§ 65. Mr. Wingfield Digbyasked the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost of training a Fleet Air Arm pilot; and how many will become redundant owing to the accelerated phasing out of the aircraft carriers.
§ Mr. FoleyThe cost of training a Fleet Air Arm pilot varies in accordance18W with the rôle for which he is being trained. The approximate cost for a fixed-wing pilot is £180,000, and £90,000 for a helicopter pilot. These figures take into account all elements of cost including provision and maintenance of aircraft and running costs of air stations.
As to the second half of the Question I have nothing to add to what I said in the Navy Estimates debate last week.