Air Force leaders plan incentives to fix fighter pilot shortage

 

The Air Force has created their own pilot shortage through its lack of leadership, forethought and crippling beurocracy. Less than 2 years ago, they have allowed voluntary separations before commitment fulfilment and have non-vol'd others into drone slots.

 

Look -- more money for guys who were going to stay in anyway. Brilliant plan, gents. Simply brilliant.

 

LOL, pilot shortage. More like personnel mismanagement.
I fly once a month. The AF values pilots sitting behind desks more than sitting in a cockpit.

 

How is this even possible? Don't they have thousands hoping for a pilot slot.

 

See my previous post. The USAF is a broken organization

 

All facets of the US Government are broken

 

There is a shortage of experienced pilots -- the ones that take 10+ years to create, and who are headed for the doors like its the 1990s all over again. It is a shortage of guys to fill the non-flying gigs (that are still important to the operation, but not critical) and less desirable jobs that a second-half-of-the-career pilot would be filling.

No matter how many students you pump through UPT, that's not a problem you can solve overnight (or even this year or 5 years down the road if you start today). The problem is retention, not production.

What's funny is that the Flag officers who are presiding over this now are the same ones who were SQ/CCs back in 1996 the last time they were trying to solve this problem. They hated the answer last time, too (a squadron full of fresh wingmen doesn't help fill the experienced pilot jobs that are tough to man).

The last time they tried to solve this via fighter crossflow boards (which was possible because they still had so many T-38-trained Captain and Major heavy pilots. Thanks to General Lorenz a few years ago, we again have a big batch of tanker/transport pilots who came from T-38s, although they're much younger.

They were right all along! If you wait long enough, everything comes around full circle. What's old is new again!

 

Some guys were lucky enough to cash in on both phases of the cycle. I flew with a F/O who got a bonus to stay in the AF, and later got another bonus to leave.

 

'90-'95: too many pilots and RIF was in effect. '97-'99ish: short of fighter pilots. There was a "fighter cross flow program" for heavy boys who were trained in 38s. Like the present, many UPT grads who could've chosen fighters did not choose fighters. 10-15 hours a month and 12+ hour days behind the desk doing worthless made-up tasks.
We can thank the lack of leadership of spineless kiss a$$es who'd sell their soul to climb the ladder. Unfortunately, this vicious cycle will never end.