Fighter pilots may bail out across Tasman

By PATRICK GOWER and NZPA

The Royal Australian Air Force wants New Zealand fighter pilots for its ranks.

The RAAF has a pilot shortage and spokesman Richard Hogan said applications from New Zealanders were sure to be welcomed.

"If there are fast jet pilots in the New Zealand Air Force who for some reason think their job security is on the line and they approached the RAAF, I'm sure we would look upon it favourably," he said.

"But we are not actively out there poaching."

A Sydney newspaper reported that Australia was set to poach New Zealand pilots, offering them pay rises and access to bonus schemes.

The offer has cast doubt on New Zealand's ability to retain top pilots after the Government's decision last week to ditch the deal to lease 28 F-16 fighters from the United States.

The decision also threw into doubt the future of the country's combat fleet, which comprises 14 ageing Skyhawks.

The RAAF has 646 pilots, of which two are New Zealanders, and the pay scale ranges from $A38,000 ($47,187) for a junior pilot to $A97,000 for a wing commander.

John Mathewson, a former Skyhawk pilot and RNZAF wing commander, said the overture was not unexpected.

"Our fighter pilots would have known this already and been on the phone to their Australian mates. Some will have years of flying in them and won't want to stop now."

He said if that New Zealand were to lose its combat fleet, pilots defecting to the RAAF would be the best outcome.

"It would actually be in our national interest that some of our guys kept their skills up in a nearby country."