Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

[pelexecute]

I have nothing to add, other than another data point. I just went over 17 yrs active service, but am seriously considering going reserves and trying for the airlines now. I'd be turning down a healthy retirement, but three years is still three years. I don't know if I can follow the dipshits they put in charge these days. But the AF will be fine, my 3700 rated hours will be replaced by someone else with 200-ish. Nothing lost. 

[Gazmo]

I have nothing to add, other than another data point. I just went over 17 yrs active service, but am seriously considering going reserves and trying for the airlines now. I'd be turning down a healthy retirement, but three years is still three years. I don't know if I can follow the dipshits they put in charge these days. But the AF will be fine, my 3700 rated hours will be replaced by someone else with 200-ish. Nothing lost. 

That'd be a tough decision, but do what your heart tells you to do. 3 years is a long time to put up with bullshit, but on the other hand it's over $4k a month for the rest of your life vs. waiting until your 60. On the other hand, you could bail and make $2k a month with a reserve/guard unit without batting an eye lash and another $9-10k a month at one of the "Big 3" by 2nd to 3rd year FO pay. I am assuming you are a Lt Col?

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[brabus]

Know a few guys who bailed at 18 yrs - they're doing great and enjoying life.  Money isn't everything, job/life satisfaction matters a lot more to many of us.

[Chida]

All points are not equal. There are inactive duty points (drills) and active duty points (which come in their own varieties). For the purposes of retirement, only these two points-types matter. You need 7300 *active duty* points for an active duty retirement. So if someone has 17 years of active duty points and then starts picking up IDTs in the reserve, he will still get a reserve retirement, even if he somehow gets to a point total (IDTs and AD added together) of 7300.

　These are the maximum IDT points per year creditable towards retirement.

before 23 Sep 1996: 60

on/after 23 Sep 1996: 75

on/after 30 Oct 2000: 90

on/after 30 Oct 2007: 130

 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2016 by Chida
formatting error

[Vetter]

So, I was off this past Saturday.  Scheduling called me to ask if I could help them out with a DFW turn.  I didn't have anything to do, so I took the trip.  I made $2k to fly 6 hours...on top of my Reserve guarantee for the month.  Plus, they gave me two more days off later this month.

To those who decide to stay in...you are being underpaid for your services.

[scoobs]

1 hour ago, Vetter said:

So, I was off this past Saturday.  Scheduling called me to ask if I could help them out with a DFW turn.  I didn't have anything to do, so I took the trip.  I made $2k to fly 6 hours...on top of my Reserve guarantee for the month.  Plus, they gave me two more days off later this month.

To those who decide to stay in...you are being underpaid for your services.

Do you live in base?

[Vetter]

Affirm.

 

 

[BFM this]

.....and just like that, Chang and his bros continue to scoff the "it's not about the money" narrative. 

They scoff as a function of their own dissonance; confirmation bias. Vetter's post contained all of the essential elements:

-Choice of whether or not he would help--no obligation to be a "Yes Man"

-He chooses to live in base, substantially improving his QoL

-He may choose to bid another base when he becomes more senior

-He then may choose to relocate, or commute if if that is more advantageous

-He was immediately rewarded for helping out

-He may at some point trade some QoL for an earlier upgrade; seat, iron, or both

-OR, he may get kicked to the curb at the next market correction or merger. Who the fvck knows

Based on his posting history, he (like a lot of us) might trade a sizable chunk of the above for more time in a USAF tail, but not at the expense of being marginalized and commoditized on some spreadsheet

[Snooter]

All this talk about the bonus and why we serve and here I've been sitting in a waiting room for the past hour to get my wife a new ID card.  Would 1,000 extra a month cure this?  Would 5,000?  I've been in 10 years and it always gets more painful.  If I hear "my system is down" or "they just updated our system and lost all your information" again I'm going to go nuts.  "Let's just give the pilots more money, that'll do the trick."  One word, WRONG!

[17D_guy]

43 minutes ago, BFM this said:

Good Stuff...

-He was immediately rewarded for helping out

More Good Stuff

I think BFM, for me at least, highlights the most important part of this whole discussion with this single point.  There is no way the AF, as an organization, has ever rewarded or recognized someone immediately for a sacrifice or helping out.  Not in a meaningful, life impacting way.  Get a piece of paper or a RMO.. fantastic, but it doesn't make up for being gone from my family AGAIN.  I say this as the deployer, and having my spouse deploy.  

I say this as a dude who's come to accept that I LOVE getting awards, and getting my Airmen awards.  There's nothing I can point to for them to say "it was worth it" for a lot of the "requirements of service."

Everything is delayed and nothing is guaranteed.  

You're not going to get that next promotion if you take this excrement-sandwich job.  Busted your ass all year in some staff position working some legit-important mission stuff, then fail a PT test?  Sorry, no decoration/gucci job/whatever for you since you've failed to "uphold standards."  Even then, this regard the reward is delayed.  Leadership can't even guarantee a strat for your OPR.

Edited June 7, 2016 by 17D_guy

[ARAMP1]

4 hours ago, 17D_guy said:

I think BFM, for me at least, highlights the most important part of this whole discussion with this single point.  There is no way the AF, as an organization, has ever rewarded or recognized someone immediately for a sacrifice or helping out.  Not in a meaningful, life impacting way.  Get a piece of paper or a RMO.. fantastic, but it doesn't make up for being gone from my family AGAIN.  I say this as the deployer, and having my spouse deploy.  

I say this as a dude who's come to accept that I LOVE getting awards, and getting my Airmen awards.  There's nothing I can point to for them to say "it was worth it" for a lot of the "requirements of service."

Everything is delayed and nothing is guaranteed.  

You're not going to get that next promotion if you take this excrement-sandwich job.  Busted your ass all year in some staff position working some legit-important mission stuff, then fail a PT test?  Sorry, no decoration/gucci job/whatever for you since you've failed to "uphold standards."  Even then, this regard the reward is delayed.  Leadership can't even guarantee a strat for your OPR.

 

 

[SnapLock]

Just took a quick look at the Senate version of the NDAA they passed today.  Looks like they didn't increase the bonus at all.  Not even to the $35K that I think they had proposed.  

[Gazmo]

Ha... nice.

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[hispeed7721]

Just took a quick look at the Senate version of the NDAA they passed today.  Looks like they didn't increase the bonus at all.  Not even to the $35K that I think they had proposed.  

But...but...Chang said they were cutting BAH in order to pay for the bonus...

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[sixpack]

1 hour ago, hispeed7721 said:

But...but...Chang said they were cutting BAH in order to pay for the bonus...

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Chang is nothing but a troll.  I'd trust a wet fart over the words he spews as truth.

[hispeed7721]

Chang is nothing but a troll.  I'd trust a wet fart over the words he spews as truth.

Recycle sarcasm detector

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[sixpack]

3 minutes ago, hispeed7721 said:

 

 

Recycle sarcasm detector

 

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It's code 1.  Just stating a point.  

[Tone deaf]

It appears that RAF pilots are experiencing the same issues as we are regarding pay, bonuses, retention, and value.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-pilots-quit-why-we-must-stop-telling-people-valued-tim-davies

[Duck]

It appears that RAF pilots are experiencing the same issues as we are regarding pay, bonuses, retention, and value.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-pilots-quit-why-we-must-stop-telling-people-valued-tim-davies

I love how he takes a swipe at Gen Welsh in there.

[Sprkt69]

11 hours ago, Tone deaf said:

It appears that RAF pilots are experiencing the same issues as we are regarding pay, bonuses, retention, and value.

 

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-pilots-quit-why-we-must-stop-telling-people-valued-tim-davies

That should be mandatory reading for upper management, not that they would listen much

[17D_guy]

" My desire to stay in the cockpit meant that further promotion passed me by like a ship in the night but I am not bitter. As I approach 18 years of service I have only worn the shackles of a desk job once - in the job I am currently in and even now I still hold a cockpit for a couple of weeks of the month"

 

What a novel idea...

[Bender]

"I didn’t want to see my team of instructors leave for the Middle-East but it happened because we didn’t incentivise them to stay. Each one of these pilots cost over £4 million to train and when they left they gifted this training to a contractor to employ them overseas. It doesn’t seem a very good deal for the taxpayer or the Service."

We run such a huge, increasing debt that it's not surprising "we" don't get it...but, it really is just that simple. Sad story...

"Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to.’ - Richard Branson, Virgin"

I have always thought that statement was brilliant.

Hope you all are having a nice weekend. (Go Mark Hunt!)

Bendy

[osulax05]

This was posted over in the next CSAF thread by deaddebate but thought it Pertinent to this thread as well.

Fingers' testimony:

Do you agree, if confirmed, to reevaluate the Air Force’s practice of offering the aviation retention bonus equally to all platforms, as a way to better shape and manage the Air Force’s pilot force across disciplines?

We will tailor any potential bonus based upon specific platform and overall Air Force requirements. The requested increase is not a set amount. If approved, this will give us the flexibility to tailor bonus amounts and contract terms by platform.

[guineapigfury]

If the bonus goes up, here's my prediction:

Year 1: Max Money for Fighter Pilots and maybe Drone Pilots.

Year 2: Max Money for Fighter Pilots, Drone Pilots and maybe everyone else.

Year 3: Max Money for all Pilots when Fingers realizes "Oh shit, I'm out of pilots" and "I'm retiring in 6 months, I don't give a fuck"

Edited July 10, 2016 by guineapigfury

[Wing Sweep]

3 hours ago, osulax05 said:

We will tailor any potential bonus based upon specific platform and overall Air Force requirements. The requested increase is not a set amount. If approved, this will give us the flexibility to tailor bonus amounts and contract terms by platform.

Standard answer.