Air Force faced with 'new reality': fewer pilots

U.S. Air Force officials say the number of fighter pilots is likely to decline in coming years, due in part to fewer aircraft and training opportunities, fighter pilots increasingly assigned to non-flying jobs and the lure of lucrative jobs in commercial aviation.

“The fact of the matter is, we’re going to have less fighter pilots in the future,” said Lt. Col. Mark Daley, chief of the Air Force’s crew management branch at the Pentagon. “How does the Air Force adjust to that new reality?”

Answering that question is among issues expected to be addressed at a top-level Air Force meeting Thursday in Washington D.C., which is expected to bring together the Air Force chief of staff and leaders of the Air Force’s major flying commands, including U.S. Air Forces in Europe, Pacific Air Forces, Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command.

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