Thread drift?
What I want to know is how a thread about some plonker who picked up his phone on a G day and then came on here to let us all know how brave he was to say "no thanks" has turned into a military versus civilian slanging match?
We've all flown with pilots of varying ability. We've all flown with some pilots who are great one day and, surprisingly, not so great on a different day. The fact that one pilot might have done his apprenticeship flying newspapers across outback Australia in a clapped out Cessna or another did his flying provisions to the frozen wastes of northern Canada or, indeed, flying at some ridiculously low altitude at high speed and dropping bombs on bad guys is largely immaterial.
All we can ask for is that each time we fly, our fellow professional pilots do the best job they can, as has been so well demonstrated in recent incidents.
STP