DGE I admire your loyalty which is, I'm sure, shared by most who still serve. It is not pleasant to be calling for heads in a service that I had the honour and pleasure to serve in. The RAF is in a major crisis, all the cuts, amalgamations, reorganisations, and ever more and more cuts has brought it to crisis point. It now teeters on extinction as surely as it did in Trenchard's day. He managed to keep it independent and alive in the midst of massive cutbacks. The RAF desperately needs another Trenchard. The present incumbents have shown themselves weak and ineffective. Of course this scenario was laid before they took their present posts, but it has worsened immeasurably in their tenure. They really have to go. A massive challenge awaits their successors. Military airfleets must regain their airworthiness, cuts in units and squadrons must be reversed to ensure that operational capability is not lost forever. Civilianisation of man management must be reversed, and the powers of subordinate commanders reinstated. The RAF is a fighting force, designed to go to war, to fight, and sadly at times die. It is not the uniformed branch of M&S, and no matter how worthy that plc might be, never should be. What can be learned however from 'in your face company men' is that when bidden by an independent CAA, they operate airworthy aircraft, the MOD does not.