Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Feb 2001

Vol. 530 No. 4

Written Answers. - Air Corps Strength.

Jack Wall

Question:

61 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Defence the number of pilots who have left the Air Corps in each of the past five years; the number of trainee pilots currently in the Air Corps; if he has satisfied himself that this is adequate to met the needs of the Air Corps; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4000/01]

Minister for Defence (Mr. M. Smith)

The number of pilots who have left the Air Corps in the past five years is shown in the following tabular statement. There are two cadet classes in training in the Air Corps – one class of 12 in the Cadet School, Military College, Defence Forces Training Centre on basic military training and who are due to be commissioned in 2002. The second class of eight are in Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, undergoing flight training and are due to be commissioned in October-November this year. Air Corps cadets undergo six months basic military orientation in the Cadet School before reporting to the Air Corps to commence flying training and complete officer training. The duration of the flying training course is approximately 18 months and successful cadets are conferred with "wings" and commissioned as second lieutenants in the Air Corps.

The flying training course is divided into three phases – elementary, basic and advanced. The aircraft used on the elementary and basic phases is the Marchetti. Training for the advanced phase is carried out on both the Gazelle helicopter and the Beechcraft.

The cadetship competition for 2001 was recently advertised and 12 of these cadetships will be for Air Corps pilot cadets. A service commitment scheme was introduced in 1997 for pilot officers of the Air Corps with a view to assisting in the retention in service of senior pilots in key appointments in areas such as search and rescue, maritime surveillance and ministerial air transport. From the outset the scheme applied primar ily to experienced personnel who were rated on and flying the Gulfstream IV, Beechcraft, CASA and Dauphin aircraft which are the principal operational aircraft in the Air Corps. The gratuities available under the scheme were designed to strike a fair and reasonable balance between the demands of the external commercial environment and the need to exercise responsibility in relation to public service pay. Such financial incentives are not uncommon in Defence Forces in other countries where similar difficulties exist in retaining highly qualified and readily marketable personnel. The scheme, moreover, was perceived to offer a more acceptable avenue of approach for all concerned than the imposition of any compulsory retention.

The service commitment scheme was open to applications from appropriate personnel over a two year trial period from August 1997 to July 1999, inclusive. I am satisfied that, as a significant and innovative incentive scheme, it has helped both to stabilise the loss of key pilots from the Air Corps and to create an environment of some predictable manpower certainty for the medium term future in that regard. A total of 18 pilots had opted to participate under the terms of the service commitment scheme at the end of the original two year period of sanction. Application for entry to the scheme was entirely voluntary in nature.

In August 2000 the terms of the scheme were made available to a small additional number of pilots who had by then become eligible to participate and voluntary renewal of commitments was also offered to those pilots whose original period of commitment under the scheme had expired. To date two pilots have entered into or renewed service commitments under the scheme.

Air Corps Pilots Retirements/Deaths in Service

1996-2001

	Pilots
1996	9
1997	10
1998	12
1999	8*
2000	5
2001	†2†

*Includes two deaths in service

†Authorised/actual/projected retirements to date in 2001. (1 voluntary retirement and 1 retirement on age grounds).

Question No. 62 answered with Question No. 53.

Question No. 63 answered with Question No. 32.