Too Many AF Pilots?

[Andy]

Out of curiousity, how come every time I fly over Stewart ANGB (SWF), I see almost all of the C-5's and KC-130's parked out on the Guard ramp? I would have guessed they'd be used all over the world on a daily basis? Thanks!

Sam

Sam, the C-5s at Stewart are on missions; they're just broken and awaiting parts. The missions are on rolling ETICs.
(Yes, I'm bashing C-5s; they're reliably unreliable).

To put a serious answer to your question, I do not know why the C-5s aren't tasked more. Perhaps because they're A models. Perhaps MOG issues at FOBs. The C-5s are mostly flown out of Rota and Moron and they can only handle so many C-5s. Downrange is even less so. Perhaps Stewart is out of C-5 crews. Perhaps Stewart is used as a staging point for cargo moving to and from overseas. I don't know.
As for any KC-130s, KC-130s are tankers and they aren't AF. I think that every Guard/Reserve C-130 unit is activated; most are in the desert or the 'Stans.

 

[9_Driver]

Too many AF pilots?

Here's some info from last time I talked to the <friendly> folks at AFPC about pilot manning:

Seems that there is no longer an "official" pilot shortage these days according to the leadership. As a matter of fact, I was told there are actually too many pilots now in the mid-range year groups (an interesting change from the "bathtub" they always used to brief...). Basically it sounds that for guys like me who have flown their whole USAF career, there's no way to avoid a desk job next, since they need the cockpits for the guys that got out and came back and now need to check their gate months. Read: do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to staff job from here...

For the new guys coming in though, you're right about continued UPT throughput. They've seemed to learn that cutting UPT production just hurts everyone in the long term, so for now they'll keep the El Tee's coming which is good news for the new guys hoping to be military aviators. Last I talked to my buds working as IP's at the UPT bases, sounds like weekend flying is the norm since the timelines are pretty consistently being pressed.