I've heard more military pilots will be extending their contracts as opposed to leaving for the airlines because of all of the covid-19 related airline layoffs, leaving less pilot slots for upcoming candidates. Is this true or are the odds of being a naval aviator still the same?
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COVID-19 and pilot slots
- Thread starter kyle421
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Why does that matter? If you want to do something, roll the bones and find out if you've got what it takes. Who cares what the odds may or may not be at any particular moment in time?
I'll throw you a bone. I don't THINK it will affect things at all for an aspiring aviator. The ones that might decide to stay in are senior LTs and junior LCDRs that the Navy has had a severe shortfall of in recent years. They still need a constant flow of new supply, that will be up for DH ten years down the line. If they ever make huge changes to the promote or get out system, they might be able to change the new accessions flow valve more handily and still meet needs... But right now, since you also posted a thread about ROTC, I'd focus on getting your bachelors if you don't already have it (graduate degrees mean very little in aviation, until way later in your timeline), and OCS social distancing and reduced class size is the more likely bogeyman for you than increased pilot retention.
You are confusing apples with oranges. The folks possibly "extending their contracts" (a misnomer in of itself) are seasoned 10+ year career aviators who are fully qualified in their community. Manning wise, you cannot fill those previously empty holes with brand new aviators. If those holes are now being filled with equivalent aviators (and I don't know if they actually are), it equally has no bearing on new accessions who couldn't fill those jobs. The size of the fleet in coming years does, as well as I'm sure plenty of other factors, but this is something I would absolutely not stress about in your shoes.