Sounds like a secret code...D = difference!!!

Well, I'm going to go down the papa, sit on my alpha and have a bravo or two and see if I can figure this one out.

tam

It's not management speak - the delta is part of Mathematical Differentiation. You either did calculus or you didn't, hardly the stuff of elitism.

Also sounds a bit like the very punchy, operational RT I heard recently from an Apache - "Lima Charlie"............Takes longer to say (4 syllables v 3) than Loud and Clear which is what they meant as they were doing radio checks:)

HEDP,

Just out of interest all the 43 have left 9AAC, it's all Lynx now.

Quite fun I am sure

I would add to that the two AH pilots who have now been posted to 8 Flt and Fixed Wing training next year. I can't say I blame them, having spent four years at the AH coalface - it is a hard slog. They will, hopefully, come back to the programme in a few years, refreshed and re-invigorated.

HEDP - in answer to your question, by December next year, I anticipate that there will be no original members of 656 Sqn left in a front line seat. Seems a crying shame, especially when I know that some of the original aircrew would possibly have stayed, given the chance.

I'm looking forward to a new job!:ok:

Nothing changes. When I left 659 in 1997, we had 24 aircrew, for our 8 Lynx, 23 of who were Cat 1 NVG. 18 months later probably about 80% were gone.

Mighty Gem,

You are right, nothing changes, except that cost of training crews has gone up considerably and there wasn't so much investment in a Detmold Night Hawk crews (which in those days was some of the best trained AAC crews) as there is now with the AMTAT/LCR pipeline.

AH Vet,

Is that a job near me then?

:ok:

HEDP

Greetings

After 4 years, why should there be many aircrew left out of the original 656 Sqn? There is now a good mix of experience in each of the AH units and in particular there is a good mix of experience and other talents in the operational units. Getting 4 years out of each AH pilot would be a great feat; you should really be complaining as tax payers about the AH pilots that do not do 4 years before going onto a desk job.

In these days of a buoyant civilian flying market, it is always going to be a struggle to entice aircrew to stay, particularly as there is a high operational tempo. From what I see in the AAC, and I get a privileged overview of the whole thing, we continue to produce the goods required to our number one customer, the squaddie.

The jobs within the JHC and aviation in general are opening up. When Wessex pilots can become kingair pilots, AH pilots can go to 8 Flt, and our desk johnnies that want to continue flying can remain in the services by going Blue, it would appear that there are a lot of variety and challenges in service flying to be had.

The need to retain experience on our types is obvious, but it is no where near as dire as some posters might like us to believe. Mr Ab initio is producing the goods and the sausage machine is working well, as it always has in the services.

On another note, I attended the CFS conference this week. There was a lot of chat about QHI/QFI pay. All very encouraging.

Jeep

I rang the Army recruitment office and asked the lady "How much time does the army spend training its pilots?"

She said "Just a minute....."

I said: "Thanks, thought as much" and put the phone down.

:E

Naughty, Shy, very naughty.:=

CG