Pilots (Hansard, 3 February 1988)

§ Mr. Rogers
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots left the Royal Air Force in 1987 without completing their engagements.

§ Mr. Freeman
The numbers of pilots who left the RAF in 1987 without completing their engagements are as follows:

Number

Through premature voluntary retirement 74

At a recognised optional exit point 65

Other exits (medical, death, disciplinary etc.) 11

Total 150

§ Mr. Rogers
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots left the Royal Air Force in 1987 or have expressed a desire to leave the service.

§ Mr. Freeman
The number of pilots who left the RAF in 1987 was 224. The number of pilots who in 1987 expressed a desire to leave the service was 232.

§ Mr. Rogers
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots have expressed a desire to leave the Royal Air Force without completing their engagement.

§ Mr. Freeman
The numbers of pilots who in 1987 expressed a desire to leave the RAF without completing their engagements are as follows:

Number

Through premature voluntary retirement 88

At a recognised optional exit point 119

Total 207

§ Mr. Rogers
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current cost of training a fast jet pilot for the Royal Air Force.

§ Mr. Freeman
The average cost to the Ministry of Defence of training a student pilot to the point when he joins an operational fast jet squadron is approximately £3 million at current prices.

§ Mr. Rogers
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen entered the Royal Air Force college Cranwell to train as pilots in 1987.

§ Mr. Freeman
Two hundred and forty-eight.

	Number
Through premature voluntary retirement	74
At a recognised optional exit point	65
Other exits (medical, death, disciplinary etc.)	11
Total	150