Written question asked by Mike Hancock (Liberal Democrat) on Friday, 9 October 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 October 2009. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Monday, 12 October 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the merits of using commercial facilities for initial training of military helicopter pilots.

Answer: Initial helicopter training for all three Services is provided by the Defence Helicopter Flying School (DHFS) at RAF Shawbury. A civilian contractor already provides helicopters, flight simulators, air engineering, test flying functions and an element of flying instruction. Military flying instructors are also provided by members of the armed forces. The mix of military and contractor-provided instructors is kept under regular review, taking account of requirements.

Secondary information