Robo, old chap, I wrote the paper which led to the military accreditiation scheme as a recruiting and retention measure. If Bomber1000 is prepared to join and give it his all, if he goes via the ME route then in about 5-8 years time he could be flying the C17, A400M, A330-200 or 767 tanker, Nimrod MRA4 - or C130J. All of which will be light years ahead of today's ac. He might like it so much that he'll want to stay - but if he doesn't, then when he's got 2000 hours with 1000 as a ME captain, he'll be able to leave with a wealth of experience and start his second career having been a valued part of the Service...