11F

Check out the ARP website. Not only is the bonus the same as last year, but they also released TWO YEARS WORTH of the bonus. In other words, pilots with commitments that end in both FY14 & FY15 are eligible to sign up now for the same bonus. Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

You know he wore his 4-star blues onto base to buy his PT Gear.

Thanks for the feedback fellas. I don't know DC from a hole in the ground, so all of the lingo gets confusing. I assume the green line comment is a joke. Cost of living-wise, I've always found it very difficult to find a living situation off base where my BAH covers 100% of my rent of a 4BR 2.5bath 2400+ sqft home, utilities, lawn care, along with some renters insurance like all of the new privatized housing does. It seems to me that in order to get that off base in DC, you have to settle for something less on that list. Am I wrong? If I am, I'm going to need an awesome realtor. Spoo: Were you in a house? What was rent? Thanks again for helping my family out.

My family and I are looking at base housing for either Bolling or Belvoir (1st and 2nd priority). I'll be at the Pentagon and my wife home schools (school district doesn't matter) my older two while the younger two are napping. I want a low cost of living and a short commute. I don't care about much else. Should I be considering something else? While on the base housing waiting list, where should we live to meet our priorities of cost of living and commute time (we would keep most of our stuff in storage while we wait, so we could be at a furnished place if need be in the interim)? -Thanks

I've also heard that a Mt. Home F-15E squadron is going to be shut down and stood up as a guard squadron in order to free up active duty 11Fs.

There's an alternate list rack and stack. They use that to determine who goes where if someone declines school.

The take rate is just a hair under 69...percent. Oh sweet irony!

ViperStud: Thanks for the insight. That's exactly what I was wondering. HOSS: I couldn't agree more with your last response to Rusty. Anecdotally again, I have to friends who recently got out. One was a 2nd look non-school select who had orders to ACSC. He turned down the bonus and his school assignment and went Reserves. My other friend is a patch-wearing school-select with orders to ACSC 1st look. He wasn't bonus eligible, but he turned down his school assignment, got out and went to a different Reserve unit. It is rare for a guy to be a 1st look pilot who is bonus eligible and has orders to school due to pilot training graduation dates and the fiscal year, so the previously mentioned criteria wouldn't do much (1st look school assignment pilots not being offered the bonus).

From an 11F perspective, I'd have to say I am surprised. If you look at the take rates for F-15C, F-15E, and F-22, they were all near 70-75%. This is a group whose take rate last year was closer to 55%. I'm not a stats guy, but that seems to be a statistically significant difference. However, the F-16 take rate wasn't all that different. I was particularly surprised at the low take rate of Luke. Any other 11F insights?

I was FINALIZED 07-Aug, but I can't be paid until 05-Sep (the end of my UPT commitment).

My ASD: 30-Jul-02 I've only lost about $256 as of Tuesday. When compared to $225,000. I won't complain.

Submitted 03-Jul. Bob emailed me back and said I have 35 in front of me and mine will be built by Tuesday.

Submitted my application on 03-Jul, and still don't have a "built" bonus application to sign. Anybody on here submit after this date and have a built application to sign? Thanks.

The $112,500 up front will most likely take you out of the running for the Roth IRA. However, there is a legal way around it. In tax year 2013, contribute your $5,500 (or $11,000 if filing jointly) into a non-deductible IRA. In tax year 2014 (regardless of your 2014 income), recategorize your non-deductible IRA into a Roth IRA (paying the applicable taxes), and boom goes the dynamite.

USAFA Ops AF cadets came through. They said they are having a hard time filling the pilot slots. Schwartz castrated our AF.

For what it's worth, I spoke with a tax professional yesterday. In my situation (married w/ 4 kids), the half up front option to 20YAS would cost me ~$10,000 more in taxes over 9 years (making the huge assumption that the tax code doesn't change) as opposed to the $25,000 per year.

Don't get me wrong, this was comically written, but it's cynical junk like this that gets annoying.

No, but FAIPs-turned-11F are behind the 8-ball both in terms of career and FLUG, MCUG, IPUG, SEFE, & WIC. Don't get me wrong I've seen one make it happen and catch up - ONE.

General Chang - thanks for taking the time to post on here and even answer questions. It is much appreciated and has provided some sanity and level-headedness to this discussion. I have one question: Why is it that guys on the line have to go to a civilian forum and talk to a Star Trek character in front of Mom, the kids, AF Times and Kim Jong Nut Job in order to get insight into the why behind the decisions that effect our lives? I know this much from my little world, it's not because the OG or SQ/CC won't pass the info - they just don't have it, and I doubt the WG/CC does either (I don't know that as a fact). I know this forum is supposed to simulate squadron bar talk, but we A) rarely invite outsiders into the bar and B) remove rank in a roll-call for a reason - so we can speak freely. The fact that there isn't a simple secure AF-only communication tool available in this age of social media is straight up unacceptable and needs to be fixed. And if one exists already, the AF is doing a terrible job of advertising it. And so as not to propose a problem without a solution, PM me and I'll give you my details. Thanks again for your time.

You and I must have been in the same UPT class. It freaks me out that somebody would keep track of numbers like this. I hope I'm not on your bad list. (j/k)

For the record: by "majority", I just mean 50%, which shouldn't be tough. I too could be wrong. We'll see when the stats are released.

It must be late where you are, because this didn't make sense. After college, we had a very marketable credential called a college degree. And "fair price" is all in the eyes of the beholder. Obviously, it's not fair in your opinion, but that's just an opinion of one. Apparently the USAF just needs to convince 65% that it's "fair". Time will tell, but something tells me the majority will say it is "fair" by taking the bonus.

So was 10 years after pilot training. I'd say 11Fs tend to take risks...and $225k. (BTW, I totally agree with your post, RTB.)

There's an area on your SURF that says something like "Core Flag" or something like that. Next to it, it should say either 11F or 11T.

I agree. I don't know of any 11Fs who were granted VSP (it's not like they didn't volunteer though). However, I know of two in my MWS who were RIF'ed. Potato/Potahto, either way, two fighter pilots were shown the door involuntarily about two years ago.