You can teach anyone to fly a simple aircraft in a fairly short space of time. However, to operate it effectively it takes years of experience. Don't forget, it is not just the aircraft and its systems you have to think about, but the whole battle picture and all the potential implications of your actions.
I suggest that experience is even more important where you have so few assets of its type [ie 2 x Twin Stars; 3 x Nimrod R1], which may also be called upon to operate in highly sensitive areas.
I would also request that we stop this inter-service and inter-rank pissing match. We are all in the same boat - remember jointery? And frankly, I don't give a damn what rank the guy is, so long as he is capable of doing the job. What rank are the VCs and GCs that have been dished out in recent years?