Isn't it the Luftwaffe who have virtually dispensed with hats (and the associated requirement for saluting) except on formal occasions? All RAF aerodromes have a ban on wearing hats as soons as you pass the 'manoeuvring area' signs - we used to have an ar$e of a WO who hated the fact that nobody wore hats between the car park and the sqn building (since both were on the manoeuvring area), but the F/O's junta soon put him right about that! Nobody bothers with the neck-wrenching 'eyes right' salute-without-hat equivalent that you used to see Dickie Attenborough doing in 'Guns at Batasi' - we usually just exchange a polite 'Good Morning', although some people are rude enough just to ignore anyone they encounter.......