The Air Force is trying several approaches to speed up and open new opportunities for pilot training to fill the gap. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., told Air Force leadership at a May 7 House Appropriations defense subcommittee hearing. “It’s going to get a lot more complicated because as the economy recovers and grows, there will be a larger demand, even, on pilots from the commercial world that you’ll be competing against,” Rep. Lawmakers are paying attention to the issue, too. airline employment fell from 755,000 people in March 2020 to 675,000 in October, then rebounded to about 706,500 as of April 2021, according to data published June 8 by the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. “Airlines are potentially going to expand their hiring,” Jacobson said, adding that the question is “how quickly they do it - they have folks that are furloughed, so they still have to bring those folks back.”įull- and part-time U.S. Now the service is waiting to see what the future holds for the pilot job market.Īs demand for air travel grows among newly vaccinated Americans, the Air Force anticipates that commercial hiring will return to pre-pandemic levels by the mid-2020s. “Combined with our other retention efforts, my expectation is we will see more folks stay.” “Reducing the amount that the Air Force offers to combatant commands, combined with lower demand, I think will lower the operational tempo,” Jacobson said. Corey Persons, a student pilot assigned to the 71st SS, before his solo flight July 15, 2019, at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Marcel Trott, a flight commander assigned to the 71st Student Squadron, salutes 2nd Lt. Bonus take rates jumped from 44 percent to 51 percent of eligible pilots between 20, the Air Force said.Ĭapt. On the other hand, about half of aviators who were eligible for pilot retention bonuses in fiscal 2020 chose to take them. “ had their strongest last quarter of flying than they had in a long time, which demonstrates once they figured it out, they flew,” he said of educating airmen amid COVID-19 restrictions.

Still, Jacobson said he’s encouraged by that number. Traditionally, friends, family and co-workers celebrate by dousing the pilot in water and/or a bottle of champagne upon final exit from the aircraft. The 'fini flight' is a long-standing Air Force tradition that serves as a career milestone for pilots approaching retirement. 26, 2020, at the Kelly Field Annex, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas. Scott Elrod, Chief of Safety to the Commander of the 149th Fighter Wing, piloted his final flight in an F-16 Fighting Falcon Sep.

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