons one big squadron as opposed to two dinky ones....there are other reasons no doubt .

Getting smaller.....soon be a black hole.

[Seahawk]

It's all part of a cycle.  Merge 2 small squadrons into one big one for increased administrative efficiency, then quietly shrink the big squadron to the size of the small one, then there's a new wind of policy and the by now dinky squadron is split into 2 microsquadrons to increase command opportunities for officers and to increase the paper strength of the FAA for the gullible.  Repeat to taste until every FAA aircraft is a squadron in its own right.

 

Wasn't a 7xx Sq number given to some drone trials unit at Culdrose apparently consisting of a couple of bods and a drone?  And I see the FAA Museum's aircraft are apparently 777 Squadron (no, not an early April Fool, see Ballance: FAA Squadrons).

 

See, I can do cynical too.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Seahawk

[junglierating]

Meh ..

Got it wrong duff gen .....its not 814 but 829 disbanding.

The cabs are going to 814.....my mistake

..

[Wafu]

More hangar space to let at Culdrose then, mind you the last time I went to 829's hangar, they were cramming Merlins in #frightenedtofold

 

Can't see 814 going anywhere, who else would man the second carrier? It'll be just like the old days, 800 and 814 on PoW and 801 and 820 of QE. By the time you've put a few Wildcats, Chinooks and Apaches on they'll be a floating tri-service event. All we need then is a good AEW platform not a Lenardo hash-up 😂😂

 

Always sad to see Squadrons decommission, it's the same for all three services. This means 702 is the last of the old Portland air wing to survive. 

 

 

[junglierating]

3 hours ago, Wafu said:

More hangar space to let at Culdrose then, mind you the last time I went to 829's hangar, they were cramming Merlins in #frightenedtofold

 

Can't see 814 going anywhere, who else would man the second carrier? It'll be just like the old days, 800 and 814 on PoW and 801 and 820 of QE. By the time you've put a few Wildcats, Chinooks and Apaches on they'll be a floating tri-service event. All we need then is a good AEW platform not a Lenardo hash-up 😂😂

 

Always sad to see Squadrons decommission, it's the same for all three services. This means 702 is the last of the old Portland air wing to survive. 

 

 

Urrrr....you are a bit late 702 went about 2 years ago....unless you meant 815 

[Darby]

10 hours ago, junglierating said:

Meh ..

Got it wrong duff gen .....its not 814 but 829 disbanding.

The cabs are going to 814.....my mistake

..

Could have told you that a while ago. That's twice now 829 have disbanded in my time.

[Wafu]

1 hour ago, junglierating said:

Urrrr....you are a bit late 702 went about 2 years ago....unless you meant 815 

My world has ended today, 702 gone, next is the Fleet Air Arm😉

[junglierating]

Think most squadrons i have ever been on have been disbanded standfast 845 846.

[Truro Model Builder]

On 3/27/2018 at 11:15 AM, Seahawk said:

 

Wasn't a 7xx Sq number given to some drone trials unit at Culdrose apparently consisting of a couple of bods and a drone?  And I see the FAA Museum's aircraft are apparently 777 Squadron (no, not an early April Fool, see Ballance: FAA Squadrons).

 

700X Naval Air Squadron, the UAV Intensive Flying Trials Unit.

 

Meanwhile, the former Maritime Aviation Support Force at Culdrose became 1700 NAS last October, but on the debit side we will undoubtedly lose 849 when the last of the Sea Kings go next year, and 736 when the Hawks go a year or two later.

 

I now travel past Culdrose several times a week. The flightline seems to be mainly full of tumbleweeds; rarely are 736's Hawks out of the hangar, though there are usually a couple of 750's King Airs on the line, while a sighting of a Sea King is a rare thing indeed. I understand that current plans call for the three hangars on C site (where the air day static park used to be) to be demolished and new ones built, but I cannot help but wonder what for? As it stands, Culdrose's based aircraft complement will consist of 30 Merlin HM.2s and four King Airs by 2021.

 

[FIGHTS ON]

On 29/03/2018 at 9:43 AM, Wafu said:

More hangar space to let at Culdrose then, mind you the last time I went to 829's hangar, they were cramming Merlins in #frightenedtofold

 

Can't see 814 going anywhere, who else would man the second carrier? It'll be just like the old days, 800 and 814 on PoW and 801 and 820 of QE. By the time you've put a few Wildcats, Chinooks and Apaches on they'll be a floating tri-service event. All we need then is a good AEW platform not a Lenardo hash-up 😂😂

 

Always sad to see Squadrons decommission, it's the same for all three services. This means 702 is the last of the old Portland air wing to survive. 

 

 

does any one here know whether we'll go back to the CAG/Airwing type numbering again? (or was it even disbanded?)

 

Back in the '60's ALL the sqns on each carrier had modex number's starting with the same digit (Eagle 1970 used number "1" as prefix: 800 Buccs 100-120, 899 vixens: 121 upwards , Wessex 141 upwards etc, Hermes in 1970 used "2" etc) Even Invincible in the 90's used the 100 modex numbers whilst "the other carrier*" used 0xx.

 

The USN use Modex within the CAGs to give clear indication of sqn (& thus capability) (1st fighter sqn 1xx, 2nd ftr sqn 2xx etc) 

 

[* "the other carrier" refers to the other 2 that I'm not sure did ANY sea time in the 90's , whereas the Mighty Invinc was based ported in the Adriatic, I think!]

[Truro Model Builder]

The question is whether the Navy will even continue with the idea of squadron codes. Most of the Pinger Merlin fleet have worn the same codes for several years and through several changes of squadron allocation, while the Junglie Merlins have retained the single letter codes from their RAF days. The RAF seem to have given up on it altogether.

[junglierating]

On 14/04/2018 at 8:48 AM, Truro Model Builder said:

The question is whether the Navy will even continue with the idea of squadron codes. Most of the Pinger Merlin fleet have worn the same codes for several years and through several changes of squadron allocation, while the Junglie Merlins have retained the single letter codes from their RAF days. The RAF seem to have given up on it altogether.

Unless you count the mk3a they use dual codes...Alfa fox AF ....ZK001...i think 

[Britman]

Question to those that might know. What does espri de corps mean to service personnel when essentially, "their " aircraft carry no obvious means of unit identity? 

[junglierating]

Who give a ....... would be the answer.

Its not the aircraft its the people....and a couple of good 'runs ashore'.

Cant say for the light blue lot or the teeny weenies.....they is professional like😂

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

I have to admit that I have lost track of who has what and where these days.

I've just learned that the Army fixed wing stuff has been transferred to the RAF and I still can't get my head round the fact that the first F-35s to go to sea on the carrier will have an RAF number plate!.

Is it to late to resurrect the 'Fly Navy' campaign of the late sixties?