Salary of a navy pilot: Naval Aviator Salary | Salary.com

Salary of a Naval Aviator | Work

By Chron Contributor Updated May 19, 2020

Naval aviators serve as pilots or flight officers in all types of aircraft – from supersonic fighter jets to rescue helicopters. These fliers must be commissioned officers, which means a Naval aviator’s salary is listed on the officer portion of the basic military pay charts. However, they are also eligible for special pay reflecting the potentially hazardous nature of their duties and the demanding requirements of U.S. Navy aviation.

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As commissioned officers, a Navy pilot’s salary is based on their rank and years of service. Consult this year’s Defense Finance and Accounting Service’s pay grade table to see accurate salary information for naval flight officer pay and bonuses.

Naval Aviator Salary

Naval aviators, as with all members of the U.S. armed forces, are paid their base salary according to the yearly National Defense Authorization Act. This base pay has two factors: rank and time in the service. These are cross-referenced to find the monthly pay.

For instance, on the Defense Finance and Accounting Service’s 2020 pay chart, a lieutenant junior grade with five years in the Navy would look for the second step for an officer, on the “O-2” line, and the line for more than four years of service. The result is $5,135.79 a month, or $61,628.40 a year. In contrast, a Captain (line O-6) who has served in the Navy for 10 years would make $7,863.60 per month or $94,363.20 per year.

Hazard Pay or Flight Pay

One way a Naval flight officer salary can increase is through hazardous duty incentive pay, known informally as “flight pay.” This provides air crew members with additional monthly pay based on the aviator’s rank, and ranges from $150 to $250 a month for officers as of the DFAS’s October 2019 statistics.

Another form of flight pay is aviation career incentive pay for officers. This supplementary wage is determined by the aviator’s time in the service, and according to the DFAS ranges from $125 to $840 a month as of 2020.

Finally, according to the U.S. Department of Defense, Naval aviators who are on duty in hostile fire areas can receive another special pay of $225 a month as of 2020. These pilots and flight officers must be serving in an area where they are either at risk of enemy fire or otherwise in imminent danger of physical harm, such as from terrorist attacks.

Basic Allowances for Navy Pilots

All members of the military are potentially eligible for two basic allowances, for housing and for sustenance. Naval aviators who live off base can receive the basic allowance for housing, which varies by duty station and rank. Use the Department of Defense’s Basic Allowance for Housing Calculator to understand how this allowance changes based on location and rank.

In addition, all officers are eligible for the basic allowance for sustenance, which provides $257 a month as of 2020 for meals according to the DFAS’s Basic Allowance for Subsistence chart.

Cost-of-Living Allowance for Naval Aviators

Finally, Naval aviators stationed in certain regions of the country, or whose dependents live in these regions while they are overseas, can receive a supplemental cost-of-living allowance. This allowance reflects the higher standard of living in these areas. It is based on both rank and time in service.

According to the Department of Defense, Oakland and San Francisco have the highest cost of living adjustments (6 percent) in 2020, whereas other parts of the country – such as numerous counties in Missouri – qualify for only a 1 percent cost of living allowance.

Growing Demand for Civilian Pilots Push Navy to Triple Bonuses for Some Senior Aviators

Pilots assigned to the “Bounty Hunters” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 2 observe Capt. Tom Barber, commander, Carrier Air Wing 2, and Cmdr. Jason Hutcherson, commanding officer of VFA-2 as they fly over the flightdeck of USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). US Navy Photo

Facing pressure to retain aviators at a time when demand for commercial airline pilots is increasing, the Navy is nearly tripling bonuses for certain senior commanders to $100,000.

The Navy worries the prospect of better pay, benefits, and lifestyle will lure aviators to the private sector, where the average annual salary for pilots is $105,720, according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics (BLS) report. This salary is augmented by such perks as receiving expense allowances for every hour spent away from home, potential to earn extra pay for international flights, and often being entitled to free or reduced airfare for immediate family members.

In comparison, typical Navy aviators currently nearing the end of their initial commitments after attending flight school are earning an annual base pay of between $75,000 and $85,000, according to 2018 military pay scales. Naval aviators can expect to spend weeks away from home training, and six months or more away if deployed with an air wing operating with an aircraft carrier, where meals are provided in the wardroom.

Federal studies and industry groups describe the Pentagon and corporate world as poised to be locked in an increasingly tight competition for experienced pilots as more commercial aircraft are expected to operate at a time the existing pilot workforce loses a steady flow of pilots to mandatory retirements.

During the next decade, about 4,500 new pilot positions are expected to be created. At the same time, an increasing number of current pilots will reach the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandated retirement age of 65, according to the BLS report.

Currently, there are about 124,800 airline pilot jobs in the U.S., and the average age of these pilots is 50 years-old, according to a General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA) analysis of FAA statistics. Meanwhile, the business jet industry is also growing. The GAMA reports also predicts more of these small corporate jets enter service, more pilots will be needed to fly them.

With this in mind, the Navy unveiled a new bonus program, increasing pay for pilots who screen and serve in career milestone billets, and aviators selected to be commanding officers can receive $100,000 for agreeing to a 3-year contract.

Lt. Eric Wickens performs pre-flight checks on an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the “Golden Dragons” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 192 on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70). US Navy Photo

“Our bonus and flight pay programs have proven successful in the past at retaining our best and brightest aviators. However, these programs have remained essentially unchanged for well over a decade, and are beginning to lose their effectiveness in the face of growing competition for talent,” said Capt. Michael Baze, the Navy’s head of aviation career management, in a release announcing the bonuses.

Previously, the Navy offered a $36,000 bonus for signing a 2-year commitment to retain aviation department heads. The Navy considers these department heads an integral part of air operations, providing what the Navy’s bonus announcement describes as “the crucial link between senior leadership and junior personnel.”

Yet Navy aviators do not serve solely for the money; they’re in the Navy because they love flying and find the missions more exciting than what’s offered by the private sector, the Navy’s Air Boss Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller recently told USNI News, while vising Naval Air Station Fallon.

The decision to remain in the Navy, Miller said, boils down to each aviator asking if, “I still wake up with a passion for this business, and it’s meaningful. I still think, in the positions that I’ve been given, that I can make a difference. And I’m still having fun – this is rewarding.”

Those three questions will not get a yes every day, but if aviators say yes overall, Miller said the Navy stands a good chance at retaining them. Speaking of the experience flying for the Navy, Miller said, “If we’re flying, there’s no better flying in the world.”

The following is the full Navy statement released March 20, 2018 announcing the aviator bonus program. 

WASHINGTON (NNS) — The Navy announced March 20 the Active Component (AC) fiscal year 2018 Aviation Department Head Retention Bonus (ADHRB) and Aviation Command Retention Bonus (ACRB) and the expansion of Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP) for both AC and the Reserve Component aviators in NAVADMIN 065/18.

The AC Aviation Bonus (AvB) program, consisting of the ADHRB and ACRB, incentivizes
highly-talented, hard-working, career-minded Naval Aviators and Naval Flight Officers (NFO) to choose to remain on active duty.

“Our Bonus and flight pay programs have proven successful in the past at retaining our best and brightest Aviators. However, these programs have remained essentially unchanged for well over a decade, and are beginning to lose their effectiveness in the face of growing competition for talent,” said Capt. Michael Baze, head of aviation career management at Naval Personnel Command.

“We asked Aviators of all ranks how we should modernize and improve moving forward. Aviators reported they wanted our programs to be more flexible, merit based, and competitive with civilian opportunities. We took that feedback seriously, incorporating each of these elements in the program changes you see here today.”

AC ADHRB has undergone substantial reform. Capable and dedicated department heads are
vital to mission effectiveness and represent the crucial link between senior leadership and junior personnel. The eligibility timeline has shifted from the expiration of the aviator’s winging service obligation to their lieutenant commander board. Aviators can choose from a five-year contract or a three-year contract. Members who take the five-year contract early will receive a higher annual amount than members who take a five-year later or a three-year contract.

AC ACRB is designed to retain those officers with the talent and command experience in
primary warfighting missions that are critical for the future of our service. The new ACRB shifts from a 2-year, $36,000 total contract to a 3-year, $100,000 total contract. Members must select after screening for commander command and the obligation takes them through 22 years of service or the completion of their post-commander command tour, whichever is longer.

For AvIP, Navy is establishing expanded rates for aviators who screen and serve in career milestone billets. Aviators who do not screen or serve in milestone billets, but continue to qualify for flight pay, will continue to receive flight pay, but at a different rate than aviators in milestone positions.

“Aviation has taken a holistic approach that synchronizes targeted increases in both flight pay and bonuses in a mutually supportive fashion with achievement of major leadership milestones. The end state will be a judiciously applied, merit based, more competitive continuum of pay for our top Aviators from Department Head through post-Commander Command,” said Baze. “Coupled with a range of non-monetary incentive improvements we are making, these changes will go a long way towards helping us retain the warfighting talent we need into the future.”

Salaries of 90,000 Ukrainian military pilots increased

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This is reported by the press service of the Ministry of Defense.

It is noted that during the year UAH 251 million will be allocated to increase payments for this category of servicemen. On average, payments for each specialist will increase by UAH 10,000-16,000. The increased monetary allowance is accrued from January 1, 2022.

“The development of military aviation and air defense is one of our priorities. Combat aviation is first and foremost people. These are highly qualified specialists, in whose training the state invests significant resources,” said Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov.

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He noted that last year the Defense Ministry’s budget was increased by UAH 2.5 billion. These funds will be directed to the first stage of increasing the financial support for a number of categories of the military.

“From January 1, pilots in the Armed Forces will also receive competitive payments not only on average in the economy, but also comparable to colleagues in other departments of the national security and defense sector. By the end of January, there will be more decisions in this area. Our goal is to over the course of the year, gradually prepare for the simultaneous implementation in 2023 of the personnel reform and the reform of monetary provision,” Reznikov said.

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It should be noted that the pilots of the Armed Forces have the lowest salaries among all law enforcement agencies. In the Air Force, this is called one of the main reasons for the dismissal of pilots. Oleg Gavrilenko, a spokesman for the Air Force command, said that about 140 flight personnel quit in 2019 and 2020, and another 40 people planned to quit in 2021.

Recall that Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the Cabinet of Ministers to make military salaries 2 times higher than the minimum. From 2023, the military will receive at least UAH 14,352.

Meanwhile, the military continues to delay salaries. The Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights reported that in September the debt of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) was 1 billion 465.8 million hryvnias.

Then the Ministry of Defense announced that the decision regarding the money for the payment of monetary allowances to the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was being resolved promptly.

Soon, Zelensky signed a law on amendments to the 2021 state budget, which provide for an increase in spending by 39.6 billion hryvnia. This amount also included money for settlements with military personnel.

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90,000 how much do US troops get? – Finance on vc.ru

The basic salary in the US Army depends on whether the soldier is an ordinary soldier or officer (you need 4 higher education to become an officer), rank and how many years the military has served

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For example, an E-1 recruit, the level most people start at, can expect to earn a base salary of $1,650 per month (as of 2021)

The base salary for an officer at the lowest level, 0-1, is almost $3,400

The main difference between an officer and enlisted personnel is higher education and officer training, which is why officers earn more. earning a Boy Scout Eagle certification or a Girl Scout gold award may qualify an applicant for enlistment as a Private First Class

All members of the military may receive an annual increase in the living wage determined by Congress and the opportunity to receive allowances and merit-based promotions

Allowances, incentives, and bonuses

In addition to pay, the US military may receive:

– Benefits, exempt taxable forms of compensation that cover housing, uniforms and meals

Recruits live in group housing at the base with shared bathrooms, conditions improve as they advance in rank

If the officer does not live on the base or in public housing, he receives a basic housing allowance that covers 95% of housing costs, if there is a spouse and / or children, the housing allowance is significantly increased

For food, basic allowance in 2021 is $386. 50 for enlisted personnel and $266.18 for officers

– Special and incentive payments with a higher risk, such as an aviation or submarine officer, hard work or service in hot spots