If you really feel this way, then you ought to get out at your earliest opportunity. In fact, you probably should not have joined in the first place, because you are only going to suffer disappointment in the end.

We can discuss all day how other nation's militaries do it, etc .... all irrelevant. The bottom line is, the US Air Force does not need a Lieutenant Colonel who only flies jets. Nor does it need a Major who does only those things. So if that's what you want to do, great! Get promoted to Captain (ie, show up every day and don't get caught with a live boy or a dead girl) and then get out and go Reserves/Guard or just go to the airlines.

The US military needs a certain number of people to be 4 star generals. Those people need to have had a wide variance of experience prior to getting into those positions, and ideally the AF would have 2-3times (or more) viable candidates for each position when the time comes. In order to have that, they need a pool of 3-stars with a good breadth of experience, both operational and otherwise. To get that pool, they need a pool of 2-stars ... and 1-stars ... and Colonels. You get the point.

The military will continue to shrink, so the opportunity for someone to "just fly" is going to be reduced even more.

I am not saying it is right or wrong ... I'm saying it is what it is. You will not change it. The sooner you accept that fact and start making plans for your post-active-duty career, the happier you will be. :-) And, don't worry ... someone else who understands and accepts the "up-or-out" philosophy of the US military will be there to fly your old jet for you -- and when he lands, he will clear out his in box and take the paperwork home, because that is the job he signed up to do.