Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

[herkbum]

You’re gonna like it…I promise.


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Told ya!


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[Polar Bear]

On 2/16/2023 at 11:17 PM, brabus said:

I say his statement is applicable to everyone, including the NB commuter (like me, for example). Of course I’d love to have the additional benefits of living in base, but even a NB commuter lives a life far exceeding the mil life in several ways (namely compensation and QOL). If one doesn’t find that true, then they’re either doing it wrong or very junior (probably both). 

How many days are you working with your commute? Most NB guys are working 14-16 days.

[brabus]

9-12, 15-16 if I want to do an extra trip. But keep in mind, if I do 15 days, I still have 2x the time off as a standard AD guy, and I spend zero seconds at home thinking about work, texting about work, getting a brief together for tomorrow morning, etc. And I know someone is thinking, “yeah but I’m home at night for the kids”…yeah, that’s real quality time when you see them for about 30 min at night before bed (if you’re lucky enough to get home that early). I used to tell myself that lie too. Now it’s dad takes kids to school, picks them up, goes to activities or plays around all afternoon post-school. That is actual quality of time with them, and I happily trade that for the 5 nights a week I may or may not have seen them for a few min before they’re in bed (when I wasn’t TDY or deployed of course).

FWIW I was very resistant to the idea for years and made all the same arguments for why I wouldn’t want to be an airline guy. I only have one regret, and that is I didn’t figure it out earlier. 

Edited February 19, 2023 by brabus

[Polar Bear]

31 minutes ago, brabus said:

9-12, 15-16 if I want to do an extra trip. But keep in mind, if I do 15 days, I still have 2x the time off as a standard AD guy, and I spend zero seconds at home thinking about work, texting about work, getting a brief together for tomorrow morning, etc. And I know someone is thinking, “yeah but I’m home at night for the kids”…yeah, that’s real quality time when you see them for about 30 min at night before bed (if you’re lucky enough to get home that early). I used to tell myself that lie too. Now it’s dad takes kids to school, picks them up, goes to activities or plays around all afternoon post-school. That is actual quality of time with them, and I happily trade that for the 5 nights a week I may or may not have seen them for a few min before they’re in bed (when I wasn’t TDY or deployed of course).

FWIW I was very resistant to the idea for years and made all the same arguments for why I wouldn’t want to be an airline guy. I only have one regret, and that is I didn’t figure it out earlier. 

Good post. How about compared to the Guard? I thought they had better hours. How is commuting? Are you able to fly in the day of your trips? 

[brabus]

The guard is hands down better than AD, but even on non-drill weeks (so 4 day week) I still left the house before kids were up/just getting up and maybe made it to dinner on time. Still had those nights of sitting at the counter putting my shit together for the next day instead of hanging out with my wife, or staying late for an IPUG debrief and missing the kids altogether. I certainly had a far better QOL as an AGR than on AD, but it’s still a full time mil job. My experience is as a fighter guy, maybe it’s different in other communities. All that to say the guard is infinitely better than AD, but it’s still the mil and still far more days spent working/not getting the max QOL with family you want compared to the airlines (in my experience). I haven’t even touched TDYs and deployments (easy to conveniently forget those months away from home when making a “home life” argument against airlines). I think the night the lightbulb on was when I was making the “yeah but I don’t want to be away from home, done that long enough” argument to my brother, and he laughed while responding, “you’re in the middle of a multi-month TDY right now!” Checkmate…

I can commute both ends of my tips about 95% of the time, so I rarely spend an extra night away from home (and I’m junior…probably goes to 99.9% in another 6 months). I do admit that is not applicable across the board as commuting is extremely dependent on what category you’re in, where do you live, what is the flight volume/schedule between your local airport and hub, 1 hop vs. 2 hop, etc. But I think most guys don’t lose many days, if any. A great part about the airlines is you have lots of options for basing, commutes, aircraft, etc. Yes seniority plays into this, but generally you can live anywhere in the country and do this job, so how great (or shitty) your commute is rests significantly on your life decisions and what you’re willing to deal with in order to live in location X. I’d love to live in base, but there’s not a single airline base in this country I want to live in, so I’ll be commuting my whole career. Sure it’s not ideal, but we are living out dream life exactly where we want to be (and want our kids to be). That is worth the commute to me any day of the week.

Edited February 19, 2023 by brabus

[MT near]

Where are you commuting to and from? Just curious.

[brabus]

SLC base, direct flights from home airport. 3-4 per day (only one mainline), which is actually average at best. Lots of guys have double digit commute options on multiple airlines. So I really don’t have an amazing commute deal, but goes to show even something that’s average is good enough! Guys who get BF’d a lot are the ones who choose to live in a place with one flight a day on an RJ - yep, going to buy yourself some extra nights away if you go that route. 

[hindsight2020]

On 2/19/2023 at 10:02 AM, brabus said:

I certainly had a far better QOL as an AGR than on AD, but it’s still a full time mil job. My experience is as a fighter guy, maybe it’s different in other communities.

It is different. 11Fs have the highest participation/readiness yearly commitments out there, by far. It's a lot of tasks to stay proficient on  (11F DSG participation requirements) and still handle the squadron qweep (full timer 11F). Other AFSC don't have the same burden. As such, no one size fits all.

Also forget AGRs, they're not statistically representative of [officer pilot] full timer life, ARTs are. I've worked with heavy AFSC ARTs, those guys are homesteading more than your DSGs, though there is no reason an 11F ART would be principally encumbered by operation deny Xmas TSPs. A cursory understanding of 10 USC 10216 (1)(c) and (3) makes that patently clear. They're not AGRs; they're not meant to [generally] deploy. A lot of people don't understand title V.

ART is not all concessions like it's always portrayed, and I say that as an AGR mind you. The problem for ARTs in the 11F variant isn't statutory, it's always been medical. An ART can make it to 57-[MPA90 x n] no sweat as an 11M; as an 11F in continuous 1A status? Not really. That's where the mileages diverge, even after acknowledging what @SocialD has already brought up as the primary objections by the peanut gallery: people getting tired of the groundhog day aspect of full time support.

 

And now back to "debating" the merits of taking a regAF AvB 🤭

 

[brabus]

Rog, in the 11F world you can use AGR and ART synonymously for purposes of this specific discussion (I’ve also been an ART). But in the end this is a very subjective discussion and there is not a one-size-fits-all answer to post-full time mil life. The biggest point to take away is there are a ton of invalid WOMs out there about airline life that specifically stop people from considering it (stopped me for the longest time). Turns out when you actually listen to people who have lived both lives, you’ll hear some very different perspectives compared to the WOMs.  

[di1630]

I did 20+ yrs AD, loved it so much I joined the reserves but also got in with an airline. Knowing what I do now of reserves and airlines, I’d never tell a kid it’s smart to take the bonus. Individual circumstances may vary but overall, run from AD.


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[Homestar]

Interesting changes are coming for the AvB, some of which will be worthwhile and others not.

BL: if you like your job when the bonus comes around it's a tough decision.  It just seems that so many don't like the job they're in at that point.

[Duck]

Interesting changes are coming for the AvB, some of which will be worthwhile and others not.
BL: if you like your job when the bonus comes around it's a tough decision.  It just seems that so many don't like the job they're in at that point.

What changes are coming?


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[Hunter Rose]

1 hour ago, Homestar said:

Interesting changes are coming for the AvB, some of which will be worthwhile and others not.

 

Such as?

 

[FourFans]

11 hours ago, Homestar said:

Interesting changes are coming for the AvB, some of which will be worthwhile and others not.

Not today AFPC

Edited February 21, 2023 by FourFans130

[Homestar]

12 hours ago, Hunter Rose said:

Such as?

 

Increased amount. Early take option. Additional ADSC for assignment of preference. More contract options. Gen Miller briefed it in a small group I was a part of a couple weeks ago. Those were the interesting parts I remember 

Edited February 21, 2023 by Homestar

[pawnman]

39 minutes ago, Homestar said:

Increased amount. Early take option. Additional ADSC for assignment of preference. More contract options. Gen Miller briefed it in a small group I was a part of a couple weeks ago. Those were the interesting parts I remember 

So they plan to release you from your ADSC when "needs of the Air Force" take priority over your base of preference, right? 

[Danger41]

3 minutes ago, pawnman said:

So they plan to release you from your ADSC when "needs of the Air Force" take priority over your base of preference, right? 

I think that was actually part of it. Something like you get an extra year with BOP but if they can’t make that happen, they take the year off.

[hindsight2020]

Military "BOP" lol.

...and my exwife told me she loved me too. 😄 

[LookieRookie]

5 hours ago, Danger41 said:

I think that was actually part of it. Something like you get an extra year with BOP but if they can’t make that happen, they take the year off.

And then do you get a cash payment when you missed out on that seniority at the airlines?

[CaptainMorgan]

I think that was actually part of it. Something like you get an extra year with BOP but if they can’t make that happen, they take the year off.

When, not if. If everyone that stays in gets base of preference, nobody gets base of preference.


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[McJay Pilot]

8 hours ago, Homestar said:

Increased amount. Early take option. Additional ADSC for assignment of preference. More contract options. Gen Miller briefed it in a small group I was a part of a couple weeks ago. Those were the interesting parts I remember 

As someone who got ed the last time the AF offered early take, absolutely don’t ing do it.

May I please have “Fük” added to my list of words I can use?

Edited February 21, 2023 by McJay Pilot

[Bigred]

5 hours ago, hindsight2020 said:

 

...and my exwife told me she loved me too. 😄 

Explains a lot, she told me that too 😂

[Homestar]

9 hours ago, pawnman said:

So they plan to release you from your ADSC when "needs of the Air Force" take priority over your base of preference, right? 

No, it’s better than that. The ADSCs won’t run concurrently. 

[SurelySerious]

No, it’s better than that. The ADSCs won’t run concurrently. 

Concurrent sentences was about the only upside to the program.

[Swizzle]

2 hours ago, McJay Pilot said:

As someone who got ed the last time the AF offered early take, absolutely don’t ing do it.

May I please have “Fük” added to my list of words I can use?

For'ward the assist: Fuck that shite!!!