AF: UAV pilots will eventually outnumber others - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

AF: UAV pilots will eventually outnumber others

Pilots of remotely piloted aircraft will become more prevalent in the Air Force than pilots of manned aircraft, the commander of the service’s Air Education and Training Command said Monday.

That doesn’t mean the traditional pilot is going away, though, Gen. Edward Rice told reporters at the Air Force Association’s fall conference in National Harbor, Md. The service is likely to still produce about 1,050 pilots annually.

The Air Force has already graduated its first class of dedicated RPA pilots, who are focused only on flying unmanned aircraft. Right now, the Air Force think it has the syllabus for the land-based aviators about right, but there could be tweaks, Rice said.