DK338:
Without exception, all Flt Ops Officers I have encountered since the inception of the branch have proved to be professionally inept
I am genuinely sorry to hear that you have this view based on your experiences. I suspect that you may be at a location where you receive a disproportionate number of first tourists (as most FJ stns ops rooms do) and if so, you're at a location that is failing in its responsibility develop everyone, regardless of trade, straight out of training. There is a very variable amount of effort put in to development and utilisation by different stns across the RAF - just compare Marham and Coningsby as a prime example regarding the Flt Ops world. I would contest that few people in the RAF are actually 'professionally inept' (ie not capable of doing the job for which they have been trained and employed) but that the vast majority of first tourists of all trades and branches fall well short of a quality professional output - mainly through a lack of experience and development.
If however, you are somewhere that doesn't have a high proportion of first tourists and have gained this impression, I am much more concerned as it goes against the general feedback from across the Service, where Flt Ops personnel are reported as performing well in a variety of more demanding jobs such as those in the RCC and ITOC. If you fancy a laugh, come along and have a bash at my job - my FOMs have got enough sense to steer clear of the amount of juggling that I need to do constantly and if you can find anyone that understands the job and genuinely considers me 'professionally inept' I'll stand you a beer without any hint of malice.
