RTB

Noted Danny, noted. Remember, I know where you work! But valid none the less. Thanks to your...advice...I just crossed the 20 years TAFMS date still flying. The grass looked greener but I gotta say, life looks way better now.

Why are they hiring new guys with so many still on furlough? I know a couple guys who just got hired by them but like you said, still a ton of guys on furlough. Does that mean all of them are voluntary? I'll add my 2 cents. Be sure to think about what you will probably be doing down the road. Don't sign because you love what you're doing NOW. That's going to change. Could get better, could easily get worse. 9 years is a LONG time to roll the dice that you'll still be happy with the job.

Forgive my ignorance...KPP?

Unless things have changed, you can't get rid of the GI BILL transfer ADSC. It's there regardless of whether or not you un-transfer benefits and regardless of whether they've been used or not. That said, you CAN PC to the ANG and the ADSC just becomes a commitment you must serve out in the ANG or Reserves. I'm told by several who have tried, that a PC with only the GI Bill ADSC is not a problem assuming you qualify in all other aspects (age, rank, years of service, etc).

My thoughts as an 11F after 20+ in the AF: - Promotions up to Lt Col generally get it right. But occasionally blows it big time. - Continuing education SHOULD be a good thing...implementation in the form of our current slate of PME offerings is horrible and is NOT continuing education. After IDE in res (after correspondence of course!) and SDE correspondence, all 3 programs, IMO, were years behind the times, taught by out of touch, irrelevant instructors, using terrible courseware. Each felt like a huge waste of time. - Command selection process at the Squadron level leaves a LOT to be desired. Many good, far too many bad. The good seem to retire afterwards at too high a rate. My reaction of "WTF?" happens WAY too often. Too many baffling picks for Sq/CC in the CAF. Same holds true for OGs and FW/CCs, many good but still too many not. How do the crappy ones continue on when their Groups and Wings can't stand them? At the Squadron level, too many GO-directed disruptions of 'gameplans' to ensure 'their guy' got hooked up. - Too much career risk-aversion from senior leadership. Too much unwillingness to do the right thing for fear of what might happen to them if doesn't turn out roses. So many missed opportunities because someone with Stars was unwilling to trust their subordinates... - SOS DG after a 7 week program as a young Captain carries WAY too much weight in a career. Guys ride that strat all the way to Squadron Command! Crazy. - Combat experience SHOULD be a discriminator. Unfortunately, our "system" has passed out combat medals for the most mundane stuff diluting their significance. - AADs add nothing to the experience and if the AF feels they are necessary for senior command, they should send you to get one after a squadron command tour. I have my ERAU degree and it is useless outside the AF. Aerospace Technology? I think I was able to re-use the same paper 3 times. I was just trying to get through and survive the load flying the line at work, keeping the family happy (failed) and chugging through the masters at the same time. Having guys flying the line, going through IPUG, working scheduling in an undermanned squadron while attending night or online classes is stupid. Family is so important to the AF? People are our biggest asset? Bullshit. The AAD is too important to the machine. Get it or get out. Your family will understand...makes me fume! Actually stood in a FS MBR and heard a General tell one of our pilots that he just wasn't good enough at time management if he couldn't juggle everything. We thought he was joking. He was dead serious. YGBFSM. - Good leaders and pilots punch out way too early because the requirements of the machine are too onerous. And then there are the 365 iTDYs... Really? To WHERE??? I've seen way too many guys bail who would have been great for the AF. Too bad. At least the Guard got their talents. I sound bitter. I'm really not. I was offered command "opportunities" but they didn't match up with my family QOL requirements so I bowed out. And I'm very happy about it. But my list of observations about the AF machine still frustrate me on a daily basis.

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Doesn't matter when you upgrade or ask for the credit...you can upgrade the card any time, even after you call them, and they'll still charge you $0 annual fee. I got over $1600 refunded all at once to cover a decade+ of annual fees with just a phone call. took a couple weeks for them to verify (not sure how they do that) and then it just showed up as credit. Awesome.

Pilot picked up and safe.

My knowledge of the navy training pipeline is dated but if I remember correctly, 'back in the day' jet track guys got their wings after the carrier phase was complete. If you 'attrite', will you have your wings? or will you be short of wings? That may be a factor in getting picked up for an AFRC or ANG unit. Graduated with wings generally = trainable in another jet without much hassle. No wings pretty much means you'd have to go through AF UPT. But again, my info is dated circa 1997 when a Navy buddy from Tweets went to Kingsville and got his wings after the T-45 carrier phase was complete.

"Get the #### over it"? How many times should he be expected to "get the #### over it"? Are 4 deployments enough? 6? Should his kids also just "get the #### over it"...again? Deployments are part of the job but there comes a point in everyone's career where enough is enough and other priorities (family) are more important. To suggest that he is somehow acting out of line for opting out this time is just poor form.

Well played and good luck! Curious, with the 365 you got hit with, would the bonus have been enough to keep you in? If I was at that fork in the road, a 25k/yr bonus would NOT have kept me in...

I've had good luck at Walmart. 300 rds in the last few days.

Not sure about the syllabus question but the training pipeline will stay at normal ops through the FTUs. So IFS, UPT, IFF and B courses are all fenced, at least as of today. These days, who knows what tomorrow holds...

I've never been DNIF'd (for my neck) despite years of chiropractic and PT treatments for my jacked up neck and back. And that includes many years in the F-15 where I saw a chiropractor regularly to deal with the neck pain. Preventive stuff may be more difficult on the governments dime but if you have ANY issues, you can get a referral and still fly as long as it's not 'serious'. The only guys I know that went DNIF had more serious issues such as numbness in an arm or significant loss of range of motion (beyond the normal post-BFM crick in the neck) where they knew they shouldn't/couldn't be flying anyway. Bottom line, find a flight doc you trust and start getting any neck or back issues in your records and get referrals to get them treated.

Damn, those sold out fast.

While you can get on profile to avoid running, situps and pushups, you can always get taped. Saw this many times. The naturally skinny folks passed with only the waist measure despite ZERO fitness, and as you'd expect, the fatty's didn't.

I did the 3.75 to 3.25 refi. Saved 100 a month on my payment, skipped a payment (total combined savings after 1 year $3250) and paid zero closing through lender credits and a slight increase in principle ($2050). For my situation, made sense.

I did my VA Streamline Refi with NBOKC and it took about 4 weeks.

This is the best GI Bill advice out there. Wish I'd known it was an option but bad on me for not checking first. Then again, some guys (me) aren't planning to jump ship when they sign up and then discover they wish they could. I implore everyone to spread the word to hold off on the transfer if guys have ANY thoughts of going ARC.

Hope that works out for them.

His 3 main points are absolutely spot on. And it's a sad but true reality of the Air Force.

Anyone know whether having a Sleep Apnea diagnosis documented in your records would lead to a medical disqualification from flying? I've heard it might but don't know for sure. What about future post-AF flying opportunities?

WTFO? Why are 'leaders' doing this? That's a flyer deciding on his own that Blues Monday still makes sense. That's just weird.

That's awesome. Wonder how he's feeling about the system that sent him to trial in the first place...

My thoughts exactly.