Where Have All The Pilots Gone?

Australian Problem

The RAAF is experiencing a major aircrew crisis. Ten years ago, RAAF pilots resigned at a rate of 47 per year. Today, with a largely unchanged requirement for pilots, the rate is approaching 150 per year. And the RAAF’s Flying Training Schools are only currently producing about 65 replacements per year. The attractions of military flying are fast becoming overshadowed by the atrocious conditions of service – even the F-18 units are losing pilots.

The problem is not isolated to aircrew; in the past four years, 32,000 people of a total strength of 70,000 have resigned from the Australian Defence Forces. 11,000 people are expected to have resigned in the period from July 1987 to June 1988.

The problem has a number of causes, including comparatively abysmal wages, a worldwide shortage of airline pilots, poor conditions of service, and a RAAF policy of posting pilots to nonflying positions.

Wages

A Squadron Leader with at least eight years of flying experience can expect to earn about $40,000 per year. If this pilot was employed by Qantas, he would be earning $70,000 p. a. This disparity has not always been so great, but a three year pay freeze for servicemen (1983-1985) was the primary cause of the gap widening.

Wages for ADF personnel have, over the past six years, risen by a total of only 28%, compared with a national average of 56%. The problem for non-commissioned officers below the rank of sergeant is such that single income families with two children basically qualify for welfare payments to bring their wages above the poverty line.

Shortage of Pilots

In recent years, the ageing of the airline pilot population has resulted in a shortage of experienced pilots, to the extent that the President of the US Air Line Pilots Association estimates that 7,000 airline pilots will retire over the next ten years worldwide. In Australia, civil airlines are currently looking for about 400 pilots to meet the requirements of the next two to three years.

Conditions of Service

Over the past decade, conditions for service personnel has deteriorated significantly. Not only have wages dropped, but benefits have been removed or degraded. Housing, particularly for families posted to a remote location, has now reached the stage that over half are described as “sub-standard”. The dissatisaction within the defence forces is such that an “Armed Forces Federation of Australia” union has been formed – the first such military trade union in Australian history. A survey of Navy personnel revealed that 88% are unhappy with service conditions. Pensions have been reduced, and the Defence Force Home Loan Scheme has been altered.

The unprecedented rate of resignations has increased the workloads of remaining personnel, with the average working week now up to 52 hours.

For the military pilot contemplating taking up a civilian flying career, the advantages in conditions are numerous. Although an airline job does not offer the excitement and variety of a lot of HAAF pilot positions, it does offer a number of other advantages. Firstly, hours are normally regular, or at least are rostered well in advance. An airline pilot can happily live in the one city for all of his working life; a RAAF pilot can be posted as often as every three years. The airline pilot’s time out of hours is largely his own; the RAAF pilot has a number of secondary duties. An airline pilot in good health is assured of a flying position until retirement (if he so desires), while a RAAF pilot may be given a desk job at any time during his career. An airline pilot is rarely killed doing his job; the dangers for a RAAF pilot are much higher. Other advantages of airline service include more generous annual leave (Cathay provides 53 days), subsidised housing and education allowance, free or subsidised travel for the pilot and his immediate family, help with life and health insurance, and often a “Loss of Licence” insurance.

Another contributing factor to the declining morale and escalating wastage rate is that the community’s perception of the defence force has changed considerably. Gone are the days when a military career enjoyed a high status in the community; this gradually disappeared along with the concepts of honour, glory, King and country.

A RAAF pilot’s promotional path normally requires at least one ‘officer’ posting during the course of his flying life. Such a posting may be to Russell Offices in Canberra, or to any of the many non-flying units from apprentice training schools to recruitment centres.

As expected, there is no simple solution to such a complex problem. Of course, if government funding was unlimited, it would be a different matter. But because of the size of this massive problem, some drastic answers MUST be found.

RAAF aircrew must be given incentives for staying on; long-term career opportunities have to be created. Obviously, the RAAF cannot compete with the wage benefits of the civilian operators, but there are other avenues for change.

Pilots who have left the service must be given opportunities to continue to serve part-time. If the Government cannot prevent the losses, then by improving the RAAF Reserve structure, it can at least minimise its losses by continuing to draw on that pilot’s experience. It is estimated that it costs the taxpayer $6 million dollars to produce a fast jet military pilot with 1000 hours. This is a considerable investment that should be being protected vigorously. We must look at how other countries organise their reserve forces in order to find answers for our own problems.

The Government is not the only party that needs to look for solutions. The RAAF itself needs to closely examine its policy of withdrawing pilots from regular flying duties at age 39, and needs also to cater for those officers who prefer to be pilots rather than administrators.

Perhaps a total re-examination of the whole system is necessary. Other nations have set themselves up to be able to cope with the same dilemma that Australia finds itself in. If things are left as they are, the problem is only going to get much, much worse. And the solution then will be far more expensive.

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Switzerland’s Approach

Switzerland is generally known for its neutrality. To maintain it, Switzerland has found it has to be able to independently defend itself against very powerful aggressors. In spite of the fact that Switzerland has no navy (being landlocked), the Government spends more per head on defence than does Australia.

Switzerland is the only country in the world whose army is built upon its citizen military forces, not professional soldiers. Conscription sees every male ‘of age’ serve in the regular army before returning home (with rifles and ammunition) as a trained citizen soldier.

The Swiss Air Force operates on a similar basis. A pilot’s career begins at school, when notice is given of the opening of recruitment for pilots. Students who apply go before a selection board comprised of teachers and professional pilots (from Swissair, the Swiss Air Force, and the ‘Office of Aviation’). Those selected are sent, during the holidays, to a free-of-charge flying course at a local aero club. Aero clubs are equipped with the FFA Bravo two-seat light trainer. After the course, the student returns to school, and will later appear before another selection board to find the potentially good pilots amongst the trainees.

These ‘good pilots’ eventually end up at the Swiss Air Force Flying Training School, learning to fly the Pilatus PC-7. From the PC-7, they progress to the DH Vampire two-seat trainer. The best of the best will be invited to become part of the 150 strong full-time Swiss Air Force aircrew team. The remainder will remain as reserve pilots, spending one month per year in the Air Force flying aircraft such as Hawker Hunters, Dassault Mirages, Northrop F-5s, or DH Venoms. Of these reserve pilots, many join Swissair as a full-time profession.

The result of the Swiss philosophy is an Air Force comprising 3000 regulars, 6000 conscripts, and 45,000 reservists. Compare this with the RAAF’s 22,000 regulars and 1,600 reservists. Switzerland’s population is about 7 million.

For the military pilot contemplating taking up a civilian flying career, the advantages in conditions are numerous. Although an airline job does not offer the excitement and variety of a lot of HAAF pilot positions, it does offer a number of other advantages. Firstly, hours are normally regular, or at least are rostered well in advance. An airline pilot can happily live in the one city for all of his working life; a RAAF pilot can be posted as often as every three years. The airline pilot’s time out of hours is largely his own; the RAAF pilot has a number of secondary duties. An airline pilot in good health is assured of a flying position until retirement (if he so desires), while a RAAF pilot may be given a desk job at any time during his career. An airline pilot is rarely killed doing his job; the dangers for a RAAF pilot are much higher. Other advantages of airline service include more generous annual leave (Cathay provides 53 days), subsidised housing and education allowance, free or subsidised travel for the pilot and his immediate family, help with life and health insurance, and often a “Loss of Licence” insurance.

Another contributing factor to the declining morale and escalating wastage rate is that the community’s perception of the defence force has changed considerably. Gone are the days when a military career enjoyed a high status in the community; this gradually disappeared along with the concepts of honour, glory, King and country.

A RAAF pilot’s promotional path normally requires at least one ‘officer’ posting during the course of his flying life. Such a posting may be to Russell Offices in Canberra, or to any of the many non-flying units from apprentice training schools to recruitment centres.

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The Usaf Approach

The United States Air Force has close to a quarter of a million part-time personnel. About half of these are part of the USAF Reserve, and the other half belong to the Air National Guard.

USAF Reserve

The USAF Reserve is organised on a similar basis to the RAAF Reserve. Whereas the RAAF has just reintroduced a limited number of Reserve pilots (flying transport aircraft), in response to the aircrew shortage, the USAF has long accepted Reserve pilots. USAF Reservists are attached to a permanent USAF wing, and spend from weeks in uniform each year, depending upon background and training.

Air National Guard

The Air National Guard (ANG) is organised on an entirely different basis, being a self-contained, combat-ready force. Training, flying, maintenance, organisation and command is all achieved within the ANG by part-time personnel. Every state has an Air National Guard unit, operating a variety of equipment.

The Hawaii ANG, for example, operates aircraft ranging from F-4 Phantoms to DHC Caribous, but the unit is primarily an air defence unit. Another ANG unit in New York State operates a fleet of C-5 Galaxy transports.

Air National Guard pilots are usually ex-USAF aircrew, most of whom have moved to a civilian flying career. The ANG requires its pilots to serve one weekend per month, and an additional 15 days during the year. The attractions of the ANG to a civil pilot are many. Because the entire unit is a reservist unit, pilots are not discriminated against as is often the case for Reserve pilots flying in regular USAF units. Secondly, although ANG aircraft are usually second-line equipment, they nevertheless offer the exciting that only military aircraft can provide. A “second” career in the Air National Guard is an ideal escape for the frustrated Boeing pilot