RAF Fighter Patrols over the UK during 80s?

Question

as i child during the 80s i remember that RAF fighters often overflew my house quite regularly at least a dozen times a week, now you see hardly any it certainly decreased during the 90s now your lucky to see an RAF lynx let alone a Tornado.

im curious as to the reason behind this decrease of either patrol or training flights, is it simply due to the end of the cold war? be interesting to know

Answer 1

Partly this is due to the fact that the RAF is now much smaller than it was during the 1980's. At its Cold War peak, the RAF had around 80,000 uniformed service personnel, whereas it now has around 46,900. Fewer people, fewer RAF stations, fewer aircraft, less training flight. Also, a lot of the MOD-owned ladnwhich RAF aircraft could overfly has been sold off since 1992, reducing the amount of area over which RAF aircraft can undertake training flights.

However, another reasons is that the Ministry of Defence got hit by a raft of complaints and legal cases in the 1980's and 1990's relating to noise and damage caused by low-flying RAF aircraft. Restrictions were placed on low-flying in a number of areas, and these generally tended to reduce the number and noticeability of RAF training flights. Also, with the end of the Cold War, the justification for training flights was reduced, and the RAF certainly doesn't undertake as much 'peacetime' training flying over the UK as it did during the 1980's, when it had more aircraft to use, and when the UK was faced with actual or perceived hostile powers (the Warsaw Pact nations).

Answer 2

There are fewer aircraft serviceable in UK now plus complaints from people about low-flying has reduced overflights.

In fact there will soon be so few people in the RAF that they won't need ID cards 'cos they'll all know each other.

Successive governments have ensured that spending on a feasible air defence network has been reduced to the point where it is now a joke. This is not a problem unless you are in a battle and screaming for air cover or under air attack. This only happens far away in some abstract places like Iraq and Afghanistan - there is little political capital to be made at home from a strong RAF.

The few are even fewer.

Answer 3

The RAF is a lot smaller now or maybe you had a RAF base near you but is now closed.

Answer 4

Thank Tony Blair and his bunch of mental midgets for cutting the British Forces down to nothing.