University Air Squadrons

[Wholigan]

Wholi', what fraction of the UAS hours budget is spent teaching pilot students these days? The 'interested passengers' I referred to being the non-pilot students receiving air experience joy rides.

Sorry BEags, but I have no idea what fraction of the hours budget is spent teaching 'pilot students' Partially because there is really no such thing as a 'pilot student' these days, and partially because it doesn't really matter.

As I said, all UAS members are entitled to be taught to fly. There are medic, dentist, engineer, scribbly, rock ape, controllers, suppliers etc in the system who certainly reach solo sector recce, and in many cases a lot further.


In my view this is no bad thing for two reasons (both the same really). These 'non-pilots' will enter the RAF with a knowledge of the thrills of flying, and the difficulties and concentration/dedication required to 'meet the standards' required for flying. This has certainly not been the norm in the past and can only be good for the understanding and teamwork required to operate today's RAF to the best of its collective ability.


The converse can also be true. The 'pilot students' sometimes (frequently?) see some of the aforesaid 'blunties' doing as well as - and in some cases better than - they are. They also realise that in some cases the reason that these potential 'blunties' can not try to join as pilots etc is that fate has dealt them the bad hand of poor eyesight or some other limiting problem. Thus the future RAF pilots maybe have less reason once in the RAF to use the pejorative adjectival terms of - for example - f*****g or b*****d before the word 'bluntie', because they have seen that these people frequently have equal skills to theirs.

How will the future UAS/AEF system be self-sustaining if it relies on retired aircrew so heavily, given that the available population is fast decreasing?

I'm not sure how this is a major problem. At EFT and BFT and advanced and OCU and squadron levels, there are still lots of 'real RAF QFIs' serving. These people retire in due course (some earlier than others) and a lot of them will be more than happy to have a break from their long haul flights or their consultant jobs to teach UAS students.


I agree that the overall number of serving QFIs may be fewer than of old, but I think there should still be sufficient to continue to feed the system for a long time. The available population has doubtless decreased, but it should only have decreased while the overall RAF size was decreasing and while the initial changeover of policy to use 'part-time' QFIs was introduced.

Hopefully, we have now reached a level where there will be no further reduction in serving QFIs. I may be wrong (I frequently have been) but I think the system could now continue to be self-sustaining, if no further major changes are introduced.


Leave me with my dream!