Another News Piece about Pilot Shortage
 

Pretty descent interview I heard on NPR today here in Texas regarding the airlines taking pilots away from the Air Force. Nothing earth shattering for those of us on the forums, but I figured I'd share.

WHY CAN’T THE AIR FORCE KEEP ITS PILOTS?

Best quote I heard from the reporter regarding all the work that Air Force pilots do that does not involve flying:
"But here's the thing I don't understand though... why would it not be in the best interest of the Air Force to do something about the box-checking and all the things that go on behind the scenes [non-flying ground jobs]... something to make becoming a fighter pilot more attractive?"

hmm...

Leadership is hard! How can we tell who to promote if we don't have boxes checked or unchecked?!?

How can we get pilots to volunteer for obnoxious additional duties if it's just...er...voluntary? :p

PME doesn't make one a good leader. Make shift deployments to "check" the box is silly. OPR fillers are created work. MBA or MS in Aeronautical Science from Embry Riddle is quite useless as a military leader. Being good at one's job (good stick) and being a good leader (respected amongst peers and doing the right thing all of the time) should be the only requirement. Unfortunately, we have lost our way in defining "leadership".

AF leadership is so self-indoctrinated that it can't even bring itself to comprehend what the loudly-and-clearly conveyed complaints are from the fleeing rank-and-file.

Shack.

I thought Stop Loss might be back by 2014. I was wrong then. Anyone inside see anything similar looming now?

That's right on - love the term self-indoctrinated- and funny too - funny because it's so cyclical. Saw it all before. In the early 90s, fighter pilots bailing left and right. Below-the-zone "leadership" couldn't understand (yet told us "you will not go home to your family when your work is done - you will stay at work 12 hours" just for face time if nothing else (and it would have been longer if not for crewrest)). Bonus didn't help much. Congressmen sent their aides to ask us directly. I think that's when they came out with the leather jacket for pilots, which then became the leather jacket for aircrew, which then became the leather jacket fo pretty much everyone.
Now the airlines are hiring - a lot - again and I see all the same **it.

As I was checking in to my first fleet squadron as a nugget, my CO told me this: "Know your job, know your tactics and be good behind the boat; if you don't have anything to do, don't do it here"

Turns out that was pretty sage advice from a guy who went on to command the Blue angels and is a CEO for a major aircraft corporation.

Does the USAF still make UPT students stay at the squadron for 12 hours/day regardless if they are flying or not? Not a slam on the Air Force but I always wondered what that did for culture later on.

That was mostly a decision by a not-so-good (and of course below-the-zone) DO and it was a while ago. There are good leaders in the AF and bad. I had my share of both. The bad ones don't get it and generally squash the good ones. I think the problem with the Air Force nowadays is the number one priority of most 'leaders' is to get promoted and that doesn't involve taking care of your people or getting the mission done smartly, it means making the numbers and your OPR look right. All else is way subordinate. Mistakes are frowned on (even the ones required in the learning process) and kissing ass is considered necessary.