{"id":29726,"date":"2018-06-11T19:45:58","date_gmt":"2018-06-11T19:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/06\/11\/ending-the-pilot-exodus-air-force-rolls-out-new-bonuses-incentives-will-it-work-this-time\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:50:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:50:13","slug":"ending-the-pilot-exodus-air-force-rolls-out-new-bonuses-incentives-will-it-work-this-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2018\/06\/11\/ending-the-pilot-exodus-air-force-rolls-out-new-bonuses-incentives-will-it-work-this-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Ending the pilot exodus: Air Force rolls out new bonuses, incentives \u2014 will it work this time?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. \u2014 Nearly two years after top Air Force leaders began sounding the alarm on a worrying shortfall of pilots<\/a>, the key elements of a solution are finally falling into place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein<\/a>, in exclusive interviews with Air Force Times, emphasized that many factors have led to the roughly 2,000-pilot<\/a> shortfall <\/a>that the brass warns could \u201cbreak the force<\/a>\u201d \u2014 especially as commercial airlines are in the midst of one of their heaviest and longest hiring waves in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of that, he said, there will never be a single \u201csilver bullet\u201d that solves it once and for all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Goldfein said, the Air Force is making headway on a variety of fronts \u2014 including recruiting and training more new pilots<\/a>, bringing back retired pilots<\/a>, convincing experienced pilots<\/a> to stay longer, and improving the lives of pilots<\/a> so they\u2019re happier \u2014 that, when combined, should help close the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Goldfein, who spoke to Air Force Times June 2 and 3 during his trip to the 2018 Warrior Games at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the Air Force has a list of 69 different initiatives to fix the pilot shortfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the Air Force is on the verge of announcing a plan to tackle what Goldfein feels is the most important element in fixing the pilot problem: Revitalizing the Air Force\u2019s squadrons and ensuring they have strong, effective leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat, to me, is the secret sauce,\u201d Goldfein said. \u201cThat\u2019s what\u2019s going to keep people in. It\u2019s what\u2019s kept me in. If I can get inspirational squadron commanders out there, that are given decision authority to run their squadrons, and they\u2019re given the resources they need to accomplish the mission, and they\u2019re out there inspiring their airmen, that is going to be far and above the most effective hedge against airline hiring that we\u2019ll ever have.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force has already taken several steps to push decision-making authority down to the squadron level, emphasize that it trusts squadron commanders to make the right decisions, and slash regulations that were binding their hands \u2014 and Goldfein thinks those moves are already bearing fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m aware that [as chief of staff], people will sometimes tell me what they think I want to hear,\u201d Goldfein said. \u201cSo, I\u2019m a trust-but-verify guy. But I do hear enough independent vignettes that say \u2026 all those things we\u2019re trying to do [are] making a difference out there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t