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[alfie]

When I heard the news about this I couldn't beleive it.
Now I know that we have more pilots than aircraft these days,buts these students pilot must have worked their socks off to get so near the end of their course and receive their wings.
They must feel gutted,and I myself feel so sorry that they have been treated this way.

[henryd]

some of these lads have only a few hours flying time needed to get there wings.bloody disgrace

[Varche]

Tis a disgrace and this time a human casualty of rubbish "GB" long term military planning. Yet more money down the drain.

I wonder if any will be snapped up by other countries if they are prepared to relocate?

[Banjax]

Tis a disgrace and this time a human casualty of rubbish "GB" long term military planning. Yet more money down the drain.

I wonder if any will be snapped up by other countries if they are prepared to relocate?

thats a very good point - I'm guessing RAF pilots are as well (if not better) trained as their US counterparts 

[Tony H]

Tis a disgrace and this time a human casualty of rubbish "GB" long term military planning. Yet more money down the drain.

I wonder if any will be snapped up by other countries if they are prepared to relocate?

I'll wager a few Middle Eastern countries Saudi for instance wouldn't mind pilots of there calibre in it's air force

[tigers_gonads]

a better idea would be to let them finish there training then stick them in the reserves for a few years 

that way they can go get a job in civvy street and can always be called up when needed 

once you loose a skill, it takes years to redevelop it 

" bit like the nimrod crews " 

as for our training v the yanks training

man for man we have always pished all over them 

[bluey]

I'd guess it's more likely the commercial operations will mop up a fair few of the trainees.      

[albitz]

The RAF employs 38,000 people, of whom 630 are pilots. What do the other 37,370 do ?. And why couldnt they lose some of them rather than 100 trainee pilots ?  :-/

[Varche]

The RAF employs 38,000 people, of whom 630 are pilots. What do the other 37,370 do ?. And why couldnt they lose some of them rather than 100 trainee pilots ?  :-/

Sounds a good business model. I bet the shareholders don't mind a bit.

[albitz]

I know they need support staff, but over 600 for each pilot ? :-/

[Lizzie_Zoom]

The RAF employs 38,000 people, of whom 630 are pilots. What do the other 37,370 do ?. And why couldnt they lose some of them rather than 100 trainee pilots ?  :-/

Are you sure Albs?

Now I am no expert on RAF personnel and numbers, coming from a Royal Navy family, so I have Googled these sites:

http://www.2beapilot.co.uk/raf_pilot.htm

http://www.armedforces.co.uk/mod/listings/l0013.html

With over 1,000 aircraft of various types, it does not seem possible, and the figures seem to suggest, that there is a standing pilot / aircrew contingent far higher than 630

[Entwood]

I know they need support staff, but over 600 for each pilot ? :-/

when you consider that the pilots don't...

Do their own medicals
Drive their transport
Refuel the jets
Mend the jets
Service the jets
Pay themselves
Pay their taxes
Cook their own meals
Do their own Air Traffic Control
Do their own intelligence research
Load their own weapons
Allocate their own targets
Type their own Appraisals
Do their own weather forecasting
Pack their own parachutes
Service their own ejection seats
Fly their own rescue helicopters
Talk to themselves on the radio
Run their own stores system
Guard their own bases
Investigate their own "crimes"
Load their own aircraft
Train themselves

and every support "bod" requires their own "support"

and a probabaly a load more .. but I hope you get the idea ... in any organisation the "back room staff" easily outnumber the rest .. 

600 per pilot is a much lower figure than it used to be .. due to this new fangled idea of "out-sourcing" ... 

I can't comment on your pilot numbers figure but it seems rather low to me ..

[tigers_gonads]

most of them sit on there arses pushing paperclips around blackadder style 

nearly all the aircraft maintenence is farmed out to civilian contractors who in turn shaft the public purse bigtime for the honor  >:

thats why the MOD is skint 

only 38000 left ?
92000 in my day ( 20 years ago )
always has been too many chiefs and not anough indians
in my eyes, the real problem is the loss of the experties 



the way its going, we won't have a airforce soon anyway and god help us if anybody gets nasty with us in the next 10 years because we will be stuffed 

[Lizzie_Zoom]

most of them sit on there arses pushing paperclips around blackadder style 

nearly all the aircraft maintenence is farmed out to civilian contractors who in turn shaft the public purse bigtime for the honor  >:

thats why the MOD is skint 

only 38000 left ?
92000 in my day ( 20 years ago )
always has been too many chiefs and not anough indians
in my eyes, the real problem is the loss of the experties 



the way its going, we won't have a airforce soon anyway and god help us if anybody gets nasty with us in the next 10 years because we will be stuffed 

Yes indeed, because it will be the age of War by Missile, nuclear ballistic included!

Who will need planes?  They may become as obsolete as the battleship!

[tigers_gonads]

how long have you been out Entwood ?