LOL Trebor, don't think anyone was questioning your bomber skills. (Maybe Cave was, but, alas, thats Cave!)
If you asked the community "Do you think AH should have otto gunners?" I'll bet that 95% would say no, and out of that 95%, 50% of those polled would be bomber pilots. Believe me, ackstarring in WB's burned out alot of folks, best thing that ever happened in online simming is having no otto. If you ack star, you have to earn it.
I usually fly alone in a buff, but if I feel I may be going into a hotly contested area, then I'll ask for a gunner on the open channel.
Anyways, hope you reconsider, after you've been online awhile flying buffs, you'll wonder why you ever liked otto in the first place, IMO.