Staff Sgt. Kevin Colon removes exhaust covers from a B-1B Lancer at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, May 21, 2013. U.S. Air Force
Air Force Times: Fewer planes are ready to fly: Air Force mission-capable rates decline amid pilot crisis
The readiness of the Air Force’s aircraft fleet is continuing its slow, steady deterioration — and this could spell trouble for the service’s effort to hold on to its pilots and its ability to respond to contingencies around the world.
According to data provided by the Air Force, about 71.3 percent of the Air Force’s aircraft were flyable, or mission-capable, at any given time in fiscal 2017. That represents a drop from the 72.1 percent mission-capable rate in fiscal 2016, and a continuation of the decline in recent years.
Former Air Force pilots and leaders say that this continued trend is a gigantic red flag, and warn it could lead to serious problems down the road.
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Update: The Air Force is still grappling with a personnel shortage — and one part of the solution can't be rushed (Business Insider)
WNU Editor: The U.S. Air Force is the best in the world due to 4 reasons. The planes, the men and women who service these planes, the pilots who fly them, and the support that they receive from the U.S. government. It seems that all of these factors are having problems.
