Sustainability

Research Paper

AVIA 402 Aviation Capstone

3/5/17

By: Shelby Clark

 Personnel sustainability is a growing issue in the aviation career field. Our airlines are in

a pilot shortage. This, in turn, directly affects our military aviation assets. Military pilots are

some of the best-trained and most experienced pilots in the world. That makes them a highly-

prized resource for airlines. This research paper will discuss the direct correlation between the

Air Forces personnel shortage to the airlines personnel shortage. My main point of focus is on

the Air Force.

The history of the airlines and the military goes back to the inception of flight. Airlines

first started out as mail carriers for the US government (Avjobs). The first mail delivery by air

was jointly conducted between the Army and Postal Service. Due to military surplus, aircraft

were soon a staple of mail delivery.

World War II would become the biggest contributor to the American commercial air

transport industry (Avjobs). At the beginning of the war, the U.S. had less than 500 air transport

aircraft. By the end of the war, manufacturers were producing an astonishing 50,000 planes a

year! While combat planes made up the bulk of the numbers, many cargo transports were

being manufactured as well. It would be the surplus cargo planes that would help kick start the

air transport industry.

Not only would military aircraft help feed the flame of commercial aviation, but its pilots

would as well. Thousands of military airmen returned from the war in need of jobs. The

commercial airlines were happy to accept them. Until recently, military pilots were the

predominate workforce behind the airlines. Today however, the airlines receive most of their

pilots from civilian flight schools (Cox).

 While the military may not be the predominate supplier of airline pilots, the airlines still

hurt the Air Force. We are at the smallest we have ever been, and we need to grow. In 1991,

the Air Force had 134 fighter squadrons (Losey, Air Force Times ). Our current number of fighter

squadrons is only 55. Recently, the Air Forces Combat spokesman Col. Patrick Ryder has

announced the Air Forces intentions of growing to 60 fighter squadrons. The Air Force is small

and yet the airlines still draw pilots out of our little reserves.

To grow, the Air Force must first staunch its bleeding. We are losing over 2,000 pilots a

year to the airlines. This is primarily due to the airlines aggressive recruiting tactics. Another key

issue is seniority. Many pilots realize that to make the big bucks in the major airlines, they need

to build seniority. This causes Air Force pilots to transfer as soon as their contracts are up.

While the Air Force may not be the main source of pilots to the airlines, it is still a source the

airlines draw off.

Gen Goldfein, the Air Force Chief of Staff, stated that another important aspect besides

monetary gain is quality of service (Maucione). He remarked that Pilots who dont fly,

maintainers who dont maintain and controllers that dont control will walk. In other words,

Air Force pilots need to be able to fly more. Specifically, fighter pilots.

The main reason behind the pilot shortage for the airlines is simply money (Moak).

Pilots are not being payed enough in the regional airlines. This either forces them to find work

in the aviation industry elsewhere, or not in the aviation career field at all. Pilot training costs

an astronomical amount just to get to your first paying job. It takes years of your life to just

make minimum wage in a cockpit. By the time, you enter an airline job, most pilots are in some
serious debt. The lower level airline jobs dont pay enough to make it worth your while.

Therefore, you will see many eligible pilots pursue other financial opportunities.

Military pilots are very appealing to the major airlines. Military aviators are usually in

their thirties by the time their contract is up. So, the airlines have a qualified pilot, in their

thirties, with little to no personal financial debt. Because they are so appealing, military pilots

will always be a resource to the commercial airline industry. Therefore, the civilian aviation

industry will always be a threat to military personnel sustainability.

Pilots are not the only career field to be negatively effected. The Air Force maintainers

are also feeling the strain. In 2014, budget cuts hit the military like a sledge hammer. Many

career fields had personnel cuts, including the maintainers. This left the force severally

undermanned and over worked (Losey, AirForceTimes). The strain this puts on the Airmen is

overwhelming, and many leave the service for greener pastures in the civilian world. In total,

the Air Force is losing about 6,000 maintainers a year (Losey, Air Force Times )!

Losing maintainers to the civilian sector has always been an issue for the Air Force. Up

until 2014, the military could easily replace them. Those were just lower skill level maintainers

though. Now, the Air Force is losing its specialists. The 7- level craftsman are tired of being over

worked and move on. This forces the Air Force to rely on less experienced 5-level journeymen

(Losey, AirForceTimes). They in turn also leave after experiencing too much work-related stress.

Now, not only are we losing the specialist maintainers, but we are also losing the guys who

would eventually replace them had they stayed and gained more experience.

With maintainers leaving, aircraft are not receiving the tender, loving care that they

need. Our pilots need to fly to stick around. If the planes arent capable of flying, then the pilots
will just leave and fly in the civilian world. If our pilots leave, then the ones who stay will have

to pick up the slack. Soon enough it will burn them out, and the airlines will be waiting with

open arms.

The ultimate solution to the airlines and Air Forces problem is money. Unfortunately,

the average commuter will have to suffer for this. Smaller airlines will need to pay their pilots

more so that they stay. If they must pay more, then they will have to charge more.

The Air Force will also need to dish out its share of money. They need to rebuild the

maintenance force. Fortunately, this seems to be the route the Air Force is going. According to

Lt Gen John Cooper, we will see about 1,000 new maintainers this year (Losey, AirForceTimes).

This is due to the Air Force allocating more new recruits specifically to this role. It is also due to

service members being reassigned from non-critical jobs into the maintenance force.

In order to combat the airlines recruiting, the military has had to step up its game.

Retention pay is one of the main tactics the Air Force is using to keep its personnel. There are

reports that the Air Force is trying to double fighter pilot retention pay (Losey, Air Force Times ).

While the fighter pilot retention pay may be the most aggressive, many other career fields are

being offered retention pay to maintain their forces.

In conclusion, the main points of focus to reduce the personnel shortage are listed:

Civilian Air Lines

Pay employees more

Issue incentives for pilots to continue training

Military

Rebuild critical work forces to relieve current forces

 Increase incentives for contract extensions

Create more opportunities for pilots to fly

These points will not completely solve the issue. Experts are still trying to figure out the best

way to solve this crisis. Only time will tell how to fix the personnel issue in both aviation career

fields. Whiles these points may not completely solve the issue, they will help reduce it and

hopefully get aviation back on track.

Works Cited
Avjobs. Avjobs. n.d. 17 Mar 2017. <http://www.avjobs.com/history/>.
Cox, John. USA Today. 18 Mar 2013. 04 Mar 2017.
<http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/columnist/cox/2013/03/18/ask-the-captain-
are-most-airline-pilots-from-the-military/1994161/>.
Losey, Stephen. Air Force Times . 9 Aug 2016.
<https://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2016/08/09/432000-bonus-air-force-
may-nearly-double-fighter-pilot-retention-pay/88464154/>.
. Air Force Times . 1 Feb 2017. <https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/air-force-wants-60-
fighter-squadrons>.
. AirForceTimes. 05 Mar 2017. 05 Mar 2017. <https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/the-
drawdown-blew-a-hole-in-the-air-forces-maintenance-ranks-how-its-digging-its-way-
out>.
. AirForceTimes. 02 November 2015. 05 Mar 2017.
<https://www.airforcetimes.com/story/military/2015/11/02/weary-maintainers-
struggle-keep-fleet-combat-ready/74870766/>.
Maucione, Scott. Federal News Radio. 21 Sep 2016. 04 Mar 2017.
<http://federalnewsradio.com/defense/2016/09/bonus-pay-military-pilots-becomes-
sticking-point-services/>.
Moak, Lee. "Pilot Shortage? No, It's a Pay Shortage." Aviation Week & Space Technology (2017).