Sr Tourist 'when we are now so desperate that even the observers now get a go at pilot grading'! If i have misunderstood your sentiments then please accept my apologies but your posts do give the impression that because you are a pilot you are some kind of superior naval aviator.
I have to admit that as a baby pilot on 845 i was guilty of similar attitudes until i struck up a conversation with the IRI during my renewal. He was a former sea vixen observer and was not the least bit impressed by my slagging off and recommended that i go and fly the Lynx - which i duly did via the wasp. I can assure you that i flew with some great crewmen in both the Wx5 and the wasp but when it came to pure naval aviation warfighting a good obs is a real (standby for staff phrase) 'force multiplier'.
Go and fly the Lynx - it will do you the world of good - and you wont have to do the maps and charts!!
I don't know the intimate workings of the squadrons these days as i left some years ago at the end of my MCC, apparantly they even have girls at sea! However what is clear to me is that we are not attracting the numbers that we once did and therefore the sifting process is not as easy. Furthermore the equipment, procedures and roles of the aircraft are more complex - even the Mk4 has got gizzmos (but still not as fun as firing rockets in a Wx 5!!) and with more complex kit inevitable maybe the whole aptitude thing should just be pass or fail. This discussion would then not be relevant, there have always been those that failed the navy tests only to become a red arrow in the crabs. On 829 we had crewman who had started life as a stoker and next time i saw him was working for an airline, having been a sea harrier pilot in the interim!
Anyway i am a boring old sod so better go and change my colostomy bag, drink some CSB and ask the MEO if there's enough steam to set sail.
