SocialD

Like rattlesnakes, they're something you should never fuck with!

Do you guys still have a "no-commute" policy? Legitimately asking for a bro.

Does your leadership place an emphasis on a masters? Aside from the former AD guys in our squadron and the few guys who legitimately got one for their civilian jobs, none of our guys have a masters. I've never even heard of it as a consideration for our promotion. However, I have been guest help at a few other squadrons where getting a masters was considered a "non-requirement," requirement. One of those states actually paid for these guys to get a masters, which was a pretty good deal. What I don't understand is the states that essentially force everyone to ROPMA for their Major board. I know of two states that do this and the only reason I've ever heard is that it's a control grade issue...which is pretty much bullshit. Lt Col has control grade issues but we're all in Major billets, so the spots are there. I have been a major for over 2 years and there are peeps from my AMS class that are just now getting promoted. For the life of me, I can not imagine why leadership, especially in todays environment, would hold their guys back from promotion.

Yes it's Guard. GS-12 step 1 is the min you'll see in my squadron, however for now, GS-13 is the min. I have heard of AFRC giving out GS-9s? What a fucking joke. We already have Captains going to the regionals over GS-13 jobs, I can't imagine what it would look like with anything less than GS-12.

Lol, just because they cut the "slots," doesn't mean they're not short on manning. Now if they cut the aircraft/crew ratio, which I think the heavies did a few years back, then it make sense (kinda)... They've been stringing people along since I can remember. Many took the bait, but it was easy to see through their bullshit. To their credit things have improved dramatically since 2011-2012ish. Back then they wanted me to go from a 10+ year Captain on ADOS orders to a GS-12 step 1 (take it or leave it)...for those that haven't look at the number, that's a pretty decent pay cut. Now they're bringing guys right off seasoning days (non-IP) into GS-13s spots. Then they offered a tech bonus for all my friends...no wait, what we meant to say was, it's for IPs near 1500 hours. LOL! I've also been hearing about a part timer bonus for a 3ish years now. But in all honesty, a 5k/yr bonus isn't going to do much to keep me around after 20, so it probably would be a waste of tax payer dollars. I can make more than that by picking up a single 3 day trip, in a year. I'll also lose more than that, per month that I'm on orders, to deploy yet again...to do nothing...

Still the same old flight pay here. Guard guy. I'm anxiously awaiting that $1.66 per pay card, raise...

We're only authorized so many pilots, and we're actually pretty full on pilots right now. It's just that now have a disproportionate amount of pilots on the part-timer side of the house...most of them now want to stay part time. We're also in a weird phase where we have zero dudes, who have their 20 (aside from leadership and prior-Es), that are still hanging on. For now, we're not going to force out a bro that is short of his 20, just to hire another guy to fill a full-time spot. I look to see people to start exiting right at 20, counting their enlisted time, whereas before most guys would stay until 20 years as an officer. If the AF/ARC were truly serious about fixing some of the issues, they would have already solved the problem. But they're not serious, so we'll continue to flounder, scrape by and drive more guys out/part time... Example, I was asked what would make me consider sitting alert again...I say bring back 3 for 1s. They say, not happening...ok, then I'm not sitting alert. If they were serious, they would bring back 3 for 1s. However, our alert sites dutifully report on status every day, so there must not be a problem...right?

Im not sure about others, but my squadron can't even keep our full time spots filled. No shortage of guys trying to show up off AD, just shortage of part timers willing to take AGR/Technician jobs. I can't imagine this will help much.

Just had this very discussion with the other FO yesterday, coming back from a particularly awesome European layover. Former 11F (O-4/WIC type), now a 4 year WB FO, soon to be NB CA. Here were his demands for a staff gig. - 130k/yr bonus (difference in his expected NB CA pay and O-4 pay) that increases 5k for every year he's back on AD. - Choice of his assignment/location - No deployments or involuntary TDYs - 8 hour work days - Auto approval of all leave submissions (up to the yearly limit) - No OPRs - No work at home (email and blackberry stay in the office) - No SARC training/CBTs/ORIs/MICT/PT test (although passing one clearly isn't a problem for this guy) - Reimbursement for a property management company to take care of his house while he is gone - A clause that states anytime finance denies any of his moving expenses/damaged goods, he can void the contract - DLA to and from his assignment, even the PCS to the PLEAD when he separates again - If he falls short of his 20, then ALL time counts toward early retirement credit for his part timer retirement He was willing to knock off a FEW of these items if you let him just be a line IP with no additional duties.

I have a feeling a pilot recalled to the staff would look something like this...

This! Many (not all...like Vegas) of those shootings would likely have had fewer casualties if just one person had fired back. A lot of the shooters, dropped and ran, gave up or committed suicide, at the first sign of resistance. Many of these shooters are comforted in the fact that they know no one will be able to fight back. They're all cowards.

Shack!

- Put the aggressor mission in ARC units located at/near major airline domiciles. - Have the blue air go TDY to the Red Air turf. - If the above bullet is not attainable, then staff it well enough so that guys only have to go TDY once or twice a year (1-2 weeks max). - Non-deployale billets. - Reduce monthly sortie requirements to be easily attainable in 2-3 days. Do those things and you would have ZERO problems filling an Guard/Reserve squadron with part timers willing to fly aggressors. Dreaming, I know.

What sputnik said below. Agreed about the spirit of the thread, I was simply responding to a post. Given that most people don't realize that there are decent gigs at the airlines, that are available to very junior pilots and keep you home a lot, I thought it was worth mentioning. I've been here for < 3 years and there are around 40 sim instructors that are junior to me. My sim partner, another FO at the 2 year point, and I were asked if we'd be interested in applying for sim IP jobs, when we went through 330 school earlier this year. There are other lucrative gigs available, and currently going fairly junior, that are more office type jobs, if that's your thing. However, I'll leave that to PMs or the other thread, so as not to derail this thread any further. I'm actually enjoying reading about the other gigs guys are rolling into.

This! They have a damn good schedule if they live in base. They're supposed to go fly the line every couple months, but training is so busy, many haven't flown in 7+ months. Based on listening to a few WB Capt instructors talk about how many extra sims they're picking up, I'm guessing many of our WB Captain instructors are easily up over 500k in total compensation (with some well above that). Not bad for being home almost every night.

Every consultant I know (not all defense guys), spends more time on airliners and in hotels than I do as an airline guy. On the upside, you'll get to rock your polo/khaki/loafer/lanyard getup, hanging out in squadron bars all over the US. With a 20 year pension, I would opt for the sim job and do real estate on the side. You can continue to relive the glory days of when you used to be a fighter pilot, but still have a nice supplemental income. As long as there is a sim in your desired location, sim jobs seem super chill, with good work hours and decent money. Supplementing it with real estate is a smart choice in case the sims go away or if there is any amount of lengthy downtime (ref. Burlington sims). It seems like most sim facilities have part time options, being able to transition to part time would be nice if the real estate side took off.

Does anyone watch NFL for any other reason, than to keep up with fantasy football league? The whole league is a fucking joke.

This! I've flown with a decent amount of guys that have side jobs. Most of them started/built their side gig when they were widebody first officers. Working 9-12 days/month, for a full months pay, lends itself well to pursing side gigs. Many of them would drop a trip or two a month, but kept the job as an "insurance policy." One went to Wharton and worked for McKinsey while he was furloughed. I've seen lawyers, business consultants, auditors, CPA, CFP/CFA, defense contractors and a few other random business owners. One of our 747 Captains is even an Executive for Flight Safety International.

You own a plane because it's what you love to do and don't mind spending your hard earned cash on it. With the right airport community, you're also getting into a community filled with great people. There's always someone hanging around to BS with, go fly with, that knows how to fix something you need fixed, or someone willing to share flight time in each others planes. I've spent many a cookout by the hangar, drinking beer and talking shop...good times. But what you're ultimately paying for, is the convenience and the ability to stroll out to the hangar and go fly, anytime you want. You don't worry about availability, hours of operation, taking it out of town for a week, or dropping into a local grass strip. If you're worrying about pinching pennies and running a CBA on it, then renting will save you lots of headaches. Also, for insurance reasons, I don't think any FBO would let you instruct in their planes.

Great topic, always love hearing stories from other opportunities. I looked at many avenues before going down the airline path. What I found is that my friends that make good money (> $200K/yr) in the business world, work WAY, WAY too damn hard and spend more time on airliners than I do. The GS world is great for being home most nights, not having to keep a medical and stability...you can be a total shitbag and it's still nearly impossible to get fired. However, for the days worked, even GS-14 step 10 isn't anything to write home about. In the end it came down to days off vs income. Now with the days off, I'm looking at possible business opportunities. Best of luck with whatever you decide...keep us updated. To quote an old timer at the local airpatch, that owned several businesses over the years, "If there is a gold rush, sell shovels." Then he hopped into his Stearman, which happens to fit nicely into the hangar with his Baron. One of his companies built ball bearings...

This is why I hope our contract never allows us the ability to sell back or work over our vacation.

Ya I'm not sure your TAG would have your back if you were a total shit bag, especially if your TAG is Army. On top of that I would think the TAG would have to sign off on such a non-vol...checking into that. We habe people on base being activated for 6 months all the time. They're just not pilots...medical, TMO, Comm, etc... They're just usually volunteers because many of these guys want orders and don't really go tdy or deploy much. Have you talked with them about the activation? Was this a direct activation or just that someone in the squadron needed to go? My ACIP/AO date is the day I started pilot training.

As a part time 11F who flies for the airlines, I still enjoy the hell out of flying gliders and light GA. Low, slow, tailwheel, grass strips, fly-ins and fly-in camping trips...great times. The wing kit for a plane I'm building should be showing up in 4-6 weeks. Some people have the bug for all flying and others just enjoy the tactical part of our jobs...to each their own.

Do tell... This! Although, we pretty much have zero dudes staying past 20. The few that do are either leadership or only have 20 due to their enlisted time...I would look for the latter to bail at first sign of the above happening.