Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

[Bergman]

19 hours ago, ViperStud said:

Ok, I'll be the dick and ask the question. I get the job that WSOs do in the Mudhen and Buff, but why the outcry for the rest of them?  I know a C-130 nav who openly admits that a tight platform makes their primary job irrelevant. Is there demand for 12X outside the AF?  Is this bonus anger about "fairness" or supply/demand?

I don't know a single RC-135 EWO that has struggled to find a comparable salary job on the outside.  Even the guys that got RIFd a few years ago.

Many of these guys are just as highly trained as pilots.  The training pipeline is probably longer honestly.  They just don't have the airline pull.  But they do have striped polo shirts, leather weave belts, velcro shoes, and cell phone holsters.  So they've got that going for them. 

[sqwatch]

The cost to train an F-15E WSO is only different from pilots in UPT vs UNT and a few TR sorties in the B-course.  Everything else is the same, for the millions invested a financial incentive makes sense to retain 12Fs.   

I always thought they trained the pilot and got the wso for free...

[matmacwc]

1 hour ago, Bergman said:

 But they do have striped polo shirts, leather weave belts, velcro shoes, and cell phone holsters.  So they've got that going for them. 

Which is nice.

[HU&W]

20 minutes ago, matmacwc said:

Which is nice.

Also practical

[HossHarris]

10 hours ago, Bergman said:

Many of these guys are just as highly trained as pilots. 

So they're interchangeable then?  if the pilot doesn't show up you can just put 2 wso in the jet?

[Duck]

32 minutes ago, HossHarris said:

So they're interchangeable then?  if the pilot doesn't show up you can just put 2 wso in the jet?

You can try anything once!

[Danger41]

12 hours ago, Bergman said:

I don't know a single RC-135 EWO that has struggled to find a comparable salary job on the outside.  Even the guys that got RIFd a few years ago.

Many of these guys are just as highly trained as pilots.  The training pipeline is probably longer honestly.  They just don't have the airline pull.  But they do have striped polo shirts, leather weave belts, velcro shoes, and cell phone holsters.  So they've got that going for them. 

Their ability to speak fax machine is highly lucrative.

[ThreeHoler]

On 8/5/2017 at 6:17 AM, nsplayr said:

 In that case I'll alert my bank to expect an incoming wire of $3,431,764.34 very soon  

So you weigh approximately 186 pounds?

 

[FourFans]

1 hour ago, ThreeHoler said:

So you weigh approximately 186 pounds?

 

U-28 guys get kinda touchy about their weight.

[Bergman]

On 8/6/2017 at 0:57 AM, matmacwc said:

Which is nice.

Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity by finishing the quote.

 

[matmacwc]

1 hour ago, Bergman said:

Thank you for restoring my faith in humanity by finishing the quote.

 

Can't have Russians in the war room.

[GOOSE 76 MAFIA]

Any idea what the plan is for the guys who graduated at the very beginning of FY08? There is a large group of aviators that will reach the end of their UPT commitment without the opportunity for a bonus.

[pawnman]

On 8/6/2017 at 8:59 AM, HossHarris said:

So they're interchangeable then?  if the pilot doesn't show up you can just put 2 wso in the jet?

SEALs are highly trained.  That doesn't mean they're interchangeable with pilots.

[bronxbomber252]

SEALs are highly trained.  That doesn't mean they're interchangeable with pilots.

Or PJ's they are highly trained, went through a tougher course than UPT, routinely fly on HH-60's and HC-130's, even wear aircrew wings.

[NKAWTG]

Got a myPers email saying I'm eligible for the bonus now.  Looking into it as a prior bonus taker, I'd get the 11M rate per year for two years past my 20 years.  I assume the 365 is implied.  While it is awfully sweet of them to think of me, I don't believe I'll give up a year with my family and  2 years of seniority for 30k a year. 

Although if they give me a no 365 clause, and airline of choice afterward, I'd be tempted. 

[matmacwc]

4 hours ago, bronxbomber252 said:

Or PJ's they are highly trained, went through a tougher course than UPT, routinely fly on HH-60's and HC-130's, even wear aircrew wings.

Define tougher.

[3PAARO]

1 hour ago, NKAWTG said:

Got a myPers email saying I'm eligible for the bonus now.  Looking into it as a prior bonus taker, I'd get the 11M rate per year for two years past my 20 years.  I assume the 365 is implied.  While it is awfully sweet of them to think of me, I don't believe I'll give up a year with my family and  2 years of seniority for 30k a year. 

Although if they give me a no 365 clause, and airline of choice afterward, I'd be tempted. 

What's your Short Tour Return date?

[Hunter Rose]

17 hours ago, NKAWTG said:

Got a myPers email saying I'm eligible for the bonus now.  Looking into it as a prior bonus taker, I'd get the 11M rate per year for two years past my 20 years.  I assume the 365 is implied.  While it is awfully sweet of them to think of me, I don't believe I'll give up a year with my family and  2 years of seniority for 30k a year. 

Although if they give me a no 365 clause, and airline of choice afterward, I'd be tempted. 

My bonus expires next year so I'll look at it again then, but my choice will likely be the same as yours. 

AF should also factor in 365s and forced PCS movements late in careers as well. These drive separations a whole lot for the crowd that would potentially stay in my opinion.  In my 40s I have little desire to be gone from my wife for a year or have to move.

If they guaranteed no 365s (I'd be OK with one 179) and guaranteed I wouldn't have to move I'd likely sign on when eligible next year.

 

 

[flyusaf83]

21 hours ago, NKAWTG said:

Got a myPers email saying I'm eligible for the bonus now.  Looking into it as a prior bonus taker, I'd get the 11M rate per year for two years past my 20 years.  I assume the 365 is implied.  While it is awfully sweet of them to think of me, I don't believe I'll give up a year with my family and  2 years of seniority for 30k a year. 

Although if they give me a no 365 clause, and airline of choice afterward, I'd be tempted. 

This is an interesting thought. I wonder if the AF could do some drug deal with the airlines. If I could get a guaranteed hire with the my choice of airline, that might make me stay for longer.

I don't see why the airlines would ever agree to that.

[NKAWTG]

On 8/9/2017 at 4:43 PM, 3PAARO said:

What's your Short Tour Return date?

Risk level high.  Early 2001, but haven't done a short tour yet.  More than half my deployments have a awaiting MPF verification tag next to them, and I haven't cracked the code on how to make them move my STRD.

[MTC]

1 hour ago, NKAWTG said:

Risk level high.  Early 2001, but haven't done a short tour yet.  More than half my deployments have a awaiting MPF verification tag next to them, and I haven't cracked the code on how to make them move my STRD.

It's actually not too hard to get that STRD moved.  I think that we have the technology and shouldn't have to force it ourselves, but until that's fixed I'm keeping mine up to date.  No MPF at my location, so I email PDFs of the paid travel voucher and the orders to my servicing MPF.  That removes the "awaiting verification" and moves the STRD.  There's a few briefs floating around that go into more detail, but not needed for the quick fix.  You can also take those documents in hand and go to the MPF and sit there until it's done if you're concerned it won't happen.  

There was a message recently about DTS cleaning out docs older than a cutoff, (2007, 2008?) so might be worth saving those now.  I don't want to derail the thread, so PM if you have more questions.  If you get desparate you can also download their reg on e-pubs that explains the STRD.  

Ironically, I'm on a short tour now (but it was voluntary - they're not all bad) so I could have just not bothered updating any of it.  At this point it's just habit.

[Smokin]

I know every airframe is different in terms of STRD vulnerability, but your risk level has to be approaching extreme.  Last I heard, before I went to the guard and quit caring about STRD, F-16 guys were getting non-vol'd out of cycle around 5 years after their STRD.  No way would I take the two year bonus (at least at current prices) knowing that it'd put me on a 365, but to each their own.

[ThreeHoler]

All of my DTS vouchers from my last assignment are gone. But the ones older than that are still there. It is weird.

[Herk Driver]

On 8/3/2017 at 0:33 PM, nunya said:

Per year?  5,800 might be a little low if you count EVERY airline, but the big 6 are good for around 4k/yr.  Certainly nowhere near 30k/yr.

Last number I saw was 80 per day, worldwide for the foreseeable future.

[LowNSlow]

Anyone seen/heard of a Pilot Bonus to O-5s to get them to stay past 20 for two years? I heard rumors of such....Would be interesting to see how much they are offering to keep them for a couple more years.