ADF pilot recruitment, training and retention reform

The pilot training and retention problem does not afflict the RAAF alone - Defence is treating it as an ADSF-wide issue.
While the RAAF's difficulties in recruiting, training and retaining pilots attract regular publicity the problem is, in reality, ADF-wide. In recognition of this initiatives to alleviate the shortage of pilots are taking a broader, whole of ADF approach.

Included in the pilot shortage alleviation initiatives has been a detailed examination of how the ADF looks after its pilots, and moves that seek to introduce greater flexibility both within and between the three services.

According to Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Errol McCormack, proposals have been accepted that will see a move away from the current ADF position that he describes as "three little air forces".

It is likely that there will be further swapping of personnel between the services depending on operational and training needs, various pilots' aptitude and, of course, their personal choice of career path; Navy pilots with an aptitude for fixed-wing flight piloting F/A-18s, for example.

The main aim of the exercise is to ensure that the ADF has flexibility with aircrew and groundcrew between the services to enable effort to be delivered where it is really needed. Prior to these initiatives flexibility has been lost due to different management and command systems used by the three services.

This is clearly a more sophisticated and co-ordinated approach to the problem and not simply an exercise in throwing money at it in the form of retention bonuses. It has been well known for a long time that job satisfaction is a product of many more factors than just money. The availability of flying hours and the opportunities for promotion without ending up flying a desk are among the central issues for ADF pilots.

Another area where a more flexible outlook is being explored is that of initial pilot recruitment. Reform of pilot recruitment has been underway for some time and just over 18 months ago the RAAF established a single processing centre for recruiting aircrew at Tamworth in the northern tablelands of NSW. Initial pilot training for the three services is conducted at Tamworth by BAE Systems

At the time Air Marshal McCormack acknowledged that, "Depending on the economy and the airlines, we'll always have problems retaining not only pilots, but flight engineers and especially navigators". The move to centralised recruiting was taken to "achieve consistency of standards across Australia, and also make sure that the quota system isn't dropping people out who would have been accepted otherwise," according to the Chief.

Following on from efforts to obtain more potential pilot recruits are moves to try and ensure that more of those who commence pilot training make it through to become fully fledged operational ADF pilots.

According to Air Marshal McCormack the PC-9 aircraft has not proven to be the best way to train RAAF pilots. He says, "The problem with the PC-9 has been that good pilots coast and the not so good pilots get through anyway".

In an effort to improve the situation a review of the training needs analysis has been conducted to see whether it is necessary to give trainee fast jet pilots earlier exposure to the Hawk Lead-in Fighter.

Whether or not trainee pilots move to the Hawk earlier, the fact that the aircraft with its sophisticated glass cockpit is becoming available to the RAAF is highly likely to reduce the trainee failure rate in any case. The transition from the modern PC-9 cockpit to the analogue gauges and manual systems of the 1960's vintage Macchi jet trainers was in itself understood to be the cause of many drop outs.

The end goal of the various initiatives is to keep people flying in the military, even if only part time. ADM understands that options for greater use of the Reserves are being explored in this context.

It is currently expected that more detailed information regarding these initiatives will be available late in May this year.

It is not the first time the problem pilot scarcity in the three services has been tackled, but given the chronic shortages in some areas it must be getting close to the ADF's last chance to get it right if current capabilities are to be maintained.

By Daniel Cotterill, Canberra