Flaps
You really are an ignorant tw*t aren't you? At first I though you were a wind up, but you've actually got no fu***ng idea!
I've stopped posting as much so as to not be seen as whinging, however, to sum up what I and most of my fellow SNCO Aircrew feel:
Officer Aircrew are (quite rightly so) paid as Aircrew. i.e. Their flying pay increases their takehome wage to reflect the job they perform (bluntie gets x, pilot gets x + y). For the SNCOs, yes we do get flying pay (£5) or whatever it is in the lowest slot (for your 1st 9 years), that marginally makes us feel that what we do is valued. With the 2 bands of pay, it is very likely that a newly promoted chef will be earning more than a newly promoted ALM! What! A rotary ALM on SH or SAR! That's a disgrace!
As for retention, the stats (I do hate having to refer to them), prove that the Rearcrew Officer is something like 30% overmanned! Yet they qualify for the FRI. AEOps on the other hand are 10% short, and as with the pilots, it's got to be cheaper in the long run to stop them leaving at options than to train new guys and gals.
One other thought is that because SNCO Aircrew join halfway up the pay scale, over a 30+ year career you've hardly got any room for moving up the pay scale ladder. Radical changes are needed for a seperate pay structure, however I think it unlikely that will happen. Pensionable flying pay @ 22 year point will be a step in the right direction.
Flaps, your arrogant comments are not welcome on this topic and create slanging matches. If you have any kind of respect, Sir, then we'd rather you didn't post on this topic again.