PN I see that we are of the same vintage, assuming neither of us is lying about their age. I fully concur about the slimness and potency of the FOB in our day. But that's the point isn't it? In our day VSOs were heavily beribboned and much respected exWWII veterans. My AOC was Mickey Martin of 617 fame. He and his compatriots knew the necessity of doing one's duty and looking after your subordinates. When they retired they gave way often to ambitious bureaucrats, bare chested and often anxious to correct that anomaly. When promoted to the level of their own incompetence their gross negligence soon cost much precious treasure, and because aviation does not tolerate incompetance it wasn't long before it cost lives as well. To compound this sorry saga, the Star Chamber that protects all of 2* rank and above has set about covering up this scandal for a quarter of a century. The classic case is of course the Mull tragedy, whereby the pilots were the scape goats selected by the Star Chamber. There are many more cases though, accidents whose inquiries were compromised so that they could not be linked back to the systemic airworthiness failings that have beset UK Military Aviation in that time period. Indeed "Stovepiping" has become an art form in the corridors of power and make up a lot of the work of the hard pressed Staffs of which you speak.
What the RAF wishes to do about these corrupt practises is up to it, but if it doesn't do something soon it will have no aircraft left to fly, as the MAA in its floundering way shuts down fleet after fleet. The bullet needs to be bitten, the MAA and the MAAIB turned loose, with absolute independence from the MOD and each other. The Star Chamber has to decide what are its priorities, the well-being of the Royal Air Force, or of its own members. The two presently are incompatible.
Last edited by Chugalug2; 13th May 2012 at 10:59.