The subject of our pay crops up yet again.
1. It is naive to expect a military pilot coming out of the forces with a pension, not to accept a job because of the relatively low salary. ( and I speak/write as somebody without a military pension). If they can get a job flying, that they enjoy and which supplements their pension, then it stands to reason that they will take it, it is a dog eat dog world.
2. There is a lot of nonsense talked about BALPA
It has not been unusual for BALPA reps to move into management, It does not always mean that they screwed their comrades beforehand.
BALPA remains the only sensible union or organisation for ALL pilots on the UK but, you only get out what you put in. The reason that we in the helicopter world perceive BALPA as being mainly for FW in general and BA in particular is because those organisations provide more people who are willing to put the extra work in and represent their comrades (I can't spell colleagues!).
To be honest our/my conditions are not bad, (heresy) however, I wouldn't mind a bit more salary, but the only way onshore pilots as a group will push salaries up is if we all have a single voice. At the moment, the only group that can provide that voice is BALPA, so rather than dripping about pay, conditions, ex-mil pilots depressing the pay levels, fw pilots freelancing, roads, the aqueduct and public health.
Consider joining...