Posted on Aug 29, 2022
Avoiding empty cockpits: Addressing the Air Force’s pilot shortage problem - Breaking Defense
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The problem is that the service consistently struggles to retain enough aviators to fly those aircraft. In fact, the Total Air Force (Active, Guard, and Reserve) was short 1,650 pilots in 2021, and the shortfall will likely only get worse.
Avoiding empty cockpits: Addressing the Air Force’s pilot shortage problem - Breaking Defense
Posted from breakingdefense.com
Flying
Aviation
Air Force Reserve
Pilot
Edited 2 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 5
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Lt Col Scott Shuttleworth
Cowboy...I still work for the AF. The pilots I know throw their noses up at bonuses. It isn't about the money. The constant deployments, the wear and tear on their bodies (especially fighter pilots), the stupid and ignorant restrictions et al. They keep saying we need you to stay but the promotion rates are lower and they take them out of the cockpit and put them in staff jobs...if we are hurting that bad then let them fly till they retire. They are just tired of it. The bonuses arent effective cause they can go to the airlines and at least double their pay and in some cases triple it over time so money isn't an incentive.
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Money is certainly a consideration, but there are many other situations that impact retention. In my case, military aviation had become very "overregulated" and wasn't the fun it had been at the start of my career. Of course, the start was the VN war and pilots could exercise the aircraft's capabilities almost with impunity, but as time went on and the war ended, more restrictions and procedures were added to the point that I questioned whether we were giving new pilots the flexibility to learn the limits of their aircraft's capabilities. Most pilots start with visions of Maverick in their minds, but you almost have to turn into Iceman to keep your wings.
The degradation of retirement benefits compared to the old 20 and out is probably a contributor.
Change of the senior ranks into politicians and bureaucrats with a strict dress code is also a factor. Milley doesn't compare to a Patton or even an Eisenhower.
The degradation of retirement benefits compared to the old 20 and out is probably a contributor.
Change of the senior ranks into politicians and bureaucrats with a strict dress code is also a factor. Milley doesn't compare to a Patton or even an Eisenhower.
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MAJ Byron Oyler
I have always loved flying and the best thing that ever happened to me was not having the vision to be a pilot in the military. Dad was prior enlisted and always pushed me towards the commissioned side and my career was with the Army Nurse Corps. I can afford to fly and the excessive regulations never ruined flying for me. I enjoy the hell out of it today with my private pilot and would not change a thing. Military does not know how to handle specialty fields such as flying or nursing and the up or out pushes a good many out. I was doing bedside ICU care as a major and since I was twice passed over for O-5, during the height of the pandemic I was mandatory retired. Some of us just want to fly or take care of sick and injured and they managed to gum that up. Idiots.
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One thing the reserves can do is make the process for former pilots to get requalified much more streamlined. Right now its a huge bureaucratic mess of different of specific steps that have to be accomplished. Its like navigating a through a spider web with very little to no guidance and no one really knows the process on how to do much of it.
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