Pancake

My $.02: Use the loan to build wealth, not vanity. Buy property (land). Avoid expensive cars, nice TVs, extravagant trips. I speak from experience... probably have wasted $75-100K between the Cadet Loan, buying my BMW before leaving Germany in 2006, and making a minimal down payment on a $180K house. I now drive a used pickup and rent a house... and am much happier. Kids don't care what you drive, and neither does a loving spouse. I wish I had bought a $25K piece of land or invested in the market (there's a lot of money to be made... many companies are building their cash reserves and doing very well). Don't be dumb with your money.

What companies are you talking to? I'm looking at business development (defense contractors) and corporate leadership development programs (American and United), all of which require an MBA. Unless you're specifically looking for a job in an interested discipline, my experience is that jobs that will pay you what you're worth ($100K+) have very specific requirements. Otherwise, an AAD is not required; your leadership is more highly valued.

TA shouldn't be an officer retention tool. It should be a tool the Air Force uses to develop a well educated officer corps. Using resources to do anything besides enhancing organizational core competencies is bad management, especially when the fiscal belt is tightened. "Feel good" handouts work to retain enlisted members who, in managerial terms, equate to purely numbers. For them, TA, rightly or wrongly, is definitely a retention tool that my be 1) obsolete considering tuition costs, and 2) inappropriate considering the post-9/11 Gi Bill. Officers (especially rated officers), however, are stakeholders that deserve more career development based on their vestment. Right now, the Air Force views all of its members as purely numbers. Until a more corporate approach to retention is taken, the Air Force will encourage its officers to blindly spin their wheels chasing promotion/IDE selection rather than focusing on the correct things at the correct time in the correct context, ultimately disenfranchising personnel and wasting time and money. I am also in favor of separate rated/non-rated promotion/IDE boards. How do you legitimately compare the promotability of a rated WIC grad to a non-rated 8-4 admin officer? I know the example is extreme and a gray area exists (for example, Intel and Mx officers) but there is justification for a better focused/more efficient selection (promotion) system. We spearate line/JAG/Med officer promotion boards, why not rated/non-rated?

Allow officers to use TA only after being selected for Major-no TA for Lts and Capts. Completely masking AADs for promotion/IDE selection emphasizes job expertise. IDE selection identifies those with leadership potential, however, TA allows non-selects to remain competitive for further promotion/command through the rigor/prestige of their self-selected AAD (perseverence should count for something in commander selection). Non-selects/those who choose to not use TA self identify as non-promotes/non-commands/"if you're going to RIF, get rid of me." Raise TA rates to allow non-selects to get AADs useful to the Air Force, even if online from universities besides Toro/TUI/whatever (GW/Drexel/Penn/Duke/etc...). Alternatively, put no limit on TA for degrees approved/"needed" by the Air Force. Make both AAD concentration and source factors in promotion/command (MBA, safety, international relations/pol sci seem more useful for command than even some degrees offered by Embry-Riddle).

How long does it take to grow a beard like that?

Breckenridge Brewery Small Batch 471 8.5/10 Hoppy IPA with a good bite. Goes with everything. Or nothing. ABV: 9.0.

Airframes? Number? Type?

This entire thread reinforces the age-old addage: timing is everything, and there is no justice. My advice as a 12 year major/11F: do what's best for you and your family. We will all (most of us) spend a much longer part of our lives as husbands/fathers or wives/mothers than active military officers.

The A-10 wasn't your first choice? FWIW, the A-10 isn't any less of a fighter because it flies 300 KTAS, doesn't have a radar, or sustain G. I'm not privy to the current policy, but IIRC, specific fighters are assigned to individuals for a reason. The Hog isn't a consolation prize, it's earned. My guess is that if your leadership feels you earned the privilege to fly a Hog, you'll pass through Tucson. Putting the shoe on the other foot, I've never heard of a pilot selected for A-10s going to another fighter because they CAN pass higher G profiles...

So, has anyone 7-day op'd?

I did a quick spreadsheet on various retirement and civilian pay combinations, with my personal plans included. I'll PM if you want to see it; can't attach excel spreadsheets. Assumptions: 1. All in 2011 money (present value) 2. AD AF pilot at Davis-Monthan AFB, with gate months beyond 20 years 3. Airline pay based on Delta, bid next airframe every 2 years 4. Retire as an O-5 5. Civilian salaried jobs include a 2.5% annual increase to spread promotions evenly over career 6. All scenarios include equal risk (risk not factored into calculations) 7. Inflation equals COLA (CPI) 8. Taxes limited to federal income tax 9. Retire at age 65 10. No regard for cost (cost of living in DC versus Jackson, MS, for instance) Not a lot of financial analysis required when everything is in today's money. However, the BL is that retiring and going to the airlines is the least lucrative option for pilots. The most lucrative option is separating, getting a high-paying job (starting at $120K with 2.5% annual increase over career), and staying in the ANG/AFRC until retirement. Also, note that earning a usable AAD while on AD is more lucrative than saving the GI Bill for the kids. The net income increase of having a usable AAD more than offsets the cost of sending 2 or 3 kids to expensive private colleges over a professional career. Personally, I really want to go to law school, but the airlines "looked" too good to pass up. While I know Delta gets a new contract in January (?), I have to make my stay in/get out decision this week. Still trying to convince the wife that going to law school now is better than going later (when, as an "old man," I may not want to go). If you want to look at this thing, let me know and I'll send it (unable to upload excel). Retirement value for a 20-year O-5, living until 85 Y/O: $1.77M, assuming inflation = CPI increase (in 2011 dollars).

There are also plenty of good schools that have evening/part-time in-residence MBA programs. Having both an online MA (Norwich, Diplomacy), and an in-residence MBA (Arizona), I can tell you there is a vast difference in educational experience between online and in-residence programs. The most important aspect of an MBA: networking. You'll get more mileage from your MBA if you attend class and build relationships with your classmates (especially if you live and work in the region), than if you endeavor an online MBA with little to no direct networking opportunity. All programs teach the same basic curriculum. Harvard and Wharton's competitive advantage is the grad network and published professors. The grad network directly translates to the most coveted intern and job opportunities. Published faculty is important, but even Eller has several routinely published/referenced faculty, yet its rank isn't close to H or W. There is generally no educational difference between "real" programs. B-School ranking has nothing to do with educational quality, and everything to do with return on investment. Arizona, for instance, has been victim to the tech and housing bubble: little business growth and subsequent little demand for MBAs. Hence, as demand for MBAs dropped, so did AZ's rank. The east coast, however, has been relatively unscathed by the economic downturn, hence ROI for MBAs has remained stable and schools east of the Mississippi have risen in rank. H and W MBAs have probably become relatively stronger in ranking because of an incredibly loyal grad network that ensures good jobs for grads of those institutions. BL: Don't discount in-residence evening or part-time MBAs. The networking opportunities that come with "lesser" programs may outweigh the prestige of an online MBA from a "top" B-school where little to no networking opportunity is realized. IMO, you'll get more mileage, for instance, in southern Georgia/northern Florida with an MBA from Valdosta State than you will with a H or W MBA. If you want an MBA to take to NYC/DC, look for schools with the best alum networks (like H and W).

How? "Be the best in your MWS?" That isn't enough anymore. Uncle Sam can continue exercising the authority of one-way contracts, but shouldn't be surprised when everyone "pulls chocks" (using vernacular) at the end of their commitment. IMO, not a great way to do business, unless you don't care about organizational culture or the value of AFSC-specific stakeholders.

Sucking $h&t at Spang If this story wasn't posted on airforcetimes.com, I would have guessed it was from "The Onion."

Did somebody sit SOF today??? Probably the best post ever on BO.net...

Word here is that assignment release is waiting on IDE matches. We're heavy on O-4s at my base...

If curtailing retirement is the crux of the savings plan, then not only would DoD cut away at retirement liabilities directly, but the plan would affect everyone, not just pilots-good luck recruiting. A plan that tosses people after 15 years with no pension or benefits is sustainable for, maybe, a week. Got it. So when UPT, IFF and FTU standards are relaxed to accommodate the diminished talent attracted with lower pay and benefits, how many jets will we need to put in the dirt before the cost savings is moot. This isn't Colgan or Great Lakes. This is the USAF, where mission success has national security implications. Tell me, does your plan also include replacing Spec Ops with highly motivated CAP cadets? While Congress can be shortsighted, they won't hurt their reelection chances. Congressmen need support from defense lobbyists, including defense contractors and retiree groups, and therefore, any cuts or drastic changes to military compensation will be generally inconsequential to vested stakeholders. When Gates, et al, talk about changes in compensation, my opinion is that a realistic timeline goes well beyond anyone already vested in the system.

With "no money in the piggy bank," how do you propose paying for the "wantabe pilots'" UPT? UPT is a sunk cost for currently rated pilots. However, training newbies is an expenditure. In this financial climate, the AF should strive to retain, rather than replace, its rated force. New pilots offer no additional efficiencies. In fact, new pilots are probably less efficient than seasoned pilots because new pilots have less experience to guide "smart" operations. I don't think you'll find many rated aircrew that complain about the pay-it's sufficient to keep them from separating. Queep and reflective belts, among other things, motive guys to bail. If your solution is to force pilots out at 10 years in order to replace them with new Lts and the associated training costs, you won't see any change to retention as long as the non-flying "requirements" of being a rated officer continue, no matter how much prospective pilots love flying. Unlike regional airline jobs, people join the AF for a career, not to simply build flying hours. I think you'll find a lot of people disputing your assertion that the AF is going to "assist us in packing our bags and filling out our paper work." The C-17 crash had nothing to do with experience. I'll leave it at that.

If I was, I wouldn't have posed the original question. Just pointing out the coincidence (or irony).

Coincidentally, I have an in-residence MBA from Eller.

Agreed. However, is more than $100-120K starting salary realistic? Do 50-hour/week jobs exist that pay more than $200K? I suppose that higher paying jobs require 60+ hours/week.

What non-flying jobs are available with a starting salary over $100K? Considering VSP separations are on the horizon, I'm curious what VSP-approved folks are planning to do after the Air Force, especially since the airline hiring boom hasn't quite started? Are ex-officers really in demand in the corporate world as this Fortune Magazine article suggests? Is the Harvard/Wharton MBA a requisite? How valuable are other in-residence MBAs (Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona)? Anyone out there with 6-figure salary corporate success?

2. Although I'm not sure we can even call his tower "ivory." Outside of the Air Force, an education from Air University and $1.50 will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks. His tower is more like those sofa cushion forts we all made as kids-"make believe." After compulsory "corporate" education (SOS and ACSC), I'm a proponent of sending officers to civilian schools. The gained perspective is incredibly valuable for us and commingling with the civilian population might actually learn them somthin' too. In my experience, while school prestige doesn't equate to graduate competence, it does equate to credibility. The military maintains high confidence among civilians, but I have a feeling that it's slipping a bit-especially as funding for DoD programs is pitted against funding for entitlement programs.

From Maj Gen Kane's response to Tom Rick's article in regards to AWC faculty: You heard it straight from the commandant of AWC! On-line degrees equate to the "bottom of the academic world." Yet, the Air Force requires its officers to earn a master's for promotion to Lt Col (and largely a pre-req for IDE), with on-line programs as the only realistic option for anyone that deploys/works 10+ hours a day. I hope this article gets some traction. I can't wait for the backlash and subsequent double-speak about how our "on-line/bottom wrung" degrees are valuable to professional development and prepare us to be better leaders. Maj Gen Kane's lengthy "tit-for-tat" response is a classic trap-door, providing more fuel to Tom Ricks' position. Someone sound the tsunami sirens at AFPC. There's a really big wave called "end of 10-year commitment" headed their way, and they have no clue.

Ahh, the memories... Good post, Hoss.