OK – back to the thread then (ish).
The whole Flying Pay (FP) issue has a definite whiff about it – particularly when viewed in the context that NCA with “E” and “LM” brevets carry out exactly the same airborne duties as their officer counterparts. The same can also be said of some AEO employment (SAR Helo WinchOps, E-3D Surv/ESMOps and Dominie PAs).
However, there are AEO flying duties that have no direct read-across from the AEOp duties (MR2 - including captaincy, R1 – including Mission Cdr and E-3D – including Tac Director/Weapons Controller) and cannot be filled by AEOps fulfilling duties on the same platforms.
In a completely non-belligerent way, I would welcome comment (informed or otherwise – after all, that’s half the fun of this site….) on whether WSOps should expect to be paid equivalent FP to that of WSOs who are fulfilling duties that, ultimately, demand greater responsibility (and, in this litigious age, accountability). This is not another grenade by the way. The measures brought in by the AASS will soon see many NCA and officers wearing the same brevet. The impact of DE WSOs and bled-through ex Navs into the WSO cadre will possibly result in reduced NCA in-branch commissioning opportunities. It will be interesting to see what FP rates are paid to these disparate feeds into the WSO branch.
Escapee: I’ve worked out who you are, by the way, from your posts on this and other threads, - you almost type in a Welsh accent!
Keep Smilin’*/Moanin’*
*Delete as applicable.