The Wizard.
Hi, no problem on selective posts. I agree with you on ALL services treating their members badly sometimes, but on the whole I have found that to be a major reason for RAF folks to resist an army life/environment, and not the other way around. Army units tend to move en mass, whereas a lot of RAF folks can move in ones and twos, and so the same unit integrity is not always there IMHO. This thread is after all about if the RAF should be scrapped, not the other services, so I concentrated of RAF views.
As for the FJ pilot analogy, I wasn't trying to say that anyone on the ground could fly the aircraft, but felt that was so obvious it didn't need to be said. I have also never found anyone (army/RN wise, who thought they could simply switch places either). The fact that the pilot does not know ground tactics is very relevant, and that is why he is valued for what he/she does (and is well trained for), and not their tactical ability to simply place weapons for CAS without being asked (whereas a corporal or lance corporal will be making those decisions at the scene). Pilots with previous ground experience (think AAC and USMC tend to have a different evaluation of tactical situations).
As for the pilot being on the ground, that is a reflection on some posters who feel the army are a bit thick, as they would not know what to do with a Chinook, while folks on the ground don't worry if the pilot overhead is not a competent infantryman (different jobs for different folks all on the same side)
Maybe that clears things up a bit.