Harriers last flight

Today was a sad day for the people of RAF Cottesmore and the people of Rutland it saw the last flight of the Harriers that are based at the RAF base that is due to be closed in 2013. The base itself was closed by the previous Labour Government but the Collation Government have decided to sell off the aircraft that are based there with 14 aircraft rumoured to be going to India. The Government have said it was the hardest defence decision they have taken but it in reality it might just turn out to be the most stupid. The country is building new carriers with no planes to put on them and it will make us look like fools, and for what a small saving when bigger savings could be achieved by retiring other aircraft with poorer serviceability. 

It even came as a surprise to me that the over ninety five percent of the Harrier force is serviceable at one time compared to the ageing Tornados with only seventy five percent of the fleet able to fly and then with on going problems of engine oil leaks that limits there range. It is reported that the last batch of Tornados that went to the Falkland Islands had to go by sea because their engines wouldn't make the flight without running out of oil. But that is not the whole story, the Harriers are one of the top ten combat aircraft in service and in the Falklands war were nicknamed the black death. They shot down over twenty aircraft in air to air combat without losing a single aircraft. Since then they have gone on to fight in the Gulf ways and more recently in Afghanistan. The Harrier is unique it can fly from anywhere and doesn't need a base as such. It is ideal for the current actions be fought by the United kingdom even if it lacks the weapon load of more conventional aircraft. You don't need concert runways, just a clearing and firm ground for them to fly from and trees to hide them in. There can be deployed anywhere.

I have said this before and I will say it again, the reason why we can't afford these aircraft is that we had to bail out the banks and the mess they have caused. They are the biggest threat to this country and without regulation they will continue to be so. They have done more to damage the UK than any terrorist group could hope for. What we are seeing in terms of cuts and the affect it will have on the nation is monumental. They have done to the UK what the terrorists we are fighting could only dream of doing know that it was nothing but a dream.  

I will miss the Harriers over the skies of Rutland and I feel sorry all the jobs that will be lost. These are people families with children. I know what it is like to live on thin air. They have that to come and it is not a nice place to be. What is worse it make the plans Hawksmeed and the planed developments in the North West of Oakham look like a fool hardy at best, but more of that in a later post. For now it is a sad day to see such a wonderful aircraft leave our skies forever.