FDNYOldGuy

Definitely great in that and before he jumped on the “Rob Schneider is a carrot,” train. He’s only overshadowed by Bob Uecker killing it in Major League; one of my absolute favorite 80’s movies.

Only caveat I'd say to the "government bureaucracy" aspect is that it was only government itself that what was capable of throwing massive amounts of money at something that had no profit motive to get it done in the 60's with NASA. We drove smart people into government/contracting fields that wanted to be part of something great. We had the fear motive with the USSR to keep the public behind it, thankfully, as it certainly would have been killed as government waste if not. Even with the great strides, it eventually was scaled way back when we handily beat them and the populace lost interest. Which sucks. The only reason, now, is that people with "F-you" money and huge egos can shake out their couch cushions and afford to fund space programs that are as close to rich-folk dick-measuring contests as anything. Sure, the outcome is great and competition does drive innovation, but there's also the point that the combined money spent by Musk/Besos/Branson may have avoided a lot of duplication of effort and competition for the brain-trusts and we could be further along if united. I also have some concerns with being beholden for massive amounts of government-utilized space tech to an individual (who gets richer off such contracts, too), but that is part of the game, I guess. Then again, what do I know? Honestly, I just wanted to post up a reply to you because I f-ing love your avatar, which brought me back and reminded me of one of my Top 10 movies as a kid. Kathy Ireland and "stick a spigot in that fat buddha over there..." are just a couple reasons that was an underrated gem.

Man, this was a great throwback post and walk down memory lane! Granted, I was sitting a little ways up the road in Tallahassee belting out my War Chant and likely hoping everyone playing this game came down with a wicked case of chronic diarrhea, but I remember this game and the awesome energy of college football around this time. Florida teams were perennial powerhouses, USC and ND were always circling, OU and UT put on some great slug-fests, and Ohio State really pissed on a parade. Crazy watching this how many of the names rattled off I'd not thought about in forever that popped back in my head. Thanks for posting it!

Not directed at you, but quoted to highlight to others that this point (exponentially increased if you have kids) is MAJORLY overlooked in the hunt for a chance to wear a green onesie. Sure, military flying is great, but there are a whole lot of glossed-over and seemingly not considered crotch kicks to you and your family by pursuing a military life. AD more so than Reserves/ANG, but both can strain. I've known more than a few guys and gals that washed out/self-eliminated because of family separation struggles or gotten divorced due to distance if the spouse/family stays home or due to dragging spouse/family to "garden spot" training bases around the country that leave them isolated and transient. Even those of us that survived the training pipeline stresses with our families intact didn't do so without a few scars from bumps along the way. Bottom line: It's awesome to be able to fly military jets. Hands down. I have no ragerts and would probably still do it all over again if I had to. But, I strongly warn against running blindly at the dream after getting all hyped up watching Iron Eagle and Top Gun without stopping for a tactical pause and true discussion with yourself/significant other(s...don't forget kids; even if you don't have them yet) about the downsides or obligations to obtaining and keeping your dream going. It certainly has been done successfully by millions in uniform in the past and is part of the sacrifice to serve, but just want to warn against getting too starry-eyed.

Damn. My last PM on here was from him 8 days ago, replying to a message I sent him in response to a post about lodging options in SA for PIT. Seemed like a great dude. Life is short. 🥃

I’m a couple months overdue on my positive review of Trident, but wanted to throw it in for my recent cash-out refi. I didn’t work with @Jon - Trident Home Loans directly (he didn’t cover my state), but he and I spoke a few times in the year+ process and he was always super helpful despite not being who I would work with. The whole Trident team was solid, the process smooth, and the rate was better than the going conventional. Definitely appreciated them will use them again.

+1 to what everyone else said; especially with your attitude to what the life presents. Traveling to the Middle East on my own dime is not super high on my list, but getting paid to take an all expenses paid trip to do so and carrying some cool stuff with great people, makes it pretty awesome. And sometimes that trip is to Hawaii… Does it entail some queep that is less than optimal at times? Yeah. But, it’s all part of the cost of the ride. You can easily make both careers work; it’s even easier with that type of schedule. Signed, A guy with a similar civilian schedule that has thoroughly enjoyed the last 5+ years of playing Air Force part(ish)-time.

Not a fighter dude, but my guess is that, even thought you're not above the age-waiver land, Reserve/Guard fighters usually shy away from folks close to that range. They got burned by the oldies in the past bailing out mid-UPT and there are pieces to a fighter track that are tougher as an older person. You're playing a numbers game and betting on the longer shots by narrowing to fighters; more competition for fewer seats. If you really just want to fly anything, you really should start looking at heavies. If you want some autonomy, start rushing heavy Reserve/Guard units. As many before have said, 96.69% of people usually enjoy wherever they end up as long as they embrace it. "Bloom where you're planted." AD has its place...and it's life. If you want life autonomy, (more of) a choice of what you fly (depends where you're hired, obviously), and the ability to get that airline line number started years earlier, you probably are infinitely better off holding off for Guard/Reserves. You might have a "better/faster" chance flying just going AD, but you risk getting pulled by your hammer around the world. As for flying fighters, you're putting WAY more in the hands of the fates than if you get hired by a unit. Your skills, your competition...errr classmates..., available 38 slots, and the needs of the AF all dictate more than you "wanting to fly fighters." You could be a strong above average 5th in a class that gets six 38 slots or you could be a hot shit 3 in a class that gets two slots. You could get that 38 slot and they only have 2 fighters in the drop, so FAIP or bombers for you. All of that is decided by random luck and timing. Then again, some folks are in it to win it and wanna ride or die AD. It's certainly admirable and a guaranteed paycheck for 12-ish years. It really is only something you can decide. Lastly, look into Reserves more. Guard is great and less AD-light, but it's much more disjointed in the hiring due to the inherent state by state nature. Each Guard unit has its own separate hiring apparatus with separate recruiters; Reserves can get you started (MEPS, forms, basic intro stuff) for any airframe (I think they still do Unsponsored...) and you can begin rolling as you're rushing multiple Reserve units. Whichever path you choose, 100% rush multiple times to the units you truly want. They're getting lots of hotdogs tossed their way; be a more memorable hotdog. Be a good human, put in the work to make them want to pick you, and don't stop until you've gotten the last TBNT. it's tough competition and no one is gonna just hand it to you, so don't give up. Good luck! Signed, A happy Reserve heavy driver that started UPT 7 years above the age cutoff ***(DISCLAIMER: during a VERY different hiring environment, so not happening very often anymore)*** and has greatly enjoyed the adventure I've been fortunate enough to experience thus far.

Happens pretty often. If you're making it in T6s and not a totally ham-handed pilot, they're not usually going to write off that training already sunk if you're struggling in 38s. Once they wing you (which happens earlier/after T6s now?), they're not going to want to lose you as an asset they spent money to train. As long as you get a heavy unit to pick you up (AFRC or AD will just shuffle you to where they need bodies if you don't have someone; Guard may require more work on your part since you're more owned by a certain unit/state) and you still want to fly, it's not an earth shattering move. I think I personally know of >5 people bouncing between pointy and heavy life at various stages along the training/career.

Yup. Exactly what @Boomer6 and @brabus said: They're likely not going to care about BS/BA; get a degree that is useful to you in case you don't get to play airplane for some unforeseen reason. Furthering that, it's great you want to know about psych but, if you have zero interest in making it a career, you're just wasting your money. You can buy some books to read/learn about psych and, if you really want to go through some formal courses in it, get a minor in psych to go with the major that's going to get you paid (or just rack up hours for airlines). Always try to open as many doors as you can; it'll allow you more options down the road when life inevitably changes.

Hence why I overly stressed that it's a bad investment and multiple other investment/financial planning boxes should be checked, but discounting the option completely isn't the answer and I'm guessing why you put "nearly" in there. I also mentioned the lower returns/better options in other investments. And, yes, most of us likely won't be lucky enough to be above the $12.92 tax free cap, so no (or little; some states have) estate taxes. But, your heirs will have to pay taxes on what they receive. All inherited retirement accounts must be wiped out within 10 years of your passing, so you kids will be forced to liquidate everything within that timeframe and pay taxes on (any non-Roth parts of) it. It'll also count as income that'll stack on top of whatever they're already earning. There are no taxes at all on insurance disbursements. 100% a Term is a cheaper buy, but you die outside that term and they get nothing. A Whole LIFE is way more costly for lower coverage, but it's a GUARANTEE that someone gets a wad of cash. Father Time is undefeated, so you're getting paid to die. It's also something stable you can 100% bank on paying out what it says it's going to. If you keel and 08-09 type market is around, your estate has taken quite the hair cut. You know what still paid out 100% in March 2009? Insurance. For folks living that airline life, you're already socking quite a bit away in stonks, which is why I threw the option out there (with a million caveats). Again, I don't think it's a great investment and they are very costly, but it's another estate planning tool that can have some validity for folks making a lot of money and checking other retirement/investment boxes. I make zero dollars by bringing up Whole Life and you will certainly have the wolves salivating when you ask any company about them due to the high commissions, but it can be worth a consideration if you know what you're going into. It could. The company will still contribute, but you'll just be unable to write anything beyond the $22.5 off your income and if you think you'd max out their direct contributions, too, then you might end up overfunding beyond the $66k allowed for TSP/401/403 plan type. Not really a tax person, but this is what comes to mind.

+1 on the IRAs (especially Roth), but keep an eye on income limits and you might need to do the “Backdoor Roth” option if you make too much. TSP is treated like a 401k and, if you max out TSP, you’re already maxed on 401k; pre or post (Roth) designations. If you have access to 457 you can end around that limit and contribute another $22.5. If you’re looking for more tax shielded investment options beyond that, next stop can be HSAs, or if you’ve got kids you think will need college tuition help, 529s. If your focus is giving money to heirs, it might be worth looking into a Whole Life insurance policy. These are EXPENSIVE and not really great investment options (fees are high and annual returns aren’t even close to market returns you’d get investing elsewhere), so they’re not worth looking into until you’ve checked quite a few other investment boxes first. But they’re useful ways to ensure your heirs get paid a tax free chunk when you eventually die (Father Time is undefeated, after all) and you can get tax free dividends in your later years, if you choose, or keep the value growing by reinvesting the dividends. You have to be careful talking to folks about these, as they (and their similar Variable/Universal/whatever Life compatriots) are pushed big time by lots of financial advisors and insurance salespeople because they have HUGE commissions relative to other investment options/life insurance policies. They have a vested interest to hawk them to you, so just do your homework and use someone you trust to buy one, if you go that route.

Bravest, not Brightest.

Meant to circle back to this one, because while the movie put some artistic license and drama to backdrafts, real ones will slam your prison wallet closed at a rapid rate. I remember back when I was FDNYYoungGuy being told by old hats that we'll think, "they're storing dynamite in there," when it happens the first time. They weren't kidding. This is a crazy video of a (rather large) backdraft the brothers in Queens had a few years back. It's amazing people weren't killed in this one; it's certainly larger than most (sts) with a block full of taxpayers on fire. Saving grace was a lot of street for it to expand out to and a lot of folks weren't inside (sts) yet; ones in apartments don't always have that luxury (RIP in peace Jason Gedrick; your sacrifice won't be forgotten...) and can be more lethal. @BFM this, nice pickup! Such a great movie that doesn't get the mileage it should. Some pretty heavy hitters in there for a goofy movie that doesn't get talked about much.

That guy farts, it'll make one of Axe's backdraft setups look like blowing on a birthday candle. 100% that guy's an engine chauffeur and is not making it 2 rungs up that ladder. @Danger41, yessir. Putting the OLD in FDNYOldGuy. I vigorously studied the "historical records" of Backdraft for entry into the FD. Just like I had to watch Iron Eagle/TG to get hired as a mil pilot. All on VHS, too. Haha.

Unfortunately, we’ve got the same limp hammers around FD, too, like this tub-o-shit. I’ve run into a couple out in the wild, both AF and FDNY, while drinking, which usually leads me down the rabbit hole. I like letting them build their shit diorama and then asking them about some mundane details that anyone that’s actually spent a little time in job either knows, yet the “heroes” always seem to “forget.” Minor things that were part of regular life or rite of passage in either job that any one of us experienced, yet most of these shitbirds wouldn’t know or think to research. How was formal/standup/shotgun? Let’s talk about a random SERE factoid? When’s recurring boldface due? Tell me about your UPT base. What’s dispatch’s number? Where are medicals and when? What’s this random 10-xx radio code mean? Tell me about chauffeur school? On and on. There are so many minutiae that we all deal with (in any job) that can usually weed out the Officer Doofies/Paul Blarts of the world. Harder to weed out the ones that were in, but embellish their accomplishments, but they tend to be less brazen with folks in and only use their stories to wow outsiders. They usually know you’d probably have heard of them rescuing Col Masters with Chappie or fighting Axe in a warehouse fire.

I don't have any personal advice for that. I just got hired in a completely different environment than today. Currently, we (and most squadrons, from what I gather) are really heavy on new pilots and have drastically pulled back hiring from what was happening Reserves/Guard-wide when I was going through in 2018. Unfortunately, you're just in a tough part of the wave and, even more so, I'd bet lots of squadrons are hiring closer to the vest and going with internally recommended/known folks and non-advertised hiring boards. That said, the resume is one thing to getting hired, but the hustle is an even bigger piece. It may take you pushing further with reaching out to squadrons than just listening to their "we aren't doing rushes." With your access to Global, you can do more digging than the average bear and have a leg up to reach out to folks in squadrons through research. Also, as @JimNtexas said, looking outside of fighters is also probably a good idea, depending on whether your view is "any military flying" or "I'm only going to fly Fs." That's only something you can decide, but I'd recommend doing some research, soul searching, and looking into what your career choices are after UPT pipeline.

As @O Face said, your scores are pretty solid; even for pointy units. A buddy of mine in UPT was in a similar boat to you by being an O already and wanted to fly (he stayed AD) fighters. He had solid scores, busted his ass in UPT, tracked 38s, and did well enough to now be flying Fat Amy. If you're set on getting out of AD and doing Guard/Reserve, O's point to just going to meet the squadrons and being a solid human is going to weigh more than you being hot shit with scores/civilian life extra curriculars/great LoRs. Those help, but they'll aim to hire someone they like and wish to spend time with over someone that is a shiny penny on paper. Good luck!

This is a pain in the ass that it takes that long to get the match, but there's one caveat to this: the two year point starts from enlistment/joining the service, not the first day you start orders. I think it's 2 years from the "Pay Date" section of the LES. Anyway, I expected my match to start a few months later that it did and realized it was my date of swearing in. I'm not sure if this backs up even further to those (few) that get paid for something during the recruiting pipeline, but it's possible. Guard folks swear in super early and Reserves can at least a couple months before they start getting orders officially, so it's good to do it ASAP if you want to set yourself up a little earlier on the retirement matching sooner. It helps a lot for being AD/on orders during the UPT pipeline, as you'll get more months/dollars of match than if you hold off. Nothing life changing, in reality, but worth knowing and could help get a few hundred extra bucks thrown in there.

Congrats to your daughter! A couple of little extra pieces I'll add. As @Hunter Rose said, I'm also a bigger fan of Roth than Traditional TSP (or 401/403/457/whatever) because I'd rather pay taxes now over paying them later. Tax rates are historically low, US expenses: taxpayers are going to get worse, and most of us will earn more in later working years than in early ones. Also, if you have a Roth IRA going, you can roll-over the Roth TSP down the road and you'll not have RMDs. *Bonus of Roth TSP for those getting tax free. Try to not max out too early in the year. The match is per-month, not for the whole dollar amount, so they're maxing 5% per month and if you max out early ($22,500 is the 2023 max), you're missing out on their later-year matching. Everyone now is in BRS, which isn't terrible. It's a 40% pension if you make it to 20 for jelly of the month (over 50% of the old system), but you get the government contributions/matching if you leave before 20. So, it's not all all or nothing system like the old one. Agreed on the C being the basic best bet of the S&P 500 if you like it simple. I also like the S (small cap) and I (international) and hover around 60/20/20, but to each their own. The TSP site said new folks get auto-enrolled within 60 days at 5% in the Traditional option, so I'd say she's probably already started down the road. Just have her adjust to the Roth, or the makeup of investments, if she thinks she wants something different.

My gouge is almost 5 years old and things could have changed now, but this is what my order of ops was. YMMV. Your next call will be congrats (or maybe next board, depending on how competitive your peer group is) on the UPT slot. Then you'll get linked up with the 340th, who will work with your recruiter to finalize your paperwork/gaining by 340th and swearing in. Then you'll head to San Antonio for ~6 days to inprocess with the 340th, which will be roughly 2-4 weeks before you are going to start OTS. They'll give you your actual UPT start dates and which UPT base you're going to during this week in SA. You'll basically be on orders solidly with back to back events from the beginning of OTS (which is a TDY or trip from where you live), so your start dates aren't all that important; you'll be in the pipeline, on orders, and getting paid no matter what your start dates are. After OTS, you'll go straight to SERE (still a TDY from your current home), PCS (full move) to your UPT base for a week or two with a TDY to SERE, or PCS to your base with SERE at the end. It's usually SERE before UPT for Reserves, but possible after, with ~2-4 weeks of time at UPT (around SERE if you go after PCS-ing) to handle the UPT inprocessing and pre-course class stuff (the tests you REALLY don't want to fail) and get settled in.

That’s what it was as of 4-5 years ago. They certainly could have changed, but AFAIK for anyone picked up by a Reserves unit, there were no options to drill/get paid and we sat inactive until orders started. And the hiring unit doesn’t own pipeline studs; a Reserve-wide training unit does until after FTU. Guard runs it differently and you can drill/get paid before starting the pipeline and your home unit manages all schools/pay/leave/issues/etc. from day 1, from my understanding

@stuckindayton, seconding what others have said: Congrats to your son and please utilize us for any questions you may have! You helped many of us out so much along the way; it's the least we can do to repay the favor and help your son. @O Face hit the nail on the head with the commitment issue and to get rolling on enlisting. I don't believe he's obligated to anything until at least finishing OTS/gaining his commission (and even that can be released), so swearing in won't hurt. 2nd piece about enlisting ASAP that is often overlooked is that the enlistment date is the official Date of Service; something that'll be in his file and on every LES. Seems cheesy, but this will be the date that starts the 2 year clock counting until the AF starts their TSP contributions. It's not huge money, but it certainly helps to get that rolling earlier. I'm also not sure if this is also the date used to start the 20 year clock, as well, (I'd think it would be) but it's another big piece, if so. I do have to differ with O in experience with the drilling/getting paid after enlistment/before OTS. I'm not sure if he's speaking from Guard or Reserves experience and perhaps things have changed, but when I went through the Reserves process we were explicitly told we were not to go to drill/get paid by/or do any sort of in processing with our hiring units. Basically, from the moment of hiring/enlistment until heading to Randolph for Inprocessing a couple weeks prior to OTS, you won't have any opportunities for pay. Not to get too into the weeds and it certainly could be different these days, but for non-prior service folks hired by any AFRC unit, you're not actually owned by or doing any drilling/orders your home unit until you are in the last piece the training pipeline (your seasoning orders). Starting from getting picked up by the AFRC UPT Board (which is usually a few months after hiring/FC1), a new hire is completely owned by the 340th FTG; a Randolph-based unit that handles all aspects (pay, orders, schools, vouchers, leave, etc.) for all hires (no matter what they're flying) through OTS/SERE/UPT/IFF/FTU. When you finish FTU, you then put the paperwork in to be "gained" by your home unit and be under their care/going to drills/dealing with their finance/etc. Again, things could have changed, but that was my experience. Congrats again to your son!

In the eternally prophetic words of Saint George of Carlin:

+1 what most of the other folks already said. Adding to it, it greatly depends on the type of non-flying civilian employment you want. In my case, the FDNY (City of New York actually runs the Mil rules, so other agencies get the same) is absolutely stellar for being a part-time Mil meatbag and continuing my career there while being a gameful participant at the squadron. Sure, there are lots of pieces of the USERRA law/applications through the FD that aren’t necessarily geared to us non “one weekend a month/two weeks a year” type part-timers, but I haven’t hit any serious speed bumps. Because there are 10k+ firefighters, I’m not even the only Mil pilot/firefighter out there (a small handful, but still). So, as stated, it will vary greatly what type of job you are talking about, the hit to you not being there while you’re playing pew pew man (an org as big as the FD it’s a blip; some it could be devastating), how your unit/airframe operates (do you deploy for months and have long stretches home/lower duty reqs or very rarely deploy for months but take intermittent trips of days/weeks monthly/quarterly on the reg), and what your participation rate is (usually higher when younger/newer/upgrading and less as you become more experienced or busy on the outside). Last clarification on USERRA and the 5 year limit: a good portion of your SCHOOL orders (OTS-UPT-FTU-Seasoning pipeline/future upgrades/etc.) DO NOT count toward your 5 year USERRA limit. Some of my orders from these timelines have a line stating they are exempt from the 5 year USERRA limit per U.S.C. 4312 (C)(3). I’ve never actually read that code, but the orders say you’re solid. So, theoretically, you would have longer than 5 years of total protection with a single employer you work for before you started. They don’t all say that and not sure whether they should and that line wasn’t added or just certain school orders are exempt, but it probably specifies in the code listed above. All that said, see above paragraphs/posts whether it actually would play out like that, but the law provides for longer when training is involved. TL;DR: Non-airline life can be just fine, with the right employer. It’ll depend on a lot of factors, though. Seems like you’ve come around to airline life, which is probably the best move. It’s not for everyone, for sure, and your family/living situation may change/dictate another path, but it’s an absolutely amazing job opportunity presented down the line. It also won’t help having your squadron mates drizzling that cash money/chill life airline honey in your ears all the time. Haha. Good luck, whatever you choose! The adventure is fun regardless!