I hear the fast jet men (and some not so fast) have secured a number of management positions with the expectation newcomers will hold them in great esteem
You hear incorrectly in my opinion. Many of the pilot management team are ex military, however the notion that as such they should be held in high esteem is nonsense. Their position alone means that people should respect them, the same as anyone in any business respects their peers. The management team certainly have never come across as an ex military team that have no time for you unless you were too.