Cuts to Flight Hours Necessary as Aircraft Sustainment Costs Surge, Air Force General Says
23 Jun 2021
Military.com | By Oriana Pawlyk
The U.S. Air Force can't provide its pilots with additional flight hours in part because aircraft sustainment costs have surged to roughly $1 billion, top service leaders told lawmakers Tuesday.
While flying hours do not directly equate to how experienced or proficient a pilot is, there have been concerns about declining cockpit time for years, as this is crucial to maintaining aircraft skills.
According to its fiscal 2022 budget request, the service instead wants to slash flight time by roughly 87,500 hours. The planned reduction is due to the demands of weapon system sustainment, or WSS, which impacts aircraft availability, said Lt. Gen. David Nahom, deputy chief of staff for plans and programs.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2021/06/23/cuts-flight-hours-necessary-aircraft-sustainment-costs-surge-air-force-general-says.html
