CFT: why do we bother?
Why, in this age of overstrech, over-tasking, under-funding, lack of spares and morale do we flog ourselves to death to achieve some arb number of flying hours unrelated to useful training?
Not sure about the other fleets but a certain FJ fleet seems obsessed with hours in the bag to meet 'CFT' rather than valuable training.
Dictats from on high such as 'you are to get X hours per sortie' do little to encourage pilots to train as we would fight.
Then, JPs are sent off in any spare serviceable jugged-up jet to bore (long, straight) holes in the sky, (often at night) so the low fuel burn racks up the hours and helps to lower the fuel burn rate. This is a savage waste of 9 TONNES of fuel (per aircraft) which would run a car for a year or more. (some avtur burning diesel type obvioulsy)
Also, crews 'sharp pencilling' hours means the jets are getting over serviced in the long term because the extra 5, 10, 15, mins in the auth sheets that you didn't actually fly will all add up.
But if we meet CFT then it's all ok, right?
Does this happen on any other types?
Oh, then I found out yesterday that if the battery in your watch runs out, the watch is scrapped because it would cost too much to have a contractor service and return them. What? Who sanctioned that crap? One single saving of a 9 ton fuel load would cover that cost I'm sure, and buy some flying clothing that is currently 'on demand'
Rant over.
Ray