§ 6. Mr. Emrys Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Air his latest estimate of the costs to train bomber and fighter pilots.
Mr. WardThe cost varies with the type. but the average for bombers and fighters is in each case of the order of £45,000.
§ Mr. HughesCan the Minister explain why the cost has gone up from £30,000 to £45,000 in the last year? Will it be cheaper when we go over to rockets?
Mr. WardThere are a variety of reasons for it. First, there was the change from the Prentice-Harvard-Meteor sequence to the Provost-Vampire sequence of training. That alone increased the cost of training by about £10,000 a pilot. Then there are the heavy operating and other associated costs of flying jet aircraft in the more advanced training establishments. Finally, there is the general increase in cost since I last replied to a similar question.