Any plans for a return to AD bonus?

[FLY6584]

I am a 2014 VSP recipient and recently started flying for a Major Airline. I could not be more happy with civilian life and love the airlines, but as a former T-6 FAIP I recall a couple guys in my squadron that were AD recalls who received a substantial bonus to return to AD to fly the T-6. Considering instructing in the T-6 was by far the most rewarding and fun experience for me in the AF, my wife is from a UPT town, and the first year or two at the Airlines come with a bitch of a commute and schedule I could think of worse things than to take a nice chunk of change to go fly T-6's again for a couple years in my wife's hometown while my seniority number continues to tick up.  

So my question(s) is how do you find out about these programs considering you are pure civilian and have no .mil email address? Will AFPC contact you if they need you? How much say do you have in where you go? And what was the commitment the last time they offered this? 

I just have a feeling with the upcoming pilot shortage in the AF due to all of the dudes that got out and are continuing to get out that they will have no choice, but to implement programs like this and stop loss. History has a tendency to repeat itself especially when you're talking about the AFPC clown show.

Anyways, maybe this can be an AD Recall rumor thread for pure civilians like me to find out about upcoming opportunities. Cheers. 

[BUSTED]

Dude, why not join the Reserves at your former UPT/FAIP base?

[FLY6584]

Dude, why not join the Reserves at your former UPT/FAIP base?

Because I don't want two jobs and a double commute. We have no desire to settle down at the UPT base, but if it were a significant enough of a bonus I would be willing to go spend three years at a UPT base especially making O-3 pay and BAH. 

I got out at the 7.5 year point so I have no desire to try to stick it out in the Reserves for 12.5 years to get a retirement, but I would consider a three year return to AD.

The reason I ask is because I saw a recent article by JQP talking about Stop Loss and figured return to AD bonuses may become available as well. 

 

Edited October 11, 2015 by FLY6584

[sqwatch]

the AF will contact you shortly due to the pilot shortage. hold your breath.

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[HuggyU2]

...how do you find out about these programs considering you are pure civilian and have no .mil email address?

The same way I did it:  pick up the phone and start calling AFPC.  

 

[ChkHandleDn]

Aren't there rules for this though if you're not furloughed?  I know USERRA says no more than 5 years of service, but if you go beyond that couldn't you potentially lose your seniority number? 

[HuggyU2]

 Some companies will go longer than 5 years.  United Airlines accepts (or at least they used to) up to 6 years of mil leave.  Others here can point toward some "contingency" or other deployment language that doesn't count toward the 5 years.

But, yes... exceed the limits and you will lose your number.  

Edited October 14, 2015 by Huggyu2

[natalemm]

You'd also have to make sure any such return wouldn't void your VSP payout.

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[Duck]

Come on back. AETC needs more deployment fodder. But seriously I have no idea why anyone would want to return to Active Duty but if you want to I truly hope it works out for you. I would call the AFPC service desk or whatever they are calling it today. If you call multiple times you will get multiple answers too which is neat.

[olevelo]

I wouldn't count on it any time soon. For one, it takes years for the beauracracy to catch up to reality. Anecdotally, I was RIFd last year and submitted a case to the Board of Correction of Military Records claiming that I shouldn't have been eligible, and AFPC recommended approving it and returning me to active duty. I've been waiting 5 months for a decision and still nothing, so if they can't even decide on that, I don't see them doing a recall anytime soon.

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[HercDude]

You just took a bunch of money to leave active duty and you landed a good job.  Now you want to go back on AD, at a UPT base, as a Captain?

Huh?

The return to AD guys we picked up back in '10 & '11 were all 0-5s who were furloughed and working for the Guard.  They came back on AD to try and earn a AD retirement (most of them did), and because they were 0-5s that were legally non-promotable.  No one wanted to fuck with them.  I doubt that would be the case with you.  Do you really want to leave a gig at a major so you can make 2nd year pay, work 55 hours a week, live in a podunk town, and have your wings taken away by a power-tripping Wing King over jokes taken out of context in private text messages?

 

To each his own I guess...

[HuggyU2]

Do you really want to leave a gig at a major so you can make 2nd year pay, work 55 hours a week, live in a podunk town, and have your wings taken away by a power-tripping Wing King over jokes taken out of context in private text messages?

 

To each his own I guess...

Why not?

I did it as a <15 year Major... minus getting my wings pulled.  Some of our Wing Kings were outstanding officers.  

I also live in a great town, not Podunk.   

No regrets on my decision.

 

Indeed... to each his own.

[HuggyU2]

I have often found that there is a time value that correlates with the quality of one's time in service.

...the atmosphere has changed so much for the worse. 

If the Air Force was a stock, I would be shorting it. 

Your points are well taken, and I completely agree.  

I'd be curious to know how I'd act if I was in the same shoes... but 15 years later.  

[guineapigfury]

Those of us who VSP'd back in 2007 received a few letters from AFPC asking us to return for a UAV assignment.

I might have died laughing like a weasel in Who Framed Roger Rabbit while reading that letter.

[Ram]

Those of us who VSP'd back in 2007 received a few letters from AFPC asking us to return for a UAV assignment. One of my friends called AFPC so see how badly they needed him. He was able to make a deal for the conditions of his return.  He went back to his old UPT squadron and old house for 4 years and loved it. Came back to the airlines with seniority. I don't think he received any sort of bonus.

If I held the bargaining power to go where I wanted, not worry about promotion, assignments, etc., I may not go back, but I would give it serious consideration.

Please take a photo and post this letter if you still have it.  I could use a laugh.