Forum: Future F-16 crew

I have a question for pilots regarding pilot pay. I am currently 15 years old and am about to be a sophomore in high school. My dream since I was a kid is to become a fighter pilot in the Air Force. I am determined and will work hard through high school to try and get into the Air Force Academy and carry out my dream. I am planning on taking as many Honors and AP classes that I possibly can and joining several extracurricular activities. However, I am a tad bit curious about how much pilots get paid. I know that a lot of it depends on their rank and years in service, but I was wondering if somebody could give me some rough numbers for, say, a O-1 in his first year as a pilot. I also know some AFR/ANG pilots fly part time for the Air Force and part time for the airlines. How is the pay in this route? How much are you paid from the AF and how much (roughly) from the airlines? Also, how often are you away from home? All answers would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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FF06, It’s not about the money; it is for the love of flight, and service to one’s country. The military is not a “get rich fast” job. You are fairly compensated for what you do. Myself, I wasn’t a pilot, I am a retired USAF Senior NCO, I spent my career as a weapons loader/Armament Technician, and loved every minute of it!

With that said, here is a link to current military pay tables, looking through them; you’ll find the basic pay, flight pay, housing, etc. Hope it helps. Good luck in your career choice, study hard, and go far!

http://www.dfas.mil/money/milpay/pay/2004paytable.pdf

http://www.dfas.mil/money/milpay/pay/

Thanks a lot. By the way, I know exactly what you mean. No matter how much pilots get paid in the AF, I still want to do it. I definately want to help serve this great nation, regardless of how I am compensated for it. I am fascinated by fighter aircraft, and I know I want to do this no matter what.

As an O-1, you bearly get flight pay in the first year... Flight pay is low until your a new capt. I'm sure someone here can come up with some link to a pay-page and give you specific numbers. In the mean time, you get to fly multi-million dollar jets and wear a $7 watch. You'll meet lots of people who wear $2000 watches that can bearly cope with 100mph in something as simple as a $100,000 car.

Cylon

Well put Cylon Very Happy

That is a bit elitist mate.

Your point? Razz

Sorry.... you're right... it's probably a $5 watch.

Cylon

Yeah but it's a genuine $5 Rolex you bought in Osan... Razz

Salute!

Lemme add the numbers..........

Oooooops, not a fair comparison, because that SouthWest Airline 737 right-seater can't zoom into the night at 10,000 ft per minute with burner cookin'. He can't pull 9 gees while trying to keep padlocked on the bandit. He can't sit in a small chair for 13-14 hours cruising over to the 'stan or Iraq.

So the comparison is flawed.

Let's face it, the pay is not the real deal. It is job satisfaction and/or a sense of duty.

To wit: During the old days we had this thing called 'Combat Pay". It was $65 a month. If we pilots went out and got our skinny butts shot at, we got the dough. However, the same $65 was paid to the butchers, bakers and candlestick makers who worked in personnel, supply, etc. as long as they were at our base in S. Viet Nam. The rocket and mortar attacks didn't discriminate between support troops and pilots. And I agreed with the policy.

Hell, I'd kill anything for $65 a month, wouldn't you?

Then in the 70's, ACIP came along, and we warriors got extra pay according to years of service and whether or not we were in a 'combat' slot. Max was an old Capt or young Major. By the time you were in 18 years, the pay decreased, even if you were a squadron commander of an F-16 unit. By 24 years, or so, they cut off the extra pay altogether.

So it ain't the $$$$$$.
**********************************
"Still squinting from the sun on top, still stiff from the dog fighting, still grimed from the cockpit, still marked with the headings - I'll tell you about airpower.

Airpower is the models you built as a kid, and the dreams you nurtured as a boy, the freedom you craved to go out and beyond."

out,

As a young viper student, my wife and I walked into a fancy jeweler in Phx. By nature (I don't know why else why), I was looking at the watches... In particular I asked to look at one of the Chase Durer or likes of watches... The store salesman in the mall proceeded to explain to me that fighter pilots wear this type of watch (SEVERAL DIALS...). My wife kinda looked at me funny and then looked at my wrist... I looked at my casio G-shock (USAF issue) and said "No, I think these are what they wear..." His response was "Those don't provide the precision required to fly jet fighters....."

NOTE: I don't think *I* have the precision to fly fighters, but I have a liver for drinking and telling funny stories!!!

Cylon

Funny thing, a "real fighter pilot" almost always has a cheap calculator watch. Nothing like having that little tool any time you are flying. Great for figuring fuel ranges, time to target etc. Yes I know the jet does this for you but as I look around the office that is pretty much what you see. I did fish Gen Horner's real Rolex Presidential out of the backseat of a tub when I was an airman. As a skinny little dude I sure beat pulling the seat.

hey dont forget about that Nifty leather jacket!

No not a fair comparison Gums.

See the F-16 guy can't preflight and load an FMC in ten minutes, doesn't understand the concept of a multi crew environment, he flies looking through a HUD 24/7, doesn't fly down to minimas of 10'RA, doesn't have to fly efficiently and smoothly etc etc [Link pending approval] Wink

Quote:

Let's face it, the pay is not the real deal. It is job satisfaction and/or a sense of duty.

How many of you guys go to the airlines??? Wink

Ok, Oz-breath!

Sit in your seat for 14 hours and hook up to a few tankers in a few thunderstorms as you head to the 'stan. No fresh coffee from the flight attendants. Stupid poopie suit keeps you from even taking a leak in comfort.

Try it. Sit in front of your computer for 13 hours. No sneaking off for another beer or hitting the head. Play video poker and if you lose too much you have to bail over the North Atlantic.

- I will tell you that flying a large, heavy jet to minimums is lots easier than the Viper or any small plane. Once you get the big guys headed in the right direction, it's hard to screw up. Good ol' momentum is your friend.

The easiest plane I ever flew to 100 and an eighth was the F-101B. Approach speed was about 175 knots with low gas( add 5 knots for every thousand pounds above 3,000). The good news was that once you got that sucker lined up, you were in really good shape. I also flew the A-37 and A-7D down to RVR's less than 1000 feet. So don't tell a few of we jet-jockeys about IFR.

Oh yeah, we didn't have a 'crew' to read off altitudes, headings, etc. We had the charts all over the cockpit when making an approach at a field other than our home base.

- I was under the impression that the trash-haulers had all their nav stuff punched in for the FMS (757 and later huh?).

The Vipers and other fighters these days have a data transfer cartridge that they program back in the ops building. No more typing coords and such.

Hell, even in the 'old' days, it didn't take this old phart five minutes to type in the coords and altitudes. INS took 7-8 minutes to align, so we could type, check controls, yak about sweet honey we saw at o-club night before, etc.

Oh yeah, let's talk about FMS. remember Nick Tafuri? He and his crew flew into a mountain near Cali. Super FMS had an ambiguous waypoint and they turned wrong way, then back to the correct course when the plane turned wrong way. He was a classmate of mine in UPT and I cried like a baby when I found out it was him that took 140 passengers with him for screwing up. Then Rich (student of mine) slides off runway at Little Rock after IFR approach and too many hours in the crew day.

So don't lecture we single-seaters about IFR. We lose more single-seaters to mid-airs and ground impact on bombing runs than we do on IFR approaches.

The thing about single-seaters is that you are the pilot in command, the navigator, the flight attendant, etc. It's what makes the whole thing a challenge. And many are called, but few are taken.

And about the pay. I don't know of any active duty F-16 pilots making over $100,000.

Finally, I turned down offers from NorthWorst and Continental after I hung up my g-suit. Didn't want the responsibility of all those civilians if I screwed up. Also couldn't match the stuff I had done for 20 years in neat jets.

out,

Forum: Future F-16 crew

Pilot salaries