4 ms·

That excitement has to last through years of training with crappy hours in crappy locations. Doesn't matter if you are cool fighter pilot if you can't be there

That excitement has to last through years of training with crappy hours in crappy locations. Doesn't matter if you are cool fighter pilot if you can't be there for your family, move them out to the desert, don't have any say over when and where you will go for weeks at a time when you aren't deployed, gone for months or a year at a time when you are deployed, move from one crappy location to another every couple of years with sub-standard housing, and deal with a litany of red tape and BS not only on the ground but in the air. Assuming the stomach twisting maneuvers never get old and you still love the actual flying (many people have to learn to keep their puke in their stomachs). You have crazy hours and can't get regular sleeping hours, can't even drink when you want, but are still surrounded by functional alcoholics and professional bros. I could go on. The sheen wears off, the data backs it up. Imagine never seeing your kids even when you are at home because you are gone before they wake up, and home after they have gone to bed. The pilots often have to do more than fly. I hear it's much worse in the Marines since the pilots are also the officers in charge of the enlisted in the squadron, whereas in the Air Force you can be a pilot and an officer with no one reporting to you.

closeparen 7y ago
> if you can't be there for your family Aren't fighter pilots pretty young? I work in an office and I don't know anyone under 30 with a family. If SF cost of living is enough to delay marriage and kids, you'd really think the demands on the military would be too. I get that there are middle-aged career officers, but I don't see why guys in their 20s are having kids before they get out.
- aristophenes 7y ago
  > Aren't fighter pilots pretty young Yes, that's the problem. They keep getting out before they get old. The retention problem is for field grade officers (think people in their 30's). If you get a pilot slot you are signing up for a 10 year commitment, you can't leave. The first couple of years are basically training. You then get worked to the bone and start counting the days until you can get out. A lot of military do have families early if they can (they are people who don't get hung up on making a commitment after all). Those that don't often want a family and can't get one because of their work. When your commitment is up you are in your 30's and thinking what do I want to do when I grow up? Re-sign with Big Blue and get transferred to God knows where, be out of the country a lot, etc? On top of that the real fast burners get promoted out of being a line pilot early and go on to be commanding officers in the Air Force. So the attrition is happening at the top and bottom. I don't know if this shows up in the stats because I'm pretty sure they are still counted as pilots even if they are flying a desk at the pentagon. In short, the Air Force wants their pilots to stay in for a career, 20-30 years. If you want to wait that long to start a family you're going to have a tough time.
- asark 7y ago
  Military folks tend to get married and have kids much younger than the office-worker set, from what I've seen.

closeparen 7y ago

> if you can't be there for your family Aren't fighter pilots pretty young? I work in an office and I don't know anyone under 30 with a family. If SF cost of living is enough to delay marriage and kids, you'd really think the demands on the military would be too. I get that there are middle-aged career officers, but I don't see why guys in their 20s are having kids before they get out.

aristophenes 7y ago
> Aren't fighter pilots pretty young Yes, that's the problem. They keep getting out before they get old. The retention problem is for field grade officers (think people in their 30's). If you get a pilot slot you are signing up for a 10 year commitment, you can't leave. The first couple of years are basically training. You then get worked to the bone and start counting the days until you can get out. A lot of military do have families early if they can (they are people who don't get hung up on making a commitment after all). Those that don't often want a family and can't get one because of their work. When your commitment is up you are in your 30's and thinking what do I want to do when I grow up? Re-sign with Big Blue and get transferred to God knows where, be out of the country a lot, etc? On top of that the real fast burners get promoted out of being a line pilot early and go on to be commanding officers in the Air Force. So the attrition is happening at the top and bottom. I don't know if this shows up in the stats because I'm pretty sure they are still counted as pilots even if they are flying a desk at the pentagon. In short, the Air Force wants their pilots to stay in for a career, 20-30 years. If you want to wait that long to start a family you're going to have a tough time.
asark 7y ago
Military folks tend to get married and have kids much younger than the office-worker set, from what I've seen.