SocialD
-
Posts
2,172 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
51
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Blogs
Downloads
Wiki
Posts posted by SocialD
-
-
On 8/24/2017 at 4:33 PM, Homestar said:
Plane owners: how much does it cost per year to own? What is the break even point between renting and owning in terms of hours flown? Now that my kids are getting older I want to teach them how to fly.
You own a plane because it's what you love to do and don't mind spending your hard earned cash on it. With the right airport community, you're also getting into a community filled with great people. There's always someone hanging around to BS with, go fly with, that knows how to fix something you need fixed, or someone willing to share flight time in each others planes. I've spent many a cookout by the hangar, drinking beer and talking shop...good times. But what you're ultimately paying for, is the convenience and the ability to stroll out to the hangar and go fly, anytime you want. You don't worry about availability, hours of operation, taking it out of town for a week, or dropping into a local grass strip. If you're worrying about pinching pennies and running a CBA on it, then renting will save you lots of headaches. Also, for insurance reasons, I don't think any FBO would let you instruct in their planes.
-
3
-
-
Great topic, always love hearing stories from other opportunities.
I looked at many avenues before going down the airline path. What I found is that my friends that make good money (> $200K/yr) in the business world, work WAY, WAY too damn hard and spend more time on airliners than I do. The GS world is great for being home most nights, not having to keep a medical and stability...you can be a total shitbag and it's still nearly impossible to get fired. However, for the days worked, even GS-14 step 10 isn't anything to write home about.
In the end it came down to days off vs income. Now with the days off, I'm looking at possible business opportunities.
Best of luck with whatever you decide...keep us updated.
4 minutes ago, pbar said:From my experience, if I was to do it again, I'd buy an existing business or I'd go into a business that catered only to other businesses as that seems like where the real money is.
To quote an old timer at the local airpatch, that owned several businesses over the years, "If there is a gold rush, sell shovels." Then he hopped into his Stearman, which happens to fit nicely into the hangar with his Baron. One of his companies built ball bearings...
-
4 hours ago, gearpig said:
I flew with a Captain (former F-15 guy) who cleared his July 2017 schedule with vacation. He picked up as much time-and-a-half open time as was possible within the duty limits.
$89K before per diem, 401K, profit sharing, and taxes. Ridiculous.
This is why I hope our contract never allows us the ability to sell back or work over our vacation.
-
On 8/21/2017 at 8:28 AM, Smokin said:
Interesting point to ponder, is a command tour something you can really non-vol someone into? If said commander does literally nothing as a commander other than sleep, eat, and workout, will he get sent home for 'lack of confidence'? With squadron commanders getting fired right and left over the past five years, seems like it would be easy to turn a 6 month tour into a 6 week trip. And since he's guard, if he did get sent home, could big blue really do anything about it if his TAG had his back?
Ya I'm not sure your TAG would have your back if you were a total shit bag, especially if your TAG is Army. On top of that I would think the TAG would have to sign off on such a non-vol...checking into that.
We habe people on base being activated for 6 months all the time. They're just not pilots...medical, TMO, Comm, etc... They're just usually volunteers because many of these guys want orders and don't really go tdy or deploy much.
15 hours ago, Gazmo said:I know a guard tanker WIC grad who got tapped for a 180, involuntary mob and a Sq/CC fresh out of commander school who got tapped for OG/CV in CENTCOM. The WIC guy put in for retirement and the Sq/CC got creative and was able to get out of it, but it's definitely getting to that point...
Have you talked with them about the activation? Was this a direct activation or just that someone in the squadron needed to go?
48 minutes ago, Termy said:I'm nearly certain YAS is years aviation service which starts the day you are entitled to flight pay. Ie first day of upt
My ACIP/AO date is the day I started pilot training.
-
As a part time 11F who flies for the airlines, I still enjoy the hell out of flying gliders and light GA. Low, slow, tailwheel, grass strips, fly-ins and fly-in camping trips...great times. The wing kit for a plane I'm building should be showing up in 4-6 weeks. Some people have the bug for all flying and others just enjoy the tactical part of our jobs...to each their own.
-
1
-
2
-
-
4 hours ago, Gazmo said:
Looks like they're starting to tap guard guys with command stink in MilPDS for 6-mo command tours in CENTCOM... involuntary mobilization.
Do tell...
1 hour ago, Bergman said:Oh wow. This will end well, I'm sure. Guys who are topped out at O-5 with over 20, with an outside airline gig, who are just staying around (losing money!) to fly the mission and teach the young guys, are going to bail in droves. Probably 20% of my squadron fits this demographic, and I promise you none of us will do a 6 month deployment.
This! Although, we pretty much have zero dudes staying past 20. The few that do are either leadership or only have 20 due to their enlisted time...I would look for the latter to bail at first sign of the above happening.
-
1
-
-
Man we fought that for years. Let me guess, he's using the statement about when you PCS to the PLEAD? When I PCS'd home from Luke our comptroller said the same thing. He actually said to me that every other guard unit that gave their guys DLA (12 units that I counted) was wrong and that he was right....
Many of us fought it up to the point where the next step was the IG. Every other base was giving guys their DLA. Finally a new FM took over and agreed with us and they backpayed about 8 of us...with one dude missing the statute of limitations by a few months.
The point we emphasized with the new comptroller is that we were staying on orders for almost 2 years for seasoning. Best of luck, I wish I could offer more, but we only got it because a new FM interpreted it differently.
-
ANG
[/thread]
-
SOS is all about how much work you're willing to put into it. That being said, my SOS comprised of flipping feverishly through quizlet cards for a few hours before taking each of the three tests, while I was deployed...worst few hours of my life!
ACSC in-correspondence is making me take a better look at the numbers for O-4 vs O-5 retirement.
-
2
-
1
-
-
38 minutes ago, Azimuth said:
You guys realize that Millenials start with those born in 1981-1982, right? That means there are Chiefs, though young I know a few, and Majors that are Millenials.
Well some of us were saved...there is now a "micro-generation" called Xennials (1977-1983). So I've got that going for me...which is nice, so I can continue to put down Millennials.
http://www.sfgate.com/living/article/xennials-millennials-generation-x-definition-age-11250741.php
-
1
-
-
-
I knew before I even showed up to UPT that I was going to try to be an airline pilot. I didn't announce it to the world, but if asked, I didn't hide it. If they didn't like my answer, fuck'em, my long term goals were none of their business.
WRT the best pilots...whatever. All I know is that, as an airline guy, I'm more appropriately compensated in $$$ and time off. The rest, no one cares about but you.
-
2
-
-
On 6/25/2017 at 10:34 AM, Buddy Spike said:
Microburst?
If I were a bettin man, I would guess hydroplaning mixed with winds. There were some wicked downpours/storms rolling through the Dayton area that day. Either way we'll know when the SIB/AIB are released. Glad no-one was seriously hurt.
I cant find it now, but there is a video floating around somewhere, showing the jet in two peices on a flatbed. They cut it between the two cockpits.
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, VMFA187 said:
I'd miss the fighting though. Flying is a means to fight.
If you're all about "the fight" then you should probably hang up the g-suit and roll to your nearest Reaper squadron. You're "in the fight" on almost every sortie. Heck you'd probably employ more weapons (against the enemy) doing that than you could ever imagine in a fighter.
I still get to fly my 6 sorties/month in my Viper, as a part-timer. Although, it's quickly becoming not worth it. If they actually deployed us to go fight and not sit on our asses on TSP after TSP, I might agree with you. I wouldn't even mind the massive pay cut I take to go on orders. But the only fighting we seem to do anymore is fighting one self (USAF) inflicted road block after another just to get anything done.
-
2
-
-
On 6/20/2017 at 4:10 AM, dream big said:
Idk man, money? Some of us also enjoy flying ;). I can see how a separated Air Force guy would kill to work that little and spend time with family- but flying only twice in 90 days and most of that probably only on the bunk? Sounds boring. Different folks for different strokes though!
Spend your reserve days building a plane that you then get to fly. That's my plan. Tailwheel, doors off, 500 feet, relatively slow, basic panel, flying in and out of grass strips...that's real flying anyway.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Buddy Spike said:
It's not always a choice in the short term, but I agree. Just injecting a little reality into the green grass on the other side.
Word. To add to Buddy spikes post... Commuting to reserve is SHITTY! It was slightly better at my current employer over my last, but still shitty. Often times you have to show up the day prior, sometimes not make it home the last day. Some blocks, you only have 2 days off between reserve days, which make it worthless to commute home. 12 days a month OFF (at home) would have been amazing. Thankfully there is a bunch of movement right now and most won't have to deal with that for too long. Buddy Spike is right, it's not all rainbows and unicorns.
56 minutes ago, STOIKY said:That's actually pretty cool. I didn't realize it was even possible to work that few days per month at an airline? I take it that your example is cited from personal experience?
"Work" is a relative term. You will be on call 17ish days a month...how many times you actually go to work is a different story. It's mostly from watching squadron mates schedules who are fairly junior WB FOs. They sit reserve at their house within range of short call. Some months you win and others you lose. However, from watching their schedules and schedules of other junior WB FOs, it can be quite lucrative IF you live in base. I'm just switching to WB FO, so I'll let you know next spring.
-
1
-
-
1 hour ago, Buddy Spike said:
Unless you are a commuter on reserve. Then it's 18 plus the added bonus of hanging out with the flying public in coach on your days off.
Don't commute....live in base (within short call range), bid WB FO asap, profit! And by profit I mean spend lots of time at home. 12 days of actual work, would be a heavy month! Hell, in the winter 12 days in 2-3 months would be a lot.
Seriously though...don't commute. Not commuting is like a whole different job.
-
2
-
-
5 hours ago, Hacker said:
The "way too many variables" argument cuts both ways. "The spreadsheet" also doesn't include a single furlough, merger, or bankruptcy...which are not exactly unheard of in the airline industry, especially since most of us will spend 20+ years flying for an airline after we leave the military.
This! I'm really digging the airline gig and I'm glad I jumped early. However, the above can't be emphasized enough. Right now, if you think you're going to the airlines anyway, the earlier, the better. Being at the front of the wave is a good hedge against any black swan events. In 10 years I might think it's wise to hang on for the pension...time will tell.
I was over 10 years away from an AGR retirement so, for me, it was an easy decision to jump. If you're within 5 years, it's a no brainer...the tough spot is the guys between 10 and 15 YOS. Although even if I had been there, I still would have jumped. This year, my total compensation between the two gigs will more than double my O-4 AGR pay (16 yr, w/o dependents) and I'll work about the same. Taxes take a cut of that but I'm still up, plus my rental properties and a good tax man help.
Flying with a captain now who was held back in the AF for almost a year. The difference...his buddies were hired into the right seat of the 757 on the A scale and he was hired into second officer on the 727 on the B scale. His buddies have also been WB captains for years while he is still unable to hold WB captain. His (forced) delay has cost him home hundreds of thousands of dollars and untold QOL (wrt to schedules).
It's all a crapshoot, goodluck to us all.
-
2
-
-
51 minutes ago, Kenny Powers said:
If I show up, I get paid. There's always work to do.
This! If I show up to the base, I'm getting paid. If I work all day, it's two pay cards. Getting paid has never been in my thought process when deciding whether to take a jet or not. If it's a particularly bad month wrt to mx or wx cnx...well some months you just don't get your sorties.
-
5 hours ago, matmacwc said:
Is my fighter pilot whiskey compass off? I mean really, ditch the hat.
As has already been stated, I'm sure PA had him wear the hat. But honestly, how is it any less gay than the stupid ass bi-fold hats we wear now? Bring on the the squadron baseball hats!
-
3
-
-
1 hour ago, icohftb said:
Maybe im clueless but isnt BMC around 6 sorties a month depending on the community?
In my 11F community (same communtity as I referenced above) BMC is 5 sorties/month. Normal RAP is 6/month with some optipns for 3 month look back. Hot pits, tankers and double turns are the name of the game for part timers. 4, maybe 5 days a month, + a 1 week SIM trip/ yr, and occasional TDYs are more than enough. Some months you get RAP, some months not. It's all part of being/dealing with part timers. Most of my squadrons part timers would quit if leadership mandated 7 days a month. That's unsustainable for guys with other jobs, even airline guys...especially when they hit 3rd year or captain pay and take massive pay cuts to drill.
-
2
-
-
6 hours ago, sqwatch said:
Then what fixed retention problems during those in-between years? Did things improve (leadership, pay, etc), or did pilots simply not have other opportunities outside of the air force? If it is the later, this would give credence to the argument that we've heard from the general level that retention is economy based.
There were major airline furloughs in the early 90s and obviously the early 2000s. Also, there were a few airlines that went away during this timeframe. Lot's of stories of guys going back on AD in the early-mid 90s and not long after 9/11 after being furloughed.
The early 2000 furloughs were particularly bad and the military reaped the benefits. The ARC was flooded with guys wanting days & dollars. For 15 years lesdership had free reign to abuse their resources. Now that the pendulum has swung the other way, it seems some leadership is taking a while to recage their brains. I saw a post on Facebook where one fighter squadron is requiring SEVEN (7) days a month from their pilots, with one of them being a no fly/queep day! WTF! I'm not even sure how they have all the paydays to make that happen. I'm guessing they mostly fill their vacancies with AD guys who think it's not a bad deal (I'm sure it's way better than AD). Then they become part timers with other jobs and realize how ridiculous 7 days/month for a part timer is and they look for other ways to finish their 20. Anyway, it seems their leadership is doing just as xaarman says...
-
1
-
-
13 hours ago, jazzdude said:
It would fix the pilot shortage...
Instead of building a new airframe to allow single pilot operations, this robot would allow legacy platforms to be automated.
The idea is to bridge the gap from multi-pilot aircraft to allowing a single pilot on a multi-pilot aircraft. What makes this different from just an advanced autopilot is that it is a drop-in system; just strap it in the copilot seat. The early versions of this had a data feed from the aircraft, but the goal has been to remove that crutch and have the robot get information by reading and intepreting the instruments and looking outside with cameras to fly.
Much like GPS and FMS eventually made the nav obsolete, if this becomes a proven technology, it has the potential to make the copilot/first officer obsolete, and much sooner than waiting for Boeing or Airbus to make a single piloted airliner.I have no doubt that this technology is great and advancing at an amazing pace. I agree that a "drop-in" system is significant, in that it could be much more quickly and cheaply entered into service. It's neat that it can takes commands but how does it do in non-normals? When will you board a passenger aircraft, look left and see this? I think it will be a LONG time, but then again, I was wrong once before.
I'm not saying it's not coming, but here are what I see as greater obstacles to the pace at which this stuff is entered.
1. Emotion. Getting the flying public onboard with this is going to be an issue. Probably not a big deal for the younger generation however, not the same with the older generation. Hell, I'm technically a millennial and there is no way you would get me in a driverless uber or car anytime soon. Probably irrational, but I just don't trust it. I figure that buys this another decade or two. Then there are the afterthoughts of the German Wings incident when a single pilot was left to his own devices...maybe they'll install a "what are you doing Dave..."
2. Labor unions. Right now, contracts define who can fly a jet for their company. The Captain and First Officer are clearly defined and even referenced as him (must not have had AF sensitivity training). So the company is going to have to come to the union and ask for this "give." While we can argue how great some unions are, one thing is for sure...they love their dues money! This battle is probably THE ONE thing we could get EVERY pilot and pilot union behind! Imagine if every union pushed this to a strike and planes stopped flying. Airlines have become so big that, if just one of the big 3 didn't turn a wheel, it would cause harm to the economy. Now imagine if DAL/UAL/AAL/AK/JBLU/SWA/UPS/FDX all stopped flying at once! That would cause mass chaos and probably constitute a national emergency.
3. Work Rules. If you expect pilots to fly single pilot with HAL, then expect to pay out the ass for that remaining pilot. I would want the Captain AND First Officer pay rates combined and them some. Hours worked per day would need to come down dramatically (thus causing the need for more pilots). Right now we do trips where you takeoff with the dawn patrol to the west coast and land ~1000-1100. Then you go to the hotel for 12 hours, try to sleep during the day, then fly the redeye back to the east coast that night. No way you could still fly that rotation without another pilot. On some of our fleets, guys fly some incredibly long days, that cause even two man crew to call in fatigued. My gut tells me that many more do NOT call fatigued because they know they have another pilot to back them up. One pilot, even with the aid of HAL, couldn't do the entire trip. Now that I don't have another pilot to help with some of the administrative tasks, I'll need to report to work earlier...more pay! These are just a few of the many examples of lost efficiency that will go against any gains by going single pilot.
4. Automation. While great, is still far from perfect. I've had automatic uploads be completely out to lunch. CPDLC pushes not load properly. I've had the AP aggressively pitch over to 10-13 degrees nose low, in the weather, at the FAF...this was on a jet that had been on the line less than a month old. APs that decide when your 15 knots fast and 5 knots from overspeeding, decided that now is the time to ADD power. As a single seat guy, I walked into the airline gig thinking it was super easy, not sure why you needed two pilots, a few years flying here has changed my mind. While the job isn't necessarily hard for the experienced and properly trained aviator, I can't tell you how many time we've caught each others errors. Pilot error being one of the major causes of accidents...how many accidents were avoided because the other pilot trapped an error...unfortunately we'll never know. To those of you who've never flown in the airlines, I would bet you'd be surprised by the number, if there were a way to compile the data.
5. FAA Regulation. The bureaucratic nightmare that is the "snails pace" FAA is a major slow up in the process. Have you ever tried to get anything done quickly with these guys? Hell, even when they know it's right, it takes them forever and a day to get shit done. When the 737 fleet manager wanted to get a minor issue changed, he invited the FAA inspectors to a sim to prove his point. They agreed with the fleet manager and these guys were the dudes who had to sign it off...it still took years to get the change and even then it was more restrictive than what the fleet manager PROVED was good to go.
6. Politics. We have lots of pilots located within just a few major districts in the US (ORD/ATL/NYC/DFW/LAX/SEA). I suspect the labor unions would also be putting out ads spreading fear of "HAL" which would probably get more people to talk with their representatives. Not to mention more, good paying U.S. jobs lost.
If this does start to work it's way in the commercial aviation, where do I see it going? I suspect it will be much like the plan that a RAND study laid out. Cargo carriers, initially flying from coastal cities to coastal cities across the ocean first. Then Cargo across the U.S. into sparsely populated areas. Once it's proven itself to a certain level of safety, only then will the FAA let it come to passenger carriers. This could easily take DECADES.
As someone who has 30+ years left until mandatory retirement, this is on my radar scope, but it has a long way to go until I consider it "threat criteria" and ask for a split. However, it's always a good idea to realize the threat is there and have a game plan to deal with it.
-
3
-
-
20 minutes ago, Jaded said:
Doing that will get you an LOR with some leadership.
Ya...there once was a time that the thought of an LOR worried me.
Leaving the Air Force for Something Other than the Airlines
in Squadron Bar
Posted
This! I've flown with a decent amount of guys that have side jobs. Most of them started/built their side gig when they were widebody first officers. Working 9-12 days/month, for a full months pay, lends itself well to pursing side gigs. Many of them would drop a trip or two a month, but kept the job as an "insurance policy." One went to Wharton and worked for McKinsey while he was furloughed. I've seen lawyers, business consultants, auditors, CPA, CFP/CFA, defense contractors and a few other random business owners. One of our 747 Captains is even an Executive for Flight Safety International.