Just to clarify. I was talking about more than P8 and the POTENTIAL of a buy of this airframe will only make the situation worse.
For what its worth I've seen quite a few FJ Navs re-role into E3, R1, VC10, MQ-9, C130, Sentinel, Shadow and PR9 by just doing an OCU. The other way around for ME Navs, NCA and other rear crew normally involved at least a cross-over or a full-on Nav course to sit in the boot of a FJ OCU. I remember they trialled a Fighter Controller and a couple of AEOs on F3 in the 90s with a total failure of the course. So they obviously taught something at Finningley/Cranwell that the others just did not get.
Finally, throwing a pilot in the boot and expecting them to 'cope', BV, is not going to work. I've seen experienced QWIs/QFIs have a pretty torrid time in the boot on the simplest missions due to their lack of familiarity. I also know a few Navs that passed a 'dual check' in the front seat of a F3 but their close formation was dreadful - again due to a lack of familiarity with that particular exercise, but could fly an instrument approach to a good standard.
Horses for courses?
LJ