Weekend travel

[FLY6584]

Hey guys I was just wondering what the rules are about going out of town for the weekend on Active Duty. In about 4 weeks I graduate and commission and then I'm off to ASBC on 29 May and then to Columbus for Casual on 14 July and then I start UPT 26 Feb 08.

You see I'm thinking about getting into standup jetski racing and I was wondering if this would be possible with my career? I would basically like to attend races within 5-7 hours of my base occasionally on the weekends. It wouldn't be another career or something that I would be trying to make money at. It would just be a weekend hobby type of thing.

What are the rules about going out of town for the weekend on casual/regular active duty and what are the rules for going out of town for the weekend during UPT? I think I've heard that you aren't allowed to leave within 150mi of the base during UPT. Is that true? Now I know UPT is very busy and while I'm there UPT will DEFINITELY be my #1 priority, but I've been told that on the weekends you really need to kick back and have some fun out at the lake with your classmates. More than likely I won't even try to attend any races during my year of UPT and just use that year to practice at the lake on the weekends.

So I guess I'm really just wondering what are the rules about travelling on the weekends for regular active duty flying not during UPT. If you leave town Friday night and are back by Sunday night are you required to take leave? Now I've heard if you wanted to take off Friday and be back Sunday you would still need to take 3 days of leave. Is that true?

I know being in the Air Force is a huge commitment and the Air Force will always come first for me, but I'm just hoping I can still do the things in life that I've always wanted to do.

Do many of you feel that being in the Air Force has kept you from doing some of the things you wanted to do? Now I know the answer to that is going to be yes, but the Air Force has also allowed you to do things in life that as a civilian you would never be able to do. So honestly does anyone feel that there has been hobbies or activities that you have wanted to do that the Air Force has prevented you from doing?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know I sound really selfish, but you only live once. Most importantly I wouldn't trade anything for my chance to be a United States Air Force Officer and Pilot and I just want to make sure that getting into outside hobbies such as racing will not affect my career.

Thanks

[FLY6584]

By the way for those of you that don't know, this is what a standup jetski looks like. They are 1000x's more fun than the sitdown type. If any Lt's are looking for some cheap fun out at the lake for the weekend give one a try and pick yourself up one. They are a fraction of the price of the sitdown type and use a whole lot less fuel. Heck come 14 July anyone at Columbus can give one of mine a whirl.

The guy on the right is definitely not me, but that'll give you an idea of what the pros can do on these things.

Edited April 14, 2007 by FLY6584

[pcola]

The problem you are going to run into is that USAF flying is not a M-F thing. UPT is pretty much M-F, but when you get to your first ops squadron, all bets are off. This is my first assignment, so I don't have much of a perspective, but in my job we pretty much ignore weekends, most holidays, and "family"/"goal" days. We have taskable lines 7 days a week, and have 2 crews on alert 7 days a week. We also usually have an off station trainer going out on the weekends. I have flown or sat alert on the majority of weekends in my first year on station. That's not to say you won't get time off, just that sometimes you have to take a day off during the normal work week vs a Friday or Saturday. Other squadrons may be different, hopefully somebody else will post their POV.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

It depends.

You will have some free time on weekends during UPT, but probably not much. You will have to prioritize carefully. Consider carefully how much effort you put into doing "things you always wanted to do" while you are in pilot training. There will be little sympathy for you if you begin to struggle and the IPs know you are off raging around on you jet ski every weekend. It may not effect your performance but there is a tendency for sharks to smell blood in the water during formal training. Right or wrong, you just need to be aware.

If you are doing well, no one will care what you do with your free time.

There is no way to say how much free time you will have after UPT. That depends on your aircraft type and the mission. Fighter squadrons typically work M-F and airlift squadrons have airplanes flying around the globe 24/7.

My advice, ride your jet ski as much as you want/can but keep your priorities straight.

[Boxhead]

My suggestion would be to do the jet ski thing while not in UPT. You are going to have to fill out a "hazardous activities" form...so you are going to get highlighted (not necessarily negatively, but still)...if you choose to not fill out that paperwork, well let's just say you better not get hurt...then you can kiss UPT bye-bye. (guy in the class behind me skydived, no form filled out, broke an ankle a week out from hitting the flightline...now a finance guy...)

Don't be the guy to get hurt while breaking the rules while in UPT.

Once out of UPT, it is all about your schedule. You still need that form, but it is not near as big a deal. Plus, they tend not to care where you are as much on your days off.

Have fun, just dot the "I"s and cross the "T"s...

[LT4Life]

I'll tell you one thing, even if it is allowed and your flight commander doesn't gripe about your "dangerous and unnecessary" weekend activity, a 5-7 drive is not what people are talking about when they say kick back at the lake with your classmates. Nobody is going to want to drive 5-7 hours unless they have more than 3 days off and it is spring break.

Do it before you get in and plan on ending your career in jet ski NASCAR when phase 1 starts. You won't have time when UPT starts. Even if you do, as karma will have it you will have a Monday morning checkride after your weekend race everytime. Pcola is right as well. Weekends in an MWS are a crap shoot. Sometimes it works out and sometimes you find out Friday night you won't be home for a few weeks.

Also, stand-up jet ski racing? Really?

[FLY6584]

I appreciate all of the advice guys. I definitely wouldn't try to attend any races during UPT. UPT is far too important to me.

Like I said racing would be more of a hobby that would work around the Air Force. Let's say once I'm in my Flying Squardon and if I knew I had off for the weekend and there was a race within 5 hours or so I would try and make it for the weekend. I wouldn't never let any of it affect my career. Heck if I could attend 2-3 races a year I'd be perfectly happy. It definitely wouldn't be an every weekend kind of thing.

Going back to the rules for leaving for the weekend while not at UPT. Do you have to take leave if you know you're off Saturday and Sunday and you want to head out of town Friday night and come back Sunday night? Now if you wanted to take off Friday or Monday in addition to a weekend you knew you had off would you have to take 3 days of leave.

Thanks again

[FLY6584]

Also, stand-up jet ski racing? Really?

Yeah man, did you think they don't make those anymore? Everyone always comes up to me and says they can't believe they still make those things and thought they stopped making them over 10 years ago. They are actually making a huge comeback and the sport is really starting to grow.

[FLY6584]

and for those of you that are interested in what the racing side of it is like here is a pretty cool helmet cam video:

http://www.davearnoldlive.com/video/flores.wmv

[brabus]

Get it all out of your system before UPT. Once started, the most I would do is go ride at a close lake (i.e. within 2-3 hrs max) on a Saturday when it's nice. Leaving Fri after work and coming back Sun night is going to screw you most likely. 99% of Sundays, you should be studying by early afternoon. 99% of weekends you will not be able to afford taking an entire weekend to go do something. If it was a 3 day weekend, then going Fri night-Sun night would be fine, you'd just do your studying on Mon. Aside from the time management portion, you have to think about injury. Skydiving is just slightly beneath flying in my book. I love to do it. Guess what, I haven't jumped since a month before starting UPT. No matter how much I love to do it, the risk of injury is NOT worth becoming a finance officer (as Boxhead said). Casual riding during UPT like I mentioned above is fine, but I can only assume competitive racing adds a danger level that is too high to risk your wings on. I know even racing is probably pretty safe...shit, I know skydiving is pretty darn safe. So I'm not being a safety first geek, but you just got prioritize. I fully plan on taking skydiving back up as much as possible after I get my wings and start finding the time (not for a while I'm sure), but until then, my flying career is much more important. Just my opinion.

[CHS17]

The short answer to your leave question is yes. The AF gives you 30 days of leave every year, in part, because you have to use leave over the weekend. At Charleston, local area is 300 miles. If you stay w/i that range, no leave, but you can be recalled at any time. Anyone remember the shooting match between Israel and Hezbollah? Prime example, CHS was scrambling on a Saturday afternoon to find people to make crews. If you go beyond that radius or want to make it a three day weekend, you will have to take three days of leave. Leave has to start and end at home station. Could you push it, bend the rules a little bit? Yeah, you could just take leave for Friday. The big 'BUT' to that is if you get hurt, car accident, jet ski accident, whatever, Mother Blue will tell you to pay for it yourself.

My advice, if you want to race during casual, ask the CC for advance leave, he/she knows you'll make that leave up during UPT. The only leave I used was for Christmas. Good luck.

[FLY6584]

My advice, if you want to race during casual, ask the CC for advance leave, he/she knows you'll make that leave up during UPT. The only leave I used was for Christmas. Good luck.

Yeah after thinking about it some more more than likely I would probably wait to attend any races until after UPT and use those leave days during Casual for wedding/honeymoon/etc. It just wouldn't be worth it to hurt myself and ruin my career.

I did have one more question about leave though. Like I said I am reporting to Columbus for casual on 14 July. The thing is, every year since I was a kid I have gone down to the Florida Keys for the opening day of Lobster Season. It has always been a tradition with my family and friends. The opening day of Lobster Season is always the first Sunday in August so this year it will be 5 August. Now I realize I am not always going to be able to go on that vacation with my family and friends and I am perfectly fine with that. What I was wondering was would it be ok to ask my Commander so soon after being on Casual to take a week off and go on this vacation being that I would definitely be missing next years trip because of UPT? I mean I report for Casual on 14 July then I would be leaving for a vacation on 5 August. Is that out of line and would it be bad for me to ask my Commander to do that? I mean I figure you usually don't do much on casual anyways, but at the same time I want to make a good impression on my first Commander and get my career off to a good start.

Ya'll please be honest. If you think I am being too self-centered and I should just shut up and color as soon as I get to Columbus please feel free to tell me that. You're not going to offend me.

[LT4Life]

It's like CHS said, take advanced leave while casual. You will have a chance to make it up during UPT and follow on. In case you didn't know you can take more leave than you have (going in the hole) assuming you make it up in the future. I'm sure your CC won't mind a casual guy burning some leave since he obviously knows what little time you'll have in UPT. I never did casual but I'm sure you will be used while your there but not really missed when you're not. Just talk to someone when you get there about your requested leave. I'd start with your flight commander or an ADO rather than the CC, but people are willing to work with you if you give them enough heads up.

It's like everyone's said, get it out of your system on casual so you can take your 1+ year of UPT and focus on the tasks at hand.

[EvilEagle]

I race motorcycles (Aprilia Mille now...). It's a hobby, but you can't get too attached. I spent all winter getting my bike ready and signing up for all the races I could. Now I'm 3 weeks into a 2 1/2 month TDY (short notice) during which I'll miss about 6 race weekends. Oh well, them's just the breaks...

[Whitman]

My advice, if you want to race during casual, ask the CC for advance leave, he/she knows you'll make that leave up during UPT. The only leave I used was for Christmas. Good luck.

How much advance (in the hole) leave are you authorized to take? I seem to remember 14 days if you'll be attending technical training (UPT) but does anyone know for sure?

[brabus]

I think it really depends on your leadership. Some will let you take a bunch, others won't let you take any. My guess would be they'd probably let you take about 15 max. Even though you'll earn it back + some during UPT, they probably want to make sure you still have a little extra in case something comes up. I just wouldn't count on any more than that.