Originally Posted by
The B Word
I think your close relative might be being a bit economical with the truth. Here is the current pay scales (Feb 18 and Mar 18):
British Airways pilot jobs news for airline pilots and aviation schools
Also, for those wanting to be an airline skipper having left the armed forces, it looks like a long-haul captain takes at least 15 years. That is not even a training captain where the mega money is!
People leaving the armed forces as pilots and looking for rock star wages in the airline industry are going to be disappointed. I grant the wages are good but no where near the £200,000 you are hinting at - most make about half that if they are lucky. The link also shows the pension scheme of 15% employer (ie. BA) contribution and 6%, which is 21% total. As others have said the Armed Forces Pension Scheme contributes 51% of the basic armed forces salary into the pot - so a top rate Sqn Ldr on £60,000 would grow their pension pot by £31,000 a year
without personal contribution, plus will in future be getting ~£20,000 RRP(F) ‘flying pay’. The package overall is £111,000. For a BA pilot they would be on say £80,000, the company would contribute £12,000 but the individual would need to contribute £4,800 out of their wages - the total pension contribution would be roughly half that of the armed forces one and so to make it equivalent the individual would need to contribute another £15,000 from their wages. So with even the BA allowance package being close to the £20,000 RRP(F), then overall the airline pilot would be at best close to his military colleague.
So that is why I don’t think money is the issue. The issue for the military person is the ‘death by a thousand cuts’ - a general feeling of lack of trust, a loss of pride, a lost feeling of value and an uncertain future if they are rotary or fast jet in that this is generally a young persons game that few want to keep doing in their mid to late forties. That is why military pilots leave for the airlines in my opinion.
I think this article is nearer the truth
https://warontherocks.com/2018/03/ai...t-the-culture/
Some of you guys just don’t get it, there is a whole, huge, world outside the RAF with a WAY better lifestyle!
My close relative is a long haul training captain who made OVER 200k according to his P60!
So the long haul senior captain on 178K, as in your scale, plus 20 % training looks good to me!
Frankly as a former line training Captain myself, my extra pay for training ( and as a ex RAF QFI,, not FJ, just JP, ) was money for old rope! Very satisfying and rewarding though, to help get our younger, keener guys prepare for command.
If you have not experienced the outside world, airline flying PLUS the chance to run your own business and determine your OWN lifesty and future, dont knock it !