You are wrong about them supplementing their pension...they get home to duty and max 28 days pay per year...hardly a huge amount of dosh.
That's fair enough; apologies for not getting the books out and doing some proper research before posting!
Re: Circuit Basher's comments, I believe it's 500hrs P1 and they must have previously been combat ready. Currently, there are a handful of post-BFJT studes as test cases flying on AEFs (If I remember right, they needed a "high average" pass from Linton to be eligible.).
I didn't intend this to be a rant against AEF pilots. Obviously a lot have some spectacular experience, some great dits, and they're all very nice guys (certainly every one I've encountered has been).
Rather, as BEagle was saying, I think it's a bit off the mark that we're filling what are effectively RAF flying posts with a lot of retired officers, when we have a massive overflow of young, still enthusiastic, capable pilots who are left kicking their heels and making tea for anything up to 18 months between courses. Fair enough, especially when young and inexperienced, they need to spend a hold or two on the front line; learning what happens there, how a squadron runs, and what their future job'll be like. But if you spent 6 months as a squadron holding bod after IOT, then 9 months after EFT, then maybe 14 months after Linton... there's only so much tea making you can take when you wander away from Valley with your eyes on TW in 6 months' time.
Don't want to knock the gents who do a great job on AEFs, but I'm sure that while cadets must be enthused by tales of Phantom and Lightning derring-do, wouldn't they also be quite interested to fly in the seat next to a chap 3-5 years older than them who can tell them a bit about how to get into his job now? When I was a cadet, I never thought for a second I might actually end up like any of the guys who took me AEF flying; but if it was a 22 year old post-BFJT stude, I might have thought differently.