Al-bert
Did you ever investigate why the RN refused your offer? I'm quite sure mud can be slung in both directions and perhaps you ought to read my post more thoroughly before issuing silly 'warnings'. You seem to be very bitter about it even now. People sometimes get things wrong and perfect hindsight is always a marvellous thing. I am in thrall to the RAF's less puerile and/or tedious approach to inter-service rivalry.
Crab
I think it is admirable that you stick to your guns, even if I can't agree with you, but if you re-read my post you will see that I said 'hard to resist' not impossible and that I hope things are different now. Would you have had the station commander literally (in its proper sense) breathing down your neck when you made the (occasional) decision not to fly? Not so easy when you are very junior and in command of your first ship's flight.
No doubt, as TC has said, you are a consummate professional, but even perfect pilots can be wrong at times.
And this really is 'out'.