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Time runs out for ageing Royal Navy carriers Tom Coghlan: Behind the Story It had been a textbook wargame in almost every respect. Ark Royal performed violent evasive manoeuvres at 30 knots in the Channel and a jet thundered past its bridge amid anti-aircraft fire. And then there was the fire in one of the carrier’s four engines — not part of the exercise. The first sign of the air attack is a radar blip 100 nautical miles away. In the green glow of the screen Flying Officer Sarah McDonnel warns that it fits the profile of a Russian built...

RAF chief predicts controversial takeover of Royal Naval air power The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, has sparked a major turf war within the armed forces after questioning the future of the Royal Navy's jet aircraft. By Sean Rayment, Defence Correspondent Published: 8:30AM BST 07 Jun 2009 The Chief of the Air Staff told The Sunday Telegraph that rationalisation in the armed forces would lead to the RAF running all combat jet operations. The move would effectively neuter the Royal Navy's maritime air force, the Fleet Air Arm, leaving the service with just a small...

A registered nurse who tried unsuccessfully to hide his past employment as a stripper has accused a Fayette County personal care home and two of its administrators of sexual harassment. In a civil lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Pittsburgh, Roy E. Dreshman Jr., 55, of Munhall, Allegheny County, alleges the harassment began two months after he was hired as a nurse at Henry Clay Villa in Markleysburg in 1997. He alleges he was continuously propositioned, referred to as a "pretty boy" and subjected to unsolicited touching until he was terminated in 2008. Dreshman filed the lawsuit after the...

Centenary fleet By Craig Hoyle The coming months are to be a period of celebration for the Royal Navy, with the UK's "senior service" marking the 100th anniversary of its first foray into aviation activities. Personnel past and present will be looking back during a series of commemorative events, including air show appearances and a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral in London. To be held early next month, the latter will also be an act of remembrance for the 6,000 British naval aviators to have lost their lives over the course of the last century. HISTORIC FIRSTS "Fly...

American Top Gun fighter pilot academy set up by British The American Top Gun fighter pilot academy was inspired by the Royal Navy elite flying instructors, a new book has revealed. By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent Despite the all-American hero imagery of the film starring Tom Cruise, the US Navy's expertise was in large part due to their instruction by aviators from the Fleet Air Arm. When British pilots arrived at Miramar airbase in California in the early 1960s the Americans were losing a large number of dogfights in their multi-million Phantom fighters to the enemy's relatively "cheap" MiG 21s....

Harriers - 40 years old and still jumping 07:01 GMT, March 18, 2009 Few aircraft can be described as truly iconic, fewer still remain in service over long periods, but this year the British-designed Harrier celebrates its 40th birthday, having spent the past five years as a mainstay on operations in Afghanistan. And the Harrier really is unique - no other jet in service has its Vertical/Short Take-Off and Landing (V/STOL) capability where pilots can land on shortened runways, carrier decks or on landing pads in the middle of a forest. Developed during the Cold War, the Harrier has continually...

Harrier dispute between Navy and RAF chiefs sees Army 'marriage counsellor' called in The Defence Secretary John Hutton has been forced to call in an Army general to act as a “marriage counsellor” to resolve a bitter dispute between the heads of the Royal Navy and RAF over the future of the Harrier jump jet. By Thomas Harding, Defence Correspondent Last Updated: 1:32PM GMT 04 Feb 2009 Harrier jump jet, Air Marshal Torpy suggested that the Ministry of Defence could save £1 billion if the Harrier was phased out of service. Photo: PA The relationship between the First Sea Lord,...

October 7, 2007 RAF cuts to axe quarter of key bombers Michael Smith The RAF is to lose a quarter of its frontline bomber force and two bases in new cuts to be pushed through by the Treasury, according to senior defence sources. Two squadrons of Tornado GR4 ground attack aircraft will be scrapped, cutting the RAF’s frontline squadrons from eight to six. One helicopter base and one training base will also be closed, with the land sold off to raise cash. The move comes as the Royal Navy is braced for big cuts to its surface fleet with all...

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Heart Attack Grill -- a theme restaurant whose specialties include the Quadruple Bypass Burger and Flatliner Fries, cooked in pure lard -- is making health-care professionals' blood pressure rise, and not because of the menu. It is because of the waitresses' naughty nurse uniforms. The waitresses wear skimpy, cleavage-baring outfits, high heels and thigh-high stockings -- a male fantasy that some nursing organizations say is an insult to the profession. Several nurses have complained to the Arizona attorney general's office, and a national nursing group has repeatedly asked Heart Attack Grill owner Jon Basso to stop...

<p>That cackling you're hearing comes from the chorus of Bush critics (an all-inclusive term that accounts for spittle-flecked bloggers and moderate liberal finger-waggers alike) giddy over Bush's basement-level poll numbers. Several bloggers have gone to the trouble of showing side-by-side charts of Bush's approval rating following close behind former President Richard Nixon's. At the end of the trail is the X-marks-the-spot treasure trove "Nixon resigns."</p>