Crisis looms for SA air force
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Crisis looms for SA air force
Read the story online:
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_A...333690,00.html
Crisis looms for SA air force
Jun 03 2008 10:35:18:783AM
Erika Gibson
Air force personnel are apparently streaming out of the country - most of them heading to Australia, where there are better salaries and working conditions.
Pretoria - Soon the air force will only be able to carry out small, routine operations due to personnel streaming out of the country.
The implementation of new combat aircraft could crash to a standstill because of the departure of experienced flight crew members.
"The wheels are coming off," military expert of Jane's Defence Weekly Helmoed Römer Heitman said on Monday.
Pilots, flight technicians, generals and technical officers were resigning in droves with most of them joining the Australian air force.
Huge dilemma
Better salaries and working conditions but above all the prospect of flying actively and being in commission were given as the main reasons for the exodus. Frustrations because of racial quotas, bureaucratic red tape and a lack of proper career planning added to these.
"The departures are going to have a critical impact for operations, on the development for operational concepts and the development for future requirements for the air force," Heitman said.
Furthermore the head of the air force Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano's term of service would end later this year.
General Major Des Barker, who was considered to be Gagiano's most suitable successor, would soon be taking up service at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The loss of flight technicians caused a huge dilemma in aircraft maintenance.
"Without proper leadership, training and mentoring by experienced seniors the juniors are not going to be equal to the task of filling these gaps in the future," Heitman said.
"Inadequate financing to make provision for the military's increasing involvement in peace operations is the core of the problem.
"On top of this there is an inability in the cabinet and in parliament to grasp what the real requirements for an effective military are.
The inability to prevent competent soldiers from leaving the military is going to cause the military to run the risk of deteriorating into a battered militia with only a few people who perform during ceremonies," Heitman warned.
The navy also had lost personnel to the Australian navy and, as far as was known, a recruitment team from the Australian military were coming to South Africa in the next two weeks to recruit more people.
The pilots said they simply did not fly enough to be able to consider a career in the air force.
In one helicopter squadron a pilot flew an average of four-and-a-half hours per month.
In the US, helicopter pilots were required to fly a minimum of 24 hours per month to maintain their flying skills.
Gagiano already had warned earlier this year that the downscaling of the air force budget would seriously influence its operational preparations.
More than half of the 82% resignation figure among officers were technicians.
Frikkie
http://www.samagte.co.za/phpbbs/
http://www.news24.com/News24/South_A...333690,00.html
Crisis looms for SA air force
Jun 03 2008 10:35:18:783AM
Erika Gibson
Air force personnel are apparently streaming out of the country - most of them heading to Australia, where there are better salaries and working conditions.
Pretoria - Soon the air force will only be able to carry out small, routine operations due to personnel streaming out of the country.
The implementation of new combat aircraft could crash to a standstill because of the departure of experienced flight crew members.
"The wheels are coming off," military expert of Jane's Defence Weekly Helmoed Römer Heitman said on Monday.
Pilots, flight technicians, generals and technical officers were resigning in droves with most of them joining the Australian air force.
Huge dilemma
Better salaries and working conditions but above all the prospect of flying actively and being in commission were given as the main reasons for the exodus. Frustrations because of racial quotas, bureaucratic red tape and a lack of proper career planning added to these.
"The departures are going to have a critical impact for operations, on the development for operational concepts and the development for future requirements for the air force," Heitman said.
Furthermore the head of the air force Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano's term of service would end later this year.
General Major Des Barker, who was considered to be Gagiano's most suitable successor, would soon be taking up service at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
The loss of flight technicians caused a huge dilemma in aircraft maintenance.
"Without proper leadership, training and mentoring by experienced seniors the juniors are not going to be equal to the task of filling these gaps in the future," Heitman said.
"Inadequate financing to make provision for the military's increasing involvement in peace operations is the core of the problem.
"On top of this there is an inability in the cabinet and in parliament to grasp what the real requirements for an effective military are.
The inability to prevent competent soldiers from leaving the military is going to cause the military to run the risk of deteriorating into a battered militia with only a few people who perform during ceremonies," Heitman warned.
The navy also had lost personnel to the Australian navy and, as far as was known, a recruitment team from the Australian military were coming to South Africa in the next two weeks to recruit more people.
The pilots said they simply did not fly enough to be able to consider a career in the air force.
In one helicopter squadron a pilot flew an average of four-and-a-half hours per month.
In the US, helicopter pilots were required to fly a minimum of 24 hours per month to maintain their flying skills.
Gagiano already had warned earlier this year that the downscaling of the air force budget would seriously influence its operational preparations.
More than half of the 82% resignation figure among officers were technicians.
Frikkie
http://www.samagte.co.za/phpbbs/
They way our so called 'government' is treating the military, the UK will soon be limited to 'small routine ops' and nothing more, except token support to the US.
In my TA days, I regularly came across Army Air Corps crews volunteering for weekend flying just to get some hours in, and that was in the late 90s.
In my TA days, I regularly came across Army Air Corps crews volunteering for weekend flying just to get some hours in, and that was in the late 90s.
