RAF Crew Deployment Intervals

[TheSmiter]

Guys and gals, you may be interested in the following written answer given on 14 Mar, as noted by Hansard:


LIAM FOX (Con, Woodspring)
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average unit tour interval was for each (a) aircraft and (b) helicopter crew type in the Royal Air Force in the latest period for which figures are available.

BOB AINSWORTH (Minister of State (Armed Forces), Ministry of Defence)
The following table provides the latest average tour intervals between deployments for the crews of the aircraft and helicopter types specified. It should be noted that there may be variances for individual crew members.

Weeks

Average crew tour interval
Aircraft type
Tornado GR4
52
Harrier
40
Tristar
21
VC10
12
C130
10
Nimrod Rl
10
Nimrod MR2
35
BAe 125
10


Helicopter type
Chinook
32
Puma
32
Merlin
32

Tour lengths for crew on different aircraft/helicopter types vary from three to 12 weeks.




As one of those individuals who is at variance with these figures ( and have been for several years!) it made oi chuckle, and Mrs Smiter! Still, at least you now know how often you are deploying!

Happy Easter. ;)

[serf]

Seem to have missed out a couple of types.

[VinRouge]

This info is completely misleading. A far more useful question would have been "what is the average deployment length in weeks per year for crews across the various fleets in the armed forces?"

For example, many rote/Nimrod crews deploy for 2 months, whereas hercs typically deploy for 1 month. Who cares how often you deploy? I would be much happier spending more time away if it was for a much shorter duration. Im sure many oters feel the same. Its the length of time above harmony that also needs to be taken into account. Its called quality of life.

[Pontius Navigator]

VinRouge,

Ask the question then. The answer will be with you in 20 working days. Just state the table above which should get around the redacting nonsense.

[TacEval Inject]

If I could print that table onto reasonable paper, I'd use it to wipe my bum.

That's all it is worth.

'Nuff said

[RobinXe]

When did helicopters stop being aircraft?

[rudekid]

VinRouge

You're dead right about the question being utterly irrelevant. The harmony time is the key, IMHO, nothing else.

My fleet does several short (four to five week) dets per year (just about to start a fourth in eight months) and actually, I'd rather do longer dets less frequently. The wind-up and wind-down times are too frequent and I end up feeling like I'm more permanently OOA than when I used to be away for longer periods. Would be nice to do less sets of the massively trivial pre-det paperwork as well:ugh:

Each to his own, I suppose...

[VinRouge]

jUST dont bother doing the paperwork, I dont. :ok: It a mahoosive pain in the arse and serves no-one other than the bean counters. Keeps the med-centre happy as they dont have to provide a Medical appointment.


Rude, got a feeling we are on the same fleet? I did 9 individual month long dets in 22 months, at the end I was shattered. The last one, I came up against my hours limit (nearly 160 hops) Absolutely Exhausted. Fortunately, things have eased off, and havent been away since christmas. I have used the time to recuperate well. Its amazing what a guaranteed 3 months no det can do, (not talking about 3 months of not being sure whether you are off again soon or not either, its just as emotionally tiring) some other fleets I imagine need it more than I did. Funny old thing, becuase of operational demand, other less fortunate fleets will not see any respite, they will work until they say "no more" or they break. Tragic state of affairs.

Go on, someone tell me to wipe it and man up! :E