The U.S. Air Force says its pilot shortage could take as long as 15 to 20 years to fully address, even as the service reaches its longstanding goal of producing 1,500 pilots annually. Air Education and Training Command says the Air Force currently has a shortfall of nearly 2,407 pilots.
According to Breaking Defense, much of the current shortage involves staff positions that require pilots who are already well into their careers. Retention rates and economic conditions also make it difficult to determine exactly how quickly the deficit can be reduced.
Experienced Pilots Take Time
“I can’t erase that pilot deficit in a short period of time,” Lt. Gen. Clark Quinn, commander of Air Education and Training Command, told Breaking Defense. “It’s going to take 15 or 20 years to get those types of people. I can make them today, but those jobs won’t be filled for quite some time. I do know that if we don’t make 1,500, we’re never going to get that number down.”
The Air Force recently announced that it is on track to graduate 1,500 pilots this fiscal year under its Future of Undergraduate Pilot Training program (FUPT). The revised system sends students to FAA Part 141 civilian flight schools for initial training before they transition to military instruction in the T-6A Texan II. Students enter the military portion with about 120 flight hours under the new model, compared with roughly 30 hours under the previous system.
Training Pipeline Expands
“Reaching 1,500 pilots is a milestone, but it is not the finish line,” Quinn said in an Air Force release last week. “FUPT was built to overcome long-standing constraints including instructor shortages and aircraft availability to deliver the aviators our combatant commanders require.”
