MM4, I think your view of PAS is out of date, certainly in the FJ world. The PAS guys are no longer the couple of battle scarred veterans sitting in the corner of the crewroom smelling of wee [although I am sure some of those characters are still out there]. PAS is now being used as a far broader manning lever to retain experience,
primarily in ground tours.
New PAS officers have also not narrowed their career horizons - they get considered at every board on their merits, with their PAS status having absolutely no bearing on promotion. Of course if your OJAR says "well above average and happy to fly the Grob in a Sqn Ldr or Flt Lt role until he keels over" then you won't get promoted, but the PAS is irrelevant, it is what you do (and aspire to do) that matters.
This is a relatively recent change and not the way the FAA still do it so some on here may be out of date (out of touch?
). Bottom line is the RAF needs to fill a lot of SO2 ground jobs and relatively few flying jobs. It also has plenty of Flt Lts to fill Flt Lt flying posts, so PAS these days is more likely to mean a desk for life.
