Wouldn't surprise me if this was the start of the end for METS. On paper it would look cheaper for MOD to lease a fleet of turbo-twins to be operated by Kidlington - who could use spare capacity on the ac for civi instruction. Then when no-one is looking, the specialist requirement (Herc tac LL/formation, maritime LL, etc) would be added to the OCU syllabus. No one would think to compare the total cost (Oxford + extra OCU time) with the nett savings in civilianising MET.
We have habit of changing the way we do business in this country, all in the name of the worship of the God MONEY. More often than not, insufficient thought is given to the long term consequences - short term savings look good and enhance careers. In about 15-20 years time it will change again and we will be back to the PFS-BFTS-AFT of the late 60s/early 70s.
In the meantime, we will have lost a complete generation whose training is not a patch on the tried and tested system which was once the envy of the world. Just like education, health,....
