Leaderboard

I got out at the end of 2015 when the bonus was $25K a year. Exactly one year later, for my first month of second year FO pay, I cleared $25K...for the month. It was that moment I realized “the Air Force is fu*ked”.

And black boots with the green bag!

Hell, the threat of even a crappy 6 month air advisor non-flying deployment is enough to drive me off active duty. The last flying deployment was only marginally more satisfying when the jets were flyable. The sustainment phase of the never ending war gets old after countless trips to the desert. Everyone is burned out and looking for something more satisfying, more rewarding, and with greater control over their own lives. I’m not sure there’s a solution to that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

So we're at least a week out if it gets signed today. I'm going to need ten of you to meet me behind AFPC HQ at midnight... Details to follow but one of you bring a fast car and a briefcase.

Padre has all the juicy Intel lol. Padre, I'm starting to suspect you were on the board lol.

Got bored staring at my computer in my 9 to 5 non flying desk job, and started to geek out on the mobility take rate data. So for the past 3 years, the number of useful fodder pilots, defined as non IDE select bonus takers, has been less 100. This year is less than 60. These are the passed over majors and line IP Lt Cols that wings use to fill ADOs, OGV, IG, XP, and MAJCOM staffs use to push paper. And to feed the deployment machine filling 365s, I mean 2x 180s. We'll always have enough of the HPO and command track types, but the experienced pilots are disappearing. We're 5 or more years from bottoming out on the experience level in the MAF. But we're the healthiest of the bunch?

Unless you’re an 0-6 or higher, in a command billet, nobody needs to be doing a year deployment, period. I can understand needing that continuity at the 0-6+ level....outside of that you’re damn hard pressed convincing me there’s any good reason someone needs to spend a year over there. You tell me what job exists at the 0-3 ~ 0-5 level that absolutely must have the same human being in it for a whole year. I call BS on that noise.

As I was reading this 3 new 365’s came on my email for O-5’s. All next summer to an undesired location.

Add black undershirts and I’m game. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Plus all your mx folks got to do is fix jets, nothing else, no PME, no swing or mid shift, no weekend duty. They can have a family life and close the flightline down every other Wed for in house training. Contractors lube and wash the jets. All parts coming from the depots are good and jets don't ever break. Debriefs are professional between pilot and mechanic not officer vs enlisted. Sounds like the Civil air patrol.

Because while the 365 was the best example of the problem, it was not the actual problem. A better way of putting it might be: "I'm not willing to commit to an undetermined yet assuredly significant time away from my family, for a cause that is no longer obviously patriotic, led by people who are not concerned with minimizing that time away, compensated in a way that does not recognize dissimilar contributions, in an organization that prioritizes the bureaucratic process over the operational skill set. The 365 was just a bold, underlined version of that statement I think, but plenty of tanker pilots trapped in 2-on 2-off Qatari hell will tell you it still exists in smaller dose deployments

This thread is almost 200 pages, but at the end of the day it comes down to 4 words: "Fuck you, pay me" There is a price point at which enough people will tolerate all the deployments and military bullshit, and we are nowhere close to it yet. Procurement programs out of control and eating up your personnel budget? Fuck you, pay me. Congress won't authorize a higher bonus? Fuck you, pay me. Profession of arms, service to the country, whatever, fuck you, pay me.

He's probably the board lead doing some weird O-6 voyeurism prank

That's if the commanders would've notified someone and that someone would have to be on the forum.

What’s the number on the bottom? The denominator if you will. 100/x? 60/x?

While I tend to agree, I can also see the flip side of the coin whereas the constant rotation of personnel causes equal issues... The better solution is actually having an end game to this ridiculous and endless "conflicts" we've been engaged in for the past 17+ years. At this point we are just throwing fuel on the flames and not actually working to a solution to put the fire out. I know that's grossly simplified, but until that happens, there will be no "fixing" the USAF or any other services...

May the odds be ever in your favor. Meanwhile, the quiche-eating airline guys are busy working 12, maybe 15, days a month for double the money. The low point...being gone for 3 nights in a row! 😂 Love ya Big Blue, but the madness has to stop. Run! Fucking Run fellas!!

Idk man.. nothing against ABM, but it’s obviously the red headed step child of the rated world. I’d go out on a limb and say that 80% of the folks applying would rather not even list ABM as an option. I personally think it should be in its own category, away from pilot/CSO/RPA types. Knowing that you can turn it down, work hard the next year to grow your scores and have an ETP accepted, I’d do it in a heart beat. Definitely more power to them for pushing it and getting an ETP accepted. I still think ABM should be its own board.. but then again, maybe it’s roped in with this one to utilize the existing pool of applicants. Might be hard to draw guys in if it was its own thing.

We need to put in a FOIA request to the AF for the email chains about this stuff. Would love to see how the decision-making process went...

Still trying to figure out how they’re all “indeterminate” tdys and not pcs-es

Second Captenant? I don't know what they were thinking. Why does the AF have to try to be different and make "uniform" items unique?...and thus harder to find.

Glad to hear the leather jacket isn’t getting killed but truth be told that Massif jacket is the most comfortable uniform jacket I’ve ever had.

To be fair, these responsibilities can be separate. And I feel more dudes would be inclined to stay if they were. On a fighter ANG hiring board the squadron commander asked me "How would you feel knowing that you likely won't have an opportunity to be the squadron commander due to your USMC and Hornet background, as well as your year group?" "Sir, I want as much responsibility in the airplane as possible. And as little as I can get away with outside of it." He looked to his patch, then to the third member of the board and turned to me and said, "That is the best possible answer you could've given."