It is ultimately a very personal decision...for what it is worth I left some years ago as a 2 and a half with a certain staff college date. After I turned that down, when some clowns parked aircraft in the WTC it looked like a daft move.
As things turned out, by good fortune I am now paid better than a 3-star and still fly aeroplanes....and some very nice ones at that. It is not the same as the RAF, and I would never pretend it was, but it has been a lot of fun along the way....and that is why I wanted to fly. I still have VR contact with the RAF...and I can honestly say that I know of no other organisation that has so lost its way....
