How many RAF pilots?

[Axial Flo]

I was recently asked by a member of another air force how many pilots (not including those under training) there are in the RAF. I had to confess I didn't know.

Can anyone direct me to the answer.?

Thanks

Flo

[tradewind]

Ah, depends whether you include all the Chiefs aswell as the Indians!

[Rakshasa]

I'd guess about 1200.

[4Greens]

Not as many as in your average airline!

[stickmonkeytamer]

Most are PVRing to go to your average airline...

[PPRuNeUser0211]

Well on the FJ side, I seem to remember being briefed we were looking for 225 crews? Anyone else remember that? As for wokka/truckie mates, god only knows! Thousands and thousands!

[Pontius Navigator]

In 1989 or thereabouts the Air Sec, Roger Honey said the RAF needed 1000 bums on seats but had many more than that. This pressaged the shift from Herc copilot's in flight sims and aircrew 'resting' in ops rooms.

Clearly the number needed then was more than needed now.

[teeteringhead]

I do remember hearing at one time there were 7 times as many RAF Police than pilots!! Not many pilots I knew were that bad.....

Edited to add:

Just checked the (unclassified) DASA stats. As at 1 Oct 05 the trained strength amounted to 1440 JO pilots. There were also 675 sqn ldrs in the flying branch, a proportion of whom would be pilots. Wg cdrs and above of all branches are GD now, so it's difficult to extract numbers, but they don't fly much anyway....

... but at least there are now only 1700 coppers, so that's probably only about one per pilot!!

[Talking Radalt]

....and there was me thinking this was gonna be a thread about changing a light bulb :)