Improving US Air Force Pilot Retention

The Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC)’s Language Enabled Airman Program (LEAP) is helping address the US Air Force’s pilot shortage program by improving retention of service members.

In 2016, retired Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein publicly called the United States Air Force’s pilot shortage a crisis. At the time, the Air Force was reportedly short 1,500 pilots. According to reports, the Air Force still needs an estimated 2,100 pilots – and many say that number is steadily growing.

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LEAP has been in existence since 2009 and touts 3,075 scholars around the world. A program initiated to identify and develop a cadre of Airmen with foreign language proficiency, LEAP was not founded to address the pilot retention rate, but it has helped.

Through LEAP, pilots accepted into the program with a proficiency in a foreign language have the opportunity to continue to pursue their passion and love for languages while actively flying. Of the 3,082 LEAP scholars, there are an estimated 520 pilots in the program. Using a two-part system, LEAP helps Airmen maintain their language skills. Through immersions and online eMentor language courses, scholars can continue to master their language abilities with little time away from their units and at a lower cost over time.

LEAP Scholar Capt. Wayne Mowery had dreams of entering the Air Force and combining his love for the language and culture with his pilot training, but It was a dream initially deferred, according to Mowery. Like most pilots, he spent his first five years in the Air Force training and logging flight hours with limited time to spend with his family or time to devote to his passions.

His remarks are reflected in a 2019 pilot retention survey. In the survey, 1,936 pilots reported that the top two reasons for them leaving the service were: 1) difficulty maintaining work/life balance and family commitments and 2) choice of job assignments/locations.

Mowery described LEAP as his “life support for language learning” while he was actively training to be a pilot. For Mowery, he was able to maintain his flight hours while fueling his passion for language learning.

The LEAP program has enabled those with an interest in language learning to continue following their passions while fulfilling their commitment to the U.S. Air Force.