6 ms·

I'm not sure I agree with the inhumane (flight pay is an incentive pay where without it pilots still make the same pay as the rest of the military their rank),

I'm not sure I agree with the inhumane (flight pay is an incentive pay where without it pilots still make the same pay as the rest of the military their rank), but I can confirm the stupidity of the policy. Usually anyone medically interacting with a fighter pilot on an issue that could be grounding must spend some time gaining trust for the pilot to be completely open with them. The result of this policy is normally that pilots are completely fine - until they are completely broken.

tyingq 4y ago
For some context, "flight pay" ranges from $150/month to $400/month today, depending on tenure. A brand new lieutenant has a ~$41k base salary, a 4-year captain ~$65k. So it's not a small incentive, but not huge either. There are other things like base housing (or a housing allowance), overseas pay, etc, that bump up overall comp a bit.
- CuriousCosmic 4y ago
  Additional context: At the time this happened (after 1958 and before 1963), monthly pay for a new 2LT was 220 (2.7k per year) and for a 4 year captain 420 (5k and some change per year). Flight pay would be 100 and 185 per month (1.2k and 2.2k per year respectively). So while today it's not a lot, back then it'd be at least a 30% pay cut which would be hard for any family. https://www.dfas.mil/Portals/98/MilPayTable1958.pdf https://www.dfas.mil/Portals/98/MilPayTable1958.pdf
  - tyingq 4y ago
    Wow, they really let the flight incentive pay erode over time.
Forgeties79 4y ago
The fact that his mother had to return to work just to “make ends meet” indicates it was not an inconsequential loss, I think “inhumane” isn’t too far of a stretch. Especially given his injury was the direct result of risking his life for the American government.