As I understand it, no officer could be 50 AND have completed 30 years reckonable service...... sneaky!
I cannot comment on the current situation, but those who joined under the Apprentice scheme, via Halton and Locking, and were subsequently selected to proceed to Cranwell on completion of there Apprentice training did in fact have their service from the age of 18 treated as "reckonable service". Those of us who on the same entry who had joined as Flight Cadets had to wait until comissioning and the age of 21 to be similarly blessed!
I left 6 months prior to my 44/22 option point with the offer of a job. It didn't cost me only a year, they abated my pension by 10%, i.e. PVR terms. Not really all that generous.
YS