Originally Posted by Kitbag
Zoom, what factual inaccuracies are there in the letter?
Not an inaccuracy per se, but a half truth perhaps:
yet 1166 of the 3762 Flying branch posts are non-flying duties
That does not mean that you do not need to be an experienced operator. Many "ground tours" are annotated non-flying duties but
ARE flying related. You simply cannot put an ATC SNCO or an Eng WO, no matter how competant in their own secialisation, into a post that requries intimate operational, role or type experience.
I have no argument with
some of the sentiments expressed in the original letter, but a lot of it is simply niave and perhaps points to a lack of awareness on the part of the original letter writer.
any civilian company worth it’s salt would bend over backwards to keep a good manager in place
Alternatively they would recognise his merits, allow him experience in a particular area and then
PROMOTE HIM. If civilian companies want to keep their best then, just like the military, they need to pay them a better salary. In the civilian world this can be done through bonuses (something that does not exist in the military, so we reward by promotion) or they promote them to a senior manager/director/VP post. For many staying in one post for too long means they just move to different company, with better pay or promotion prospects, or with better benefits packages.
The letter writer also does not recognise the need for turnover of personnel. We are increasingly working our personnel harder, there are fewer 'respite' tours and the airlines are recruiting like mad. Without sufficient personnel in the training system, and without a healthy turnover, the force becomes stagnant. Promotion becomes dead mans shoes and the whole system becomes stale.
Finally many personnel get bored if they do one job for too long (I know I do) and if you want the best to lead the 'company' then ideally you want wide experience levels, that means short tours, do well, get recognised and move on up (and I do not include myself in the best other wise I would have been promoted long ago
!