[The new airline thread]

I plan to apply to AA and move to DFW. Airlinepilotcentral paints AA as an unprofitable company with low morale, bad management, and high (secured) debt (although comprised of a newer fleet). I browse their forums with a grain of salt, but should I consider flying for SWA as well?

I’m open to moving to ATL, but DAL already seems to be ahead of the post-COVID hiring wave (for seniority progression considerations).

For (relative) job security, it seems AA is too big to fail, and their DFW base should remain open in case of a merger or bankruptcy. My goals are living in base, seniority progression, and job security (in that order).

[Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)]

I guess we aren't in a shortage after all? I wonder what the FY22 take rates are if the original formula was still being applied. 

https://starsdemog.a1vdc.us.af.mil/Avb/avb.html

 

[The new airline thread]

I ran through a search on airline pilot central, but no dice….For airline applications, the question:

6. Have you ever been removed from flight status, voluntarily or involuntarily, or failed flight training of any type, or failed any check ride?

Does “removed from flight status” include DNIF as well? 
 

Also “any check ride” includes UPT? 

 

[The new airline thread]

Whenever I talk to people looking to fly for UPS/FedEx, they say it’s because “boxes don’t b****”.

Are passengers really that painful to deal with? I’ve never encountered any issues being a customer before. 

[The new airline thread]

For me, it seems the decision boils down to this (assuming I still enjoy my AD job during the second half of my career).

Join the airlines now and get the seniority number, or

Do 20 (or more) years of service, get the medical/retirement benefits, then get that seniority number….

So, is the $50K/year + Tricare worth 8 years of seniority? 
 

Also, I’ve always wondered, is there a person who regretted separating at their initial ADSC and wished they stayed AD? I’ve never heard the other side of the story (maybe because it’s rare, or people don’t want to admit making the wrong decision).

[The new airline thread]

On 1/21/2022 at 11:25 AM, Lord Ratner said:

 

I quoted my last summary for comparison purposes. I was hired in March 2018.

 

Here's how 2021 went. I'm a line holder. The alternative would be reserve, which at AA means 18 days per month (in blocks of 3-7) where you are either on a 2-hourish callout (76 hours pay/month) or 12-hour callout (73 hours/month). I get a schedule every month from the bidding software. I then use the trading tools to drop my entire schedule, with some rare trips being "sold" to others (I pay them to take my trip). I then wait for what we call makeup flying, trips leaving today or tomorrow that he company needs to fill dues to sickness, weather events, fatigue calls, delays, etc. 

 

I fly these trips because they usually have a high pay-to-flight-hours ratio, due to contract intricacies that aren't germane to the conversation. My entire goal is to maximize my efficiency. As an example, at AA these trips pay the same

• DFW-OKC-DFW vs DFW-ORD-DFW - Both pay 5:15 hours
• DFW-OKC, overnight, OKC-DFW vs DFW-OKC-DFW-JFK, overnight, JFK-DFW - Both pay 10:30 hours

Anyways, in 2021 I flew 295 hours in the cockpit. I spent another 150 or so riding in the cabin as a passenger (fully paid at the major airlines). Lets call it 450 hours of actual uniformed work.

 

I was paid 1310 hours (this includes vacation and training pay, which are done as work-hours) plus per diem, which worked out to $241k Gross earnings, plus $30.4k of company contributions to my 401k. 

So $270k in my fourth year. Recently the junior captain bid went to someone below me on the seniority list, but I will stay where I am and accrue seniority-in-seat which will allow me to further enhance my pay-to-hours-flown ration by picking up even shorter trips that pay the same as longer trip, as in the examples above. 

Please note though, I am an extreme case. You have to really work the contract and scheduling tools to do what I do, but anyone can if they can tolerate the uncertainty. I spend more days home than most, so when I say uncertainty I mean you don't know what you're doing until the day before at the earliest. 

As a side note, $270k seems like a ridiculous amount of money to me, but I fly with people who make quite a bit more than me, yet still live paycheck to paycheck. Please get yourself financially savvy before you start making eye-watering money. My neighbor, a wide-body captain married to a specialty doctor (total of ~$750k/year), spent years wasting everything. They tell me that Dave Ramsey saved them, and I'm a fan of his work, though I've never needed it. 

Can you share how many nights you spent away from home in 2021?

[The new airline thread]

This is more of a MPF-type question, but do I have to decide on a separation/terminal date and stick with it? In other words, if I don’t get a call from a major by my separation date, can I continue with AD on a day-to-day basis? Or do I set another separation date in the future? 

[The new airline thread]

I’m approaching my UPT ADSC and have relatively low hours (IP, 700 PIC/2000 total) compared to my MAF peers. When I browse through other airline forums, 1000 PIC/3000 total seems to be the delineator for the majors (pre-COVID). I understand many other factors are involved with the hiring process. However, with the renewed hiring surge, are there folks getting hired with less hours than before?

If I join a regional and separate from AD (no guard/reserve) will this increase my chances of progressing to a major, even if I no longer gain PIC hours? Or should I stay on AD until I hit 1000 PIC? What can I do now to round out my resume (masters, EP, SE, etc)? 

My spouse is AD is well (with kids), so a potential double commute to a reserve/guard base may stress the family too much. 

 

[Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)]

1 hour ago, QAZqaz said:

So I was getting ready to get out and fly for an airline a few years ago. Then covid hit, I withdrew my separation, got a good follow on assignment, and stayed in while taking the 3 year 2020 bonus. After the bonus is up I have 2 years until retirement. I've thought many hours about both options. The uncertainty in March/ April of 2020 was just too great and I boiled it down to this:

Stay in and retire (5 years to go). Did a good job saving and investing (though market peaks make my performance/portfolio look good at the moment, who knows in a few years) and shouldn't have to work again after I retire as a Major. If airlines kick back up in a year or 2 oh well, I get a retirement and not having to work. 

Option 2: get out and hope for the best. If airlines pick up, I'm a genius and make a lot of money but gotta work a while. If things suck for 5 years or more it was a bad decision. Plus not a lot of guard/reserve options during the start of Covid. 

Option 1 made sense for me. Good assignment and 3 yr bonus. I'll be able to stay in my mws until retirement (God willing). 

Point is everyone has a different situation, though right now things are looking greener on the outside. 

The Career Intermission Program (CIP) could be a third option.

[BACN BD-700 / E11A]

Couldn’t find this information using the search function. Could somebody please share: 

1. How many hours could someone expect on a deployment?

2. Is the deployment 6 months long?

3. How much time will be spent TDY?

4. Do you get an ATP after training?

5. Do you graduate initial training as an AC? In other words, is it all PIC? 

[Changing/Switching airframes]

On 11/25/2021 at 6:50 AM, Yeetaway6969 said:

Hey all, this seems like the appropriate place to ask this question.

I'm an active guy in an older tanker platform and I'm not enjoying it. I'd like to leave the tanker world at the conclusion of this assignment. I'll even go back to UPT for an assignment, but I'd rather still stay on the operational side. I do NOT want to go back to the tanker (or to the KC-46). Are there crossflow opportunities out there for tanker guys? Thanks!

In the last few years, -135 guys have crossflowed to the MC-130J (join spouse) U-28 (mechanical crossflow), F-22, B-1 (MAF to CAF crossflow program), B-2, and more. The Combat Aviation Advisor program is another opportunity to look into. 

[Mobility Planner/Shift Leader Deployment Info]

Thanks for the info, that was really helpful.

Do you have an opinion why a rated officer needs to fill the billet?

[Mobility Planner/Shift Leader Deployment Info]

Starting a new topic because I couldn’t find any relevant information.

Does anyone have gouge on what a deployed mobility planner/shift leader will do in Kuwait? Will I work within an Army unit? It’s a 6-monther for a 11M.

How will this impact my career as an MWS IP? 

[The new airline thread]

I really appreciate all the posts/replies. 

I’m sure the answer is “depends”, but I would still like to ask because there is a lot of knowledge and experience here not found in an AD squadron. 

If I’m not hired by a major airline at the end of my ADSC, should I pursue another flying assignment at a FTU/UPT base, or go guard/reserve + regionals? 
 

My goal is to acquire a line number at a major airline as soon as possible. My spouse is AD mil as well, so the lower pay of the regionals is not a factor. 

For reference: IP, 500 heavy PIC, 1850 total (2x MWS). 2 years left on my ADSC. 

 

 

 

[The new airline thread]

19 hours ago, Springer said:

As an example of an extreme $$$ hog, my bro-inlaw at DAL flew almost nothing but "Greenslips."  As a senior narrow body A320CA he made $500K, $500K, $602K in the last three years.  He went on LTS last May and was making $44K/mth due to the look back clause until he retired (65) in Jan '21.

I early retired 11 yrs ago and bet I outlive him and his mansion on the lake in DAL's ATL base housing.

Are greenslips a type of premium flying?

[The new airline thread]

Concerning master degrees, I’ve always heard the “better to have one than not have one” argument.

If the goal is to fly for any airline (regional or legacy) after my initial ADSC, is pursuing a box checker degree worth spending 10-20 hours a week of my free time? 

I’m about a third of the way done, but I still question if the time I’m investing is worth the reward. 

My PIC and total hours are lower than the typical pilot in my year group, so in a way, I’m trying to compensate for the lack of hours and experience. 

 

[The new airline thread]

Regarding the posts earlier about camaraderie, do crews hang out or socialize after work on a trip? I’m guessing the norm is to have dinner and a couple drinks in the hotel lobby.

How do you eat healthy when you’re always traveling from airport to airport and hotel to hotel? 

I understand airlines highly value those with FTU and UPT IP/EP experience. Do airlines value those with WO backgrounds as well? Which background/experience is more preferable for hiring managers?
 

 

[Neck and Back Injury]

Hello,

I fly a jet equipped with an ejection seat. During a deployment, I started developing neck, back, and hamstring pain. I notified my flight doc and she attributed my pain to muscle soreness and suggested I wait to see if it heals on its own. Two months later, I woke up with excruciating pain. MRI results concluded that a cervical disc tore and my nerves are being “severely” pinched (annular tear, spinal stenosis, cervical radiculopathy are the medical terms). My lumbar spine has the same condition at a “moderate” level (which explains the hamstring pain). In addition, my pectoral and tricep muscles are not responding and are atrophying. The flight doc suggested immediate surgery, but I declined. I can’t prove that the ejection seat caused this, but I don’t have any other explanation.

Consequently, I was placed on a full profile for 6 weeks. My profile has since expired, and I haven’t flown yet. As long as I don’t aggravate my neck or back, I’m not in pain anymore. However, I don’t want to reherniate my spine again. I haven’t followed up with my flight doc yet, and I have an appointment with an neurologist off-base for a second opinion. 

Could someone please share their insight to what this might mean for my flying career? Could I advocate that I no longer fly ejection seat aircraft (cross-flow) to prevent further damage to my spine? If I speak up, could I be MEB’d? What questions should I ask my neurologist and flight doc?

I understand the best answer is to talk to my flight doc, but I really value this board’s knowledge and experiences and wanted to hear your guy’s opinion first. 

Thank you!

[The new airline thread]

I've read Jason's articles regarding Airline vs. Military pay on aviationbull.com. I was wondering, does it make financial sense to stay in the reserves if you're flying for a major airline? Would the time spent being a traditional reservist be better spent taking an extra trip a month for an airline?

[Promotion and PRF Information]

Question:

With a continued decrease in the number of pilots coming up for promotion each year (due to the pilot shortage), will it be less competitive to promote to O-5 and above? Or does the promotion rate roughly remain the same?