I just got done reading an article in the AF Times online that came out two weeks ago:
http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/20...ention_070813/
Pilot retention in 2007 surpasses expectations
Are you bagging me?
Just look at AMCs takerate...44%, down from 65% last year if I remember right. Material Command had the higest rates...and how many aiplanes do they have in comparison??
In today's AF of do more with less and do it while you're deployed or TDY, there is a snapping point just around the corner and no one (leadership) is willing to accept that or do anything about it. Add in the constant excercises and inspections that continue to keep people away from home and bogged down with minutia, I forsee a record number of pilots exiting in 2008, especially with the airline hiring flood gates open.
I would be curious to know how the 2007 rention numbers would look had it included all those that took the VSP or Palace Chased that should have been included in the numbers. I'm sure those people weren't included in the 853 pilots eligible. Case in point, a guy in my Sq took the VSP a whole year before his commitment was up...he would have been elibible for the bonus in 2008, but because he exited this month he won't count against the retention numbers next year.
Compare the number of eligible pilots in the past and see if there weren't more pilots eligible then. With 1,100 pilots coming out of UPT every year...that's about 250 pilots unaccounted for in 2007...about 22%. If those people took the VSP or Palace chased then they certainly did NOT take the bonus and 2007 retention rates start to look a lot more
grim.
Congress needs to act this year with some incentives to compete with the airlines or else they aren't going to have enough of a force to bribe for 2009.