The Aviation Career Improvement Act and Its Impact on Retention
Abstract
On November 29, 1989, the Aviation Career Improvement Act (ACIA) became binding on the military services as part of the National Defense Authorization Act. The ACIA was intended by both the Congress and the military services as a measure to improve pilot retention and was primarily directed at military compensation by increasing flight pay and continuing the pilot bonus. However, it also affected career management issues that included changing the flying gates and the active duty service commitment for flight training. This paper initially reviews the retention situation in the Air Force and the specific provisions of the ACIA. Next, the impact these provisions will have on the Air Force is examined to include several provisions that could have a very positive affect on retention. The pilot bonus and the new flying gates are examined in detail because of the difficulties that can be expected when they are implemented. The overall success of the ACIA is examined one year after implementation by looking at the latest retention rates as compared to previous years. This leads to the conclusion that ACIA has had little or no positive impact on pilot retention since the new rates are lower than the previous year. The author next makes several recommendation that need to be considered if pilot retention is to improve.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 05, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA237336
Entities
People
- Michael J. Mestemaker
Organizations
- United States Army War College