Military Pilot Retention and Airlines

[phham]

Does the military generally face a problem of retaining its pilots after their minimum service requirement has been met? Is their typically a mass exodus to the airlines at that point? If so, can such pilots go directly to the majors or must they spend a few years at a regional airline first?

Does the military then offer bonus incentives (sort of like the Navy for the SWO community) to entice pilots to stay?

And, what type of military aircraft offers the best type of experience for commercial aviation?

Thanks.

 

[CommodoreMid]

Yes, no, maybe, yes, all of them.

 

[ChuckM]

Yes, no, maybe, yes, all of them.

Crushed it...

 

[Brett327]

There seems to be a trend recently in basic questions getting asked. Are new users still being directed to the forum rules/FAQ required reading?

 

[Treetop Flyer]

Does the military generally face a problem of retaining its pilots after their minimum service requirement has been met? Is their typically a mass exodus to the airlines at that point? If so, can such pilots go directly to the majors or must they spend a few years at a regional airline first?

Does the military then offer bonus incentives (sort of like the Navy for the SWO community) to entice pilots to stay?

And, what type of military aircraft offers the best type of experience for commercial aviation?

Thanks.

Typically? Not until recently when hiring has picked up. A lot of pilots are leaving now. It's definitely feasible right now to leave at the earliest opportunity and go straight to a major, but of course that could change. The Navy offers a bonus and the Marines don't, although that seems to be changing soon. Any fixed wing platform would work, although jet guys seem to get hired with less hours.

 

[azguy]

Does the military then offer bonus incentives (sort of like the Navy for the SWO community) to entice pilots to stay?

I don't know anything about the airlines, but I want to comment on this to offer a little perspective. First of all, good on you for planning ahead, I definitely wasn't thinking 10+ years out when I was in college. That said, don't let the bonus' sway your decision at all, for the following reasons:

-You're looking 8-10+ years down the road, the bonus offerings may vary wildly in that time frame, making it a poor planning factor.
-As a college kid, I know a $100k bonus seems like a lot of money; a few years down the road, I promise it w0n't be as significant of a sum. That amount is really a drop in the bucket compared to the money you'll make over the course of your career in the military, airlines, or elsewhere.
-No one does this job for the money; our annual salaries are pretty decent, but if you add up the hourly wage of a naval officer over the course of a training cycle and deployment, it's pretty horrible.

 

[HuggyU2]

For those at Miramar, I hear the "GAO Fighter Pilot Manning Working Group" is visiting the base today. If that's accurate, I'd be curious to know how the meeting goes.

 

[sevenhelmet]

For those at Miramar, I hear the "GAO Fighter Pilot Manning Working Group" is visiting the base today. If that's accurate, I'd be curious to know how the meeting goes.

They apparently visited Lemoore this week. Anybody know how it went?

 

[HuggyU2]

Crickets?? Wow.
I find it difficult to believe the "AW Intel Network" isn't all over this.

 

[pourts]

For those at Miramar, I hear the "GAO Fighter Pilot Manning Working Group" is visiting the base today. If that's accurate, I'd be curious to know how the meeting goes.

The "Working Group" (2 GAO analysts) were sent by Senate Armed Services Community to determine if there was a problem with fighter pilot manning/ retention. The impetus was testimony by service chiefs wherein they said "we don't have a problem." Just like with AA, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.

They went to USAF, Navy, and USMC bases and spoke with separately with senior leadership, squadron leadership, and mid-level pilots gathering anecdotes about retention issues for a public report they will give to SASC. These people seemed very comfortable with hard data, so I got the sense they were using our input as a starting point for their research, which is as it should be.

 

[Jim123]

Why would those two analysts need to go on a roadshow if there isn't a problem??

 

[pourts]

Exec branch says "no problem" Congress says "you are full of shit" but don't officially have any evidence, so they take 9 months to write a report and figure out if there is a problem. That's the way the system works I suppose. We aren't talking about Amazon for goodness sake, this is the US govt. And that kids, is why every function or service should be kept out of government hands unless absolutely necessary #limitedgovernment.

 

[Griz882]

The "Working Group"...words

Maybe the problem is in terminology. It strikes me that there aren't any "fighter pilots" anymore. Seriously, Maverick and Goose would weep at the lack of "turn and burn" action in today's world.

 

[sevenhelmet]

Maybe the problem is in terminology. It strikes me that there aren't any "fighter pilots" anymore. Seriously, Maverick and Goose would weep at the lack of "turn and burn" action in today's world.

What the fuck are you talking about?

 

[HackerF15E]

I think they'd weep at the lack of porn in the safes, lack of off-color callsigns, and wussified leadership, but not at the prowess of the guys burning the JP to make tight circles in the sky and deliver ordnance precisely.