Drone footage from Syria shows WHAT DOES A CIVIL WAR LOOK LIKE....

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Piloting drones pays handsomely...

Air Force Offers $125K Critical Skills Bonus to Drone Pilots
Dec 16, 2015 | For the first time, the U.S. Air Force next year will offer a critical skills retention bonus to airmen who fly remotely piloted aircraft such as the Predator drones that have become a signature weapon of war over the past decade.

The service on Tuesday announced that pilots who agree to remain in service for five more years will be eligible for a Critical Skills Retention Bonus of up to $125,000. Other RPA pilots, meanwhile, will continue to be eligible for Aviator Retention Pay that could give them from $75,000 to $225,000, depending on how many additional years of service they commit to. "RPA missions are increasingly critical to national security, and our ability to retain experienced RPA pilots will enable us to meet current and emergent mission requirements," Lt. Gen. Jay Raymond, deputy chief of staff for operations, said in the announcement. Those eligible for the Critical Skills Bonus and Aviator Retention Pay may apply through Sept. 30, 2016.

It's not surprising the Air Force finally moved on such an incentive. Pilots who graduated from the RPA undergraduate training school -- which the Air Force stood up in 2010 -- are now nearing the end of their initial six-year service obligation. At the same time, the service has been dealing with issues of mission fatigue among those flying the RPAs. The New York Times in June reported a "significant number" of the Air Force's 1,200 RPA pilots would be coming up on the end of the obligation and were considering leaving the Air Force. The year 2017, then, marks a critical one in the Air Force's bid to retain experienced drone pilots.

In the announcement, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said the cost to train and develop airmen "is a significant investment for the Air Force. "These incentives are cost effective methods to retain a sufficient force of skilled and experienced aviators to meet our current and future requirements," he said. Officials said the retention monies included in the 2016 defense budget use the same authorities as all other aviators. RPA pilots eligible for the critical skills bonus must be lieutenant colonels or below, have chalked up six years of experience since graduating from undergraduate RPA training, and be coming up on the end of their initial RPA pilot training service obligation. The Air Force established an RPA undergraduate school 2010 -- a year after it created the RPA career field (18X) -- so 2016 will be its sixth year of training pilots.

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NY Air Guard Unit to Conduct 1st Drone Flights from Own Base
Dec 16, 2015 -- The New York Air National Guard unit that flies remotely piloted aircraft overseas for the U.S. military will conduct its first drone operation from its home base outside Syracuse.

National Guard officials say the 174th Attack Wing will launch and recover an MQ-9 Reaper for the first time Wednesday afternoon at Hancock Field Air National Guard Base and Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

Until now, the unit had been conducting all its drone flight operations at Wheeler Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum in northern New York.

The 174th traded in its fighter jets for drones a few years ago. National Guard officials say the unit will be the first Air Force organization in the U.S. to fly drones in class "C'' airspace, the common airspace around commercial airports.

NY Air Guard Unit to Conduct 1st Drone Flights from Own Base | Military.com