OpsO and A Fat-Gopher.
You are of course right in what you say however if BP is harbouring reservations now he does need to sort this out sooner rather than later. As for me having a downer on Flt Ops, not so. You must remember not all TG9 pers want to be ATC, and until Flt Ops no commissioning opportunities existed for ops staff. I was among many who were delighted at the inception of Flt Ops and have spent many evenings partaking in chest prodding discussions with cynical aircrew in its defence. As discussed ad nauseum on the other thread Flt Ops needs to shake the tree and get its sh!t in one sock to sort out OJT, APET, credibility etc, etc.
For a young Abo joining fresh, I would be very excited at the prospect of Flt Ops. On paper it looks dynamic, diverse and challenging. Unfortunately this is not quite the case right now and career prospects could be a problem due to an undefined path at present.
Not all TG9 are cynical to Flt Ops, again remember a lot of us have been doing this for years and simply want credible leadership and are willing to guide JOs in the right direction. Be aware that the backbone of the military is the SNCO cadre, having learnt their skills through years of practical experience. Any officer unwilling to realise this is frankly going to be p!ss poor.
There is an awful lot of job creation going on in the Flt Ops world, often to the detriment of TG9 SNCOs careers. You said so yourself when you point out that Flt Ops Officers now have posts established in many locations, TG9 seniors have watched in horror as their jobs have been systematically robbed from under their noses. For example, there is no need for an OpsO on a sqn, but somehow they now exist on SH and shiny fleet ac, why? No small wonder that there is a slight rift at the moment. Our trade sponsor is now aware and should be addressing the problem to safeguard our prospects. It is a sign of poor leadership and management when a branch effectively removes work from an established trade to justify their own existence.
Anyway I digress, the upshot of all this is to encourage BP to enter the RAF, gaining acceptance from OASC is no mean feat, I know, been there got the T shirt, come back in 12 months etc. I would suggest that if time permits, arrange a stn visit, if practical, through your AFCO and see first hand what its all about.
BP if you live in East Anglia and are interested, let me know on this thread and a visit can be arranged, I've organised plenty in the past and all visitors have found the exposure very useful.
Kevlar on and awaiting incoming
"How many hours have you got on Spits Simon?"