U.S. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson recently told a Senate Armed Services readiness and management support subcommittee that the branch trained 1,160 new pilots in fiscal 2017, and expects to train 1,311 in fiscal 2019, before expanding further. The Air Force wants to train 1,500 new pilots each year by fiscal 2022 as part of its effort to solve its troubling shortage of aviators. Increased pilot training capacity will become even more important as the Air Force seeks to increase its number of operational squadrons from 312 to 386 by the end of 2030.
USAF Believes It’s Making Progress Training New Pilots
Key Takeaways:
- The U.S. Air Force is aggressively combating its pilot shortage by increasing training capacity, aiming for 1,500 new pilots annually by fiscal 2022, and implementing retention efforts such as improving aircrew quality of life, reducing operating tempos, and offering incentive pay.
- A primary focus is on restoring readiness across its operational squadrons, with a goal to have 80% of critical units ready by 2020 and 80% of all 312 squadrons ready by 2022.
- The Air Force has made significant progress in eliminating its maintainer shortage, expecting to close the 4,000-person gap by December, though it acknowledges the need to season these new personnel.
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