Fri, Aug 12, 2016
RPV Operators Also May Be In Line For A Retention Increase
The U.S. Air Force would like to keep the fighter and UAV pilots it has trained ... and is looking to one of the best motivators to do so.
Cash.
The Air Force Times reports that the Air Force is looking to nearly double retention bonuses for pilots to nearly $48,000 per year. That means some could see an additional $432,000 in their bank accounts depending on how long they stay in the service.
Aviator Retention Pay has been capped at $25,000 per year since 1999. But Air Force Secretary Debora Lee James said in a recent interview that she has requested that Congress approve the higher amounts to prevent pilots from making the switch to airline jobs.
She said that she's particularly concerned about fighter pilots, saying there is already a shortage of them in the Air Force. "We believe it's going to get worse unless action is taken, and we know that the civilian airlines are projected to hire a lot in the next several years," James said in a recent interview.
And airmen who fly the Air Force's Remotely Piloted Aircraft are also being enticed to stay with retention bonuses of up to $35,000 per year for those who sign up for a five-year hitch.
But The Air Force Times reports that current law only allow retention bonuses to be paid to officers, so the enlisted airmen who recently were approved to operate RPAs are not yet eligible. But a source told The Air Force Times on background that senior leaders are working to change that rule.
The proposed changes were announced Wednesday in the annual "State of the Air Force" address presented by Secretary James and Air Force Chief Of Staff David Goldfein.
More News
Very High Frequency The frequency band between 30 and 300 MHz. Portions of this band, 108 to 118 MHz, are used for certain NAVAIDs; 118 to 136 MHz are used for civil air/ground voi>[...]
Aero Linx: Aviation Suppliers Association Established February 25, 1993, the Aviation Suppliers Association (ASA), based in Washington, D.C., is a not-for-profit association, repre>[...]
Have A Story That NEEDS To Be Featured On Aero-News? Here’s How To Submit A Story To Our Team Some of the greatest new stories ANN has ever covered have been submitted by our>[...]
From 2021 (YouTube Version): Colorado Campus Offers aVariety Of Aerospace Entertainment And Education Wings over the Rockies Exploration of Flight is the second location for the Wi>[...]
Also: Paramotor Champ's, Electric Ultralight, ICON BK Update, Burt Rutan at Oshkosh! The Popular Rotorcraft Association is reaching out for help in rebuilding their private runway >[...]