AlbieF15
F15 Ret/FDX/InterviewPrep
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Military Pilot Shortage Eases After 9/11
June 3, 2002
WASHINGTON -- After years of losing fliers to better-paying commercial airlines, the military is seeing signs that its chronic pilot shortage is easing.
The reason is a surge of post-Sept. 11 patriotism, military officials say.
Since the terrorist attacks, the Navy says, there has been a sharp drop in the number of pilots leaving the service.
The Air Force reports that 311 navigators and pilots who had left have come back onto active duty, compared with two who returned during the first nine months of 2001.
''I don't think we were ever prepared to manage this type of application rate,'' says Maj. Frank Franckowiak, who recruits former pilots.
The trend is encouraging news for commanders who have scrambled in recent years to replace pilots who jump to lucrative jobs with U.S. airlines, where experienced pilots can make $200,000 a year. That's more than double what military fliers earn, even after special flight pay and bonuses to keep them in the service.
The Air Force, which has 13,000 pilots, estimated it had a shortage of 900 pilots at the start of this year, down from a shortage of 1,239 in 2001.
The Navy, which has 12,000 pilots, estimated it was short 590 pilots at the start of the year, down from 635 in 2001.
Other signs that the pilot exodus could be waning:
* The percentage of mid-career Navy pilots deciding to stay in uniform is 42%, the highest rate in 12 years. The number opting to leave has fallen from 125 during the first five months of 2001 to 68 so far this year.
* The number of Air Force pilots who left the service in 2001 was down 25% from 2000. After the war on terrorism began, the Air Force enacted a rule to prevent pilots and other in-demand specialists from leaving the service.
* Only 26 pilots have left the Marines so far this year, down from 54 who departed during the first five months of 2001.
Many military pilots changed their minds about leaving after Sept 11. Navy officials say more than 100 pilots who had submitted paperwork to be discharged later tore up their requests and signed on for another tour of duty.
The men and women who fly fighters, bombers and support aircraft hold some of the most glamorous -- and well-compensated -- jobs in the military. But that hasn't stopped thousands from leaving in the past five years to feed an insatiable demand for civilian pilots.
Military fliers have rejected cash bonuses as high as $20,000 a year to try the civilian economy. Airline hiring has tapered off since Sept. 11, but military experts say that is only one factor in the turnaround in keeping pilots.
''People know we have a real sense of mission right now,'' says Vice Adm. Norbert Ryan, who is chief of Navy personnel. ''They know how important the job is.''
The armed forces also have had a difficult time keeping air traffic controllers, jet mechanics and computer specialists.
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
June 3, 2002
WASHINGTON -- After years of losing fliers to better-paying commercial airlines, the military is seeing signs that its chronic pilot shortage is easing.
The reason is a surge of post-Sept. 11 patriotism, military officials say.
Since the terrorist attacks, the Navy says, there has been a sharp drop in the number of pilots leaving the service.
The Air Force reports that 311 navigators and pilots who had left have come back onto active duty, compared with two who returned during the first nine months of 2001.
''I don't think we were ever prepared to manage this type of application rate,'' says Maj. Frank Franckowiak, who recruits former pilots.
The trend is encouraging news for commanders who have scrambled in recent years to replace pilots who jump to lucrative jobs with U.S. airlines, where experienced pilots can make $200,000 a year. That's more than double what military fliers earn, even after special flight pay and bonuses to keep them in the service.
The Air Force, which has 13,000 pilots, estimated it had a shortage of 900 pilots at the start of this year, down from a shortage of 1,239 in 2001.
The Navy, which has 12,000 pilots, estimated it was short 590 pilots at the start of the year, down from 635 in 2001.
Other signs that the pilot exodus could be waning:
* The percentage of mid-career Navy pilots deciding to stay in uniform is 42%, the highest rate in 12 years. The number opting to leave has fallen from 125 during the first five months of 2001 to 68 so far this year.
* The number of Air Force pilots who left the service in 2001 was down 25% from 2000. After the war on terrorism began, the Air Force enacted a rule to prevent pilots and other in-demand specialists from leaving the service.
* Only 26 pilots have left the Marines so far this year, down from 54 who departed during the first five months of 2001.
Many military pilots changed their minds about leaving after Sept 11. Navy officials say more than 100 pilots who had submitted paperwork to be discharged later tore up their requests and signed on for another tour of duty.
The men and women who fly fighters, bombers and support aircraft hold some of the most glamorous -- and well-compensated -- jobs in the military. But that hasn't stopped thousands from leaving in the past five years to feed an insatiable demand for civilian pilots.
Military fliers have rejected cash bonuses as high as $20,000 a year to try the civilian economy. Airline hiring has tapered off since Sept. 11, but military experts say that is only one factor in the turnaround in keeping pilots.
''People know we have a real sense of mission right now,'' says Vice Adm. Norbert Ryan, who is chief of Navy personnel. ''They know how important the job is.''
The armed forces also have had a difficult time keeping air traffic controllers, jet mechanics and computer specialists.
To see more of USAToday.com, or to subscribe, go to http://www.usatoday.com
