Posted on 10/21/2017 11:21:10 AM PDT by be-baw
The United States Air Force could recall as many as 1,000 retired military pilots to active-duty service to address an acute shortage in its ranks.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday allowing the Air Force to call back to service up to 1,000 retired aviation officers who wish to return, the White House and the Pentagon announced.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Young Eagles is a good program, but where it falls apart is following up with these kids later on, to find the interested ones.
I coul go on about this forever.
“aviation officers who wish to return”
I'm an old Army guy who's never been into that inter-service rivalry stuff.Yes,I want Army to beat Navy but I'm not gonna badmouth other branches...even though the Marines badmouth everyone else! :-)
As I posted in an earlier thread on this story:
Just goes to show that retiring on half of one’s base pay at 20 years comes with a “condition” - subject to recall to active duty at the convenience of the government. And for officers after separation into the IRR if they don’t retire.
I have a deceased distant cousin who was of my great grandfather’s generation who served from 1900 to the mid-1930s going from enlisted to getting a commission in Infantry in 1917 and finally retiring as a Major. He was recalled to active duty during WWII to fill a stateside Army billet at March Army Air Field and re-retired at the end of the war. This information is from my father, who was also assigned to March AAF during WWII.
Also, I remember that Zot once posted a story about him becoming the squadron maintenance officer after being a long time bombardier/navigator on B-47’s. The posting came because of an inspection saying that they needed an aircraft qualified person to oversee the maintenance effort. Zot, Please correct me if I’ve gotten it wrong.
How many of the existing active-duty pilots are “flying” drones from Nevada?
Left the AF after 4 years. Wanted to stay in as a pilot but flunked the eye exam. I missed the AF for a long time.
Thats totally incorrect. I’m sure some of the lieutenant Colonels and Colonels I know would be surprised to hear this.
I’m retired USAF (officer). I’ve also been an ALO and did a tour in Afghanistan supporting Army operations at the BDE level. I did an exchange tour with the Navy. My daughter was in the Marines. My son was in the Army.
Never had any interest in inter-service rivalry either.
As for pilots in the USAF...many reasons why they leave ASAP. Low flight hours is usually high on the list. So is a strong distrust in the military leadership.
My son got out of the Army. Said he was tired of officers with the brains of door knobs, making and following rules generated by PowerPoint wonders. That is why a lot of pilots leave, too.
I think they view them as jet jockeys, not helo or supply craft flyers. What a stupid question.
“Could today’s military pull off D-Day”
Unfortunately, we don’t have the machine tool industry today that made an Arsenal of Democracy possible in the 1940’s. No Arsenal of Democracy, no invasion, no crusade and no victory.
My son is a Navy pilot, and I watched his training as the group went through about 3 levels from scratch to assignment to a platform to learning to fly the right planes. I s'pect it isn't all that different in the Air Force.
While there may have been advancement from the ranks to some pilot specialty over the years, it isn't the kind of thing you can put an announcement on a bulletin board: Pilots wanted.
Most of the lads and lasses that do it express an interest early. That's barely the starting point. I know my son had patient instructors, but there were still many places along the way he could have failed. Many potential pilots do fail along the way.
Plus, I know at least one Air Force officer (not a pilot) who was honorably, while involuntarily, separated from the Air Force in the obama years. It would not surprise me to hear there were many pilots in the obama years virtually pushed out that really didn't want to leave. The problem is unless it was quite recent, they missed advancement some of their peers didn't miss.
If this is voluntary, it will be interesting to see if a thousand return. For many it will be a real sacrifice.
I wonder how many Air Force (pilot) reservists exist that could just be activated.
Finally, I wonder if there are any provisions for drafting retired military if there is a need.
As I was reading this two big 4 prop transports just flew very low over the house (we’re at 10K ft) likely out of Peterson AFB. How cool is that?
Two points here. It seems like red on several occasions that the military is getting away from manned aircraft and going with unmanned such as the drums which can be piloted from a remote location. These particular aircraft do not require the same training as as far as the pilot goes.
I think it would be a good idea to recall some of the really fine generals who had retirement forced on then because they didn’t fit Obama’s politically correct world and furlough some of the ones he kept just to make room.
If there aren’t enough pilots why isn’t that reflected in the pay scale?
it’s not done with genuine animosity. I’m talking service rivalry jokes. Like us saying Chair Force. Or Aim high, maybe they won’t shoot back...
Most of the pilots I knew who got out didn’t do so for pay. I was in fighters (a WSO, not a pilot), but folks didn’t leave fighters to make more money hauling tourists.
Sounds great, the more organizations the better!
I wonder how many left because of Obama would now be happy and tickled pink to return and the Air Force is citing a “shortage” as an politically correct excuse to bring them back....
Retired or IRR? THese media buffoons sometimes purposely don’t get it.
War would never again be waged as it was in the 1940’s.
A few M1 A1 Abrams & a squadron of Wart Hogs could likely do the same damage today as a Division did back in the day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.