Pilot shortage?
 

Telegraph article here

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

Disgraceful. The spotters lobby will be up in arms about that. Quick, somebody start an e-petition. Stop that outrage bus and get on and tell the driver to take you to Downing street.

Potato
 

You say 'pilot shortage'... I say 'too many planes'.

12 Typhoon pilots in the FI? Wow. That must be many nights on spicy and coke 'cos there will be sod all Q and flying for them all to do with just the 4 jets :rolleyes:

12??? Is this a holiday camp now?
When I was there with 23 on the Mighty Phantom, we had one crew for each aircraft.
:)
Doc C

4 on Q, the other 8 to help with a bit of mutual ego massage, or perhaps to stop 'em getting beaten up by the bigger boys in Phat Albert.

'due to be replaced within weeks?' The det has only been in Italy for 1 week. Sounds like the reality is longer detachments....or getting bullied by the spice-blind, off duty SAR crew in MPA!

"Never, in the field of parliamentary stupidity, has so much been asked of so few".

Time to call for assistance from the Polish, Czech's, Canadians, Ozzies, kiwis....Again! :O

Can't believe anyone here believes ANYTHING the so-called defence correspondents write in the Telegraph. Journalists and numbers? You've only got to look at their expense claims (on a par with politicians...):ugh:

I do hope our enemies don't read the Internet because we seem to tell the world an awful lot about our capabilities.

Can the MoD not just call-up all the MS Flight Sim warriors who are often found on here stating certanties about comparative a/c abilities as if they are the world's most in demand test pilot rather than actually being a nerd who knows how to find Wikipedia?

It's almost the same isn't it, flying for real and sitting in your boxers in a darkened room, fiddling with your joystick and snacking on crisps?

Changing the odd light bulb?

CG

"4 on Q, the other 8 to help with ....... Changing the odd light bulb?"

8 Officers to change a light bulb, that would be right:O

Better that they're in charge of a lightbulb than a map.

Interesting how it's always the Telegraph that 'leaks' stories about the military with a lot of made-up 'facts' about who is doing what and where. makes you wonder if they have an agenda (or political guidance).....

12 Typhoon pilots in FI, handful doing airshows, short duration deployments, etc etc. Given the lack of truth to these statements, you'd have to ask why they're doing it.:suspect:

The worrying thing is that people who make decisions might actually believe some of this.

I wonder if the 'bearded bull***tter' has a hot line to the Telegraph?

The article itself only says 6 down in the FI...

The UK should only get involved with bombing others (from the safety of 25,000ft) if we have the capability and political will to do it alone.

Anything else is a show of weakness, not strength.

If the UK is going to steal oil from another country, lets be open about it, put up, or shut up.

AD,

Not on the front page of my Torygraph - definintely says 12....

I can't see what the problem is. Possible solutions:

When the 18 curently deployed come home they are replaced by (and in turn replace) some of the 24 "committed to QRA".

Given that the Libyian airforce has been officially descibed as non-effective, we reduce our contribution of air defence assets in theatre, and cut down to say 12 Typhoon pilots.


At the end of the day, if we have 69 Typhoon qualified pilots that is enough to man say 2 Sqns (2x18=36), an OCU (15?) an OEU (5-10) a few senior needies (Sqn Cdr Conningsby, etc). How many Typhoon Sqns do we have currently declared as operational?


Of course,the hours spent getting Torphy qualified to fly solo on Typhoon could have been put towards making it 69+ ....