Bismark
It is the attitude of the pilot that counts not who "owns the a/c" (they are all owned by the MoD) and as has been proven over the years the RN have the better attitude (not unionised, do not need to stay in hotels etc). All RN aircrew are FAA whichever TLB "owns" the a/c incl the junglies.
You miss the point - I wasn't commenting on the qaulity of the pilots of either cloth. More at the way that no-one can be sure what an individual Service is or is not anymore. Soon an RN Harrier pilot can spend his entire productive career under RAF command and an RAF SH pilot can spend his entire career within an Army organization (the JHC is - after all - subordinate to LAND). So we are neither organized as individual Services in peacetime (Within JFH RAF pilots will serve in 800 Sqn under a cdr who - in turn - will work for a gp capt reporting to 1Gp STC. The bounderies are blurring.) nor do we fight as individual Services in war (if we are ever allowed to call it that again) with members from all 3 Services working in all 5 components (6 if a JFAmphibC is established).
I wonder if the JFH will have 2 display ac next year one from 1(F), IV(AC) or 20(R) in RAF colours (that could be flown by a RN or RM pilot) and another from 800 (or later 801) in FAA colours (that could be flown by an RAF pilot). Or perhaps they will try the BAR trick when the entered F1 and have different paint schemes on each side of the ac? All very confusing.
Re the tanker fleet - I thought it was going out to charter with sponsored reserve crews?
Another piece of innacuracy - FSTA (tanker/transport) is planned to be a mix of RAF/contractor engineers (some of whom will be sponsored reserves) the aircrew (and any other flyers) will be RAF.