I envy you D-IFF, I don't think there's going to be anything to keep me in post 38, but why would the Service want me to stay anyway? Too many guys believe the Service can't do without them and they are wrong. That being said at least the powers at be recognise that guys are going to step outside regardless of this downturn, and yes, last time I looked - airlines don't always fly solely from the UK. The FRI for Flt Lts would have to be BIG - and I mean BIG - to stop us senior Flt Lts leaving, especially when most of us have an ATPL or, at least, a 'plan' of a second career. I like what you did D-IFF - honour your 16 year contract, leave and do something you want to do on a pension that you were promised, I keep my side of the deal, the Service keeps its. They want to keep me, they gotta make it worth my while and 100k for 5 yrs at 40 - hell no! Those 5 years (and that's at S02 level) are worth considerably more to me that 12k a year (post tax of course). And if it's less for Flt Lts, which it will invariably be, you'll get the guys that were staying anyway - strangely enough - it will have no effect on the guys that were leaving.