{"id":21185,"date":"2020-01-31T19:54:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-31T19:54:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/31\/army-pilots-get-first-incentive-pay-raise-in-20-years\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:57:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:57:09","slug":"army-pilots-get-first-incentive-pay-raise-in-20-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2020\/01\/31\/army-pilots-get-first-incentive-pay-raise-in-20-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Army pilots get first incentive pay raise in 20 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Army just bumped up its Aviation Incentive Pay rates for the first time in more than 20 years to compete with the civilian market, according to new pay charts<\/a> posted by Army Human Resources Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the service\u2019s aggregate number of pilots is suitable, there has been an imbalance between junior, mid-level and senior aviators<\/a> across the force, Army officials have acknowledged over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilots with more than 10 years of aviation service can receive a $1,000 per month incentive pay, which is the maximum the Army is allowed to offer by law. The rates begin to decrease after a pilot has more than 22 years of aviation experience, with the exception of warrant officers, who stay in the \u201cOver 10\u201d category until retirement, or they\u2019re no longer in aviation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rates used to equal about 25 percent of a pilot\u2019s base pay in the late 1990s, but declined in the intervening years to about 11 percent, the Army said in a separate news release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Army understands the high demands on the aviation force and their families. This increase in AvIP, the first for Army pilots in over 20 years, will result in an increase of pay for most pilots in the regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserves,\u201d said Maj. Gen. David J. Francis, commander of the Army Aviation Center of Excellence<\/a> and Fort Rucker, in the news release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThis adjustment is just one of many efforts underway to maintain aviation readiness and ensure support to the joint force,” Francis added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army has also been working to address its pilot shortfall through exit surveys to figure out exactly why pilots are leaving for the private sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne question I often get asked is, are the airlines impacting your shortfall,\u201d Brig. Gen. Michael C. McCurry<\/a>, director of Army aviation for the Office of the deputy chief of staff G-3\/5\/7, said in September. \u201cWell the short answer is, we don\u2019t know. We don\u2019t have good measurements out there right now to tell us why an aviator is getting out of the force.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army has also targeted retention bonuses to junior pilots with between six and 13 years in service, and senior warrants with between 19 and 22 years, hitting the points when aviators are most likely to get out.<\/p>\n\n\n\t