C-17s and the Union Flag

Thomas Schoene wrote:

Jim Doyle wrote:
Has anyone noticed the Union Flags on the RAF's C-17's? Is it me, or
are those on the starboard forward fuselage upside-down?!

Surely not upside-down but rather front-to-back?

If British practice is the same as US, the rule for aircraft is to paint the
flag as though it were on flying a staff, with the flag streaming aft from
the nose. That would make it appear backwards when displayed on the
starboard side of the aircraft.

May be they're in distress?

Heh. :-)

Every now andd then someone trolls the military newsgroups claiming that the
fact that Us soldiers wear the flag "backwards" on their right shoulder is a
sign of eveil cforces at work. (Not your intent, I know.)
--
Tom Schoene Replace "invalid" with "net" to e-mail
"If brave men and women never died, there would be nothing
special about bravery." -- Andy Rooney (attributed)

Tom,

Unlike the Stars & Stripes - which has a definite 'back-to-front' - the Union
Flag is more subtle.

Take a look at :- http://www.fotw.net/flags/gb.html and you will see that the
red diagonal is not central within the white diagonal - the top left (next to
the flagpole or jackstaff) has the white band wider at the top.

Flying it upside down - or back to front - would result in the narrow diagonal
being uppermost.

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Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast
Flankers Website - http://www.flankers.co.uk/
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