so.it.goes

Thanks, man.

Just for clarification, the ACSC "top-up" is only required if you do the Leadership/O-3 track, and you get full credit for ACSC if you do the Joint Warfare/O-4 track, correct? Also, anyone worked on and or/completed the OLMP version since the ASU migration?

Do it...

Seems like that would be a pretty good deal for most guys who lived mostly within their means, and/or have only one wife on the record.

Thanks, man. Good advice (which I feel like I have mostly adopted already). The only "tough" part about doing so, is that when you're in a guard unit in a domicile (Louisville/UPS), the numbers are WAY skewed toward that particular employer, and it can be difficult to get an idea of what everyone else is like. We've added a few Delta folks, one/now two United, and have a couple AAL/SW guys in the ranks, but the vast majority are UPS, so that's about all I hear. I'll have to be a little more proactive about the other companies, but, ultimately, I guess it comes down to who calls first anyway.

Quick question for you guys who have read this book: I'm a Guard baby and also a Regional Captain who is trying to get his s**t together and get apps/profiles published for several companies by 1-January... Since I have a pretty good grasp of 121 life and the differences between the Mil and Civ side, would this book still be a useful supplement to my current efforts? I don't mind to spend money on good stuff, and it sounds like it's fantastic info for guys coming off AD careers, but I don't want to blow hard-earned cash on something that doesn't really pertain to me... especially since I'm dropping all kinds of coin for Emerald Coast, app reviews, etc. Any opinions welcome, and thanks in advance.

You, my friend, must have the most hard-working and efficient support personnel in the entire Guard... I have never had that experience in ANY of my in/out-processing situations. ...except, I suppose, the one time I (literally) said, "F**k it, you figure it out", left the paperwork at home station, and went to school with no issues. Maybe I got lucky, or maybe none of that shit matters anyway.

So, is the AF good now, or is everyone tired of bitching? No action in more than a month...

That's what I was thinking... Must have been egregious. We have ART's on base I'd LOVE to get rid of, but apparently being terrible at your job is somehow NOT an offense worthy of dismissal.

Real talk: Why would you consider AD if you can rush Guard units in this climate? Fighter discussion aside, go Guard all day, every day.

Yes... Yes, THE would have.

I'd add to that that if you're flexible with your ROUTE to a destination, that helps as well. I'm with one of the AA Wholly-owned regionals, so have full AA Non-Rev bennies... My wife and I have hopped all over, and we've taken the kids many places as well. We were batting 1000 until an ice storm trying to get back from a London-Paris trip. Stayed an extra day in Paris (poor us), and struggled to get the four of us home once stateside, but I don't mind the process when you factor on what you're getting. Business class both ways, and between the eight legs for the entire trip, we would have spent $40K... Yes, that's a correct value. I'm heading to London again in a couple weeks just to watch a soccer match... It's awesome.

Like I said, it's crazy how much things have changed so quickly. Two other things I forgot to mention about the Regionals: Big bonuses (some with strings, some without), and a paid-for ATP/CTP course. Gone are the days when you have to go drop serious coin on the big rating. As stated, I'm not saying I want to be here forever (hope to be gone in a year), but it's not a bad gig. Big caveats to that: Live in/near domicile, and do research on Reserve rules. Those two things alone can be the difference between being content and being miserable... I've seen it within my squadron first-hand.

By the way, I know no one wants to STAY at a Regional, but my point is simply that you could do much worse than that as you build time for the big boy job.

Since Hacker brought up the Regionals, I'll add some more (current) information, since I think the incredibly recent turn of the Regional industry (read, last two years) is going to be the nail in the coffin for the Guard/Reserve side of the house. I'm a Guard baby (Captain) and quickly got sick of only being able to snag 150-300 hours of flying time a year, due to the increased AD-Lite mentality of the Guard and all the extra admin duties and responsibilities that get thrown on you. I snagged a job at a Regional (that takes me an hour-and-fifteen-minutes to get to the employee parking lot) just after they more than doubled pay from what Hacker was talking about. Since that time two years ago, two-to-four other Regionals have jumped their pay WAY up... Endeavor is currently leading the way with $50/hr first year FO, $60/hr second year FO, and $93/hr third year CA pay. In 2018 I deployed for a couple/few months, took a two month AGR gig, and flew the line at the Regional as an FO... I live in my Guard city, take a short drive to the airline, and between the two gigs I made $100,000 and blocked ~700 hours... Let me reiterate, I'm an FO at a REGIONAL. They're FORCE upgrading people here at like 18 months (due to the shortages), so by the time I upgrade to the higher money in a couple months, I'll already be able to hold a line in domicile, due to all the guys junior to me already being forced to the left seat. I was doing the math with the CA I'm flying with on this trip yesterday, and (assuming I do the minimum AFTP/RUTA count for 2019 and maybe another month's worth of Orders at some point, and then upgrade around April) I'll probably make close to $120,000. This guy's a LCA who drops trips every month and he makes $120K. Add the minimum amount of Guard work and you're pushing $150,000... at a REGIONAL. Just wanted to throw that out there, because I keep trying to tell my leadership that THIS may be an even greater threat to our ranks than the imminent mainline hiring... I know we're losing senior IP/EP types, but what's going to happen when that trend continues, and then the young guys are bouncing AS WELL? No longer is it a huge pay-cut for the younger Lt's/Captains to hit the Regionals for the block hours. It's a pay bump (not to mention a GUARANTEED paycheck vs. Guard bumming), and it's infinitely easier to build those hours as well. I'm doing 85 block this month, and 90 next month. I was the high-time pilot in the Squadron at one point this year with 75 hours... in three months. Big AF, the Guard, and the Reserve have no idea...