Air Force eyes $35K bonuses, sabbaticals to keep pilots

The Hill: The Air Force will meet with commercial airline executives this spring to try to find ways to stop a flow of experienced pilots leaving the service, a top Air Force general said Wednesday.

“[Air Force chief of staff Gen. David Goldfein] is meeting with the senior executives in the airline industry and are looking at just that,” said Lt. Gen. Gina Grosso, the deputy chief of staff for manpower, personnel and services.

Speaking before the House Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel, Grosso said that the Air Force is exploring utilizing its fledgling Career Intermission Program, which was started to allow airmen to take a sabbatical from the military for several years to fly with an airliner.

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