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To improve retention, Air Force set to offer fighter pilots $400k+ bonuses

f-22 pilot bonuses

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The United States Air Force is facing a pilot shortage. More and more pilots are lured away from their jobs in the Air Force and toward contract work or airline gigs. Now, the USAF is being forced to increase bonuses for its fighter pilots for the first time since 1999. The military has put forth a recommendation to increase bonuses to $48,000 per year. Over the course of a nine-year commitment, that bonus ends up topping out at over $400,000. That’s on top of the pilot’s salary, pushing take-home pay to levels that are competitive with outside job offers.

The House has a measure in place to potentially bring that bonus up to $60,000 a year. To be honest, the Air Force has to do something to keep its people. Quality can’t be mass-produced, and there’s no substitute for the time and effort the military puts into training their pilots. In order to compete with the civilian industries, the military needs to start with better pay.

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Comments

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  • Alan t

    Excellent plan. Niw offer it to the experienced combat arms guys

  • Zach AS

    Dan, not sure. I'll look into it. Let me know if you find out first. I'd imagine that if the House is getting involved their proposal would include all branches. BUT I know there were certain jobs in the AF (CCT, PJ) that got bonuses that not too many others got.

  • Dan E

    Will this offer also cover WSOs? The F-15 GIB is not going to take kindly that the front seater is making more money for flying in the same aircraft. Will the Navy and Marine Corps also offer it's aviators,and RIOs this type of bonus?

  • jbalger

    "But civilian jobs can’t offer you the opportunity to fly over a war zone at night and drop a bomb on top of some bad guys." -Nuff said.

  • Wet

    Damn straight. Especially they. Flight school gives valuable marketable skills, so guess what , sacrifice of service wages....doesn't bother me. Sacrifice.Reward. Ground based bipedal combat billets, sacrifice is inherent with the only benefit being a nice flag for your mom, it you pull the ultimate lotto ticket.For shit money, zero reward. If nothing else -a grade dependent educational package(meaning if you keep the grades up , you get the educational benefit in full, you don't apply your self, it stops.). But fuck , gimme a break -who ends up in the shit hole most often?Not the pilots , that's for damn sure.