§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence what consideration has been given to alternatives to low flying over land as methods of training service pilots.
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§ Mr. FreemanThe RAF training programme already uses simulators as much as possible. However there are limits to their training value as they cannot simulate all aspects of flying. Low-flying training is therefore necessary to give pilots full experience in realistic conditions, and this generally needs to be over land as there is very limited training value in flying over flat and featureless areas of ocean.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the military value of low-flying exercises over land.
§ Mr. FreemanLow-flying training and exercises over land are essential to enable the RAF to master the necessary techniques to fulfil its tasks whilst avoiding detection by enemy radar.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the implications for public support for the services of the disturbance from low-flying training exercises.
§ Mr. FreemanWe recognise public concern about the disturbance which can be caused by low-flying military aircraft, and do our best to minimise such disturbance, but we do not believe that this issue detracts from the generous public support given to the armed forces.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence what steps are taken to warn the public about imminent low-flying exercises.
§ Mr. FreemanIt is not practicable to provide advance notice about routine low-level flying, since such training is conducted on a day-to-day basis, as weather and other considerations allow. Advance warning is however given to hon. Members, the Press and organisations such as the National Farmers' Union about major training exercises.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots have been disciplined for breaching low-flying regulations in each year since 1979; and what was the nature of the discipline.
§ Mr. FreemanVery few complaints reveal irresponsible breaches of the low flying regulations and therefore formal disciplinary action is infrequent. Between 1979 and 1986 there was one case of a pilot being court-martialled, two of pilots being fined and five of pilots being summarily disciplined for offences that fell short of courts-martial. Less severe infringements are dealt with by informal procedures and details are not available.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints were made with regard to low-flying exercises in each year since 1979.
§ Mr. FreemanI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Merionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Thomas) on 22 April,Official Report column 584. The 1987 figure for complaints about low-flying training to the end of May is 1,418.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will set up an inquiry to evaluate the cost effectiveness of low-flying training exercises in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanTo maintain an efficient and cost-effective modern air force, there is no substitute for thorough training, including adequate training for pilots60W at low level. Exercises in which forces are co-ordinated, sometimes with other NATO forces, as they could be in any future conflict, are a necessary part of this training. Major low-flying exercises also enable us to test our air defence capability.
§ Mr. Campbell-Savoursasked the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will institute a ban on low flying in the national parks pending the results of the inquiry into the most recent accident involving a Jaguar and a Tornado aircraft.
§ Mr. FreemanNo. The regulations governing the low-flying system are kept continuously under review and altered as necessary. When the board of inquiry has reported on the reasons for the accident these will be taken into account in our continuing review of safety procedures.