soddim, I think you have described the environment far better than my feeble first attempt. Merv Payne was the Boss when I went to the FI and 23 Sqn was just a 'great bunch of guys'. People like CJ, Billie Bartle, Chuckles (RIP) etc really made life far more memorable. Nasty Nigel (OC Ops) had a view that the boys were wreckless and did all he could to control their 'spirit', miserably failing in the process. I remember one crew getting held back for a week (dets used to be 6 weeks?)due to an inappropriate Firey Cross. They were actually quite pleased with this as it gave them more opportunity to have some fun!
I wouldn't want this thread to drift into a slanging match and apologise for any wrong message put across in my first post. I truly loved those days and completely agree with your last line. Things have changed and, in the process, much of the fun has disappeared.