Perhaps the report should also note that "the expectation of a would-be RAF officer is to only visit OASC once......"
Old news. Done to death. Sharkey had his moment in the sun (and we should be forever grateful of his leadership and service), but the caribbean sun now seems to have finished him off as a sensible commentator on military affairs. There was a time when I had more embarked time and Day/Night/NVG/CBRN DLs as a CH-47 pilot than an awful lot of my CHF friends - it's just the way the Op/Tasking cycle goes. The key thing is not the flying, it's the planning; the RAF need to accept that a CV is not a floating airfield, and the RN need to admit that landing on 65000 tons of steel isn't that hard if you "stop then land" in a modern VSTOL FW, Tilt Rotor or capable helicopter. The hard ship/TAG integration piece is where you need experts and where the more experienced FAA crews are essential - we need to ensure we continue to nurture and grow them. That CAS/1SL went to see QE together should be applauded, not used as the touch paper for another round of the p1ssing contest. And as for moving Australia? Well, if the RN had got their Staff Work right in the mid 60s it wouldn't have been an issue....economics and politics killed CVA-01, not the RAF.