SocialD
-
Posts
2,156 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
51
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Blogs
Downloads
Wiki
Posts posted by SocialD
-
-
28 minutes ago, General Chang said:
I sure hope so. I deserve the extra money that another star would provide.
I will say this: for all of you complainers out there: seriously? You are complaining Uncle Sam took away your pittance $50K/yr to sign your life away for the next 12 years? Get over yourselves you premadonna punks! Get out of my Air Force and go make your money elsewhere. We don’t need you, and we don’t want you. But please, for the love of Pete, stop complaining about missing out on table scraps. It’s so unbecoming of an officer.
I know you're trolling, but the bolded line is perfectly timed! Well done. LOL.
-
2
-
-
25 minutes ago, VMFA187 said:
From another forum I frequent.
Oh boy, does he blow up that forum with all his anti-Biden, anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia stuff as well? Dude is non-stop on our DAL internal forum.
-
1
-
-
36 minutes ago, VMFA187 said:
How much of a pay cut would an IRR O-4 with a few years in the airlines take if called back? That could be rough.
If I were called back, my paycut alone would pretty much equal my O-5 pay (assuming I get flight pay)....so a 45% - 50% paycut for me. Which coincidentally would be my percentage of motivation to work a staff gig in EUCOM 🤣.
-
11 minutes ago, HeyEng said:
I always wondered what would happen if they mobilized the people who Big Blue separated due to the fit test/force shaping polgrom!
I could see the AF making you do a fit test the first day you stepped back on a base after being out for several years!...and if you fail? Wonder if they make these guys do OPRs? That could be fun...I'm here, I show up on time, most days.
old guys showing up for their PT test.
-
2
-
3
-
-
I finally fucking retire and our leaderships sheer incompetence and lack of leadership might be pulling be back in....mother fuckers! I'm all for doing my duty because our nation is at war and we need people to fight. But being recalled because our leadership has fucked away morale/retention so bad that they can't fill required billets, would really piss me off (my old squadron alone, has two guys volunteering to fill these spots). If I wasn't returned to my flying unit in a flying billet (retired 1JUL), then don't expect a troop that is your typical guy who is chasing the next assignment/award/etc...
In all actuality, I'm not too worried about this. I think this is just a play to open up funding to get more MPA orders for ARC people go fill spots in EUCOM (or wherever else...).
Funny enough, I saw this link posted on another forum. I'm certainly not condoning this, and I'll do what's asked of me, because that's what I agreed to do by staying affiliated and in the IRR. But this got me to thinking, what do they do with people who are out and doing drugs? Admittedly, I haven't looked into this at all, but these cats say that if you don't actually report, you're not subject to the UCMJ. If you do report, you're immediately subject to the UCMJ.
-
1
-
1
-
-
Well, I just learned something today, I had never heard of the SDF. My state apparently has a Naval Militia as well...gotta keep those Cannucks from crossing Lake Erie! Cool stuff.
-
1
-
-
There is no AD to use. There is pretty much an open door for anyone in the ARC to go on indefinite orders to Europe right now. I know of at least 6-9 Guard guys doing it now and those dudes keep asking if anyone else is interested.
-
So they wait until the 9th month of the FY to roll out the bonus, it's out for like 3 minutes and then they shut'er down....you can't make this shit up. Listen up young punks, this is what your leadership thinks of you, and I'm not just talking leaders in a military uniform.
What do I expect them to do? The same shit they expect me to do when they give me a TDY/Mission/task and only give me half the budget to accomplish it...figure it the fuck out!
-
2
-
1
-
-
17 hours ago, Blue said:
These are valid opinions and good insight, but not really relevant, right? You're both pilots, and while opinions vary, being an Air Force pilot has to be one of the most sought after job in the military. There is no shortage of folks wanting to fly.
When you hear of a "recruiting shortage," it's generally a shortage of high-school grads willing to sign up for a four year enlistment. A high school grad today was born in 2005. Think about all they've seen growing up (Iraq, Afghanistan, etc). More importantly, and as the WSJ article touches on, someone who thinks about enlisting is going to seek out someone they know who's been in the military. Say your Uncle Joe just retired from the Army. What kind of recommendation do you think old Joe is going to give after spending the last 20 years on an endless series of deployments to the Middle East?
I was a pilot for MOST of my career, the first quarter of my career, I was as a crew chief. I'm still close friends with many of my crew chiefs friends (as we're all still at the same base). Those dudes have a damn good life, and make way more money than they likely would on our local economy (most won't leave due to entrenched family). I specifically mentioned in my post that I'd only recommend it if they joined the ANG. I know some companies (mentioned above), provide some TA, but I'd bet you'd be hard pressed to beat what they offer in the ANG.
I can certainly understand why many won't sign up for a 4-year AD stint. I wasn't willing to do that in 2001 because I didn't want to lose out on those college years. To your second point, I couldn't agree more, especially when you're talking Army. My last trip to Bagram circa 2020/21, the Utah Army NG was there with their Apaches. Talking with those guys, I was floored by how much deployed time these dudes had, mostly a year at a time. I seriously can't understand how anyone maintained a family throughout that (lots didn't). If I were a young kid and that was my only exposure to the service, I'd be looking for other options as well. However, the big reason I was able to become a pilot, was because of my time as an enlisted guy. I guess our leaders need to figure out how to leverage the fact that an enlistment has the potential to open up awesome opportunities, if you chose to take them. Goodluck!
We are now seeing another giant price we'll pay for playing a 20 fucking year game of whack-a-mole in Afghanistan and Iraq/ME. Did anyone really even understand what we were doing past 2011? I mean, did we ever have a boss that clearly laid out and end state and even a tiny semblance of how we were going to get there?
-
3
-
4
-
-
10 hours ago, gearhog said:
I've been seeing a lot of articles the last few days with some shocking statistics. Looks like we may have to sub-contract the defense of our nation to foreign countries.
Maybe we stop sub-contracting ourselves out in the defense of foreign nations and we're suddenly hitting the recruiting requirements...
10 hours ago, gearhog said:I've given my kids my thoughts on the issue and thankfully, they've recognized they have better options. If a young person has common sense, intelligence, and a work ethic, you can go out into the real world, name your price, and live freely. As probably most of you have experienced, when someone knows you're a pilot, they'll send a young person your way for advice. A lot.
What you experienced is not going to be what they experience. Many of us had great careers, but it doesn't matter. Given the current state, an assessment of the trends, and attempting to forecast what it might be like the next 10-20 years, what do you tell them?
I still highly recommend service to my nieces and nephews, but only in the ANG. At least have some control over your life, get your schooling paid for and still get to experience some cool shit. They may not have the career I had, or they may have something way better, who knows. Sure they can walk down to Dunder Mifflin, but I can guarantee, they'll never experience the shit I got to do in service of our nation (and State lol).
However, this generation doesn't tick like my generation, that's not a dig on them, no generation is the same. If all they want to do is make money and be free, then ya, the military isn't necessarily for them. Though there is still plenty of opportunity and money to be made in the military, our leaders just need to figure out how to reach this generation. That said, I made way more money in the military than probably 95% of my graduating class (of 36 kids lol), or anyone from my home town/county. For many kids that come from small, poor, farming communities like I grew up in, the military is still a great option. For many of them, it's best option they have.
Or they can "live free," and when that doesn't work and we suddenly need a stronger military, their kids will pay the price. Hard times create hard men, hard men create....you know the rest.
-
1
-
2
-
-
On 7/1/2023 at 3:29 PM, HeloDude said:
Which begs the question: Why should airline pilots demand crazy pay when management knows they won’t/can’t strike? It’s not like Delta pilots would have left in droves to go work for other airlines. And it’s not like Frontier or Spirt pilots are crashing all the time either, yet they’re not making the same pay.
Late to the party. I don't think they're demanding "crazy" pay. Simply asking to be compensated appropriately based on the current market conditions. If the company can afford to pay out the ridiculous amount of overtime they need to do just to keep the airline running, they can afford more in the contract. The same goes for how much they waste on stock buybacks.
On 7/1/2023 at 6:37 PM, hindsight2020 said:Now, I'm no professional mediator, but that level of run the clock offense doesn't strike me (see what I did there? ba dum tsk) as labor being in the driver seat on that one. It's certainly not the behavior of a management team worried about there being significant staffing pressure to acquiesce to high demands.
Oh they have power to be in the drivers seat, they just have to be willing to use that power, and I'm not even talking wildcat actions. But ya, the woefully outdated, and arguably inappropriate application of the RLA on airline pilots, complicates that a bit.
-
7 hours ago, Danger41 said:
When OEF 69 kicks off, if my (hopefully) retired self hears about F-35’s and B-21’s doing XCAS for some strike cell that thinks cleaning out the bays of strategic bombers on dirt farmers is the greatest thing ever, I’m protesting to my elected officials and streaking through the pentagon.
LOL, oh man did you bring up just one of the many memories that highlighted the idiocy of still being in Afghanistan. Circa 2011/2012, I'm over Nangalam (maybe Mitarlam, a bit hazy) with a B-1 in the stack (below me), thinking WTF are we doing? I never would have dreamt that I'd be back over there 10 years later.
-
1
-
-
Always looking for the next audio book for my drives to/from work. Unfortunately, I can't find it on audio book. @brabusjust have Chatgpt summarize it for. I've heard lots of good stuff about doing that for books.
-
As mentioned above, it's extremely tough for airline pilots to actually be released to strike. I think one of the regionals worked on an expired contract for like 10 years or something crazy. The threat isn't so much about actually striking, but getting the passengers to worry about it. If they're worried about a strike, they'll book away and hit the bottom line...something investors (and bosses) hate. This is why you heard Ed Bastian (DAL CEO) say on national news that our pilots were ever going to be able to strike (paraphrased).
-
3 hours ago, tac airlifter said:
What does that mean?
It means they want to strike. If approved, they'll go into a 30 day cooling off period, at which point they can exercise self help (strike). The president can order them to work for 30 days, after which they enter another 30 day cooling off period. The president can do that one more time, with the subsequent cooling off period. At that point the strike can happen or congress can impose a contract.
Or, if released, the strike can happen and the pilots can shut down the operation.
At least that's how it was explained to me by a ALPA national rep.
-
1
-
-
7 minutes ago, Duck said:
SWAPA just asked for release.
Go get'em!
-
On 6/27/2023 at 8:02 AM, Prozac said:
That’s fair but remember that “not dealing with pax” means I get to fly in pajamas & get up and take a piss whenever I want. Also, in my admittedly short experience flying pax, it was usually the FAs, not the pax, causing drama. I still maintain flying freight is more chill. Not a big enough difference to really be a factor in deciding where to hang one’s career hat though.
I don't have much time to change into PJ's for my morning, DTW-GRR (25 min airborne) day turn lol. But your last sentence is the overall point. Especially since a vast majority of them are great to work/chat with...but ya, there are the occasional Chads/Karens.
-
On 6/25/2023 at 7:38 PM, AirGuardianC141747 said:
After talking to a few of my Purple friends it seems the rip between the younger or those with more than 7-10 yrs remaining and those with 7 years or less being closer to retirement (approximately) has undoubtedly occurred with said contract. Say No for a better deal with a possible 2 year delay vs take the increase and run out the door. Understand the issues for both and overall it’s not that simple, but realize the company wasn’t stupid in their strategy for winning either way.
Ya the company made a strong play to finally rid itself of the pension. From talking with a former squadron mate at FDX for a while, it appears they've had to expend a decent amount of capital just to maintain the current pension. Smart of them to plus it up a bit for those who will get to keep it, while dumping it for any new hires. Get buy in by those who will do anything to keep their pension and who cares about those not hired...
If they lose the pension, I think they lose a big competitive advantage as the pension is one of the big things they have over pax carriers, by a long shot. If they have the same retirement as the pax carriers, why choose FDX over UAL or DAL? Big reasons I can think of is that you live in/near a FDX hub or you live somewhere where their rotation construction (read DH on front/back or both ends) is advantageous over the airlines. Otherwise, it's the same gig, except you'll likely fly more nights in your career (yes I know they do day flying...an WB pax carriers fly nights). The whole "dealing with pax" things is wildly overblown by those who are at the cargo carriers as another justification for their choice. I've been at DAL for 10 years, 2 as a Captain and I have yet to "deal with a pax" that was anything more than having the FO call a red coat, or have a medical divert that made me quite a bit of extra cash.
On 6/25/2023 at 7:38 PM, AirGuardianC141747 said:*Also, folks were starting to trickle to the Majors etc., but it has become more apparent as some aren’t even showing for indoc so I was told. The current push from a few others within purple walls is for those with less than 3 years on property or maybe a bit more is to bail. Hiring has obviously halted so there most definitely will be some exodus. Too bad as we were hoping it would be a great contract and drag others up. Delta did well, but a lone wolf doesn’t help much versus a pack in this industry. Patiently waiting for the former leap frogging events of yesteryear.
Fedex maybe turning into a different creature despite their incredible effort during the Rona. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. F. Smith’s replacement is a piece of work from an outside view.
We all have our warts and noone is immune to have people not show up to indoc. I'd venture to guess that over the last few years, more pax carriers had no shows than the cargo guys. Hell, I have a squadron mate that left FDX during training...for UPS lol. Back to current day, I'd say it's a bit pre-mature to just up and bail, especially if you're still going to have the pension. There could be something to the business model change to consider, I haven't read into that. We all take our turns in the barrel, thought I'm not sure that's the right term for what FDX is experiencing right meow. The pax carriers are just lucky that uncle sugar bailed us out during rona, though they should since they had a large part in creating that mess. If I had more than few years there, I'd seriously have a hard time leaving right now.
I do know one thing, my FDX squadron bros are a bit nervous (as many pax carrier dude were back in 2020). One is about to peace out to long term orders and the other is questioning leaving DAL after indoc for FDX. That may be more to do with the realization of the pain of driving an hour to a major DAL hub to commute to MEM to sit reserve...
-
Keep optimizing that life/jobs/money. Buy an L-39 and fly for fun!
-
2
-
-
Am I reading that correctly, the 11% MBCBP is subject to 401(a)(17) limits? Given that company contributions to their 401k are subject to the same limits, they'll be be capped at $66k (2023) for contributions into their combined savings plan. Do FDX guys at least get "cash over cap" back to them as taxable income?
At first glance, seems like a bad deal for those hired after this gets passed. With the protections in place for pensions, I'd much rather take my chances with their pension/401k combo. If the pension goes away, FDX will lose one of their biggest edges over the pax carriers in recruiting candidates.
-
If true...thought police in action. I used to shake my head when reading books that showcased how people could quickly turn against their own countrymen (eg...WW2). To arbitrarily do such a thing with out even the least bit of investigation is insane and indicative of what is wrong with cancel culture today. The arrogance of the organization to not even offer an apology or recompense, is also indicative of those who push cancel culture.
-
On 6/10/2023 at 11:54 AM, Biff_T said:
Man City or Inter Milan?
I hope Man City gets crushed but that's not likely.
Those team names seem to fit the name of this thread...
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, di1630 said:
People complain about the USAF because right now pilots have numerous well paying alternatives.
If the economy goes to hell, the airlines furlough, etc, those same sideline sport b-tcher’s happily resubmit and beg for employment from big blue.
I’ve seen it multiple times in my 23 years.
Right now is unprecedented though. Pilots have a ton of well paying opportunities so it just really comes down to personal priorities (money/family/flying cool jets vs a fat bus etc) and life circumstances.1 hour ago, hindsight2020 said:So have I. Hell, you want to see Olympic medal level flip flopping, spend a day in a guard reserve unit. I got the lost decade T-shirt, i saw it all from the front row. They make congress sound principled by comparison.
Don't take too long taking out the trash at the squadron, they'll take your AGR and eff your wife in the time it took you to get back in your chair 😆.
PS. Im being tongue in cheek, you know i love you 121 folk, blue falcons among you notwithstanding.
What you boys are talking about is something called tolerance. Just because they go back, doesn't mean anything changes...it still sucks lol.
When rona kicked off, I wasn't too concerned with furlough based on my seniority, but since I wasn't doing anything else at the time, I ran some numbers. Figured out that I could survive easily just on my part time pay cards, as long as all my tenants payed (they did). So that was my plan, work 6 days a month. That's how much I didn't want to go on orders lol. If I just sat one day of alert/month on top that, I could have easily afforded to keep flying my planes a fair amount.
-
On 6/9/2023 at 5:27 AM, Mark1 said:
This won't win any popularity contests around here, but it's very naive and unjustifiably self-aggrandizing. Guys that did 12-20yrs active duty and then go Guard, to the airlines, or slot in as mid level management somewhere and see their QOL improve don't have much perspective on it. They are not starting over on the civilian side in a way that is comparable to their military career arc.
Yes, the military makes some unique demands. Yes, a winged officer has to sacrifice more time to their craft than someone working front desk at a hotel or serving at a restaurant. But those aren't valid comparisons.
Compare a winged Capt to a young professional looking to advance in their field, and neither is walking easy street. There are plenty of professionals missing their kids activities to work late, putting out fires on the weekend, and facing divorces because they live on the road and never see their families. Are some skating by on minimal effort. Yes. And we all knew a few squadron-mates that fit that description as well.
If you're in a position to be dodging RPGs, scooping your buddies intestines back into his body cavity, and worrying about when roadside bomb roulette is going to catch up with you, then yeah, you've experienced something most can't fathom. But that applies to almost nobody on this board.
As far as simple demand on your life, I think you'd be surprised. I was. I started at the bottom of a completely novel field of work after getting out, and I'd easily rate my top 5 most stressful and time consuming weeks all on the civilian side. Not looking for validation or recognition. Only to say that any view I had of myself as engaged in some Sisyphean struggle when I was active duty, when compared to my civilian peer group, was way off.
We're talking different sacrifices here. Not too many of my high school/college friends who went into the civilian professional world have had their company send them away for months on end. Most can't even wrap their minds around leaving their family for two weeks at a time, let alone doing it multiple times a year...not long after being gone for 4-6 months. They rarely (if ever) miss a holiday at home, let alone multiple in a row. I don't know a single one of them that missed their daughters wedding (not me, but a close friend) because their company sent them short notice on a 6 month business trip and wouldn't excuse them or try to find them a replacement. Yes we signed up for this, but they're still sacrifices that most in the civilian world will never understand. That, along with all of what pooter said above, wear on you.
-
1
-
1
-
Biden recalls IRR
in General Discussion
Posted · Edited by SocialD
I think most people are calm about this, most realize they're likely not going to be picking up a rifle. However, even if it is a gig sitting in AOC at Ramstein, sipping Hefeweizen, I still don't want to go. I've given enough of my life on activations that were a complete waste of time/money. Now if you tell me it's a nice backwater assignment to a small, Mediterranean coastal town, that I can bring the lady... Then I could be coaxed into being OK with being called out of retirement. LOL jk, I'd still pass if able. Life is finally damn good right now, with plenty of time to do the shit I really want to do. If I wanted to go to Europe and drink their beer, I'd go on a vacation.