Cheapseat. I think that it's right that i should comment on issues which might have persuaded me to stay. It was not the money or tasking per se which prompted me to leave, but the constant drip drip of "sorry boys we've had to cancel this good deal as the engineers can't support that and our Op whatever commitment".
What I proposed would be virtually a no cost option and there might just be a few guys out there who would stay in to have a crack a flying part of our aviation heritage.
Torque - I guess you're right, we'd probably always disagree on any given point, but I never intended anyone to use it as a bit of light relief. Remember that it has been pointed out elsewhere on this thread that the guys flying for the BBMF have other day jobs and essentially do this "part-time". This does not mean that they are not completely professional, far from it - just as it does not mean that an experienced instructor on the Harrier OCU or at Cranwell would treat BBMF as a bit of a jolly.
There are few enough things left that give you that grin factor. As was mentioned a few posts ago, entry to the BBMF is not drawn from the Line Sqns at Cgy, so we are talking about some of the best flying being given to a very small pool of pilots.
Hard work is not a problem for most guys and so the old chestnut of "oh you're already bleating about overtasking, how could you possibly cope with this as well" just doesn't wash. Hard work is not the problem in the retention issue. Hard work with all the good bits taken away is!
At the end of the day a properly selected guy who fitted in with the team and just happened to be stationed at Cranwell could do the job and therefore he should be given the chance to. The system which allows some people to fly these beautiful aircraft for years on end accumulating over a thousand hours when guys are leaving the service because they haven't a chance of seeing a good deal is patently unfair.