All getting very silly folks, let us just remember that flying pay is paid because the MoD is too tight to put the aircrew on a seperate, higher, pay scale (like doctors etc) because they would get hammered by increased pensions.
Aircrew get paid more because their skills attract more money outside (same as doctors etc); hence you have to pay a reasonable proportion of what they could earn outside to keep them in - end of story.
While we in ground trades might not like the fact that someone else gets paid more, we should be realistic about the opportunites to earn outside. The MoD's problem is that now many of us can earn as much if not more than we presently do outside the Forces and the factors pulling us from our careers are increasing.
This is not about the difference between aircrew and bluntie pay, it is about how MoD intends to keep enough personnel within the Services to keep the Ops establishments fed. There are significant problems in certain areas already and precious little sign of anyone sorting it out, but to get back to the gist of the thread, I owuld expect far more of this focussed type of rewards scheme for key personnel. Clearly it is a kneejerk, but until there is a real personnel strategy, that is all they can do...