Originally Posted by
new guy
I love to see that all the branches hate their pilots equally. The moment you aren't the solution they want regardless of your work ethic, prior history, and contributions, you are immediately considered part of the problem.
On the Army side the helo guys were told this exact quote by the senior warrant officer of the aviation branch; "If the Air Force loses its pilots, it's not the Air Force. If the Army loses its pilots, it's still the Army." That was three years ago and the bleeding hasn't stopped...so they instituted a 10 year obligation POST flight school. It had been six. Hope the Army guys don't share their brilliant ideas to fix the problem with your people.
The Army literally treats their pilots like they are ground pounders who also happen to know how to fly. 20 years ago, army aviators could at least wear flight suits. Now even the FW army pilots wear ACU's or whatever they're called now, which is ridiculous. I can't imagine wearing NWU's in the cockpit - they're already hot and uncomfortable, definitely not designed for that on a humid summer day. I still can't believe the army took away your flight suits - it's like it bothered them too much that you weren't as miserable in some facet of your lives as the rest of them.
The Army has one advantage over the other branches that will always ensure a ready supply of pilots - it doesn't require a college degree and will literally train pilots straight out of high school. Never underestimate the recruiting potential of giving an 18 year old the prospect of flying an Apache; it's an endless, bottomless pit of willing recruits who don't care about QOL, family concerns, pay/incentives or how often they have to PCS.