Reviving RAF pilot retention: Making the job ‘Cool’ again

RAF pilots are a strange group; we have dreamt of being an RAF pilot since a young age; we often look the same, dress the same, and share the same motivations.

These motivations include a passion for flying, a sense of duty, seeking professional challenges, thriving in high-pressure environments and wanting to make a difference.

You only have to visit an airshow to see evidence of this as we stride around in our flying suits, happy to talk to the public about flying and inspiring the next generation. Unfortunately, the airshow is as cool as it gets.

This article is the opinion of the author, a Royal Air Force pilot, and not necessarily that of the UK Defence Journal. If you would like to submit your own article on this topic or any other, please see our submission guidelines. 

The RAF faces a growing challenge in retaining skilled pilots as recruitment numbers dip and retention rates fall. One major issue has emerged as particularly troublesome: the diminishing appeal of the job itself.

John Healey, the Defence Secretary, recently revealed that the Armed Forces have been losing 300 more full-time personnel each month than they have been recruiting. For the RAF, this has resulted in Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) and Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) pilots – the workhorses of a flying Squadron (Sqn) – having a deficit of ~30%. While financial incentives like increased pay and bonuses are often proposed as solutions, these measures fail to address the root of the problem. A fundamental shift in focus is needed to solve the pilot retention problem.

A unique quality the RAF has compared with any commercial airline – the main competitor for talent – is the incomparable lifestyle and job on offer. The role of RAF pilot or aircrew means deploying around the world on behalf of the UK in response to security crises, humanitarian emergencies and other vital missions. No job in the private sector can match such a sense of adventure and purpose. But it has faded over the past 10 to 15 years – eroding the appeal of remaining in the RAF.

Rather than simply throwing relatively low amounts of money at the problem, the service should concentrate on making the job “cool” again, reinstating the prestige, excitement, and purpose that once made it a highly desirable career choice. The RAF is unable to compete with the airline industry’s level of salaries and thus should reimagine the pilot experience to appeal to the intrinsic motivations of today’s military pilot: a sense of purpose, camaraderie, personal growth, and the thrill of serving their King and Country.

The Flawed Focus on Financial Incentives

Overall, downsizing somewhat alleviated pilot shortages; however, today’s RAF cannot afford to shrink further. Nearly two decades of reductions have diminished its ability to produce, integrate, and develop new pilots. The RAF finds itself in a situation where it is haemorrhaging Suitably Qualified and Experienced Personnel (SQEP), and as this number drops further and further, fewer instructors and experienced individuals remain to teach and pass on knowledge to Junior Pilots (JP.)

This leads to JPs not gaining the experience or exposure they require to develop, while the more seasoned and experienced individuals are overworked. This is the exact opposite of how a front-line Sqn should operate. JPs should be flying more and developing, whilst the SQEP fly when needed, leading to JPs gaining the required qualifications. Even if Sqns appear fully staffed on paper, they face a situation where instead of developing and honing skills to fight, they pass the time trying to produce enough qualified pilots. With each SQEP pilot who leaves, the quality of life for the remaining SQEP gets worse as they struggle to maintain the Sqns’ tasks.

In recent years, the RAF has made various attempts to improve retention by offering Financial Retention Incentives (FRIs) targeted at specific cohorts, in exchange for a Return of Service (RoS.) These are limited in their effect, as they are normally very specific in eligibility, and the benefits for the service are short-lived (1-2 years.)

Additional money seems like a logical response to the pressure of rising living costs and the lure of better-paying civilian opportunities. However, these attempts are relatively small when tax is taken into account and when the sums on offer are compared to the salaries in the private sector. Whilst financial incentives can play a role in motivating personnel in the short term, they are mainly only taken up by personnel who had no intention of leaving anyway because of the need to complete their RoS. Overall, extra cash does little to address the long-term dissatisfaction that is pushing pilots to leave, so these bonuses are a tool, but not a solution.

The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey has repeatedly revealed that money alone is rarely the defining factor in whether a service member stays in the military. In fact, research across various sectors shows that while financial rewards are important, they are not the most powerful driver behind job satisfaction or loyalty. Instead, factors like work-life balance, environment, personal development, recognition, and the intrinsic rewards of the job itself tend to have a far more lasting impact. The RAF pilot experience, once renowned for its sense of purpose, excitement, and camaraderie, has become increasingly routine, predictable, and disconnected from the mission that attracted many young recruits in the first place. A focus on financial incentives alone can easily obscure the more important elements that should make the RAF a truly rewarding and fun place to work.

Restoring the “Cool Factor”: Making the Job Exciting Again

To combat the retention crisis, the RAF must reconnect pilots with the core reasons they joined in the first place: the thrill of flying aircraft that you cannot operate in the civilian world; the adventure of serving in a unique and highly skilled role anywhere in the world; being able to tell people you are a ‘Pilot in the RAF’; and the honour of being part of a historic institution that has played a crucial part in national defence since the Battle of Britain in 1940.

One key way to achieve this is through reinvigorating the pilot experience itself. This means creating opportunities for pilots to engage in more dynamic, high-profile, and varied training, tasks and missions that tap into their sense of purpose and desire for excitement. Current flying training is monotonous, with much of it moved into a simulator, while barriers have been placed on the actual physical flying to make it less risky because of health & safety concerns. This has the effect of making many training tasks or exercises rather unrealistic or overcautious and not representative of the real world at all. Whatever happened to technical Tuesdays where the Sqn would get together, Wednesday War or tactical Thursdays? All of which would empower pilots and genuinely test the potential of these highly motivated and skilled individuals.

The RAF also needs to start saying thank you as well as rewarding and decorating pilots once more. You only have to search Station Awards, New Year’s Honours and Kings Birthday Honours lists to notice the distinct lack of pilots. Now, this could be due to pilots being rather humble, the standard of write-ups, or the fact Sqn’s are too busy to write up submissions. However, senior leaders and the station hierarchy should ask questions and push for pilot submissions and inclusions. Pilots can be out of the country, on deployment and exercises, for a total of four-to-six months every single year, whilst other trades may do a four-to-six-month deployment every three to four years, otherwise remaining in the UK. Rewarding and publicly saying thank you will emphasise the role of pilots in these meaningful and high-impact tasks. Many other trades do not realise that most pilots do not have weekends, maybe only have one day off a week, and can be sat on very high readiness for hours if not days. The RAF can show its gratitude to pilots and remind personnel of the critical importance of their professionalism, work ethic and the value of their skills.

In addition, the RAF should invest in developing a more dynamic and supportive work environment that fosters a sense of belonging, camaraderie, and personal growth. Pilot members are not just pilots, but they are part of a crew and a Sqn, and the team dynamic is crucial for both mission success and personal satisfaction. This is very different from the airlines where pilots can quite regularly pitch up for a flight, not knowing anyone on the crew and having nothing in common with them.

The RAF must take advantage of this and cultivate a workplace that values team building, mentorship, and personal development. Prioritise team and Sqn development over long, boring, pointless tasks like submitting endless business cases, audits and collecting signatures around station on pointless paperwork.

It is no lie that the majority of RAF have ‘sports Wednesdays,’ where departments will enjoy a whole afternoon of playing sports or training whilst pilots continue to grind it out on the Sqn. Also, ask any pilot, ‘When was the last time they got away on educational visits, historical visits, sports or adventurous training?’ When not flying, the RAF needs to get pilots out from behind their desks, conducting endless online training, secondary duties, submitting claims, and catching up with emails and instead get them concentrating on becoming the best RAF Officer, brand representative and aviator they can be. An environment that feels more engaging and supportive, rather than one defined by a rigid impersonal lifestyle and hierarchy.

Make Promotion ‘Cool’ Again

Squadron Leader (Sqn Ldr) is the first rank at which flying starts to take a backward step. Staff jobs and desk work starts to become much of your daily routine whilst managing your Flight Lieutenants (Flt Lts) to continue to deliver output. If current trends continue Sqn Ldr posts could be anywhere from 40-50% gapped in two-to-three years’ time, if current trends continue.

There are several reasons why the majority of pilots are reluctant to accept a promotion to Sqn Ldr, asking themselves what’s in it for them. Increased mundane responsibilities and handling administrative tasks, more time commitments and degradation of work/life balance, career trajectory concerns due to individuals wanting to focus on a specialist path like weapons or flight instructor whilst taking promotion could steer their career in a direction they don’t want, are all the worries individuals face with the prospect of promotion.

The added responsibility and roles can be a significant shift from the role of a Flt Lt who gets to fly a multimillion-pound aircraft – the job they have dreamt of since a child.

These questions are not the only problem. Another is the promotion system itself, which has seen highly qualified pilots, flying/weapon instructors and test pilots repeatedly overlooked for promotion. Each year pilots are not evaluated on their core duties and performance, but instead assessed on their duties outside of flying and around Station. This approach leads to promotion boards promoting personnel who are mostly composed of non-current and non-war fighter pilots, who are unable to fully grasp the degree and significance of aviation expertise.

The RAF needs to get back to promoting pilots based on their flying skills and leadership on the Sqn and in the air. Promoting these individuals will result in having leaders whose motivation and drive are based on military flying, air power and producing effects-based operations, along with inspiring JPs to follow in their footsteps and hopefully retain them.

The promotion system inside the RAF right now can be compared to promoting medical staff on their ability to organise a village fete rather than their clinical expertise.

Leveraging Technology and Innovation

Another way to make the job “cool” again is to fully embrace the role of cutting-edge technology in day-to-day life and operations. The modern RAF is home to some of the most advanced aircraft and hardware, yet the experience of working with more basic lines of technologies like IT/apps/laptops/HR/tablets etc, is useless, one-dimensional or totally unfit for purpose. To rekindle the thrill of tech, the RAF needs to get with the times, cut bureaucracy and contractor ties and invest in improved usability of basic tech to make the job of being a pilot cool and smooth.

The current generation of pilot members are likely to be driven by an interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, so by offering opportunities to engage with cutting-edge innovations, artificial intelligence, and planning tools – the RAF can retain pilots who are excited by the prospect of being at the forefront of technological advances.

The Role of Prestige and National Pride

The RAF’s historical prestige, its role in protecting national security, and its place in the cultural imagination, all contribute to its appeal. Reinstating the sense of national pride that comes with being part of an iconic institution can be a powerful tool in encouraging pilot retention. To this end, the RAF and Directorate of Defence Communications (DDC) need to improve their social media presence with zest to highlight the service’s rich heritage, its international partnerships, and the unique role it plays in global security. High-profile public relations campaigns that emphasise the prestige of serving in the RAF—especially for pilot members—can help to restore the allure of the service.

Moreover, pilot personnel should feel that their contributions are recognised not just within the military but by the broader society. Programmes that celebrate the achievements of RAF pilots, both on the battlefield and in peacetime, can strengthen the bond between the RAF and the public, fostering a sense of pride and identity that extends beyond the job itself.

Conclusion

The underlying issue is a lack of value – real or perceived – which has pushed pilots away, right into the arms of the civilian airlines. This cannot be solved by financial incentives alone, but instead policies and culture need to be targeted. Pilots have always joked about being ‘at the sharp end’ – being engaged in the most challenging or difficult activities – whilst the rest of the RAF were ‘blunt,’ but in recent years the whole force has become very blunt and boring. The RAF is a war fighting organisation that delivers air power to deliver an effect, so it needs to embrace the needs and requirements of its highly skilled and professional personnel, and this goes for all adept trades.

Focusing on relatively small pay increases and bonuses, which fail to fully comprehend the conditions that eroded pilot retention in the first place has done nothing to improve retention so far. The RAF should invest in making the job cool again and reinvigorating the individual experience. This includes emphasising the thrill of flying, the excitement of cutting-edge technology, and the sense of purpose derived from meaningful, high-impact missions. By fostering a work environment that values camaraderie, personal development, and innovation, the RAF can tap into the intrinsic motivations of its personnel, ensuring that they remain in post not just because of financial rewards but because they are excited, fulfilled and proud to serve.