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SocialD

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Posts posted by SocialD

  1. On 7/21/2024 at 12:35 AM, dream big said:

    Don’t sleep with your instructors, don’t joke about doing drugs, don’t do stupid shit in San Anton, that should cover it. Enjoy UPT!!

     

     

    I mean, wouldn't the instructor be the one in trouble?  It's Del Rio, you can't cut down the field that too much down there! :bohica:

  2. 2 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

    I have a theory that the people who are against beards are the same people who can't grow a good looking beard. I'm happy to be proven wrong if someone wants to post a selfie, but anecdotally it's been a pretty consistent coincidence. 

     

     

    This is what the beard pushers tell themselves to feel better during their beard club circle jerks.  I'm not actually for/against them, I just think the whining about not being able to have them is a bit over the top, second only to the arm tat people.  I do think it's only a matter of time until they're approved. 

     

     

    2 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

    I also find it hilarious when people argue that beards don't look professional. The period of time where professionals were clean shaven is quite minimal compared to the period of time where the baddest motherfuckers on the planet all have beards. And in fact, even in this era the real badasses still have beards. 

     

     

    It is quite interesting that all the civil war generals, many West Point grads, sported beards.  Yet the service academy has since shunned them.  But more to your point, based on the handful of cargo guys who've showed up with beards looking for a ride, maybe 1 of them had a decent beard.  However, most of them looked like shit.

    • Thanks 1
  3. 19 minutes ago, Danger41 said:

    My old guy transition is on the beard thing. Fuck that. These weak, chinless, fat bodies clamoring for it don’t need 7 stray hairs to look more stupid. 
     

    As I think about it, over half the enlisted in my unit have shaving waivers now anyway. None of the O’s do. I guess those shaving classes while getting our degrees really paid off.

     

     

     

    Lol, grab a chair on my lawn to yell at the kids because I'm with you here.  At my airline, people act like their suffering through extreme persecution because they can't sport a beard.   We had an enlisted dude in my squadron who claimed to be a pagan or something like that, so he could get a beard.  Looked like shit.  

    • Haha 1
  4. 7 hours ago, tac airlifter said:

    Yep, that happened. I can't see the date on my tiny screen but I remember it as being maybe 16 years ago?

    it's funny to remember blues Monday; what a waste of time and effort that did not accomplish its objective of professionalizing the force, but certainly unified the troops in contempt for senior leadership.  Having now retired and looking back I'm amazed at how seemingly smart people can climb the ranks to become senior officers and just do and say and think the dumbest possible shit.  

     

     

    Lol, I remember when he took over and an old college buddy tanker driver was all geeked about there FINALLY being a non-fighter CSAF.  A few weeks later...blues Monday.  I sent him a screenshot of the memo saying, yay non-fighter guy...he didn't respond! :thefinger:.

    • Haha 3
  5. 13 hours ago, illusive said:

    Are those AOC gigs open even if you are passed over once or twice assuming no UIFs?

     

    Unknown, just fly with lots of FOs who are doing it and tall about how there are always open spots.  

  6. 16 hours ago, brabus said:

    Clock-Map-Ground…the good ol’ days! if you find someone under the age of 30 who can even read a map, you’ve found a unicorn! The next steps are intro a compass or plotter, then tell them to jump in a standard transmission vehicle for a beer run (unicorn status likely dissolves in step 2 or 3).

     

     

    Mmm Yes, the transition to full on boomer mode is nearly complete.  

    • Like 1
    • Haha 5
    • Upvote 1
  7. 10 hours ago, Duck said:


    That’s chump change at SWA.


    Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

     

    3 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

    Springer is from the Jurassic era, so his brother was probably a retired captain before the pay rates were so generous. 

    In May I managed to do 52k (60k with the 401k included) as an FO at AA, but that involved flying everyday for three weeks straight and most days on the fourth week. As a Captain at the top of scale that would have been 76k (90k w/401k).

     

    I'd die young if I did that with any regularity. 

     

     

    I'm not sure what he means by LTS, but if he means long term sick/disability (LTD), then $40k/month is certainly not chump change.  Our LTD is 50% of your highest 12 months in the last 36 months (plus double 401k contributions, so right now it would be 35% 401k on that 50% sick pay...essentially paying you 401k as if you weren't sick).  That would mean he'd have averaged $80k/month for a 12 months stretch, which seems a bit high because that would be $960k/yr.  If he's counting 401k contributions in that money, then it would be an average of ~$69k/month, which during that time, may have happened.  We had some big earners in around that time, though I think it was a bit later.  I think that's when we had a 330 Captain credit north of 500-600 hours in a single month.  

  8. 15 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

    Yep. I generally take a middle ground approach, I don't miss important things, but my wife is very good about me being John for the day-to-day dinner and activities type of stuff. I figure I can make an extra 50 to 100 Grand a year if I was willing to fly anything anytime, but I'm simply not.

     

    It's too good of a job to fuck up by working that hard.

     

     

    After many strategies, I've found that the best method is to simply let her make the decisions.  I only show her shit I'm willing to fly...hey babe, they called me for X, yay or nay?  She works from home during the week, so if it's anything M-F that gets me home before 4 or 5, she doesn't care at all.  I'll fly weekend stuff if it makes sense because it's just another day for us, but I don't miss any events, it's just not worth it.  I am flying the weekend after July 4th because our plans are on the 4th/5th and we're a bit vacationed out from June and our next one in August.  It's also a 3-day for 2x pay and that's all I have on my July schedule lol.  

     

    It's worth mentioning that my frau is a powerful income earner, so it takes a big stress off me in executing my plan.  If I have a short month, it's not going to be a big issue for me.  I know some may not be willing to take that risk, but if you're in the check of the month club, it's probably no problem.  That said, I've never come up short unless it's by choice.  

  9. On 6/27/2024 at 3:50 PM, Smokin said:

    Thoughts on NB at ~15% vs WB at ~80%?  I'm primarily concerned about QOL, but obviously the pay raise with WB is a nice perk.  I'm considering sitting WB reserve (roughly 2.5hrs from base) as there are virtually no WB flights that leave before noon or after 8pm.  Biggest benefits I see as a NB FO is the ability to basically dictate my schedule.  Biggest benefits to WB is more productive trips which equates to more time home or a relatively predictable reserve schedule, which would increase the attractiveness of sitting reserve at home.

     

     

    Have you drilled down into the more time at home by comparing TAFB?  If your airline allows, I'd check the schedules of people around your seniority at the end of the month to see what they're really doing.  If able, go back an entire year to get the full picture.  If you just want to bid your schedule, fly it and go home, then ya I'd go try WB life for a while.   But at 15%, if you have some flexibility, you generally have lots of options available to increase your QOL/pay/time at home.  This month I worked 12 days with 4 nights away and blocked 32 hours.  My TAFB isn't much more than a single 6-day WB trip I used to fly, not to mention my nights away is far less.  My WB schedule usually was two of those 6-days or on reserve I usually got a 6-day and a 3-day or three or four 3/4-days.  Obviously the longer drive/more frequent trips to the airport would have to be taken into account, but it's something to consider if you don't care for the drive.  15% provides control over your schedule/life that is hard to beat, especially since you'd be so junior on a WB.

    • Like 1
  10. 9 hours ago, HeloDude said:

    Yeah, but you would think holding people to the same standard, I don’t know, meant that we were “uniform” or something.  Oh well—I’m the old guy who is retired now.  

     

    What standard is that, AFR 35-10?  You could probably get a copy of that on your way to the cash cage in CBPO! 🤣

     

    6 hours ago, uhhello said:

    I get it.  Also the old guy.  I find myself with the same thoughts but then I think, all generations say the same thing.  Shits crazy now in my eyes but I'm positive all generations have said the same thing.  

     

    It's been said by every generation ever.  

    • Thanks 1
    • Haha 2
  11. 12 hours ago, HuggyU2 said:

    They want my knowledge and experience?  Then make the compensation enough that I will be enticed  

    FUPM. 

     

    This!  I was recently asked to be a LCA.  You need 1,000 hours as a DAL Captain...after just over 2 years, I'm just about to break 500 block hours as Captain, so I have a couple years to go.  I only like to do day turns so they'd have to be ok with me teaching that.  I'm also a habitual show at 35 min prior to push guy, so that doesn't work well with teaching.  But the biggest reason is that we only pay LCA pay on the block flown while teaching.  Pay it on my entire months guarantee/credit, whether I'm teaching or not, and I'll think about it.  Until then, I'll just continue to teach them how to exploit the contract to their gain, that's much more fun to talk about anyway.  

    • Like 1
    • Upvote 2
  12. On 6/25/2024 at 9:58 AM, ClearedHot said:

    The RUMINT local is he strangled the child.

    Woah, hope that's fake news.  If true...have fun with the sex in prison!

     

    Sadly, the RUMINT appears to have been correct.  Choked his wife and one of the kids after threatening one of the kids with a knife.

    https://taskandpurpose.com/news/air-force-commander-arrest/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2rHg1JhqYYayGPFOzdEIxjXRb-krMCQ0OEZc0p-wWhrmG90vrdSqCEZDE_aem_PwOT72aP4x2wwD8QDmDK6Q

     

     

  13. I'll echo the above.  I'm a fortunate 2014 hire and so far in my career, I've made it to 55% as a 737 FO, 92% as a 330 FO, 8% as a 717 FO and now 20% as a 717 Captain.   The best QOL and money I've made at the company is from the 717 (even as a FO), all of it attributed to my seniority in seat.  I get all the vacations I want, the trips I want and days off I want.  I have no problem making plans 9 months out because if it's not vacation, I'll get the days off no problem.  

     

    Being senior in seat also allows me to have nearly complete control of my schedule.  I've already dropped, swapped and traded my entire July schedule away.  So right now I have nothing on my schedule and will just pick up easy/short turns (DTW-GRR-DTW being the holy grail) or trips that are one leg out at night with one leg home in the morning.  I'm only able to do this because of being senior in seat (and live within an hour of base).

     

    Get senior and stay senior, even if it means staying a FO.  Chase the QOL and this job is pretty dang incredible.  I'm considering bidding back to 320FO because I'd be 5% in seat and hold a schedule of high time day turns.  Day for day, high time turns as a 320FO pays better than 717Capt.  Even without that, I'd probably make more in that seat anyway.  

    • Like 1
    • Upvote 3
  14. 8 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

    It's beginning. Buckle up. 

     

     

    Hearing rumbles Delta is stopping classes for a while as well.   It was bound to happen sooner or later.  We have something like 20% more pilots than we did before rona, with close to the same flying hours.  Couple that with the Boeing fiasco and Bus engine issues, it makes sense.  You don't need pilots for planes you don't have, or can't fly.  With ~500 retirements/yr, that will help mitigate any furloughs.  Furlough is extremely expensive in both money and training turmoil.   I'm not saying it's not the start of something bigger, but I don't think it's time to pull the fire alarm yet.  I remember circa 2016ish, when we stopped classes for a short while, the guys came out of the woodwork to scream fire.  I guess eventually they'll be right.  

     

    That said, I flew with a FO recently who left AD a few months ago with no Guard gig.  While I certainly respect the clean break, I cautioned him at being a recent hire with few backup plans.  Plenty of AOC gigs out there that require little commitment, but provides a nice insurance policy.  I didn't feel comfortable leaving until I was ~60% on the list.  It turned out that I was much better than that, but I certainly wouldn't want to he sub-75% without a backup plan.  

  15. 7 hours ago, brabus said:

    Either you don’t know the definition of high income earner or you’ve got some serious write offs / offshore banking going on. If it’s the latter, please share how you’re both making $200K+ each year and only paying 17% fed. We’d all like to know!

     

     

    Real estate professional.  Check that box and your deductions add up fast.  A buddy is a 320 Captain with 30+ properties...his effective tax rate is eye watering.  

  16. 17 hours ago, Polar Bear said:

    You live local and don’t bid reserve to get paid to sit in your underwear. 

     

    I bid reserve most of the year and drop days so as to only be available on 1 or 2 days stretches.  It's just getting harder to drop days and the trips are generally shit as of late.  So when I know I'll be used a lot on reserve (summer), I'd rather just pick my poison, or have the option to dump my trips and pick up broken up trips that are way better than bid packet trips. If you're talking when I was WB, I was junior 10% and got used quite a bit on reserve.  I actually have less TAFB and more nights in my own bed on a NB than I did as a WB guy.  

  17. Everything becomes just a job, not everything is as cool as flying.  I spent lots of time not flying in the military and nearly 100% of the time I did not enjoy those duties.  However, the flying I got to do was so fun/rewarding that it offset the mundane non-flying tasks for most of my career.  Eventually the sting of those non-flying duties, paired with being gone (TDYs/Deployments), ever changing tactics/systems, it no longer offset it for me.  This is when I knew it was time to retire.  Do I wish I could still go hop in the jet and fly a High Aspect BFM ride, you betcha...do I miss all the other BS, not a chance.  I would 100% say go for it, I can't imagine you'd ever regret it.

    • Like 4
    • Upvote 2
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