Gazmo

Roger that. If the IMA position is advertised as a"Major" position, will I even meet an AFRC board? I wouldn't want to be promoted out of a job. I'd be willing to stay an O-4 'til 20 if it meant staying in a good deal, easily commutable IMA gig.

Ok.. so if I left the ANG as an O-4 to an O-4 IMA job before I met my ROPMA board, would I be able to get to 20 years as an O-4 and retire? Are there ROPMA boards in IRR / IMA jobs? My ROPMA board is Apr '20 and at that point I'll be at 17.5 years. My O-5 promotion date would be at about 17.9 years. Let's say I apply for an IMA job now, start the 1288 process and leave the ANG at the end of '19, am I good?

We are hiring all pilots as GS-13's in my unit (ANG). Even 1Lt's fresh off of season days. There was a time we were hiring non-IP's as GS-12's, but that is long gone. If I had my eye on an airline gig, I'd rather be an ART on a retention bonus while I waited for my dream job. Free agent and great cash (over $200k possible).

Can you elaborate a little more on this?

Thanks! Good info. So.... I was sifting the internet for some IMA vacancies and found one near me that sounds relatively interesting. It's a 40 min drivable commute (same as my Cat E option). Non-flying. 24 IDT/14 AT (quite standard for IMA). They want an O-4 rated officer (pilot). Obviously no promotion potential. I am leaning toward IMA just because I get pay, bennies and retirement points instead of just points. The downside is, if I go that route, I may kiss O-5 goodbye. Not really too big of a deal for me really. It will probably be about $300 a month difference when I retire. My biggest concern is getting the F out of the operational world NOW for QOL and I think I am willing to forego the promotion. Any suggestions? How long could I stay IMA as an O-4? I am at 16.5 years of service right now.

Ok so after more homework at the unit, looks like my ROPMA board will be Apr '20 for an Oct '20 promotion. When would be the earliest I should transfer to the reserves to Cat E? Wait until the results come out summer of 2020?

Sounds like someone is hiding booze and strip club visits from the wifey. I'm impressed. How do you carry such a negative balance aside from severely overpaying it out of your own checking account?

Yes. I talked to the USAF CC of the region.

To piggyback on this thread with similar questions, I'll be hitting 17 years of service this November. Currently ANG tanker dude. O-5 ROPMA for me is Oct '20. My plan is to start the 1288 process this Fall and shoot for a Cat-E job by early '20. I was rushing my local CAP unit who said they were planning on hiring quite a bit more this coming year, but I haven't talked to the CC in 3 months or so. Hopefully this hiring freeze spoken about in a previous post doesn't last too long. My question is, if ROPMA for me is Oct '20, is bailing in early '20 too early for me?

Interesting. Well that has to do with the AGR's. They upped the ART pay, but are converting ARTs to AGR's. If I were an ART in the Step 6+ range, I'd want to stay an ART. $220k per year is possible with a 25% retention bonus. Even with a $35k per year AGR bonus, the ART gig may now be better deal, especially when you can play the "I am a civilian" game after hours and on the weekends and be a free agent when your dream job calls. I will be discussing my military future with my OG within the next week, which includes my plan to go Cat E way before 20 yrs TOS. NGB has no retention issues at all.... none.

Was this NGB/A3?!

Damn... sorry about the shit show. Another thing I thought of. If she pulls the, I'm not going to work and live off alimony/child support while her newfound fling supports her ass, have the court impute income on her. Especially if she has a real estate license.

Old thread, but noone answered this and I have the exact same question so.... giving this a bump.

Florida is a two party consent state, which means you can't record someone without their consent, contrary to Federal Law. She can't legally record you and use it against you in a court of law and vice versa. There are exceptions, however, in extreme cases involving domestic violence and child/sexual abuse.

Sorry to hear it. All very good advice on this thread. Never underestimate the power these b$tches have in the legal system and what they will do when they get desperate. Be one step ahead of her and be just be glad she will not be able to touch your airline retirement, which could literally be worth millions when you are 60. Also, don't rebound into a new relationship too soon, especially while you are separated. She can use that against you when it comes to child custody if you are living with a new fling. Most importantly, know that everything happens for a reason, which may be hard to understand now, but sometime down the line you'll look back on this as a good thing.

Living in base on SCR with any of the larger companies is going to net you a pretty good QOL no matter what equipment you're on, especially if you can settle in 30-60 min away from the airport.

As with anything in the AF, talking with your feet usually works best.

The mil gig kept people alive during the rough times, but it's a different ARC than it was 15-20 years ago. A lot of the dudes who had their bacon saved when they were furloughed after 9/11 were from the good old days when the Guard and Reserves were a flying club and we only went to places like Guam, Pisa, Cypress, Curacao.... you know, the real "rough" ones. Those were the times you could have fun and get a little stupid without it ending up on FaceBook a day later because one of your brown-nosing unit mates wanted to play buddyf#cker. Those were the days when straw after straw after straw breaking the camel's back didn't exist. Most of those dudes have since retired. Those are the ones, some of them at least, who managed to walk away with an AD retirement, an ART retirement AAAAAAAAAAAND walked right back into decent seniority and a $200,000 per year job. I know at least a half dozen guys like this from the lost decade who did very well for themselves while guys like me waited for a full time job at the unit. Timing is everything. I am in "ghost mode" now. I go to the unit a few times a month, get my shit done to stay off the bad boy lists, but for the most part, I try to spend very little time there. I think it's a case of senioritis, but with first year pay at $90+ an hour these days, fortunately I don't need the extra cash... just a few more good year's worth of points.

She is absolutely insane.

So they give the technicians a raise and now they're going to convert technician positions to AGR's. You can't make this shit up...

Exactly. It took me two hours just to do two predeployment CBT's on ADLS the other day that should have taken about 30 minutes because of network issues. Our computer networks have become our weakest link in getting $hit done around the squadron. Whatever. It all pays the same. I'm just count'n the days.

I am an O-4 nearing the 16.5 yr mark in the old retirement system with 4,500+ points toward a guard retirement and I am on first year pay with one of the Big 3, so for me, it is worth doing another 3.5 to get to 20. However, once I get into the 2nd year pay, I'll be looking for a nonflying job in the ANG or Reserves, maybe even points only.

Maybe it varies with different companies. BCBS with AA is a little over $200 a month for a family, comparable to Tricare RS (I am using TRS because copays are less). Between medical, dental, vision, life insurance, accident insurance and a dental savings plan, I don't pay more than $265 per month in benefits excluding union dues, which are 1% or 1.5% during negotiations.

In my eyes, those that will reap the benefits of the new ART pay tables will be those building time for the majors, those who never wanted to be an airline pilot and/or those who were furloughed almost two decades ago and at the crossroads, decided to make a career out of being an ART. However, the majority of the ART youth right now in the 1LT to senior Captain range are being bit by the commercial aviation bug every time a guy like me walks into the Sq with a smile on my face knowing that after my double AFTP, I get to go home and sit on short call reserve for weeks on end without getting tapped for work and don't have to deal with the daily grind of bullshit I don't miss one bit, even if I am making almost $100,000 per year less than I could be as an ART right now. With Capt upgrades at most of the majors plummeting to the 4-6 year mark, $300,000+ per year is within reach very quickly if you want the responsibility.

Picture how even more F'd the ARC would be right now if if all of our people had some coin in their Blended Retirement and knew they'd still collect a check at 60 if they left at 10, 12, 15 years of service. There is a reason I am still here with 17 yrs of service and it ain't because it's loads of fun anymore.