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Polar Bear

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Posts posted by Polar Bear

    Goldfein advocating FAA 1500 hour rule change???

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Here's another solution: 

    Goldfein is obviously having problems with the take rate and he can't seem to (is not willing to) fix ADAF. He can't increase the bonus without going to Congress and that'll take a while. The QoL in the Guard and Reserve hasn't hit bottom yet. Instead of keeping the military pilots in, he'll go to where the military pilots are.

    Allocate a huge amount of the budget toward AGR and long-term orders. Guardsmen and Reservists will take them and they will take the bonus at the current rate. Many of them will already have a seniority number, so they're not worried about getting hired. He'd be able to avoid making painful bureaucratic changes within Active Duty. 

    The position of leverage would be: "Here are my objectives, If you can't help me in attaining them, I'll be forced to to take your airline/military pilots out of the airline cockpit for 4+ years. It'll fix my shortage and exacerbate yours. I may not be able to pay AD pilots enough to stay in, but I can pay Guardsman and Reservists an equivalent amount and they'll accept."

    It won't be a long term solution as he'll force Guard and Reserve to become more like AD, but it will avoid Stop Loss, increase pilot manning for 4 years. When his tenure is up, he can say he solved the problem while the max exodus from Active Duty, Guard, and Reserve happens on someone else's watch.

    I'm a 10 year Airline guy. If I were offered an AGR tour at my hometown unit knowing that I would be protected under USERRA and I could come back to my airline job with no penalties, I don't know if I could turn that down.



    Lots of airline guys come in go AGR and return with a a good seniority number.

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    Goldfein advocating FAA 1500 hour rule change???

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Sure about that? Many Guard and especially Reserve units have become mini-AD, same queep and BS, just with no PCSing.
    The ARTs in my unit who are being slammed with AD-mandated crap overflowing their plate, and looking to leave at the first good opportunity they get, attests to that. Then again, the ART program is its own problem in and of itself, but that's another story.


    What about the AGR's?

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    Track Selects and Assignment Nights

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I doubt anyone on here sport-bitching ever thought they'd do anything other than love the USAF flying.
     
    Young guys tracking fresh out of UPT are always excited to do the mission. After a while, a job becomes a job, no matter what the cool factor or fun is in the beginning.
     
    I've realized my kids are growing up quick and every day I miss, I'll never get back.
     
    The other day I flew a 469kt low level down the coast and through the mountains of a foreign country and I was rarely above 300ft no black line. Once upon a time I would have killed to do that, but between my deployment and TDY schedule, I've been with my kids 13 days of the last 90.
     
    I would have traded that flight to watch cartoons and cook pancakes with my kids.
     
    I know someday when I retire I'll miss those flights, but after 3k hrs mil flying, I realize I can replace that void with other activities I enjoy. I can't replace my lost Christmas or New Years or the two birthdays I missed while I was doing (in my opinion) questionably useful deployed flying but I also realize it's the job I signed for.
     
    In a few years it's also a job I can quit. I'd stay if the USAF offered balance. As of now, the lifestyle is too unstable for the family to continue longer than committed.
     
    I'll say flat out though that if I were offered to do my career all over flying fighters, I'd still do it even for 1/2 the price. It's been terrific, I can't recommend it enough.
     
     
     
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    Ironic how guys want to be home and not miss holidays but go to the airlines.

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    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    It might be because aviation is such a small part of the Marine Corps, but I'm fairly certain it's just as bad, if not worse. At least for the fighter community - I can't really speak to the others. USMC F/A-18 squadrons are at, or just slightly below 50% required manning at the Captain level, and the vast majority, i.e., 80% of the Capts I know, are planning on leaving after their commitment is complete.


    Why is that? Everyone is happier on AW ;)

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    Track Selects and Assignment Nights

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    That's unfortunate this picture was painted for you.  Recognize you're likely talking to some very jaded fighter pilots at a UPT base who feel screwed over because they're one of the few 11Fs at UPT while a large portion of their bros are still raging in fighters on their 2nd or 3rd CAF assignment (and there certainly is valid reason for why that is) . I recommend you take their views with a very large grain of salt.  I also say this as a warning to any other UPT studs or prospective ones out there reading this.
    That said, realize a few things you described above (high deployment rate, getting shafted by the AD, etc.) is common across all aircraft.  The fighter or heavy worlds do not have that market cornered...the AD will everyone over equally for the most part.  FWIW, my heavy friends have spent significantly more time away from home than I have...as a general statement.  They may not do as many 6 month deployments, but they're routinely on the road 200+ days/yr.  Maybe that's not true every single year over the past decade, but it certainly is true for a large chunk of that period...at least amongst some friends I keep in touch with who fly anything from -17s to KC-10s.  Of course basing, timing, etc. all drive flexing in said numbers, but the point is I am home more as a fighter guy on average than my peers in several other communities.
    Lastly, the lifestyle/job is ing awesome, and that's why I'm going to continue to do it.  The AD is the problem and what makes life/work suck, it has nothing to do with community type.  In my opinion of course.


    Is working 12-14 hours 6 days a week really being home?

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    Upcoming Boards

    in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves

    Posted

    The 144FW (194th FS), California Air National Guard in Fresno, will be holding a pilot board on Sunday, May 7th 2017.  Applications for UPT candidates are due by Sunday, April 2nd, 2017 and notifications to be invited for an interview will be made on or around April 15th, 2017.
    Please only submit packages electronically via the email at the link below. There will be two slots and one alternate. Unfortunately at this time, we are not pursuing age waivers.
    Information can be found at the 144FW pilot board webpage:
    http://www.144fw.ang.af.mil/Resources/Pilot-Boards
    The site isn't up to date for this year yet but this post has all of the deadline info you need. Wanted to get it out there as soon as possible. Looking forward to meeting some of you!


    Must really want it to live in Fresno

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    The Congressman is back yo

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Will there be anymore threats to retired veterans who work now as a Federal civil servant over pension issues? Active duty for 23 years and the last two as an WG employee. I came in the VEAP era and was never allowed to join the Montgomery GI bill and barely eligible for the 9/11 bill. Thank God for Tricare!! Always hear leadership trying to come up with plans to degrade our retirements to save a buck. What is the reason my service comp date is only the day  I started as a civilian instead of the first day I enlisted in 1980 since I retired? 


    Federal employees can use Tricare now?

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    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Why are guys so hung up on the airlines? Are they worried that after 3 years they could be told to walk? Is the airline lifestyle that inticing or is the AGR lifestyle not worth it even for the guys who commute?

    As far as the fed government retirement the Army guys don't seem to complain. Maybe it's the lack of airline opportunity or supporting the guys on the ground mentality.

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    • Downvote 5

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Let's see.... I'll take a stab at this.

    The Guard and Reserves used to be a real good deal, but things have changed a lot since 9/11. We're being abused. The difference now is that we have options and leverage. Is it still a better deal than AD? In a lot of ways, yes, but our government's expectations from the ARC is over the top.

    They've gotten used to the ARC's willingness to bend over backwards to get'r done for a paycheck. Furloughed airline pilots, ARC bums, ART's looking to close the gap between a shitty net pay and an AGR salary, you name it, the ARC has risen to the occasion with just about everything they've thrown at us. Yeah, we all raised our hands and are as patriotic as the next guy, but at the end of the day you have to make it worth our while to do rotation after rotation to PACOM and CENTCOM.

    We don't have the reprieve the AD guys do of a staff tour (gasp), being detailed to the Wing or getting a white jet tour to break up the monotony of living in the desert. Traditional guardsmen/reservists are pretty much line pilots for life. You have the option to stay in as a Lt Col for 28 years and fly the line every day of those 28 years. We've relied on a lot of volunteerism, but when you've got guys who've been doing this for 15-20 years, they're getting tired and it's come to the point where it's just not worth it to them anymore.

    I don't care what some of the AD guys think, it's not easy to be a mission-ready pilot at less than 1/3 the cost of our AD counterparts while holding a full-time civilian job. We don't have to do any less training than anyone else out there. Add that to the mountains of ancillary training, DIY administrative queep, and the neverending shift toward support agencies being allowed to run the AF the way they want it run, not the way it should be run.

    Our traditionals don't get a bonus to stay past 10 years. In the past, our retention program was good deal trips to cush destinations and unparalleled comradery while we were there, but those deals are few and far in between. Add that to anal retentive policies that have shit-canned just about any fun you could possibly have in fear of an article 15 or worse, jail time.

    On the full-time side, the ART program is going to destroy the ARC's ability to maintain mission-ready flying squadrons and they're about 10 years too late trying to fix it.

    So yes, I see there being many challenges for the ARC and I'm not looking forward to it. I need 5 more years to get my guard retirement. It's gonna be the longest 5 years of my life. Speaking of retirements, this new military retirement system coming online soon will NOT work in the ARC's favor for retention.

    Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk

    I see lots of Art postings in the Guard/Reserves but are they not giving out AGR jobs? Would guys stay in or have they already made the decision to jump to the airlines for more stability?

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    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    With the shortage of ART's is that helping the guys bumming get more days? It doesn't seem like the bums are filling the full time jobs. Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk

    I can tell you the times of the "Guard Bum" is gone. 9/11 really created what we know as bumming because the airlines weren't hiring. Most of the bums have gotten airline jobs and most don't have interest in coming in. Why? Increased CENTCOM and PACOM rotations. When people are deploying twice a year and have a civilian job, they don't want to spend their free time at the unit. With a lot of our more experience IP-Major/Lt Col types bailing out of ART positions, we are hiring 1Lt's right out of UPT into full-time jobs. Great for them. Not so great for the unit.

    The ART program will die an ugly death. It takes getting hired at a Step 7 with a 25% retention bonus to match what an O-4/12+ makes on ACIP. Or you can go get hired with UAL or DAL and make more on 2nd year FO pay while sitting on reserve.

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    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.

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    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I know you guys are aircrew, and as aircrew, I'm fully aware that we bitch a lot.

    But man, you guys REALLY bitch a lot.

    I took the bonus. $155k/year is what I'd have to make on the outside to achieve the same take home pay. Is it the best job in the world? Probably not. But the airlines never appealed to me, and are full of their own pitfalls. I'm 35 years old and I make $155k/year. For a single guy, that's a lot of money. I'm fully aware a 365 has my name on it, at some point. That's fine, even more money to stash away (tax free).

    The job isn't that bad. Some guys have it worse than others, sure. But at 20 years, those of us that stayed in get to retire and do what we really want to do with the rest of our lives. Not a bad deal if you ask me.

    Figured I'd throw in an opinion that goes against the norm here. Bitch away...

    You can't post that you're voluntarily staying in the AF on this forum. This is Baseops, only angry people allowed :)

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