Australia: Helicopter pilots fleeing army over pay
By Ian McPhedran | 12 December 2012 Wednesday | 12:00AM
SENIOR army helicopter pilots are flying the coop for better pay and conditions in the booming oil and gas industry.
The trend has emerged amid a string of near-disastrous cockpit-fume incidents in the army's new attack helicopters - the full extent of which can now be revealed.
Twenty-two pilots have left in the past year, including 12 majors, with the others being instructors or very experienced line pilots.
An insider said "at least eight more have effectively left" but were officially taking leave until it expired, while another 15 were in the process of "separation administration".
Many of these pilots will go to the oil and gas industry where companies will hire between 30 and 50 pilots for the expanding North West Shelf operation in 2013.
It costs taxpayers more than $2 million to train a military pilot. A senior army pilot can earn up to $100,000 a year but will work often long and uncertain hours.
Pilots flying to offshore oil and gas platforms can earn twice that amount for far fewer hours.
The final straw for many of the pilots was the army's decision not to pay its pilots a $17,000-a-year "capability bonus" negotiated by RAAF pilots.
The exodus reflects the increasing shift of defence force engineers to the booming mine industry.
The lure of better pay has contrasted with increasing concerns over safety in the military.
Last week pilots allegedly refused to fly Tiger helicopters from the Darwin-based 1st Aviation Regiment.
Up to seven of the aircraft have had dangerous levels of fumes inside the cockpit.
The fumes displace oxygen and lead to impaired judgment similar to that caused by alcohol - while continued exposure can result in death.
One two-person crew overcome by fumes had no memory of landing their seven-tonne machine.
It also stated that the 24 fume incidents recorded by the Tiger fleet was par for the course with military aircraft.
"That is just laughable, it is significantly higher than other aircraft type as statistics from the Directorate of Defence Aviation and Air Safety show," a source said.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/helic...6-1226534832410
Military Thread V8, Ops Daulat
Dec 18 2012, 12:24 AM
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