Originally Posted by
krispy84
In BA’s case, they have historically employed many ex-RAF pilots (plus I’m sure ex-FAA and maybe ex-AAC).
In the 80s and 90s it was said you could always tell if an ex FAA pilot was flying your BA plane as the landing could often be somewhat "robust" - a leftover from landing the Phantom and Buccaneer on a carrier deck with no flare in the final seconds. They were literally flown straight at the deck - in relative terms to a runway, a carrier landing was likened to landing your plane on something the size of a postage stamp that was also moving away from you at some 30knots.