Title: Fighter Pilots Aren’t Flying Enough to Hone the Skills of Full-Spectrum War - Defense One
Headings: Fighter Pilots Aren’t Flying Enough to Hone the Skills of Full-Spectrum War
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Fighter Pilots Aren’t Flying Enough to Hone the Skills of Full-Spectrum War
The Air Force is losing training time, experienced teachers, and its combat edge.

Content: By next spring, two full generations of fighter pilots will have come and gone since high-threat, high-intensity operations were part of their regular training regimen. Retention. The low sortie rates and emphasis on additional duties (administrative tasks assigned to aircrews that do not further or even involve the flying mission) has helped bring the current Air Force pilot shortfall to 700—a number that is heading to 1,000. It takes two years for an individual to become an operational fighter pilot, but it will take far more than that to regain the experience lost through this flight of talent. Mindset. The greatest loss suffered through this period can’t be fully quantified, and that is in a fighter pilot’s unquenchable thirst for more time in the air. During a recent survey of 20 operational fighter pilots, the average pilot expressed the belief that 14 hours of flying time a month (170 hours a year) would be sufficient to prepare pilots for “full spectrum” operations. Two decades ago, fighter pilots on active duty knew that wouldn’t suffice, and they demanded more sorties, even when the average pilot flew well over 200 hours a year. Air Force leaders know that our pilots need more flying time. They will likely petition the next administration to increase funding so they can get it.