BUSTED

Thanks, guys! I'll let you know how it plays out... Cheers, Busted Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Upfront: I'm an idiot for not noticing this sooner. Question 1: Should I have received Aviation Career Incentive Pay ("Flight Pay") for both IDT (UTA/AFTP) and AT Days? (Or is it just for AT days?) Question 2: what's the best way to go about getting back pay for Flight Pay from a Unit that I've since left? (I'm still in AFRC, just another unit) Background: I left AD and joined the Reserves in January 2014. Since that point, I've done all of my UTA's and AFTP's, as well as AT days; but it has always been in strings of 2-5 days at a time. I've never done a continuous order. Which means that my pay has always trickled in as relatively small deposits (so, I've never received a full month's pay as a reservist... so I've never noticed it was slightly less than it should be). Last month, I left my previous unit and began initial qual training for a new unit and new airframe. Now that I've received a full month's pay, it was easy to see that I wasn't getting my Flight Pay. This sparked me to do something I should have done long ago... review my previous LES. It looks like I haven't received Flight Pay since leaving AD in 2014. I called my new unit, and they said that they would look into getting it corrected for the orders I'm currently on. But, I'm not sure the best way to go about getting paid by my old unit. Any suggestions?

Dude, why not join the Reserves at your former UPT/FAIP base?

Natehanibal, I'm just curious, what factors are making this a tough decision for you? I don't see a single reason why you'd not pick the AFRC spot.

Duck... 1. You click submit. 2. It gets routed through your SQ/CC, GP/CC, WG/CC, and Functional... They all have an opportunity to "recommend approval/disapproval"... But no matter which they do, it'll keep going. 3. It goes to the SAFPC (SecAF Personnel Council)... They approve/disapprove it. Timetable may vary. My single data point: Approx 5 weeks from submit to approval... No clue if that's standard or not.

It's not just a 6 month extension, it's an extension to 6 months after your return date. And it works for overseas assignments too, not just deployments.

This. Not too long ago, several bros and I were sitting on the back porch with some drinks, talking about how some dude had recently porked something away to the point of *almost* killing himself and being lucky to have walked away with nothing more than having to be the "guest speaker" at a safety briefing. Later that night, my wife mentioned that she was glad to know I was a better pilot, who didn't make those mistakes. Dudes who have seen me fly would laugh, but she doesn't know any better, and was no shit serious. It got me thinking (dangerous... especially after back porch drinking)... It's different with dudes you actually know, but when some faceless dude packs it in, it's easier to assume that it wouldn't have happened to me... that I would have had the SA to save the day and walk away. It's a coping mechanism that distances the rest of us from their fate. It makes it less of a hazard of the occupation, and more of a hazard of "that dude" and his stupidity. I've done plenty of bone-headed things, in my own and Uncle Sam's airplanes. Sometimes, it's just circumstance that differentiates small mistakes from big ones. Tomorrow, I'll wake up, zip it up, and go do what I love to do; but tonight, I'll toast to dudes who are no longer able to do the same. Cheers, BUSTED

Dude... You're going to be the first guinea pig. Good luck. It already is a karate kid reference... Go to their website, it talks about "training your mind"... Wax on, wax off. It's just an advertising gimmick though. I did my ATP there and they don't have any sort of breakthrough methods. Their IPs are former AF IPs (some US, some German)... So they're very mil friendly. Like Toro mentioned earlier, they are more expensive than Downtown. I chose them over Downtown because I live in WF and sleeping in my own bed appealed to me. So did not risking an extra night's hotel cost because of WX. Other things that weighed into my decision were the fact that Cobra Kai gives two training flights prior to the check, where Downtown only gives one (Cobra Kai uses that to justify the price difference, but even if calculated per hour, they're more expensive). I didn't feel like I was well prepared for the check after just one, but was fine after two... But I also admit that KNOWING I was going to get a second flight might have played into it (sort of a mental "I'm halfway prepared" kind of thing after the first... I don't know that the second flight had any significant impact on my ability beyond extra confidence). As a current ENJJPT IP, I will state that lots of my bros choose to drive to Memphis to save money by using Downtown.They all have great things to say about the program there. Both supposedly have a 100% pass rate, and from what's posted here, they seem to be the top two "mil friendly" places in the country. Choose whichever one suits you, just get it done. Or... wait until Sky_King passes the gouge on how big of an ass pain the new method is.

Several years ago, my daughter was born. When we brought her home from the hospital, some friends had plastered our yard with every pink decoration they could find... Complete with a set of two small pink flamingos. When we cleaned up the mess, my wife thought the pink flamingos were just tacky enough to be cute, and so she left them in our garden (we live on base)... They were there for TWO YEARS before a friend finally got the courage to ask my wife if we were really "into that"... When my wife told me... My response was, "why did she ask... Are they interested?" ... She didn't find it as funny as I did. BREAK//BREAK Also, the Academy Facebook page just posted this... Yes, that's a pink flamingo at a grave in the Academy cemetery...

Not 100% accurate, but close. Currently, the VANG is using their T-38 Aggressors to give some "seasoning" to their new hires before sending them to the Raptor B-Course (not sure if AFRC is doing the same with their Raptors & 38s at Tyndall). So they are putting inexperienced wingmen in those rolls... But only dudes who have already been selected to eventually fly the Raptor. Timeline being: UPT, IFF, Aggressor Wingman, then Raptor B-Course when able. Reference Hindsights comments about fighter ANG/AFRC units being extremely competitive + the comment about needing to be someone's son... Now increase that competition level by a factor of 69. If your question was about being hired by a UPT associate unit to be a T-38 IP for either UPT or IFF.... Not gonna happen, no matter who your dad is.

When on LWOP, do you still get step increases? Also, I understand LWOP counts toward retirement if you buy back the time, but does it count toward the initial 5 years of civil service required to be vested for retirement? Or does it have to be 5 years of actually being at the job?

Think about the "win" that these guys just got. You're in the first crop of people who participate in this stop-out program, which has a stated goal of letting people take time out of their careers to do other things, and then retain their competitiveness for promotion when they come back... Let's assume that someone doesn't get promoted when that time comes... Now they'll always have the "well, clearly the stop-out made me less promotable" excuse... Which would kill the program. So for the future of this program, it's in the AF's best interest to promote these people. Therefore, simply having been selected for the sabbatical program means that, barring something major like a DUI during all of your new free time, you're virtually guaranteed at least one more promotion.

Yeah, a class' overall drop is totally determined by merit. 2009 - 2011 was one of the worst droughts ever. 3/4 of UPT graduates during those years were apparently awful. And don't even remind us about 1992 - 1993... Those students were so bad that the AF banked them... Giving them 2+ years to hone their chairflying skills. WIC is going to be a helluva reunion for the rock stars of XL 15-08.

I don't speak jive, but I do have a three year old, so I'm skilled at interpreting poorly worded questions... And I think the first attempt was a joke.

Correct. The MCI covers the testing requirements for all appropriate flight instructor ratings... Ground instructor stuff is a different animal... You have to take those tests, if you want them. Sorry for the confusion and over-simplification.

Correct. For someone without an IP qual, getting a CFI would require taking the FOI and FIA tests, then taking a Practical (Checkride) with the FAA. Adding a CFII requires the FII test and another Practical. For Mil IPs, the MCI replaces all written tests, and your Form 8 replaces the Practical.

I once heard a rumor (myth, hopefully) that it's a Q3 if it's not above 90% charged at step time... Truth?

Win. You're a Reservist, who cares about what your OPR says?

For anyone in the North Texas/Oklahoma region... Five stars for Cobra Kai Flight Academy in Wichita Falls. They may have a stupid name, but they're a great program. Just finished up my ATP with them. All of their instructors are retired AF pilots who used to teach at ENJJPT (the two guys who own it are German AF, and there are several USAF guys that work there). $3150 total ($2650 to Cobra Kai, $500 to the DPE). Money gets you: -Academics -6 hours of flight (2x 2-hour practice flights with an instructor, and 2 hrs for the checkride) -A very helpful practice ground-eval prior to sending you across the ramp to the DPE They train in a Baron, it's exactly what you'd expect out of a GA airplane (READ: old, far from ergonomic). It broke while I was there, which added an extra day to my training, but they've got their own mechanic who had it fixed by the next day. They also let you sandbag on other training flights if there's someone else going through at the same time (I didn't have anyone else to sandbag with, but a new guy showed up and was able to sandbag on my second training flight... I'm pretty sure it was for free, but didn't ask). DPE was very friendly. Ground eval was more relaxed than I expected. Overall, great experience. EDIT: Not getting to sandbag didn't hurt me any, their training is great at preparing you for the checkride. Also, you can only sandbag on a training flight, not a checkride.

For those of us who got passed over for this promotion to Moderator... Are we going to be offered continuation, or should we put our apps in at the airline pilot forums?

Why not just use excel? (Other than to have access from multiple devices.)

Who all has "full CMS access"? Does a SQ/CC? -BUSTED

Anyone have good rumint about whether or not either FY15v2.0 or FY16 VSP will actually happen? -BUSTED

(Pulled quote from palace chase thread... No clue if the app is going to format it correctly) Denied VSP? Aren't '08 11Rs still showing an overage? Am I out to lunch on this... I thought that AFPC didn't look much further than the third digit of your AFSC and your remaining ADSC when deciding yes/no. But this seems to be data that they're targeting something specifics within an AFSC (airframe? Qual? AAD progress?... That last one was a joke... I hope) I would have thought that any '08 11R who wanted out had an easy shot. How'd the JSTARS look for VSP as a whole? Did most eligible guys that applied get approved? (read: was your denial an outlier?) -BUSTED

So neither the CAF or the MAF have enough guys to release dudes for staff? Break out your blues for Mondays, sign back up for those masters classes you dropped, and pack away those morale patches.... boys, the shoes clerks are all that's left. -BUSTED