Some US Air Force pilots choosing to stay in uniform amid commercial aviation slump

[Setpoint99]

Some Air Force pilots are choosing to stay in uniform amid commercial aviation slump (https://www.stripes.com/news/air-force/some-air-force-pilots-are-choosing-to-stay-in-uniform-amid-commercial-aviation-slump-1.632363?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB%2006.04.20&utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief)

"The Air Force is hoping more soon-to-be-departing pilots will consider its generous retention bonuses as commercial airlines struggle with the effects of the coronavirus.

"Gen. David Goldfein, the Air Force chief of staff, told the House Armed Services Committee on March 4 that the service was 2,000 pilots short of the 21,000 needed to meet requirements laid out in 2018 National Defense Strategy. He cited competition from high-paying commercial airlines. . .

“'We have seen Air Force members with approved retirement and separation dates request to withdraw their paperwork since March, and at this time 171 pilots have been approved to stay past their original retirement or separation dates,' [Air Force spokeswoman Lt. Col. Malinda Singleton] said."

[Airbubba]

Yep, the Great Pilot Shortage is over once again.

[Cat Techie]

Why walk into unemployment? If I was still in the military, I would be pulling the leaving paperwork now.

[krismiler]

Three hots and a cot, guaranteed paycheque, free medical care, housing, excellent pension scheme and the flying is more fun. You’d be mad to leave at the moment.

Unfortunately by the time commercial aviation recovers again many military Pilots will be too old to make the move.

[ACMS]

Three hots and a cot, guaranteed paycheque, free medical care, housing, excellent pension scheme and the flying is more fun. You’d be mad to leave at the moment.

Unfortunately by the time commercial aviation recovers again many military Pilots will be too old to make the move.

at the moment they can’t make the move, so it’s not Rocket science is it.

[bringbackthe80s]

Disregarding the political/ethical aspects which are personal, the us navy/air force likely provides the best opportunities in the world in terms of flying many type of fast jets, amount of flying, experiences abroad etc..If you’re good enough of course. Probably the best flying in the world.
Staying does not seem like a huge sacrifice to me.

[krismiler]

If you put your papers in a few months back, after getting a start date from an airline, it would make sense to withdraw your resignation and take up a 3-5 year contract instead of leaving. Even those in training at airlines already are on very shaky ground. Most airlines will be laying off pilots, and they will be the first ones taken on when things improve. Any start date that was given three months ago is now worthless and I wouldn't resign from a job on the basis that I would be next inline. The current hiring freeze will be an ice age.

Simple enough for you ?

[UV]

That guy is stating the bleeding obvious!!

[Busdriver01]

Leave and join the back of a long queue of type rated, high hour airline pilots, or stay and receive a massive retention bonus in the meantime... tough one!

[West Coast]

If more and more stay, the retention bonus will sunset.

[Spooky 2]

Three hots and a cot, guaranteed paycheque, free medical care, housing, excellent pension scheme and the flying is more fun. You’d be mad to leave at the moment.

Unfortunately by the time commercial aviation recovers again many military Pilots will be too old to make the move.

Age discrimination is illegal in the US. I have seen numerous +50 year old pilots hired during the last say six years. One guy was actually over age 60 at NWA, now Delta.

[Check Airman]

Three hots and a cot, guaranteed paycheque, free medical care, housing, excellent pension scheme and the flying is more fun. You’d be mad to leave at the moment.

Unfortunately by the time commercial aviation recovers again many military Pilots will be too old to make the move.

They’ll be just fine. Traffic is increasing slowly but steadily. With some luck, hiring will resume next year. Hopefully closer to January than December.

[krismiler]

There are differing forecasts regarding the pandemic which range from back to normal early next year, summer at the latest, all the way through to stock up on ammunition and be ready to live off the grid in a remote part of Montana. The reality will be somewhere in between and subject to variables and decisions beyond our control. The best case involves a cure or vaccine becoming available in the near future and the worst involves a collapse of the global financial system.

Your perspective is coloured by your personal situation, it's a recession when your neighbour loses his job and a depression when you lose yours.

At the moment there is cause for being optimistic, countries which were affected early on are now getting back to normal. Back in March and April all we saw was the deaths and infections with no end in sight and the news kept getting worse every day.

Airlines have been severely affected, even the best run and profitable ones couldn't stand up to being grounded for months unless they had government support. It's a matter of who comes out least worst rather than who comes out best.

Eventually we will recover, Germany and Japan were bombed out wrecks after WW2 but went onto rebuild.

If I was in the military I would stay in and sit this one out for a while. Staying current and having a regular income beats casual work stacking shelves in a supermarket. In a few months we should have an idea of what the new normal will be like.

[tcasblue]

Three hots and a cot, guaranteed paycheque, free medical care, housing, excellent pension scheme and the flying is more fun. You’d be mad to leave at the moment.

Unfortunately by the time commercial aviation recovers again many military Pilots will be too old to make the move.

Good deal for the taxpayers as well. Less initial training costs.

[macdo]

Yes stay in the Ranks, it's the obvious choice.

Re: airlines picking back up I sincerely hope they do not. Airline travel at pre-pandemic levels cost the individual too little and the planet too much.
When we have a government that tells protesters to not go out protesting because of the health implications yet allows plane loads of people to sit next to each other for hours in a very enclosed space then its obvious what priorities are guiding policies and its not science or health and definately not any concern for the long term
Our Grand children will look back at our behaviour with disbelief

(apologies for thread drift)
Gosh, what an insensitive post to put on a Professional Pilots website when '000's of people might loose their livelihoods with very little chance of getting an alternative form of employment. Plenty of other places to vent your spleen, perhaps find one?

[kendrick47247]

Yes stay in the Ranks, it's the obvious choice.

Re: airlines picking back up I sincerely hope they do not. Airline travel at pre-pandemic levels cost the individual too little and the planet too much.
When we have a government that tells protesters to not go out protesting because of the health implications yet allows plane loads of people to sit next to each other for hours in a very enclosed space then its obvious what priorities are guiding policies and its not science or health and definately not any concern for the long term
Our Grand children will look back at our behaviour with disbelief

(apologies for thread drift)

A completely short sighted and unnecessary post.

[Chiefttp]

Black Sun,
I’m sure there is a bed upstairs you can hide under .

As a retired military pilot, the choice of staying in the military is not as cut and dry as one would think. By accepting the “bonus” a pilot makes a commitment to stay in the military for another 8 years (in my case) the amount of pension benefit from the airlines a person would lose far outweighs the pension from the Air Force, also theres a good chance you’ll be sitting at a desk for a large part of that time. It’s a tough decision.

[krismiler]

That’s if you actually get to collect the airline pension, as numerous American, United and US Airways Pilots discovered to their cost.

If you could avoid the desk job and stay operational on tankers, transports or bombers it still looks an attractive option.

[nickp]

That’s if you actually get to collect the airline pension, as numerous American, United and US Airways Pilots discovered to their cost.

If you could avoid the desk job and stay operational on tankers, transports or bombers it still looks an attractive option.
As a matter of interest does anyone have any idea how many hours you could expect to do per year on fighters, transport etc? Assuming you can avoid the desk!

[Obama57]

That’s if you actually get to collect the airline pension, as numerous American, United and US Airways Pilots discovered to their cost.

If you could avoid the desk job and stay operational on tankers, transports or bombers it still looks an attractive option.

I have been out for a long time, but staying in the cockpit was not an option nor a path to promotion in the Air Force. Pilots did not typically jump from one command to another. If you started in B-52’s, you probably retired from SAC, as an example.

[Pearly White]

That’s if you actually get to collect the airline pension, as numerous American, United and US Airways Pilots discovered to their cost.

If you could avoid the desk job and stay operational on tankers, transports or bombers it still looks an attractive option.
...Unless somebody starts a shooting war, that is. At which point sitting anywhere but in the line of fire seems like a better option.