USAF to recall over a thousand retired pilots in effort to combat shortages

www.google.com... ness

According to this article, pilots should get 200 hours per year flight time. Currently they get 150. Further the planes average 25 years old and in need of repair. I suppose the cost overruns and delays of the F-35 are to blame.

Considering the US spends more than the next 10 countries on defense, just scale back the size of the military until what you have works. This is done in business all the time.

Right now the DPRK could easily lay to waste a US carrier of its coast. These things are sitting ducks. Even submarines aren't what they used to be given how China has set up underwater listening post in the south China sea islands. A bit less money on the Navy would prove the USAF.

Then pare down your battles. Do less but do a better job of what you do.

originally posted by: FredT

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: FredT

When you get out of the military, you are available for recall for a set period of time. It depends on the job, the rank, and other factors.

Even if you have say committed to an airline etc?

A good friend was a Captain for US Air (767) and was recalled to fly twin engine turbo props in Kosovo after the airforce planted one of their birds on an ADF approach into the side of a mountain killing everyone.. John being Army could fly an ADF approach.. He did say in his always dry sense of humor that there was quite a bit of difference in the pay scales...

We were told they could recall us until 60 years of age... We were aviators..

a reply to: antar

Of course it's not Air Force specific. They're not the only ones having problems with retention and numbers, they just have the biggest problem of the services.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Question. I've been reading (or rather listening) about WW1. Early in the war, many nations used terribly outdated tactics (fortifications and cavalry mounted on horses), which then quickly changed to trench warfare. By the end it became open-warfare again, with proto-WW2 typical armies, utilizing combined arms tactics, despite each nation being terribly worn out.

Is it possible that the recent operations since ~1990 have actually helped the capability of the US Military, as it has gained experience, despite also wearing it out?

Also haven't you got the memo? The F-35 is devil incarnate.

a reply to: C0bzz

Yeah, I'm pretty much worn out with that argument.

To an extent it's helped. Not nearly as much as it did then, but somewhat, yes. It's given us a core of pilots that have combat experience, and helped us refine Red Flag to a degree. But with Iraq and Afghanistan being such low threat theaters the last 10+ years, the amount of benefit we've gotten from it has dropped.

originally posted by: C0bzz
a reply to: Zaphod58


Also haven't you got the memo? The F-35 is devil incarnate.

Actually Israel war planes are coming across the Lebanese border on a hit and run mission into Syria.. By the time the Syrian defenses can get a lock on and fire the Israeli aircraft are back over the Lebanese border... If downed over Lebanon it would be an international incident and there would be even more hell to pay.. The latest conspiracy is one F-35 was damaged by the Russian supplied S-200 but managed to make it back to base..youtu.be... as in most things who are you going to believe..?

a reply to: 727Sky

Isn't South Front Russian propaganda? I might be wrong, I'll try to find a link.

S-200 also has 217 kg warhead and weighs more than half of an empty F-35, is semi-active radar homing, and uses a continuous wave illuminator.

Even the S-200 page has been edited linking to them.

a reply to: Zaphod58

When you get out of the military, you are available for recall for a set period of time. It depends on the job, the rank, and other factors

What you meant to say was once you join the military you can never leave...

Welcome to hotel California...

originally posted by: C0bzz
a reply to: 727Sky

Isn't South Front Russian propaganda? I might be wrong, I'll try to find a link.

S-200 also has 217 kg warhead and weighs more than half of an empty F-35, is semi-active radar homing, and uses a continuous wave illuminator.

Even the S-200 page has been edited linking to them.

I gave you a star simply because everything about Syria is propaganda... I believe South front about as much as I believe anyone else when it comes to what is transpiring in Syria...

Interesting if one of the raiding F-35s was hit by anything IMO

The airlines are suffering from a severe pilot shortage right now too. So much so that the RJ carriers can't keep up and the majors are turning away from RJ partnerships and moving to smaller narrow body jets like the 318 and 717.

The forecast for the future looks pretty bleak too.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Tranceopticalinclined

Not all the pilot requirements do. Many times the airline put them through training to get them to the minimum requirements. They can meet the time requirements, but that won't get them their ATP rating, so they'll have to go through some training.

You actually can get your A&P without going to school, but they do make it hard. It involves two written tests, and at least one interview.

You are exactly right. It is fairly easy to use Air Force experience to acquire a Commercial Pilot Certificate and Instrument Rating, but the requirements for an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate are much more strenuous. And you have to have 1500 hours of pilot in command time which takes quite a while in the Air Force, given the current low training budget. And then you have to undergo training and testing for a type certificate to fly whatever commercial airliner you are assigned to. Then there is operational line training and differences training because not all 737s are the same. Coming out of the Air Force as an aircraft commander qualified pilot on a F-16 does not mean you can move directly into an Airbus 200. The Air Force teaches you to fly them, not fix them, but airline training is much more systems oriented. In the F-4, if you lost the hydraulic system, there was one option - EJECT! That's not an option for the airlines, so you have to learn the intricacies of the system, like RATs and blow down systems and emergency brake systems

Ill say the same thing I have on this in other locations, great wonder fantastic...

Where is the help for the maintenance crews (and the supply chain), they were short staffed when I left active duty back in 07 and things have not gotten better, at the rate things are going they will have to use prayers and unicorn farts to keep the planes airborne.

If you cant keep the planes in the air does it really matter if you have all your pilots.

a reply to: 727Sky

you are right, retirees who have spent 20yrs in can be called back until their 60.
for those interested here is the DoD Directive 1352.1, "Management and Mobilization of Regular and Reserve Retired Military Members", 03/02/1990.

it goes to a link that has several formats that can be opened.
DoD Directive 1352.1, "Management and Mobilization of Regular and Reserve Retired Military Members", 03/02/1990

Time to reinstate the draft. Consequences of never ending war.

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

there are three sure ways to stay out, but most people that have served or serving don't think much of doing what it would take.

GOTH, BCD, Dishonorable, leaves the person RE4.

a reply to: Irishhaf

a reply to: Zaphod58

Funny thing is, lot of the guys I know that have gotten out either by choice (because the USAF has gotten so toxic) or due to the draw down have zero interest in ever putting the uniform on again, with the leadership the Air Force has.

I know one guy I served with at my first base who is encouraging his kid to enter a different branch.

=========

For those who never worked with Maintenance, to give an example of the mentality.

We were getting nitpicked to death by QA (quality assurance, IE the enemy) our supervision was taking away our free time to try and force us to do better.

Bunch of Crew Chiefs got together and said alright lets do exactly what they say, every single task will be done to the letter as it is written, every tool in every task will have to be on hand to do the job, and every time supervision loses their minds about how long this is taking we will just hand them the T.O. and say its written in the task. (an example applying power, most jets took just 2-3 mins to apply power they way it was usually done, took about 40 mins if done exactly by the book on the jets I worked on)

took 4 days and Supervision told QA to ease up and give us space, so if they go out and force a bunch of men and women that had grown to hate the USAF while in uniform to come back and work on planes it could backfire in a big way.

a reply to: FredT

Well, they don't need to go straff and bomb people from far of shores if they don't want to. Let the politicians do it then you really will appreciate what combat shortages mean because not many of those cowardly bastards are up for doing there own dirty work.

a reply to: Irishhaf

The training is pathetic. Someone posted a picture of some work done recently, and when told he should teach the person that did it the right way, his attitude was "You mean like they're supposed to in tech school? Not my job." Some of the pictures I've seen of safety wiring and some other work have been horrifying.