Air Force Chief of Staff Cites Lack of Spare Parts, Aging Fleets, Supply Chain Issues

The US Air Force’s next Chief of Staff nominee says pilots are flying too little to maintain proficiency, citing chronic issues with spare parts, aging aircraft, and supply chain delays. Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach told Senators on Oct. 9 that fighter pilots currently fly about two to two and a half times per week…far short of what he sees as necessary for combat readiness.

“That is not enough,” he said.

Wilsbach was nominated by President Trump on September 30 to succeed Gen. David Allvin. He explained that aircraft availability has dropped to roughly half the fleet, with many jets grounded awaiting maintenance or parts. Even newer aircraft such as the F-35 are suffering delays, he claimed, adding that just over 67 percent of Air Force aircraft were mission capable in fiscal 2024: the lowest rate in a decade.

Plane availability is directly tied to time in the cockpit. Today’s fighter pilots average only about five flight hours per month, compared to nearly five flights a week when Wilsbach was a fresh F-15 pilot in the 1980s. While simulators help make up the difference, he argues that they can’t fully replace live flying.

“You don’t look at any professional sports person athlete that practices two times a week—they practice almost every day,” Wilsbach told lawmakers.

Wilsbach required pilots to fly at least three times per week in his role as Air Combat Command chief, and he plans to resurrect this quota in his upcoming term. He notes that the key is investing in sustainment and spare parts so maintainers can quickly repair aircraft instead of waiting on delayed shipments.

“...The Airmen that work on the flight line can turn around to the shelf, grab the part, put it in the airplane, and now it’s going to perhaps be several more days before that jet needs to be maintained again. And that all the time where it’s sitting, waiting for that part, is downtime where we can’t use the aircraft to train. So that investment is really important to backfill the shelves with parts,” he continued.

FMI: www.af.mil