And so it goes...
Richard
Pilots Pass Up $225,000 Bonuses
AFTimes, 14 Nov 2013
An extra $225,000 is apparently not enough to keep a fighter pilot in the Air Force.
In June, the Air Force announced a $225,000 bonus for eligible fighter pilots in exchange for a nine-year commitment. However, pilots are not taking the service up on the offer because of reduced flying hours caused by budget cuts, acting Secretary of the Air Force Eric Fanning said.
“If you’re not flying your F-22 because it’s grounded, you might as well go fly something else,” Fanning said.
Just a few pilots have applied for the bonus, Fanning said. The Air Force could not immediately provide a specific number.
The Air Force cannot compete with increasingly lucrative offers from the private sector, Fanning said. Private airlines are facing a large number of retirements in their pilot ranks and are going after Air Force pilots to fill their cockpits. That, combined with recent groundings of Air Force squadrons and fiscal uncertainty, is making it difficult to get long-term commitments from pilots in exchange for the bonus.
(Cont'd)
http://www.airforcetimes.com/article...S02/311140038/
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