Axial Flo
Yeah - sad ain't it! The full impact of that situation has been clear for a couple of years and I understand that desk officers have been screaming about it - yet nothing's been done to "redress the balance".
So.......
If you're an aircrew flt lt aged less than about 32 then taking promotion may not be a major issue as you'll probably get further promotion to wg cdr in the future.
If you're aged over about 32 but not past your 38/40 point, you must think very hard about accepting promotion. Chances are that you'll never get to wg cdr in this shrinking RAF so you'd be better off as a PA flt lt than as a CS sqn ldr. But of course, they may not assimilate you as a flt lt! So it's a gamble. The consensus seems to be - take the promotion, then leave at your 38/40 point because there's little incentive to stay!
If you're a PA flt lt, then you'd be a complete t*sser to accept promotion to sqn ldr because it will be back on the CS with all the loss of pension that that entails!
Faced with those decisions, it's hardly surprising that flt lts are making career choices at a very early age!
Last edited by LFFC; 15th Dec 2005 at 12:38.