
The Air Force is facing a potential “mass” exodus of commercial airline pilots to retirement that could cause a run of Air Force aviators to the commercial sector beginning as early as this year and early 2014, according to the service’s top officer.“It’s really up to the airlines, but that’s what some of their projections show,” Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh said yesterday following an Air Force Association breakfast in Arlington, Va. “They’re looking at hiring a…