The problem has long been particularly acute in the fighter community, where airmen are upset they aren’t flying more.įunded flying hours have fallen from 2.1 million to 1.1 million a year over the past two decades, offering pilots fewer opportunities to contribute and keep their skills current. Scott Pleus, 7th Air Force commander, prepares to depart in an F-16 Fighting Falcon at Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, Jan. There, former airmen can fly for higher pay and less paperwork and other extraneous duties. This can make them attractive candidates for commercial airlines, which are also starving for workers. At that point in their career, airmen make about $135,000 a year in base pay and other financial benefits, plus bonuses and combat pay. Second, most active duty pilots head into the private sector in their mid-30s, after amassing about 10 years of flight experience, Riley said. At the same time, Air Force leaders must counter the headwinds of robust civilian-sector employment. First, the service spent more than two decades of war in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, where pilots were worn out by nonstop deployment. The Air Force’s efforts to bolster its number of pilots is hindered by two factors. Willis/Air Force) Fighting the airlines for pilots An F-15E Strike Eagle pilot assigned to the 389th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron dons her flight equipment at an undisclosed location within U.S.
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