FB11, Uncle G,
I am well aware that there are boots on the ground - let me quote my own post from a couple of days ago:
None of our boots is the critical thing here. Some boots will be needed - hopefully Libyans themselves; if not, then hopefully some other regional powers can be persuaded to step in.
The 'airmans utopia' you mention is exactly this - we intervene using nothing but air power (except perhaps a
supporting role by SF) and achieve our aims without the need for a politically-expensive UK ground intervention.