Gazmo

Exactly. I wish A3 would pull their heads out of the sand. Let's see - deployments, trips, non-collocated sim training, 4+ day exercises, airline training, etc. and we can't make up more than one UTA per year? They are sure making it a hard sell for the old and tired.

Anyone else hear about the new RUTA policy? You can no longer submit your own RUTA in AROWS anymore. Your supervisor must submit it. I also overheard some hallway talk about us only being able to make up one UTA per FY and will lose the cash for any others, but just get points? I didn't totally absorb the details. Looking for credible answers if you are in the know.

Stay as far away from the tanker nuke mission as you possibly can.... 'nuf said. P.S. I have spent the last 15 years as a tanker toad.

If 92T's are included in this, NGB needs a serious lobotomy. Who in their right mind rushes for a pilot slot for the money?! Why would you target this demographic with a bonus?! Money was so far in the back of my mind when I was trying to get pilot slot. They need to target the 15-20 year group and with a hell of a lot more than $20k for a 4 year commitment. Give me $80k for a 4 year commitment and I'd possibly consider it. The 12-20 year people are the ones leaving. These are the AD separations and Palace Chasers. These are the ones looking at Cat E jobs. At IRR. At IMA jobs.... they don't get it.

I think his point is... or at least what I got out of his story is that it looks like there was a good chance he was definitely being profiled and if that was the case, HTF did the drug testing people know of his medical records? That is HIPAA stuff right there.

Got fired from two ART jobs? Jeez.... he must be a real winner. It takes nearly an act of god to fire a GS or at least years of documented disciplinary actions.

Last time I ran the numbers for myself, it was going to be somewhere around $300 per month net difference in todays dollars with almost 5,000 points. Not sure what your idea of "worth it" is, but $300 a month isn't it for me especially when I'd have to do nearly 22 years to get it, but I just about ROPMA'd to O-4.

Not worth it....

Robin Olds. Rolling in his grave he is...

You guys do know this is all about contracts and the corporate machine that runs our military. It has nothing to do with what actually makes sense or fitting the needs of the war fighter. It's about money. Someone is making money. The AFI's get adjusted accordingly.

What a douche. I wonder how his MAX sales are doing right now.

Brown boots with the bag? Marines have been doing it for years. Doesn't look worse than the sage green boots. Leather jacket with OCP? Oh the humanity!

And even if you hate the suit, if you sit short-call reserve, you may only wear it 5-8 days a month (or less).

Hmmm.. i dunno. I guess I need to be schooled on all the different kinds and what is authorized. Not sure what I tried on. I believe the jacket was MASSIF and I saw MASSIF pants, but didnt tey those. Are they authorized for flight?

I tried the OCP on today for $hits and giggles because I've got a deployment to a hot place coming up and the unit is going to pay for them. I am also trying to grab an IMA job sooner than later and I figured that maybe an OCP will be okay to wear around the office if they don't want me wearing a bag. Who knows? What's another few uniforms I don't use stuffed in a box in my attic? After trying them on I am not impressed. They don't fit well and I feel they need to be tailored, which I refuse to do to a utility uniform. I do like the flight jacket though.

Ummm... they don't even understand that!

You will bypass PPL if you don't have one and go straight to commercial/instrument. You can also get a CFII when you become an instructor (MEI if you are a multi-engine IP). The only thing you can't get right now, which I foresee changing as the commercial world starts to run out of highly qualified pilots, is the ATP. Doesn't matter what you fly in the military. You will need to go take an ATP checkride in a light twin to get an ATP, which is downright ridiculous.

Keep in mind, most of us in the bitter and jaded category have been around the flagpole 15-20 years already and have seen the steady decline of moral in the ARC. As a new guy, just keep a good attitude, keep your head up and fly. It still is one of the best jobs in the world for a young CGO. As you get older and more experienced, you may come across some better options for you and your family.

$4k a year after tax is laughable. There are pilots losing tens of thousands of dollars per year to stay in the ARC. If it were $20k per year, I would probably throw the idea around a bit, but would still most likely bail. I am not eligible anyway past 15 years. I guess they think we over the humpers are stuck until the bitter end. I've got news for them....

So $20k upfront for 4 years or $15k after tax (a little under $4k per year) or $20k per year for 4 years?

What do you mean by "pilots and those in pilot training"? Why would they give bonuses to kids that would die to fly military jets for food? It's the O-4's and 5's running to IMA and Cat E jobs they need to pay bonuses to. Are traditionals eligible?

The hardest part is finding an alternate gig, but there are enough vacant Cat E and IMA opportunities out there and if you find the right one it makes the decision a lot easier for a 15-19 year guy. The juice just isn't worth the squeeze anymore for the 100 points and the extra $25-30k per year, which in reality doesn't turn into extra money if you are an airline guy. If anything it's a net loss.

Maybe that is what HAF wants.

The ART bonus was approved in summer of 2016. I was the first pilot in my unit to be offered and accept one. ART bonuses are taken out of hide from the unit civpay pot. What that means is the unit needs to manage the bonuses accordingly because it ultimately means less temp Techs and fewer on the spot bonuses for everyone else. My unit was doing 25% for IP's and 10% for AC's. It is calculated AFTER locality bump up and ended up being just over $29k for me payed put biweekly. I was making about $146k just in techpay as a Step 6. In 2017, I grossed about $175k with a deployment. Now, with the SSR rates, it's another ballgame. With the new rates, I would be making about $177k just in techpay with $210k+ within range adding milpay. Keep in mind, however, that it is your unit's perogative to offer you an incentive bonus above and beyond your regular techpay. The ART bonus policy is not a gimmie from NGB for all ART's. Civilian retention bonuses can be given to any GS employee and the guidance is driven by OPM. Not sure if units are still giving out bonuses to people under the new SSR rates as the new payscales are pretty close to what people would make with a 25% bonus. Yes, units can hire ART's into higher Steps if the person exceeds qualifications. It's all about how they advertise the job.

A few years ago there was a DEAMS issue and lots of vouchers weren't getting paid. I had just come back from a 5 week deployment and my GTC had a hefty balance on it (we broke in Hickam twice... hate it when that happens!). Travel voucher went near 60 days overdue and unit leadership at the time was telling us we needed to pay out of pocket. I politely told them to pound salt and that I wasn't paying a dime until I got my money for the trip. Sorry...not my fault the GVT is as F'd up as it is and can't manage to run a "business" like it should.