Jaded

So, here's a post: "The issue still remains though that the extra year wasn't in the original contract and was added by a DODI that came out in Oct 16 after all of us signed." So they literally changed the deal after these people already signed up, correct? How is that ok?

It's easy to fly more if you want to.

Are you going to stay in regardless? Take the bonus. Do you want to get out right now? Don't take the bonus. If you have 17 years in, the correct answer is get an AGR job for 3 years, take the AGR bonus, retire with an AD retirement at 20 years and chaff 3 years of AD bullshit. I assume, though, that that ship has already sailed.

Is this true of a reserve retirement too? If I retire at 43 from the reserves, us my retirement at 60 inflation adjusted for those 17 years?

Pretty sure he didn't retire today. They had no problem with him posting stuff for the last month while he was retired.

Hoss quotes this forum's rumor about the airline meeting not going well and asks for clarification. That post is deleted by the mods and called "deliberate misinformation" and "fake news." Hoss is given a snarky (imo) "thank you for your service" by the other mod and removed from the group because the rules state fighter pilots lose their eligibility when they retire. That's exactly how it went down.

This info was posted on the CAF fighter retention Facebook page and was deleted by the mods there. Apparently this doesn't jive with the carefully cultivated information campaign they are running.

Ha, it's sad how true that is for TRs. The pay system is so fucked up. We literally have guys who schedule paid admin days every couple of months to resolve inevitable pay issues.

Pilotguy's numbers were invalid as soon as he said that a 20 year captain makes $250,000 a year. There are third year FOs that make that at FedEx. There are third year captains that make that at Delta. There are other questionable assumptions, but they are dwarfed by the baseline numbers he uses.

TPs (training periods) only pay out if you have a 781 against it (flight or sim). If your flight cancels, and your unit doesn't have a sim you can jump into, you don't get paid.

So, here's how this works dude. First you listen. Then you ask questions. Then, a couple years down the road you contribute. (Then, much later, you bitch.) Go back to step 1.

Zero? The bonus doesn't keep many people in that weren't going to stay anyway.

I agree. I have trouble knowing how to respond when people say, "Thank you for your service." It seems like they say it to make themselves feel good while at the same time being completely disinterested in the current wars going on and utterly incapable of holding politicians accountable for years of institutional neglect and a complete lack of a cohesive strategy for the war on terror.

This is the best. I hope someone (everyone) does this.

Why would you expect them to do anything else?

This was posted on Facebook about that meeting: Many people have expressed an interest in how the AF pilot retention roundtable went in DC... Senior civilian and military leadership know there is a problem and are actively working to identify what are the causes of this problem, and how they can fix it. Congress and the Air Force clearly are concerned about pilot retention by bringing in pilots to discuss this issue face-to-face, unfiltered. The pilots represented the full spectrum of AF communities (F-15, B-1, C-17, C-130, KC-135, E-8, MQ-9).In no particular order, these were some of the topics brought up by the pilots to Senators Cotton and King:1. Quality of life and job satisfaction are the primary reasons for people separating, and the AF can't offer enough money to compete with the airlines.2. AEF deployments, and the threat of them, force people out. AF pilots don't leave because of the deployments with their squadrons, it's due to the the 365 non-vols (passed over majors are especially vulnerable to these).3. Everyone has to check all the boxes to be the next CSAF due to the up or out promotion system. If you know you're not going to make O-5 or O-6, and the airlines are hiring...might as well cut your losses early (AF wise) and get an earlier start on your 2nd career (airlines, or whatever else you chose to do). The Senators asked about what time do you know if you're on "the path", to which the group replied - as a captain (based on the strats, upgrades, and jobs you have).4. What is the professional development for officers that aren't on the path to be a sq/cc? What are their opportunities as an officer/aviator? We need those 'old and crusty' experienced pilots to guide and mentor young pilots, but those IPs/EPs are exactly who the AF is losing.5. Pilots aren't valued as pilots. Guidance on OPR writing is that only 1-2 bullets should be about flying.6. While it's unlikely the AF will bring warrant officers back, the AF could try something similar to what the Aussies/Brits have: a 2-track system, leadership vs flying, which enables pilots to choose around their mid-career what path they want to take. (Senator King specifically asked "you don't have that choice?" "No").7. PCSing excessively (particularly as a FGO) every couple years results in no stability for families, and is especially challenging for spouses to have their own career.8. While the AF only enlists or commissions the service member, the AF retains families. Military families already sacrifice so much....If a pilot reaches a point where he/she has to choose between their family or their career, many will choose their family and separate to a new career.9. The number of taskings and missions for the AF has increased, yet we are the smallest size we've ever been. We have fewer people doing more work (including additional duties), and that burns people out.10. The AF doesn't have a shortage of pilots to fly the jets (specifically fighter pilots flying fighter jets)..... It has a shortage of pilots to fill staff jobs. At the 10-12 year point, when pilots typically separate, is when pilots go from being in the jet to being out of the jet (staff). Some people just want to fly and keep flying, and will jump to the airlines/guard/reserves to focus on aviation. We ran out of time before we ran out of topics that could be addressed for this complex problem. Some pilots will leave because of a single issue, such as not being able to get a join spouse assignment. For most pilots, it's a combination of enough cons outweighing the pros. Ultimately, each individual has their own internal and external motivation for why they joined the Air Force, and why they continue to choose to stay in the Air Force.

I know this is a joke, but it's amazing how good my airline's tool is for travel vouchers (and I bet it didn't cost $1 billion). I have to file one every month and it takes like 2 minutes. It's impossible to understand how much of a joke the Air Force is until you're out.

Doing that will get you an LOR with some leadership.

Are you talking about reddit or this thread?

Wait, you are suggesting that it is the NYTs fault that an Israeli source was outed, and that they deserve retribution?

Those of you who support Trump should go to the_Donald on reddit. It's an echo chamber with lots of conspiracy theories, jingoism, and nationalist rhetoric. It's truly a sight to behold - any poster that writes anything but blind trust in and allegiance to Trump is immediately and permanently banned.

So you think Israel will ever share intel with us again?

I guess I still don't understand, but whatever. It kind of seems like people just find things on the internet to make them believe that whatever side they are on is right. Here's the Wall Street Journal saying that Trump revealed classified information received from Israel: https://www.wsj.com/articles/intelligence-trump-shared-with-russia-was-from-israel-officials-say-1494960259 So if you're a Trump supporter, either this is him playing 4D chess, or "fake news." If you're not a Trump supporter, this is yet another example of him being irresponsible and you still want him impeached. If a person hasn't changed his mind by this point, nothing will. I think Trump could murder a child on TV, and his polling numbers wouldn't change.

What sources do you guys believe? Which do you consider "fake news"?

Make sure that you emphasize that the financial hardship is impacting your ability to do your job. DFAS wait times on tickets are like 150 days by the way. It's beyond ridiculous.