RAF pilots’ flight hours slashed

[Scott]

Stop guns

RAF Top Guns are furious after MoD bean-counters slashed their flying time to save money, it was revealed yesterday.


http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w10/StonedSOD/79dc3058.jpg

Sixteen crews of the illustrious 111 Squadron were told to cut their 15 hours a month to ten.

The Ministry of Defence aims to save £80,000 a month in fuel and other costs.

But members of 111 Squadron, whose 14 F3 Tornado fighter jets protect Scotland and the north of England, say they are being left "dangerously short" of practice.

One said: "The cutback to ten hours is just enough to make you dangerous. It almost guarantees an accident if the jet is taken near its limits in the role."

The squadron, formed in 1917 and nicknamed the Tremblers, are based at RAF Leuchars in Fife, Scotland.

Following high-level protests, the hours have been "slightly" increased - but pilots are still angry, saying their allocation is worse than Soviet pilots were allowed at the end of the Cold War.

A crewman said: "I saw the results of low flying hours amongst the junior pilots on my last tour.

Knowledge of your own limitations and capabilities - and that of the aircraft - comes from time in the jet. No substitute."

Last night an RAF spokesman told The Sun: "Tornado F3 flying hours were reduced in line with the reduction in its operational role during 2009.

"Following a careful review, it was decided to increase the number of flying hours to a slightly higher level to make absolutely certain that the F3 is both safe and sustainable."
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The MoD know fuck all about what they are doing, this pisses me of even more FFS, they ever heard of practice to be the best of the best and get the job done so everyone can come back safely if they get the chance to deploy?

[GTFPDQ]

Whoa, it happens from time to time. Flying hours are cut for a month or 3 across the board, it becomes money in the bank to the MOD. The aircrew get a break to do all the admin they havent done in 6 mths.

[Reactor-Axe-Man]

All the same, that's five fewer hours in the cockpit. Lack of training and experience was a critical issue that offset the Warsaw Pact's heavy numerical advantage over the West. It's one of the reasons why Russian subs, although faster, deeper diving, and more heavily armed than Western subs, are still considered inferior. The weapon system still requires the man to operate and maintain it. If the man lacks training and experience, he cannot excel at his job, and he will lose in a fight with someone who has these things, even if their weapons are inferior to his.

You don't get that vital experience catching up on six months of bureaucratic nonsense.