$39 Million Spent In Past Three Years

The Canadian Air Force has paid $39 million to train 145 pilots over the past three years. That's an admirable amount of money to pay for pilot training... but there's just one problem, according to Canadian Auditor General Sheila Fraser.

Those pilots never existed.

Fraser says that training was paid for under a fixed-rate contract between Canada's air force and NATO. The slots in question are for primary flight training.

The Calgary Sun reports the issue arises because there aren't as many pilot seats available in subsequent training programs -- fighter and helicopter training, for instance. And while the military isn't filling those 145 primary spots... under contract, the Canadian government still has to pay for that training.

And what's worse, Fraser said in her report on the situation, there are more costs to come.

Canada's National Defence signed a 20-year contract with the facility in 1998, now worth $3.4 billion. The auditor general found that in 2002, the department had already lost our on $89 million in training costs... because the facility is not capable of meeting its target.

FMI: www.forceaerienne.forces.gc.ca/index_e.asp