Military Flying Evaluation Boards

Because the military holds extremely high expectations for its service members, reviews are occasionally necessary to check on the integrity of the personnel. Pilots are no exception to this rule. There are several reasons why a pilot would be asked to prepare for the military flying evaluation boards. The follow are some of the reasons an evaluation would convene.

• An officer is suspended or disqualified from aviation service for more than 5 years.
• There is a lack of proficiency (unless enrolled in a formal flying training program).
• An instance of failure to meet standards occurs while enrolled in United States Air Force formal flying training course.
• An officer shows a lack of judgment in performing rated duties.
• An officer fails to meet ground or flying training or annual physical exam requirements.
• Intentional violation of flying regulations is evident.
• An officer exhibits habits, traits of character or personality characteristics that make it undesirable to continue the officer in flying duties.

If a service person is found to be in violation of any of these, a flying evaluation board will be organized to discuss the problem. The evaluation is administrative in nature. It is a fact-finding process used to ensure all gathered information is presented. The facts will be discussed in order to determine if the officer in question is qualified. The evaluation is not a trial. Unlike military administrative separations, the evaluation will not determine a disciplinary or administrative action.

Military Administrative Separations

In some instances, authorities must attempt to correct pattern disciplinary problems through counsel. This step is taken before military administrative separations are initiated. A member of the problem soldier's chain of command should address the misconduct behavior. Someone of authority should try to understand the situation to see if there is a simple solution. If counseling does not seem to correct the problem, the next step is to attempt a rehabilitative transfer to another unit. Again, if this does not help the disciplinary issue, then a formal separation will be necessary. Like the military flying evaluation boards, these steps are meant to be taken to address a problem before permanent disciplinary actions are necessary.