Can we borrow some parts?

[ozzy72]

From a museum? The RCAF seem to be in a bad way!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-fr ... e-29224170

[Hagar]

I seem to recall the RAF being in a similar situation in 1982. According to the book "Vulcan 607" they had to "borrow" some parts of the air-to-air refuelling equipment for the Vulcans used on the Black Buck missions from museum exhibits.

[pegger]

Unfortunately the Canadian Armed Forces are not routinely kept up to date by our government. All branches of our unified forces (Army, Navy, Air Force) constantly struggle to procure funds from the government for basic supplies...never mind new technology. Look through the news to see the fiasco our elected representatives have started with trying to procure new f-35 fighters to replace our antique f-18 fleet.

Although it sounds somewhat amateurish of the CAF to have to secure parts from museum collections, one sort of needs to take it in perspective.
Used parts for aircraft is nothing new. There are entire military installations in the states devoted to storing, scrapping, and stripping parts from old planes for re-use.

What I find more peculiar...more so than the fact that they had to ask a museum for a part...is that the aircraft was given over to the museum without first being stripped of valuable parts! If there was a point that the news article should have focused on, it should have been that issue.

[expat]

Nothing new. In around 1987-88 I was working in the Harrier Maintenance Flight. We were also short of parts. We robbed the hulks used by the fire section for parts from time to time...

Matt

[ozzy72]

I still find it shocking that governments leave troops screwed to do their jobs and expect this sort of thing. Guess having being a victim of this sort of crap I still wish to attack Whitehall with extreme prejudice, just like everyone else who has worn HM uniform and served.
I won't get started on snatch Landies etc or I might go into psychotic meltdown. I thought it was just the stupid government in this country that did this sort of idiotic stuff!

[expat]

I still find it shocking that governments leave troops screwed to do their jobs and expect this sort of thing. Guess having being a victim of this sort of crap I still wish to attack Whitehall with extreme prejudice, just like everyone else who has worn HM uniform and served.
I won't get started on snatch Landies etc or I might go into psychotic meltdown. I thought it was just the stupid government in this country that did this sort of idiotic stuff!

The problem is Mark, we both served in the "can do" air force. And the man who "can't do" is the man who does not get promoted. There is not a single commander in the RAF, army or navy with the Douglas Bader where with all to say NO, we can't do it because we lack the resources because if he did he would have ended his career. And then on the other side, when people like you or I point these things out the standard answer is...sour grapes old boy, sour grapes, man should never have joined up, just did not have the right stuff. There is no way around this as it is a self perpetuating problem.

Matt

[logjam]

I can remember when the Canadians first sent troops to Afghanistan, they didn't have enough bullets for them so they "borrowed" some from the US. Presumably, they had to give them back when the Americans took their turn.

[ozzy72]

In the Gulf in '91 we were always scrounging kit off our American cousins. Mind you, they did have some seriously shiny kit! It was lovely And bless 'em the Americans have enough hospitality for a dozen armies!