On top of the morale reasons that lots of people mentioned, the opportunity cost isn't necessarily as bad as it sounds. Pilots need a certain # of hours every y

On top of the morale reasons that lots of people mentioned, the opportunity cost isn't necessarily as bad as it sounds. Pilots need a certain # of hours every year. If the option is "spend 40 hours this month doing training exercises" vs "spend 40 hours saving a pilot", the utilitarian argument becomes a bit weaker. Especially if search & rescue is part of their regular duties. Similar for sailors. They get paid the same whether they're rescuing someone or drawing figure-8s in the middle of the ocean.