Air Force Pilot Shortage!

bunk22 said:
No, hasn't been that way for years. I know the Navy changed their standards in 1992 to 20/30 correctable as NAMI had me at 20/25 both eyes during my first flight physical in 1993 and gave me glasses to fly with...I certainly didn't need it at the time, I think I missed one letter on each line and they just said 20/25, next!!! I believe the USAF is 20/70 correctable to 20/20 within a certain diopter range. The Navy is 20/40 correctable to 20/20 within a certain diopter range. Once winged in the Navy, I think your eyes can go as bad as 20/200 correctable to 20/20 within that diopter range. I know the Navy gives waivers for PRK and LASIK now as well (LASIK was at least, not sure if it still is).
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Thanks for the info, I did not know that.

I always assumed that everyone and their mother wanted to fly on the service and the 20/20 rule was just one way to thin the pool out.
 
After working with several Air Force guys, I have to say I am much happier putting up with Navy BS than having to put up with the Air Force BS. From the way the AF guys on here talk, their careers have been way different than mine.

In 13 years, I spent 4 years in flight training or in the RAG where I may have averaged 20 hours of work a week, maybe. Then 3 years in the fleet where I rarely worked more than 8 to 10 hours a day except on det or deployment. Then 3 years as a RAG Instructor where you pretty much work as much or as little as you want. I followed that with war college where I worked a tough 15 hours a week plus whatever reading I did and took 65 days of leave for the summer. Now I am back in the fleet an I can tell you that outside of det or deployment, days are not longer than 8 to 10 hours unless you are doing it wrong.

To do it again, I would have gone reserves after my first commitment, but those first 11 years could not be beat by any civilian flying job. I am sitting around 2600 military hours, almost all of that in single seat jets.
 
I should have gotten to my point. The AF bonus only adds years after your first cotmitment, so in my opinion it is not a good deal. I would advise guys to fly for the Navy and get out when can if your only goals are to fly. The flying jobs become more elusive in the last 5 years to retirement, but there are cool jobs to be had once you "get off track" towards command. For a lot of guys who got in thinking they wanted to be an airline pilot, those opportunities are good now that the airlines aren't really a good career move anymore.
 
In a few years after I finish school, I'm going to give this some serious consideration. But at the end of the day, I think I'd put QOL above how awesome the job is. I can't realistically see myself trying to get in unless I was single and nothing else in my life had panned out. And even then, who knows if I would even qualify.
 
For anyone wondering, the limit is -8.00 diopters to get a LASIK waiver for the AF. I was told I was good to go by my eye doctor but was denied a waiver for being outside the limit by .25 in my left eye, so if you are close to the limit make sure your eye doctor understands all the requirements in the refractive surgery waiver checklist.
 
C-182 flyer said:
I should have gotten to my point. The AF bonus only adds years after your first cotmitment, so in my opinion it is not a good deal. I would advise guys to fly for the Navy and get out when can if your only goals are to fly. The flying jobs become more elusive in the last 5 years to retirement, but there are cool jobs to be had once you "get off track" towards command. For a lot of guys who got in thinking they wanted to be an airline pilot, those opportunities are good now that the airlines aren't really a good career move anymore.
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This is not how AMG described his time flying Hornets unless he didn't mention he was on workups. Sounds like Navy or USMC is the way to go. Is it possible to stay in the cockpit for 20?
 
PGT said:
About the Navy 50% helo chance...off the top of my head I know only 1 person who got helo's that didn't want them. If you don't want helo's in the Navy then you will most likely not get them. From the QOL and cool factor... Helo over fighters. .
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50% of Navy pilots fly helo's, giver or take. When I was a primary IP in TW-5, the majority of pilots selected helo's...due mainly to the fact the majority of Navy pilots fly helo's :) Oh, about 75% of all USMC pilots are helo pilots as well. The "if you don't want helo's in the Navy then most likely will not get them" is not true at all.
 
scoobs said:
This is not how AMG described his time flying Hornets unless he didn't mention he was on workups. Sounds like Navy or USMC is the way to go. Is it possible to stay in the cockpit for 20?
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Anything is possible, in my 20 years, I did only one non flying tour. You may pay for it, like not making rank but being an Iron Major rocks IMO.
 
bunk22 said:
50% of Navy pilots fly helo's, giver or take. When I was a primary IP in TW-5, the majority of pilots selected helo's...due mainly to the fact the majority of Navy pilots fly helo's :) Oh, about 75% of all USMC pilots are helo pilots as well. The "if you don't want helo's in the Navy then most likely will not get them" is not true at all.
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I feel like the vast majority wanted helo's in primary. Everyone goes in wanting jets but then in API and primary people say f Kingsville or Meridian and go back to Whiting to live it up at Seville and head out to San Diego.
 
PGT said:
I feel like the vast majority wanted helo's in primary. Everyone goes in wanting jets but then in API and primary people say f Kingsville or Meridian and go back to Whiting to live it up at Seville and head out to San Diego.
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Yeah, a lot do want helo's. Many don't find the aero or forms to their liking and would like to go a bit slower. Though my guess is flying low means things happen fast and helo's fly form!!!
 
Agree with C-182 flyer. I was an NFO, but flight training was a vacation after primary, and I averaged a 40hr week on home cycle. Shore tour as a ROTC instructor was almost criminal it was such a good deal.

Funny if this were true - Navy just cut the bonuses pretty hard the last couple years. Any one know what the Navy bonus is now?
 
hook_dupin said:
Its not a signing bonus...its a retention bonus. There is no signing bonus. Its $25K extra per year for years after the pilot goes beyond his pilot training service committment (roughly nine years). The previous bonus (and the one still available for non-fighter pilots) is $25K for five years. In previous years, bonus acceptance rates (or "take-rates" in Air Force personnelist terms) have been slumping.

Turns out, flying constant combat for a decade has given guys much in the way of leadership and management skills. With the economy turning around, many see the AF as not as good of a deal to stay through retirement. Leadership is always in demand.
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I know of a couple 12Fs that took a bonus as well, I don't think it was quite a much.
 
scoobs said:
This is not how AMG described his time flying Hornets unless he didn't mention he was on workups. Sounds like Navy or USMC is the way to go. Is it possible to stay in the cockpit for 20?
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Anything is possible....though that would be tough to do. In my 20 years, I had only one non flying tour. Now there was still lots of no flying, med down, transition periods etc. The longest time spent out of the cockpit was 1.5 years but I was just about always on flying orders. It's not good for the career as far as making rank (read past O-4) but for some, like me, not important. For others, it's very important and it does look better on the resume and retirement paycheck.
 
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