‘Unrelenting’ need for drones will prompt changes in Air Force - The Washington Post: The Air Force units that run the service’s fleet of drone aircraft are “under significant stress,” with long hours and a potential brain drain coming that will prompt a variety of changes, Air Force Secretary Deborah James said Thursday.
James, speaking to reporters at the Pentagon, said that the “unrelenting pace” of remotely piloted aircraft requirements means that those who operate them work six days in a row on average, typically for 13 or 14 hours each. An average pilot flying a manned aircraft flies about 200 or 300 hours per year, but drone pilots fly 900 to 1,100, she said.
“Our plan is designed to immediately relieve some of this strain while still meeting the combatant commander requirements, and then we of course recognize we’ll have more work to do for the somewhat longer term to address the people side of this very important, but nonetheless high-demand weapons system,” James said.
