Originally Posted by high spirits
Pheasant,
For Gods sake stop banging on about career structure...
FAA pilots and observers can be employed as warfare officers on battlestaffs and on the bridge/in the ops room of ships when they are not on operational flying tours. After passing COQC exams, they can even command warships when they become too senior to fly on ops.
Just out of interest, what do RAF pilots and navigators do when not assigned to flying duties (which their FAA equivalents don't)?