ftrplt, I think all of us 'old veterans' see the reason (and the sense) in maintaining some semblance of experience levels for RAAF light transport crews in use of the (hopefully interim) King Air. I just think most of us are appalled that the powers that be allowed such a need to become necessary.
Why the light transport force was allowed to reach such a state is instructive.
It's no secret that there are some at Russell Hill who are holding out for the Osprey to replace the Caribou and the Chinook. Myself, (and ignorant old veteran, so wtf would I know), I think the Osprey would be a huge mistake, a mistake along similar lines to the (I think, misguided) choice of the Tiger and the MRH-90.
Buying the Osprey would be hugely expensive, both in purchase price and in hourly operating costs, and the ADF would end up in a similar situation to what they currently have with helicopter support - unable to afford enough airframes to provide meaningful support to all but a very few ground units, and with hardware so expensive per unit, we simply couldn't dare to put them in harm's way lest we lose one. (Someone, a serving member, I understand, has already made this same comment here about our current helicopters - the the loss of one helicopter in Afghanistan is 'politically unacceptable'.)
Such sentiments cause a choking sensation in those of us old enough to remember the attitude of quite a few in the Australian Army to the RAAF's tactics with the Iroquois in Vietnam. Many in the Army wanted the RAAF to operate their helicopters the same way the US Army operated, where the utility helicopter was treated almost as a throwaway item. It was the ill feelings (and the Army-created myth) generated by that clash of cultures that led to the Army taking over the helicopter force in 1988-9.
If there's someone out there who honestly believes that AAAvn have presented the ground units they support with a better product to the same number of units than the "5 star hotel, 10am to 3.30pm, Monday to Thursday" RAAF (the utterly bull**** myth some in the Army would have the younger ones who don't know any better to believe), I'd like to hear them argue their case.