Prior to this letter coming out there were 4 levels of flying pay as a pilot and four levels as an aircraft commander; initial, middle, higher and enhanced (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th tour).
When you reached 2nd tour pilots pay and then achieved aircraft command you moved onto 2nd tour commanders pay and then carried on up the ladder.
With effect of this letter regardless of how many tours you conduct as a pilot, when achieving aircraft command you will revert to 1st tour aircraft commanders pay.
Although this may not be a drop in pay, it is significantly lower than a lot of people will have based their financial futures on.
It is not retrospective in monetary terms as no-one will take a drop in pay but, you will mark time on your current level until the retrospective interpretation of your entitlement dates catches up.
People have done their own individual assesments and the reduction in earnings over the period of this adjustment vary from a couple of thousand pounds to several tens of thousands as people mark time for up to seven years before moving to the next level.
Disgusting, and disgraceful spring to mind and when it is combined with the Corps seeming to desperatly be searching for Lynx pilots to justify the surplus declared to the pay review body that ought to have been declared as a defecit, thereby ensuring no FRI for an overworked, overstretched organisation then it all adds to a very disatisfied bunch of people at the moment.
Add this to Vehicle Mechanics getting an FRI but not the overworked Apache technicians who are leaving in their droves, personnel being swapped between Dishforth and Wattisham and it strikes me that Army Aviation was not well represented to the AFPRB this year and things do not look good for the future.
HEDP