Going KC-10 ----- Have Questions

[Guest leftsidefeathered]

I don't know if there are any KC-10 guys/gals here, but I have a few questions about what I can expect once I get to my unit. I will be flying with the 76th ARS out of McGuire. I'm trying to find out how much flying/work (i.e. MONEY) I can expect. Not that it really matters, but I live in the deep south now, and I'm trying to figure out how much of my current lifestyle I need to do away with before I get there. Any insights about pay, BAH, TDY, etc. would be greatly appreciated!!

[Guest pistolp]

CONGRATS!!!! THAT'S AN AWSOME UNIT AND A NICE PLANE AS WELL. THE BAH NEAR NYC IS OUTSTANDING. IF YOU GET MPA ORDERS OR GET AGR STATUS, YOU WILL BE LIVING LARGE. OTHERWISE...START SAVING NOW. ONLY KIDDING...YOU CAN GET BY MAKING AROUND 33,000 A YEAR BEING A GUARD BUM.

[Guest tentoad]

So you are the guy we hired, I read your resume before the board. The 76th will most likely send you to me for 2 reasons, 1. To get your "how to get paid as a reservist briefing" and 2. Your checkride.

Given that, welcome aboard.

Here are some givens;

1. USAFR doesnt have AGR's at KWRI so forget about that.

2. I, and the trougher crowd, stayed on orders as long as we were willing to work. If you are willing to work you can cash in on TTF or desert or something to get AMC/Active Duty. That means you will make as much as your AD pals.

3. I cant remember if you are married or not. If you are then get an apartment and get your wife a job. If you are single, pile in with a bunch of other LT's and live on the road- trips permitting. Thats where the flying hours are anyway.

4. Your income is directly related to how much you are willing to work. If you choose to take another job (civilian) as a young copilot you may find that lack of flexibility difficult ie. lost trips, etc.

5. I cant give you a figure but you can assume its 80-100% what your AD buds are. You can survive comfortably while building a lot more flight time than an AD copilot.

6. Dont be afraid to call the squadron to ask these questions. Call and ask for Ellen, Lou, Ron (King of Troughers), Tronbay, etc...

Good Luck!

Jim A

[Guest deweygcc]

hey ten, you get a texan named Sharp yet :D be careful that aint not 10 gallon hat hes wearin, thats his head :D

[Guest PilotZski]

I am an HH60 Guard pilot. I went through T37s in 1999 and RWQC at Fort Rucker then to HH60 training at Kirtland AFB. What training should I expect if I get picked up by a KC10 reserve unit?

Thanks.

[Bergman]

PilotZ - You can expect to go back to UPT and complete 6 months of Phase III in the mighty TONE! I've met 3-4 folks who have done it (albeit for -135 ANG units) so it can be done if the unit is willing (sts).

Do the KC-10 units do all of their training 'in-house' or with airline sims/contracts? Is there an actual FTU for them? Any difference between AD/AFRES training? Just curious.

[Guest PilotZski]

Bergman - I believe it is set up with airline sims/contracts and completed all at Travis AFB. I don't know what the Active Duty pilots go through.

[Guest KC-10 Boomer]

ALL KC-10 pilots, engineers, and boomers go through the Boeing simulator course. The training is at either Travis or McGuire, depending on both what base you're going to, and the sim availability, ie, a WRI dude can do Boeing training at SUU if the WRI sim is down and vice versa. It's redundant, but that's just how it is. The respective CCTSs (basically FTU), like the Boeing sims, are located at both 10 bases. Reserves and active both put their folks through Boeing, but IIRC the reserves do their "CCTS" in the squadrons. But I may be wrong, so take that with a grain of salt.

The airlines don't run the sims. The original KC-10 cadre in the 80s was run by the airlines, but that was when Reagan was in his first term

Question for the reserve dudes: Do you guys get BAH normally? Or is it just when you're activated?

[Guest tentoad]

Wow

So many questions. I'll cover money first

1. Boomer, Reservists get type 2 BAH for orders 30 days or less. Type 1 (the good stuff) for orders 31 days or more. Activation is sort of like really long orders. Do TTF or desert rot etc you get the type 1.

2. Boomer is correct about the training. Boeing has the contract to do the sim training and it is at each respective base. The KC-10 community is too small to have extra sims and jets at Altus. Rarely you will swap coasts, but it has happened.

3. No more airline training, if you want to do that then look for planes that are white.

4. Last time I got involved in a string with Dewey everyone took a beating in their member ratings, including me...

5. Feel free to ask anything you want to know.

Tentoad