A Lt including basic pay, BAQ (if off-base housed) and flight pay makes just $4,000 per month. I think it's now 40% of base pay at 20 years, sure to change.

As to the flight training, nowhere is there better, more intensive, more exactly, more tested flight training. You don't graduate without being pretty comfortable in a plane regardless of its position in space. Handling emergencies is drilled daily. Your first check ride involves acro, form and some instrument work. I always said it was about being comfortable in very uncomfortable situations. Testing is a weekly event--top of the class on Monday, train ticket home the following week-it's happened. It was better in the old one-track system.

The mission drives this effort--heavies do air refueling, tactical arrivals and departures--25,000' to the ground in one 360 in the -17. Fighters do way more! Shipboard ops for the Navy and MC, TOO. In 25 years I was involved in 3 Flying Eval Boards that resulted in wings being removed for deficiency in skills and attended several funerals, most recently last month for the F-15 pilot. It is very stringent.

GF