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[Forerunner]

A link to the article.

WASHINGTON D.C. – The U.S. Air Force is struggling to fill a shortage of 700 fighter pilots by the end of the year, even as the U.S. battles in three air wars against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq, Syria and Libya.

Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James also told Pentagon reporters Wednesday that she is planning to pay drone pilots a $35,000 a year retention bonus to encourage them to stay in the service. The 35,000 a year retention bonus would be an increase over $25,000 bonus the service has been allowed to provide. And all drone pilots would be eligible once their service contract is up. She added that Air Force needs the authority to increase bonuses for all pilots in order to address the shortage. The Air Force has grappled with pilot retention for some time, particularly as airlines look to hire them, promising higher salaries and benefits. James said the pilot shortage could grow to 1,000 in a couple years.

"The airlines are forecast to be hiring a lot more," she said, adding that the Air Force also needs to increase its training of new pilots. She and Gen. David Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff, said they want to improve pilots' quality of life and their military service conditions, including training and housing.

"It is a crisis," said Goldfein. "Air superiority is not an American birthright, it's actually something you have to fight for."

He said fighter pilots are leaving at a higher rate, and that improving their quality of service as well as beefing up the retention bonus will help address the problem. Fueling that problem, he said, has been the persistent overseas deployments as the U.S. has been engaged in air wars for more than two decades. "If we take a balanced approach, we're hoping that we can get these folks to stay," he said. Goldfein said that so far the pilot shortage isn't affecting air operations over Iraq, Syria and Libya. But the ongoing deployments continue to affect pilots' decisions on whether to stay in the service.

I mean it makes sense. Why would you want to stay in when you can separate, and get a better paying job that is less hazardous.

 

[norm9]

Nerds controlling drones convincing real pilots not to fly anymore.

Real life=Battlefield 3 dlc

 

[guek]

time to greenlight Top Gun 2: Attack of the Drones to bump up enlistment

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

They clearly haven't watched Iron Eagle enough

 

[MMarston]

time to greenlight Top Gun 2: Attack of the Drones to bump up enlistment

You mean Top Gun 2 The Danger Zone

 

[Flo_Evans]

I'm awesome at ace combat sign me up.

 

[norm9]

I had to explain to my lil nephew about inverted controls and why it's the best so I could be a good flight teacher.

 

[lastplayed]

randy quaid.gif

 

[Log4Girlz]

A link to the article.



I mean it makes sense. Why would you want to stay in when you can separate, and get a better paying job that is less hazardous.

That's an incredibly short fighter pilot

 

[Reven]

Deployments aren't the reason pilots leave, it's the fact they spend far more time flying a desk and their flight hours keep decreasing.

 

[sfedai0]

I'll only do it if I can blast Danger Zone.

 

[kirblar]

Government jobs not keeping up with private sector wages ends up being a real issue. Good that they're actually ponying up the cash here.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

Of all job shortages, those of the armed forces are some I'm most okay with.

"It is a crisis," said Goldfein. "Air superiority is not an American birthright, it's actually something you have to fight for."

What has air superiority ever done for me.

 

[TarNaru33]

Of all job shortages, those of the armed forces are some I'm most okay with.



What has air superiority ever done for me.

You shouldn't be, they employ more than 2 million people and more than that when contractors are taking into account.

Air Superiority and Naval superiority are both things U.S can not do without as the goal of war is to take the fight to the enemy rather than the other way. Don't be one of those people that say conventional war won't happen, because we do not know and it is best to keep a big stick just in case rather than having to find one in an emergency.

That air superiority saved and saves countless Armed force lives also.

 

[Lkr]

If an actual conflict broke out I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem getting these people to stay on

 

[PeskyToaster]

Do they let you join if you need glasses? I was an ace pilot of jets and helicopters in Battlefield. If they let me play Danger Zone on repeat I'm in.

 

[CyclopsRock]

You shouldn't be, they employ more than 2 million people and more than that when contractors are taking into account.

Air Superiority and Naval superiority are both things U.S can not do without as the goal of war is to take the fight to the enemy rather than the other way. Don't be one of those people that say conventional war won't happen, because we do not know and it is best to keep a big stick just in case rather than having to find one in an emergency.

That air superiority saved and saves countless Armed force lives also.

Plus - like nuclear weapons - the deterrent factor of having the biggest stick (by far the biggest stick, in the case of the US) is often not obvious when you already have it precisely because it's working.

 

[Flambe]

Do they let you join if you need glasses? I was an ace pilot of jets and helicopters in Battlefield. If they let me play Danger Zone on repeat I'm in.

I'd doubt it unless it's corrected by Lasik or whatnot.

If I wasn't Canadian I'd be down, I love flying.

 

[NoblesseOblige]

You shouldn't be, they employ more than 2 million people and more than that when contractors are taking into account.

Air Superiority and Naval superiority are both things U.S can not do without as the goal of war is to take the fight to the enemy rather than the other way. Don't be one of those people that say conventional war won't happen, because we do not know and it is best to keep a big stick just in case rather than having to find one in an emergency.

That air superiority saved and saves countless Armed force lives also.

How is how much they employ relevant to me being glad they have vacancies? Clearly there aren't enough qualified individuals interested in it, so good. As for the war hubbub, why would I, a pacifist, give a rat's butt about 'taking it to the enemy'? I'm fine with an actual defense, but this cancerous growth called our military is not built with actual defense in mind.

 

[clockworkinyou]

That's an incredibly short fighter pilot

A lot of fighter pilots are short. Smaller frame handles the g-forces better and easier to fit in cockpit.

 

[Nokagi]

I would join but I'm pretty sure I'd end up like Goose and not Maverick.

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

Came for Top Gun references - was not disappointed.

Whose got some of those volleyball game pics? That'll get people to join!

 

[guek]

You mean Top Gun 2 The Danger Zone

 

[AntChum]

Why would you want to stay in when you can separate, and get a better paying job that is less hazardous.

You can't do a barrel roll in a 747.

Always wanted to be a pilot — albeit Royal Air Force — unfortunately I'm fast approaching the cutoff age. Also, the thought of doing a barrel roll makes me queasy.

 

[ClosingADoor]

If an actual conflict broke out I'm sure they wouldn't have a problem getting these people to stay on

Too late then, since you need a pretty lengthy training to fly a fighter jet. They should be there before the conflict breaks out or you are in trouble.

How is how much they employ relevant to me being glad they have vacancies? Clearly there aren't enough qualified individuals interested in it, so good. As for the war hubbub, why would I, a pacifist, give a rat's butt about 'taking it to the enemy'? I'm fine with an actual defense, but this cancerous growth called our military is not built with actual defense in mind.

You can be a pacifist all you want, problem is, the rest of the world isn't.

Air superiority is the number one thing you want in a war. Without it, you're pretty much fucked. So a lack of people to fill those jobs is a problem.

And you take it to the enemy, because otherwise you are fighting on your own ground, with your civilians being murdered. Navy and air superiority worldwide gives the US a major advantage over every other nation.

 

[rambis]

A lot of fighter pilots are short. Smaller frame handles the g-forces better and easier to fit in cockpit.

Not in my experience they arent. I would say they average around 5'10 and usually up.

 

[Seductivpancakes]

I was pretty good at Ace Combat and Hawx.

I'm ready to serve 'murica

 

[Jawmuncher]

I know recently at the academy and in ROTC programs they lowered the criteria a tad to try and get some more pilots to make up for this.

 

[Melkezadek]

That's really strange. Lately, I've been thinking about joining the airforce like my grand uncle did. It was an interest of mine growing up, but blocked by my mother.

Being blocked by my wife now, so I doubt much will change. Can't help but shake the feeling, though.

 

[Tarkus]

I was incredibly close to enlisting in the USAF when I graduated high school to do just this. Recruiters were beating my door down.

 

[Fury451]

 

[entremet]

I considered this when I was younger but I had bad eyesight and this was before the lasik exception.

 

[HariKari]

I was incredibly close to enlisting in the USAF when I graduated high school to do just this. Recruiters were beating my door down.

Yeah, but they only recently opened up unarmed drones to enlisted. You have to have a college degree to become an officer, and the selection boards are pretty picky from what I remember.

I'd like to be a drone pilot but the entire selection process is a lot of waiting around with zero guarantees you even get a shot at training.

 

[PSYGN]

Haha, good ol' Randy.

 

[Tugatrix]

Where do I sign, i just have myopia but I can fly a drone

 

[Nokagi]

"I can fly, I'm pilot"

 

[Sapiens]

You mean Top Gun 2 The Danger Zone

No, Iron Eagle 7: Loius Gossit Jr is eating tonight.

 

[Tarkus]

Yeah, but they only recently opened up unarmed drones to enlisted. You have to have a college degree to become an officer, and the selection boards are pretty picky from what I remember.

I'd like to be a drone pilot but the entire selection process is a lot of waiting around with zero guarantees you even get a shot at training.

Yeah it was something about rotc school or a school in Colorado and officer training. It sounded like a mess to my 18-year-old self.

 

[TarNaru33]

Plus - like nuclear weapons - the deterrent factor of having the biggest stick (by far the biggest stick, in the case of the US) is often not obvious when you already have it precisely because it's working.

You think technology will go at a standstill and that every nation that has nukes now and in the future will be stable enough to not have incidents of real threats or even using it?

Technology is developing to where countries may at some point feel, comfortable in the use or non-use of the nukes due to counter capabilities. This is what Russia worries about and something U.S is still developing as we speak.

Only if you think nukes will always be that ace in the deck, do an armed force becomes irrelevant and this is besides the fact that the armed forces will need to be used at some point for varying reasons. The only reason things are peaceful as it is now is due to the amount of power being solely in U.S/NATO's favor and despite this imbalance of power, we still see proxy wars.

How is how much they employ relevant to me being glad they have vacancies? Clearly there aren't enough qualified individuals interested in it, so good. As for the war hubbub, why would I, a pacifist, give a rat's butt about 'taking it to the enemy'? I'm fine with an actual defense, but this cancerous growth called our military is not built with actual defense in mind.

You are on the extreme side of pacific-ism if you do not see how a offensive military is better than having a defensive one, but don't worry, no nation currently can challenge U.S due to the large natural barrier that makes attacking U.S extremely difficult (even for terrorists).

Vacancies are still bad as it can (but currently isn't) a tremendous impact in warzones. This means you have to do more with less and doing more deployments instead of resting. Basically, I am saying, think before saying something as you may be overlooking the larger picture.

 

[backflip10019]

Edit: I should read the article first.

 

[Not Spaceghost]

Aren't the requirements kinda heavy for pay? Outside the physical stuff like not being too tall or too short, having perfect vision and no color blindness don't you basically need to have a strong grasp on avionics engineering and aircraft maintenance?

 

[Tal Shiar Agent]

How is how much they employ relevant to me being glad they have vacancies? Clearly there aren't enough qualified individuals interested in it, so good. As for the war hubbub, why would I, a pacifist, give a rat's butt about 'taking it to the enemy'? I'm fine with an actual defense, but this cancerous growth called our military is not built with actual defense in mind.

That's exactly what it was built in mind with. Fortress North America.

Power projection to keep a bubble of protection around the US and it's allies.

 

[kmfdmpig]

The Air Force was fairly shitty when handling the oxygen issues that F-22 pilots faced a few years ago. They looked at it partially as a PR issue, not solely a health/safety issue. I can't imagine that type of callousness engenders much loyalty or trust among pilots who know they have higher paying options waiting for them in the civilian sector.

 

[HStallion]

I'm surprised they haven't just turned it into a drone fleet at this point.

 

[Demy]

Guys we need more pilots so we can keep winning these wars.

 

[HariKari]

I'm surprised they haven't just turned it into a drone fleet at this point.

There's a shortage of drone pilots because it's a thankless job that's not nearly as rewarding as being in a manned aircraft. The operational tempo is such a grind that the air force is throwing money at drone pilots too, in an effort to keep the ones they have while growing the force.

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

Finally all my hours in DCS will pay off.

 

[dramatis]

Make a Gundam and you'll get applications

 

[jblank83]

Funny enough, talking about making things attractive, the Topgun school used to be in beautiful seaside San Diego.

Now it's out in the desert in Nevada.

 

[CyclopsRock]

You think technology will go at a standstill and that every nation that has nukes now and in the future will be stable enough to not have incidents of real threats or even using it?

Technology is developing to where countries may at some point feel, comfortable in the use or non-use of the nukes due to counter capabilities. This is what Russia worries about and something U.S is still developing as we speak.

Only if you think nukes will always be that ace in the deck, do an armed force becomes irrelevant and this is besides the fact that the armed forces will need to be used at some point for varying reasons. The only reason things are peaceful as it is now is due to the amount of power being solely in U.S/NATO's favor and despite this imbalance of power, we still see proxy wars.

Huh? I was agreeing with you, you daft prick.