Certain Active-duty pilots who renew their contracts can earn up to $420,000 through the service’s 2022 Aviation Bonus program. “Airpower will always be in high demand, and our operational readiness hinges on retaining a force of skilled and experienced aviators,” said Chief of Staff Gen. Charles ...
Active-duty Airmen who want to become pilots, combat systems officers, air battle managers, or remotely piloted aircraft pilots now have until Dec. 31 to apply for the Rated Preparatory Program. The Air Force launched the program in partnership with the Civil Air Patrol in 2019 ...
The Air Force’s pilot production numbers stayed relatively steady from fiscal 2019 to 2020 despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. said, an encouraging sign that the service’s efforts to speed up that pipeline are working. That progress could be ...
Being forced to keep old aircraft is eroding the Air Force's attempts to build up its readiness, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin told the House Armed Services readiness subcommittee. He also said a host of efforts to fill USAF's pilot deficit are ...
Active-duty Airmen interested in becoming rated officers can apply to train with the Civil Air Patrol and start their paths to becoming pilots. The Air Force has opened the application window for the Fall 2021 Rated Preparatory Program, the fourth iteration of the approach started ...
The Defense Department has regained some lost readiness after two decades of continuous combat, but still has more work to do, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office. “Nearly two decades of conflict has degraded U.S. military readiness," wrote report author Diana ...
The COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the commercial airline industry means Air Force pilot retention—a big problem earlier in the year—is in relatively good shape, but the service still needs to prepare for empty cockpits when the economy comes back. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. ...
Gen. Mark D. Kelly took over leadership of Air Combat Command from Gen. James "Mike" Holmes August 28, in a change-of-command ceremony at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va. Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Q. Brown and Kelly both praised Holmes for his wisdom and many fundamental ...
Tall or small, the Air Force wants to ensure that Americans of more shapes and sizes can fit into its future aircraft. The service on Aug. 4 updated its guidance on the minimum physical size requirements used to design cockpits and aircrew flight equipment, which ...
Air Education and Training Command’s RPA Training Next effort wants to overhaul how the Air Force builds future RPA pilots and sensor operators. More specifically, it wants to give these Airmen more personalized journeys through the RPA training pipeline instead of making them adhere to ...
The Air Force may not have enough remotely piloted aircraft pilots and sensor operators to stand up a new wing in 2024, as it struggles to retain personnel and increase the size of its instructor pilot cadre, the Government Accountability Office says in a new ...
The Air Force removed the minimum height requirement for applicants who want to fly as it looks to increase the diversity of those entering USAF cockpits. Under previous standards, pilots must reach a standing height of 64 inches to 77 inches—5 feet, 4 inches to ...