SFG
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Posts posted by SFG
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3 hours ago, Champ Kind said:
(in case you’re trying to make life plans as far as getting out/staying in).
Wait... we're allowed to have those!?!?!?!?
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6 hours ago, brawnie said:
Not to get sidetracked, but tax brackets don’t work that way. You only pay the higher rate on the dollars that exceed the tier values - taking the bonus will have absolutely no effect on the rest of your “normal” pay/“the % you are used to paying.” It’s impossible to lose money by bringing in more income.
Yep, we're saying the same thing. "As it is, if you take one of the lump sum options you're getting forced into a much higher tax bracket losing an additional 8-11% ON MOST OF YOUR BONUS plus the % you are used to paying in taxes."
In other words, you pay the same on what you're used to... and the part of the bonus that enters the higher tax brackets (most of it) you pay more on.
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1 hour ago, jazzdude said:
Even if they could fill in for 11Ms, who will backfill 11R/11S?
Also, AMC has been supplying lots of extra bodies for rated staff billets and the white jet bills-who will fill those if the 11Ms punch?That’s kind of my point. 11Ms, 11Ss, and 11Rs are cut from the same cloth.
But I see what you’re saying about retraining and the business case for focusing on 11Ms.
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Also, my buddy's excel worksheet says the bonus needs to be at least $65,000 to begin to stem the flow and compete with the airlines. Bummer.
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It'd be worth a lot more if they could get Congress to make the bonus tax-free. As it is, if you take one of the lump sum options you're getting forced into a much higher tax bracket losing an additional 8-11% on most of your bonus plus the % you are used to paying in taxes. Not worth it unless you've got a lot of hope for your investment portfolio.
Also, I don't really understand the tiers. It should be more like 11F/B, 11U, 11H, and everyone else (not necessarily in that order). What's the difference between an 11M, an 11R, and an 11S? Yeah I get it... their respective communities have different manning levels/take-rates, but 11Ss and 11Rs could go fly in place of an 11M pretty easily... and when all of the 11Ms leave, they will. Non-fighter fixed wing dudes should all get the same.
Note to all non-11Ms... cross-train to 11M before you become eligible for the bonus.
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9 minutes ago, FlyingMonkey95 said:
What about the other way around. Does the AF have access to FAA medical records?
The AF has access to you.
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1 hour ago, JPIG_NAV said:
So I just came across this in the AFMAN65-604 (Air Force's Financial Management Manual):
This is for FY19, mind you
The aviation bonus is first noted here:
7.1.5. 512 Incentive Pay – Officer Totals. This project provides for pay per 37 U.S.C. § 301 and § 351 for these types of duties: 7.1.5.1. Rated officers who qualify for Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP).
7.1.5.2. Aviation Bonus (AvB). A financial incentive to complement non-monetary initiatives to improve aviation officer retention.
7.1.5.2.1. Pilots.
7.1.5.2.2. Navigators.
7.1.5.2.3. Air Battle Managers.
..........and then under the 512 list of subprojects:
512.13 AvB – Pilot
512.14 AvB – Navigator (Legacy)
512.15 AvB – Air Battle Manager (Legacy)
What do you think legacy means? To me, since those two career fields are the only ones labeled with "legacy," it feels like there wont be a new round of bonuses for ABMs/Navs, and legacy means paying out bonuses from the past? Or, they are maintaining last years bonus terms for those two careers, and altering the pilot's?
Either way, please tell me I am way off here...
My guess is that it has more to do with the pot of money than anything.
Word on the street is 22 Jan now.
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Can you explain why you would stay in at 20 when you could get out and start collecting your pension and start a second career? Staying in past 20 seems a lot like working for a $30,000-50,000 discount.
I’m genuinely interested. I think it would be great to have the opportunity to stay in after 20, but I can’t justify it. Kids college and retirement is expensive. Curious if there’s a perspective I haven’t considered that makes more sense.
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24 minutes ago, snoopyeast said:
Warning: Nerd level bitching ahead. Discovered after a long deployment and lots of time in front of a govt computer.
Go to the USAF bios
https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Biographies/
Scroll down and click on a random letter in the last name search. Look for bios with an old-ish looking picture and pilot wings. Then check out the total hours and what that person did.
Then look for some more recent bios and note the drastic difference.
Examples? I went in thinking I would find one thing, but ten minutes later I'd still only clicked on Generals with 2,700 to 3000+ hours, new and old.
I did see a difference in combat hours. The oldest bios don't even seem to track that metric. Can you fault a guy for not having a lot of combat time when there wasn't a lot of combat?
Really, the biggest difference I saw was the mustaches. Glorious mustaches. Those were the days.
Question: Do AMC guys log Combat Support towards Combat Time?
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7 hours ago, Hacker said:
Well, it is called "the service". It isn't about you, me, or any of us.
One can only volunteer for so long before real life happens.
Serving was actually pretty easy when single. With family came the realization that life isn't all about me and what I want to do, or where I want to serve, but that I also need to provide my wife and kids with the best life that I have the opportunity to provide them.
I am not saying that life is necessarily better outside of the AF for everyone, because it depends on each person's specific circumstances, but for everyone, at some point the AF necessarily stops becoming service and starts becoming a job when you are suddenly given the responsibility to put other people in your life who depend on you first. You can't responsibly raise your hand to volunteer for whatever it is you feel is important when your family, your wife and your kids, are asking you to volunteer to be the best husband and father that they'll ever have. Again, each person's circumstances vary, but family should still change one's priorities and will affect one's ability to "serve" without other considerations.
Now, I think most people would place an existential threat to our nation over many of their family's needs, at least in the short term, but what we are finding is that few are willing to place current operations, pay, QOL, etc. over their family's short-term, much less long-term well-being, or dare I say it, prosperity.
I think wiser use of the military, improvements to the system, comparable QOL, and competitive pay would change many people's minds and would allow them to continue to serve while also giving them a greater opportunity to feel like they did right by their family as they lie on their deathbed and take their final breath.
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Rumor has it the FY19 Aviation Bonus (AvB) will be released this week. Check out this link for some critical info: https://www.airlinepilotforums.com/major/118841-end-year-salary-survey-26.html
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5 hours ago, ThreeHoler said:
Regarding aviation pay...there is no change to the gate months. The addition allows fliers in those specific positions to continue aviation pay even if not gate complete.
Para 3.3.b covers the rest of us in OFDA creditable positions (flying positions / API coded).
Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile appThat’s correct. There has been no change to AvIP since that change in 2016. Since then, aviators placed in non-flying gigs who are not assigned to one of the 4 positions above are no longer eligible for AvIP regardless of gate-months completed.
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11 hours ago, Breckey said:
So I read this that if the billet is an 11/12X position then you're good. I guess the AMS mail robots will get even more desperate.
Yes, I think that’s accurate.
The problem is with jobs that are 11/12 “desired”. Since they’re not “must”-fills with aviators your AvIP will stop no matter how many gates you’ve completed.
Anyone with or looking at staying 12+ should take note as this could affect them... especially anyone looking at going to non-joint Staff, anyone taking secondary AFSCs (like FAO/PAS) or someone switching to the new 13O careerfield. Read: pay cut for filling institutional requirements.
There are probably others it affects. In general, not a worry for most aviators, but cutting off AvIP for 10-20% of folks between 12-28 YAS will def save the AF some money. Go AF.
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15 hours ago, slackline said:
Have the source document or linky? I’d just like to lay eyes on that so I can really be pissed...https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/773067_dodi_2016.pdf
Found this after I saw it referenced in a brief and the briefer’s assertion sounded strange, but turned out to be correct.
Section 3.3.
“These officers are eligible for AvIP for up to [xx] years of aviation service as long as they are assigned to...”
”(1) A Joint assignment or position on the Joint Duty Assignment List.
(2) Attending resident professional military education or a fully-funded graduate education program authorized by the Secretary of the Military Department concerned.
(3) Aviation-specific positions that must be filled by officers with an aeronautical rating.
(4) Career-enhancing assignments outside of aviation or based on the needs of the Military Services for a period not to exceed 48 consecutive months.” -
7 hours ago, Sua Sponte said:
No, they just have angry veteran’s who are pissed they took away their opiates because they were abusing them and try to guilt trip the employees into “helping out a veteran.” Which I think around 50% of VA employees are veterans themselves.
Are you 5? Blaming angry veterans hooked on opiates for the VAs bad press? You’ve got to be kidding me.
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5 hours ago, Sit On Acorns said:
Confirming that I got the extra Verizon discount to work...total of $45 off per month.
I spent 5 hours on the phone “with” them over the course of 3 days, and only 2 of those hours were with an actual person after getting disconnected several times. Still no answers. Lots of confusion. All I wanted to know is what my bill would be if I signed up with them. Would you mind sharing what your monthly bill is? Would be very much appreciated!
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7 minutes ago, Smokin said:
Sounds like on opportunity to instruct young airmen on their mission in the AF, and if they didn't respond appropriately, then have a talk with the life support officer. If we can't fix broken shit in the ops building ourselves, how can we expect big blue to fix broken shit outside the ops building?
Put that way, I guess the problem with the AF is an excess of opportunities...
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On March 13, 2018 at 2:58 PM, akang2006 said:
Finally got my CMS case (18 Jan 2018) for AvIP adjudicated. Despite the DFAS pay table showing $1K/mo available for over 10 years aviation service, DFAS abides by the Oct 2017 AF memo showing $700/mo. USAF is leaving $300/mo on the table when it could pay the $1K. No reason, just cause.
DFAS updated the 2018 pay tables to reflect that services may elect to pay less. That statement wasn’t in the initial release from DFAS in early 2018.
Something else I just discovered that happened under the table late in 2016...
Even if you have completed all your gates, which previously would have entitled you to AvIP through 25 years of aviation service, you will no longer receive AvIP ("Flight Pay") if you are in an assignment outside of aviation for more than 48 consecutive months.
Exceptions are Joint Duty Assignment List assignments, resident PME or AF-funded education programs, or positions requiring an aeronatical rating.
The more you know...
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2 hours ago, NKAWTG said:
Got bored staring at my computer in my 9 to 5 non flying desk job, and started to geek out on the mobility take rate data. So for the past 3 years, the number of useful fodder pilots, defined as non IDE select bonus takers, has been less 100. This year is less than 60. These are the passed over majors and line IP Lt Cols that wings use to fill ADOs, OGV, IG, XP, and MAJCOM staffs use to push paper. And to feed the deployment machine filling 365s, I mean 2x 180s. We'll always have enough of the HPO and command track types, but the experienced pilots are disappearing.
We're 5 or more years from bottoming out on the experience level in the MAF. But we're the healthiest of the bunch?
What’s the number on the bottom? The denominator if you will. 100/x? 60/x?
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We need to put in a FOIA request to the AF for the email chains about this stuff. Would love to see how the decision-making process went...
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Just now, Homestar said:
This is more rational. It’s like being scared to drive because drunk drivers kill thousands every year.
But I get your point.
On a more serious note, I was always told if you stay in for 20, you WILL take a 365.
IMO it still waits to be seen if that remains the case.
lightning strikes aren’t likely, but stand in an open field...
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33 minutes ago, Homestar said:
This seems irrational to me. There are far fewer 365s for rated officers now than there were 5-6 years ago.
Im not saying that the threat of 365s isn’t causing people to get out, because I continually hear people say it’s a factor. But it’s kind of like saying you won’t go to the beach because people get killed by sharks.
It only takes one!
shark, that is.
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12 minutes ago, brawnie said:
I think talent management is a big deal. Personally seeing dudes I really look up to get f*@%ed without any notice I know has scared a lot of guys about to make the bonus decision. Up or out has to go. APZ needs to be a thing. HPOs as a quota have to go. Fix DOPMA. OPR/promotions have to get better so people can plan their lives. And we need to stop working just to work. Everyone is burned out and tired.
This is it. Plus transparency. Did anyone else know that not all jobs are going to be posted on MyVector? Ever. There are hundreds being held in reserve for hand-picked folks. I’m not against competitive selection, but they should still advertise the jobs and put whatever criteria they want in the description.
Also, AFPAK Hands. Wtf. It’s like the symbol of all that is wrong with the AF and just hearing it disgusts me. When higher leadership is asked in public about it they always say, “Oh yeah, it’s great, but... you should meet with your Sq/CC to discuss some of the... uh... career implications.” Transparency. Just say it dude. We don’t need your closed door meetings.
What do we value? It shouldn’t be the same across the board. It should depend on the job. We should match to skills not to career progression. It shouldn’t be that “this guy needs to do this job to stay on track” but rather “this person is the best for this job.”
Trash the career timeline. Tie positions to rank like they do with O-9 and O-10. You want a job with more responsibility? Go for it. Apply for it. May the best person win. F*<£ your 24-yr pole year (which I just heard a General emphasize last week with respect to developing a specific person’s career)
“But we can’t promote the most qualified for a job to that job!”
Why not?
“*computing* *wheezing* strats! *black smoke from ears* school! *uncontrollable shaking* ta ta ta timeline! nya nyanyanyanya zzzittzzzazzzait pp ppp puuuuushhh lii li liiiinnnneeesss!!! *BOOM* *Mind blown*”
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2 hours ago, raimius said:
There is that break-even dollar value, but I'd argue that reducing the causes of the "F you" part would be more cost effective than paying pilots more than Delta or United can offer.
Reduce causes AND pay more. At the end of the day I need to know I am offering my family the best financial future possible.
Being able to pay for whatever number of kids college and being set up for stability (=$) for the last 45 years of our lives would be nice... is there any job that offers that?
If I had to choose loving my job for 10 more years or getting that future for my family, it’s the future. Airlines are offering it.
Promotion and PRF Information
in General Discussion
Posted
Rumor has it specific guidance is coming in July. Maybe this SR is just an overachiever.