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Rated vs. Non-rated officer (Benefits of rating and pros and cons)


AFEAGLE09

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I would like to know the difference between Air Force rated officers vs. their non-rated counterparts. I've heard being rated gives you opportunities for command and such, as opposed to being non-rated. Does being rated unlocks things non-rated officers don't have access to? What are the benefits of being rated? Please be thorough with your responses.

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I used to be a non-rated officer. I went rated for a few reasons: opportunity to do something cool, ignore CGOC, and have a job that couldn't be outsourced to a civilian/contractor.

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I used to be a non-rated officer. I went rated for a few reasons: opportunity to do something cool, ignore CGOC, and have a job that couldn't be outsourced to a civilian/contractor.

Huh? I'm pretty sure I see blue flightsuiters at the sim building, I saw a 85 year old dude in a tan flightsuit taxi a F-4 down the taxiway last week, and at pensacola some old geezers were flying navigators around teaching them how to chew tobacco and trace charts at the same time. Never think they can't outsource your job to a higher paid civilian....

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Huh? I'm pretty sure I see blue flightsuiters at the sim building, I saw a 85 year old dude in a tan flightsuit taxi a F-4 down the taxiway last week, and at pensacola some old geezers were flying navigators around teaching them how to chew tobacco and trace charts at the same time. Never think they can't outsource your job to a higher paid civilian....

-they (blue suiters) teach sims so the green suiters can fly

-when was the last time anyone needed to qual in an F4? Yeah I'm pretty sure that isn't a concern

-at pcola the tan suits don't instruct in any formal sense. They fly the Toner while a green suit instructor sits jump seat and instruct the STUDS

I agree that MOST jobs can be outsourced to the civie side, but AD flying is NOT one of them IMO

Edited by hispeed7721
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I agree that MOST jobs can be outsourced to the civie side, but AD flying is NOT one of them IMO

Don't be so sure. I researched this a bit at SOS. There has been a lot of thought about civilianizing a LOT of flying. UPT instruction, mobility, and ISR are all potential targets. Sims are already instructed by civilians, and as already highlighted, there are already civilians flying USAF training jets at P-cola.

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I agree that MOST jobs can be outsourced to the civie side, but AD flying is NOT one of them IMO

Shooters can't be outsourced but just about anything else can. A guy in our squadron had a gig making 150+ flying a Kingair or Dash-8 around the AOR for a contractor.

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Shooters can't be outsourced but just about anything else can. A guy in our squadron had a gig making 150+ flying a Kingair or Dash-8 around the AOR for a contractor.

You're referring to Dynamic Aviation. One of our recently gray beards got a gig flying for them. Aside from the fact that they are civilians there is no difference in what they do vs other ISR assets.

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I agree that MOST jobs can be outsourced to the civie side, but AD flying is NOT one of them IMO

As most people whose jobs have been outsourced believed before it happens...

Shooters can't be outsourced...

Wanna bet? Another bad assumption.

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I would like to know the difference between Air Force rated officers vs. their non-rated counterparts. I've heard being rated gives you opportunities for command and such, as opposed to being non-rated. Does being rated unlocks things non-rated officers don't have access to? What are the benefits of being rated? Please be thorough with your responses.

To answer the OP question: The opportunities are different. Non-rated will get the opportunity to command as others pointed out sooner in your career. You also have the opportunity to command Mx Groups or Mission Support Groups / Squadrons, or Air Base Wings or other random billets. However, you will not command a flying wing or ops group / squadron unless you are a rated officer.

As far as other opportunities -- look at bios of random senior air force leaders and then see how many of them are non-rated. You will notice that the non-rated guys appear to be in the minority.

BL: It all depends on what you want to do and why. The more separated you become from the flight line the more separated you are from the USAF's mission..... and the mission is where the opportunities are IMHO.

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Don't be so sure. I researched this a bit at SOS. There has been a lot of thought about civilianizing a LOT of flying. UPT instruction, mobility, and ISR are all potential targets. Sims are already instructed by civilians, and as already highlighted, there are already civilians flying USAF training jets at P-cola.

Totally fair assessment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to banter back and forth, I just don't think that AD jets will be civilianized...I don't see civie A-10/F-16/etc squadrons or C5/C17/heavy going the way of contractors.

Maybe it will, I most certainly don't know. I just don't think mission-centric flying (ie post training) will go that way

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-they (blue suiters) teach sims so the green suiters can fly

-when was the last time anyone needed to qual in an F4? Yeah I'm pretty sure that isn't a concern

-at pcola the tan suits don't instruct in any formal sense. They fly the Toner while a green suit instructor sits jump seat and instruct the STUDS

I agree that MOST jobs can be outsourced to the civie side, but AD flying is NOT one of them IMO

We just had a civilian Test Pilot from Edwards go through our Senior Officer Course. Anything can be outsourced.

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AMC/ACC will not be outsourced...not because the AF won't do it, but because the civilians won't apply. After reading the fine print:

**random 18 hour days, 40 mandatory desk hours per flying hour, with flying on the weekends only (maybe)...**

Godspeed contracted flyers. Godspeed.

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AMC/ACC will not be outsourced...not because the AF won't do it, but because the civilians won't apply. After reading the fine print:

**random 18 hour days, 40 mandatory desk hours per flying hour, with flying on the weekends only (maybe)...**

Godspeed contracted flyers. Godspeed.

You've got it all wrong-- they will hire the civilians to fly so active duty guys can focus all their time on their ground jobs without having to worry about needing to fly!

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Do you like calling it a day at 3:30?

Yes, I do.

-they (blue suiters) teach sims so the green suiters can fly

-when was the last time anyone needed to qual in an F4? Yeah I'm pretty sure that isn't a concern

-at pcola the tan suits don't instruct in any formal sense. They fly the Toner while a green suit instructor sits jump seat and instruct the STUDS

I agree that MOST jobs can be outsourced to the civie side, but AD flying is NOT one of them IMO

I personally know somebody getting his qual in the F-4 right now at Tyndall.

PS, you need to be title 10 to be a shooter. AD, AGR Reservist or ANG on special orders (not title 32).

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