103 years ago on this day, the Royal Air Force was formed from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.

Per Ardua Ad Astra. Through adversity to the stars

Originally Posted by BritinBritain

103 years ago on this day, the Royal Air Force was formed from the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service.

Per Ardua Ad Astra. Through adversity to the stars

Interestingly enough that is also the motto of the RNZAF, RAAF and the RCAF (until about 1970) so I am guessing it is a Commonwealth thing.



Every time I see a latin phrase I think of a joke we used to have about the Australian F-111s they used to bring out here, we always thought their motto should be


Per nubes in montibus, which loosely translates to "through clouds into mountains" as they had a habit of crashing them here.

Originally Posted by MontyB

Interestingly enough that is also the motto of the RNZAF, RAAF and the RCAF (until about 1970) so I am guessing it is a Commonwealth thing.



Every time I see a latin phrase I think of a joke we used to have about the Australian F-111s they used to bring out here, we always thought their motto should be


Per nubes in montibus, which loosely translates to "through clouds into mountains" as they had a habit of crashing them here.

If I remember correctly, the West German Luftwaffe flew the F111's which tended to prang quite a bit.

Originally Posted by BritinBritain

If I remember correctly, the West German Luftwaffe flew the F111's which tended to prang quite a bit.

Didn't know they had F-111s but they had the F-104 Starfighter and lost something like 300 of them in accidents.

Originally Posted by MontyB

Didn't know they had F-111s but they had the F-104 Starfighter and lost something like 300 of them in accidents.

I stand corrected, the RAF ordered the F111's but the order was cancelled by government for some reason, and yes I was thinking of the F-104 Starfighter that kept crashing

Originally Posted by MontyB

Didn't know they had F-111s but they had the F-104 Starfighter and lost something like 300 of them in accidents.

My Dad was USAF. After retiring he was talking with a buddy who was a retired Fighter pilot. The buddy was saying that when Japan & Germany bought the 104s a guy from his Squadron was sent to Japan and another to Germany to teach them about the plane. The guy that went to Japan was a dedicated, competent and effective person, the other not so much. It was his opinion that's why Japan did well with the 104 & the Germans didn't.

Originally Posted by BritinBritain

I stand corrected, the RAF ordered the F111's but the order was cancelled by government for some reason,

ordered 50 F-111K aircraft in February 1967 for the Royal Air Force. The F-111K was based on the F-111A with longer F-111B wings, FB-111 landing gear, Mark II navigation/fire control system, and British supplied mission systems. Other changes included weapons bay modifications, addition of a centerline pylon, a retractable refueling probe, provisions for a reconnaissance pallet, and a higher gross weight with the use of FB-111A landing gear.

In January 1968, the United Kingdom terminated its F-111K order, citing higher cost; increased costs along with devaluation of the pound had raised the cost to around £3 million each

Originally Posted by BritinBritain

I stand corrected, the RAF ordered the F111's but the order was cancelled by government for some reason, and yes I was thinking of the F-104 Starfighter that kept crashing

Erich Hartmann refused to fly the F-104 at the time I think he called it garbage.

Originally Posted by MontyB

Erich Hartmann refused to fly the F-104 at the time I think he called it garbage.

By all accounts it wasnt a very good aeroplane at all.