Is It Really This Bad?

[meleagertoo]

From today's Times, an article on delays in the UK military flying training system.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/trainee-raf-pilots-grounded-by-shortage-of-aircraft-l5pwqp09q

[Lima Juliet]

Some true and some way off the mark. It all comes from Sophy Gardner’s article here - https://www.aerosociety.com/news/uk-military-flying-training-heading-for-the-cliff-edge/

There are several things that are incorrect in the linked article. We must also remember that Ms Gardner has a political leaning and agenda as a Labour Party member. She ran for MP for Gloucester in 2015 for Labour (and lost). So there is probably a political angle to much of this.

[Homelover]

Cue another rant of a certain serial poster going on about “when I was an A2, much better in my day, on the Hunter we did this/that/the other, blah blah blah”

Let’s not encourage Basset.

[BEagle]

So what's the actual truth, if indeed Gardner's article is partly incorrect?

[Background Noise]

The Times is a bit late to the party - this was on the BBC here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47420698 and the subject of a R4 programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0002z4m.

And already being discussed on Pprune https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/619091-seven-half-years-2.html?highlight=MFTS and the later pages here https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/600630-uk-mfts-off-rails-12.html?highlight=MFTS#post10407200

[Roland Pulfrew]

From today's Times, an article on delays in the UK military flying training system.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/trainee-raf-pilots-grounded-by-shortage-of-aircraft-l5pwqp09q

Does anyone have the full article? I try to avoid giving the Murdochs any money if at all possible.

[ACW418]

LJ

Whilst I have no truck with political agendas the stark truth is the system is not working. My experience is that the holding times are getting longer therefore it is not working.
Lets forget the personal jibes and look at the facts. Flying training is not producing enough qualified pilots in a timely manner. Furthermore extending the training period is not conducive with producing highly skilled military pilots.

ACW

[Timelord]

I used to work for a company that bid for, but was not awarded the MFTS contract. I have never seen such relief when we didn’t get it. I think the job is impossible for a private contractor to provide training for constantly changing MOD requirements over which they have no control. Just a bad idea from the start.

[VinRouge]

Massive outflow of experience isn’t helping either.

[heights good]

Or aircraft too small to fit people into.....

[57mm]

Been done before with the Bassett, meant to transport V force crews; fat chance!