Jay - but under the old system the AAC pilots were sent out to front-line only having ever flown at Wallop.
Crab, yes they did. However remember the flying done at the time was on the AAC's Operational aircraft (Gazelle or Lynx) so no need to go elsewhere. RAF chaps went off to Benson or Odiham to do type conversions, RN went to VL or Portland unless you stayed on the Grey SK fleet then you remained at Culdrose.
The AAC also had no independent validation of their quality since grading/instruction and examination was all in-house. if you wanted to chop someone and the powers that be needed a bum-on-a-seat then more often than not they passed.
So what independant checks did the other services have? If you were RN you were checked by RN standards at the end of your course likewise for the RAF.
ALL instructore were checked by Tri service standards annually ISTR?
Some of the first female AAC pilots only got to front-line because the system was so parochial.
Any different for the other services I wonder? Also some of the female Pilots were very good.
The main reason for the swiftness of the AAC pilots course was that it was all done in one place, no fannying around on holdover waiting for other courses to finish. (9 months got you to frontline but the Command side of life was usually 2 yrs).
Shaun