OverTq. Totally agree about the whole washing car thing but I find the us and them (lords and servants) idea that you long for totally out of date and downright rude. Your Sqn Ldr of 30 years experience is certainly to be respected for all he has achieved and experienced but no more so than a 'servant' non-commissioned rank such as Chief Tech or above.
People take certain paths, many of my colleagues and friends; I hasten to add, are front-end crew and as part of the deal, have to be officers. They are professionals and I respect them for that. I myself chose the non-commissioned route (and yes I was a very high achiever at school before some to$$er says I should have done better,- I’ll take you on at qualifications anytime!
). I like engineering, I am blinkin good at it, and my flyboy colleagues respect me for that as the professional that I am. Now times have changed, the Air Force has moved on. You would be surprised how educated us 'servants' now are, often more than .... wait for it...some officers. So stop this utter crap that officers are better than airmen and get out and meet the workers before you make offensive and ludicrous remarks