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Karl Hungus

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Posts posted by Karl Hungus

  1. How much taxpayer money did we pay RAND to do this, when any staffer- where the real hard work of Air Power happens!- could spend a day or two skimming a decade's worth of posts on this board and AirlinePilotCentral and come to the same conclusion?  Laughable. 

    The COAs are a stretch at best.  Even RAND admits that.  Proficiency advancing prior-121 pilots through UPT?  Insert story of former regional guy who failed out of T-6s here.  Not to mention, you're going to give them preferential treatment on OTS boards and force ARC units to do the same?  Good luck!  Forcing ARC units to do LFEs/deployments during winter months when airlines are less busy, and stop having UTAs on the first weekend of the month?  LOL.  

    Fix QoL/work rules and you won't have the mass exodus of talent.  You wouldn't even have to pay pilots (much) more- just provide QoL/work rules close to on par with a combination of the civil sector and the ARC.  Doing so would require some real leadership and some painful acknowledgements on the AF's part that they've ed up.  Instead, our management comes up with 13 year ADSCs.  That'll fix it!

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  2. 5 hours ago, caseylf said:

    The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is why would someone out of Upt go to a regional when they can make more bumming or being an Art? I didn't realize guys were delpoying outside of hercs and tankers. For those who want to bum is there more opportunity for man days? I'm surprised that so many people want to go the airline route.

    Get a new username Scoobs?

  3. 31 minutes ago, pawnman said:

    There's no commitment associated with promotion.

    Are you looking to not be passed over, denied continuation, and get a severance package on the way out?

    I was asking a hypothetical regarding Duck's desires.  I'm not trying to separate... yet.  

  4. 6 hours ago, Duck said:

    How would the board look at a record that has several top strats but chose to NOT put them on their prf? Would a senior leader even let you sabotage yourself like that? Does the board really dig into your records? My OPR before my board shouldn't have a strat and will be my top OPR. Crazy questions I know, just trying to figure out options.

    Can you be selected for promotion but then decline before pinning on?  Or is being a non-select at the board via sabotage, writing a DNP me letter, etc the only way to avoid being promoted (and thus allow an earlier exit to greener pastures)?  Honestly don't know.  

  5. On 3/4/2016 at 2:55 PM, ThreeHoler said:

    Here is what y'all are missing: they finally admitted the target is retaining 65% of uncommitted pilots. They don't need all of you to take $35K. They don't want all of you to take $35K. They want the 10% they didn't get last year and the % they won't get this year.

    This.

    Does anyone really think that the inflation-correcting $35k/year bonus will boost retention from the 45% or so this year to their target 65%?  I have my doubts.  We'll just be throwing more money at those who were going to stay in anyway.  Extra money for the future ThreeHolers of the world- a fantastic deal for those folks.

    We all know that the QoL/"work rules" aren't going to improve, which is what's really necessary to fix this retention problem.  $35k/year just isn't enough to sway a large number of people.  Perhaps they should be looking to correct flight pay for inflation as well.  $650/month in 1999 corrects to about $925.  $840 corrects to about $1200.

    Or, more likely, we'll just see senior management institute Stop Loss.  

     

  6. 1 hour ago, Ho Lee Fuk said:

    Side note, Karl H, when do you separate?  When do you move on to the land of ice cream and blow jobs and leave us idiots and lobotomized Kool-aid drinkers behind?  Is it soon?  Please?  After literally years of being the downer on every post you make, you'd figure your DOS should be coming up any day.  Why are you here?  If you hate active duty so much, why don't you just move on?  Why the constant barrage of snide comments and negativity?   Why aren't you posting over in the guard/res section or the airline forums about how amazing your life has become once you decided to leave the misery of active duty behind you?  

    How dare I point out the ridiculousness of our promotion system!  

    Interesting that you feel it's an either/or- get in line and play these silly games, or "move on to the land of ice cream and blow jobs".  

    FWIW, I really like my job on AD.  I work hard and have put myself in a position to have lots of options going forward.  Unfortunately, the things I like to point out as problems with AD- how we promote, work/life balance (or lack thereof), inane political correctness, toxic management, etc- are making my remaining on AD past my current assignment extremely unlikely.  I'm here because this is one of the few avenues where our senior management interacts with the masses.  Sometimes they need to be reminded that the emperor doesn't always appear to be wearing clothes.  And I'll continue to be here in the future, regardless of if I'm on AD, ice cream and blow jobs or not.    

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  7. 30 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

    IMHO today is a perfect storm of intense hiring pressure from the airlines (partially do to increased demand but also a function of age 65 retirement kicking in), combined with a force that is fed up with the relentless ops tempo and constant trips to the desert. 

    You left off all the additional duty bullshit, makework queep, the Social Justice Warriors running rampant, nauseating careerism, and the abuse/mismanagement of the pilot career field.

    Active Duty is so fucked, yet it was all so preventable.  

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  8. 1 hour ago, TnkrToad said:

    - If nothing else, it looks like there'll be no problem filling ACSC billets this year. Although some of the super-smart high-potential officers might be getting out and going to the civil sector, with a 33% take rate, there'll be more than enough bodies to ensure we have a core group of hyper-professionalized officers (folks who spend their lives in schools, fellowships, internships and staffs) to fill our future senior officer billets

    The people getting out are easily replaceable.   Don't even think about stop loss, that's how replaceable they are.  The HPOs opting out of IDE in residence to separate, well, we didn't want them anyway.  The ones who we send to ACSC in their absence (surprise!) are now the HPOs.  And they're the ones who are going to go to staffs, where the "real hard work of air power" takes place.

    Or something.  

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  9. 6 hours ago, Learjetter said:

    We let folks fly bombers as CGOs so we can use the best of them on staffs...where the hard work of airpower exists. This is why lots of senior guys say "you're easily replaced"...there are a lot of folks who want to be CGOS and fly jets.

    It's a cycle, guys...and what's good for the Air Force over decades is growing a diverse officer corps capable.of thoughtful airpower employment.

    Interesting. 

    Seven of eight 2005 year group IDE selects have 7 day opted/palace chased recently at a certain large MAF base, if a certain Wg/CV is to believed.  Seven of eight.  I suppose he could be lying, of course.  But those are your supposed "best" CGOs that you want to use on staffs "where the hard work of airpower exists", and yet they're bailing.  Not to mention your average non-IDE select CGO peon, who is also bailing. 

    Given how "easily replaced" these CGOs are... I think it's safe to say the fears of a pilot stop-loss are unfounded, right? 

    It is indeed a cycle, and growing a diverse (intriguing use of that word in the current environment) officer corps capable of thoughtful airpower employment is indeed good for the AF.  I'm skeptical that the AF is really doing that as well as it thinks it is, though, for various reasons.

    It'll be very interesting to see if the senior management narrative changes over the next couple of years. 

  10. Look, if folks are trying to get out prior to their ADSC by "failing to get promoted x2" there are many ways...but none of them reflect well on you to any audience.

     

    I know several folks with families, jobs (ARC, airlines, and/or non-flying civilian organizations), and/or real graduate schools who would laugh at you for making that statement.  I guess that's not the audience you were thinking of. 

    Not surprised that someone on a promotion board would think like you, though.  Speaks volumes. 

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  11. I guess i don't understand the logic behind a do-not-promote letter. there is no ADSC with the promotion, so take it and go to the Guard, or get out when you want anyway.

    the idea is that getting passed over for promotion will allow one to separate from AD earlier than their current ADSC, and that getting hired by ARC units is easier as an O-3 than an O-4, O-4 than O-5, etc... where you'll just get promoted anyway without as much of the silly AD games.  

    That, and getting a seniority number sooner rather than later can be huge for those so inclined.

    Either way, it's indicative of how toxic AD AF is that pilots would consider writing a do-not-promote letter.  I wonder how much that happens at healthy organizations.

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  12. If it's a new MDS then you're SOL.

    If it's a new MDS you can 7 day (3 day?) option out of taking the assignment.  AFPC can't force you to accept an ADSC for a new MDS qual that will take you beyond your current UPT ADSC. 

    Of course, they can just adjust the ADSC to match whatever UPT ADSC you have remaining.  Which reeks of desperation, but this is AD Air Force we're talking about. 

  13. Separate from guardreservejobs.com, what are good ways to reach out to the Guard/Reserve community?

     

    I'm doing some consulting work for a northeast Cirrus air taxi operator. We've found that hiring guard bums and reservists fits our model very well. Anyone have any insight on how to target guard and reserve pilots?

     

     

    Post this on the APC forums, as well as The Pilot Network on facebook.   Also, as I'm sure you know, you're competing with the major airlines as well as the regionals (which at least provide 121 experience and turbine time).  Might be difficult to get some of the talent you're after unless you have very attractive salary/benefits/work rules/location/etc.  Good luck. 

  14.  

     

    All that to add, I am all for the bonus being 100k a year for those that stay in. You guys seriously deserve it with all the Air Force puts you through.

     

    General consensus amongst my peers is $50k a year, after taxes.  About $4k a month, versus the $1.5k a month now. 

    Won't happen, of course.  We'll see stop loss before it moves beyond the inflation-correcting $35k/year. 

  15. I don't see this will stop cadets from gunning for pilot slots. I doubt it would have stopped me given my low level of knowledge and high level of blue kool aid.

    I get approached by about 3-5 people a year asking for advice on becoming an Air Force pilot.  I tell all of them that I can't in good faith recommend they go the active duty route.  If they can't go guard/reserve, it's not worth going at all.

    I've been personally thanked by a few of them once they get to UPT and realize the bullet they dodged. 

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