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The military needs to get a better handle on why pilots are leaving the military and how many are leaving for jobs with commercial airlines, a new Government Accountability Office report said.
The report, which was released Thursday, comes as the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy grapple with a pilot shortage, especially in the fighter pilot community, where there are shortages as high as 27 percent, according to the GAO.
originally posted by: watchitburn
Money
originally posted by: generik
oh i wonder why pilots leave the military?
could it be things like a lot more income. better benefits like healthcare. much more stable work hours and the ability for a family to not have to move around the world all the time. the ability to stay in "reserve" and make even more money, plus still get to fly air force birds. much more comfortable workspaces, especially for spending long hours in the air. like actually being able to get up, and even a pretty much proper toilet, plus the ability to actually have decent meals, as well as beverages while in the air. none of the military BS to have to deal with, like saluting.
seriously if they want to retain more pilots these are the things they need to deal with to compete. especially when it comes to pay, benefits, and family circumstances. and if they give such things to pilots, they would really have to do the same across the entire military. for example if a civilian pilot receives $25,000/month plus good benefits. and then the air force to competes gives the same wage and benefits for the same amount of flying. then a captain in the army also deserves to be paid the same as a captain in the air force, for equal time spent working. which unfortunately is a rather unrealistic expectation. just paying the pilots that much would cause a huge increase in the military budget, far, far bigger if they extended that equal pay across the military. and truthfully, the military fully deserve to be paid MORE than their civilian counterparts, considering that they are quite literally putting their lives on the line. it really is an unwinnable situation.
originally posted by: Irishhaf
Money is a big piece of the puzzle no doubt, also though most of the pilots I have known and worked with or flown with just wanted to fly.
As the USAF continues to slim down they are forcing these people that just want to fly to spend more and more time in an office managing people.
Also many pilots are not exactly Politically correct, the USAF is becoming more and more politically correct so by staying they put their future earnings at greater risk so most are now getting the bare minimum of hours needed to be able to make the jump to the civilian world.
I have nearly 20 years in the USAF and I would tell my son if he was old enough today to not join the USAF, it is a train wreck right now.