Maple, I do like your attitude, loved it - top rate.
Wg, you are taking this too seriously mate. There was bloke back in the late 30's who had some pretty radical ideas about people who didn't fit in to his perfect society. You are begining to sound a bit like him now!
I have yet to read anywhere on here where someone has written fat/overweight = best/better. It obviously doesn't and no one is saying otherwise. However, that does not make them a bad person or any a lesser person or aviator.
The stories about jockstrappers not being available for det' because they are injured or have to stay behind to represent the RAF or whatever are factually true. I have had tours in the sandpit extended because a well-known fitness freak on the sqn has hurt himself.
It would indeed be an interesting exercise to see how many 'fatties' lost a trip for being overweight compared to the jockstrappers who have got themselves injured. I think that the jockstrappers will win hands down!! I cannot ever remember anyone on any sqn scrubbing because of being fat.
Wg, your comment about the RAF and military was plain stupid and shows a large degree of ignorance. As a pongo, I hope that you never need the services of a Chinook or any RAF asset whilst you are in the sand pit. What are you going to do when you find some big, fat, hairy-arsed Loadie dragging your sorry arse into the back of his cab?? Tell him to bugger off and say that you'll wait for a slimmer, fitter and more 'PC Correct' loadie?? You are a fool.
If it was my sorry arse, I wouldn't give a toss how big and ugly he was, and he could be as unfit as hell. As long as he got me out of there, safe and sound, I wouldn't care a jot frankly!
Get over it guys. Some folk are thin, some are fat. Some are ugly and some are good looking (as I am!!) the fact is that they should be judged on what they do and how they do it, not on their size.
TSM