At what point will the AF ever decide meeting a deadline is important? It’s infuriating to me in the fact I grew up in an AF where you worked your ass off if you thought you would miss a deadline (to ensure it wouldn’t happen). If you thought you would miss it you better let people know early.

After all the board result SNAFUs you would think AFPC would figure something out yet on the last day of the assignment window the below message comes out.

 

 

At least they gave a piss poor excuse.

 

 

 

I’m 100% not surprised. It’s vacation season and a 4th of July holiday coming up....and this was only the first AFPC deadline for the MAF/DT using a new program Talent Marketplace which apparently was a bust (surprise, an underdeveloped IT system we probably spent millions on not working the way we need it to)....I’m guessing because CCs directly uploaded their requirements the wrong number of jobs at each location was put in for bids (I recall seeing tons of LT UPT positions being advertised....good luck finding many LTs ready to PCS from their first Ops assignment). That or they realized the majority of folks have to be non-vol’d to undesired locations (surprise all 100 of you that bid USAFA airfield #1 won’t get it) and they have to justify sending so many folks to jobs that weren’t even on their list in the middle of a pilot retention crisis (“fine tooth combing” it). 

In general, I’ve notice a lot of QOL initiatives with no follow through...increased lead times for PCS and deployments mandated by the higher ups but the staff is undermanned or under trained to meet those goals (here’s double the work, a new computer system you are untrained on, and a shorter suspense). Not trying to defend them too much, if they set targets and fall 2 weeks short they probably should have announced that before day last and absolutely should have worked a lot harder to not bust the suspense.

Seems to be rated wide, I know several guys including myself that were expecting notifications by the end of June and haven’t heard a thing. 

Seems to be rated wide, I know several guys including myself that were expecting notifications by the end of June and haven’t heard a thing. 

2. Seriously unsat

4 hours ago, Bode said:

 

At least they gave a piss poor excuse.

 

 

 

 

I'm glad to see Coningsby is on this... 

Although it comes as a surprise, from my limited perspective things seemed to be handled well on the fighter side of this assignment cycle. I was notified personally by my CC last week, and the TM process was about as transparent and user-friendly as I think rated assignments will ever get.

Yeah, my community's functional basically told us that all the assignments were decided on by the OG/CCs at Dyess and Ellsworth.  The TM was literally an afterthought for the assignment process, at least for BONE folks.

TM is to give the illusion you have more input into your future assignments...

59 minutes ago, Hunter Rose said:

TM is to give the illusion you have more input into your future assignments...

At this point, that's all it is. TM is too new for the functionals to put any trust into the system. They're basically just looking at the algorithm's output and modifying it to suit what the OGs want. Just like before, the process has worked out for some and robbed others.

AFPC can't meet their own suspense or make a system designed to give people more say in assignments actually do that? 

I'm shocked!  Shocked, I tell you!  /sarcasm

I guess I'll keep waiting.

They really just need to start handing out guaranteed follow-ons with the shitty assignments. I’d jump on a T-6 to Laughlin if I had a C-40 to Hickam to look forward to.

2 hours ago, ihtfp06 said:

They really just need to start handing out guaranteed follow-ons with the shitty assignments. I’d jump on a T-6 to Laughlin if I had a C-40 to Hickam to look forward to.

Better have a signed contract with some enforcement mechanism for that!

Better have a signed contract with some enforcement mechanism for that!

Just ask my bud who volunteered for a one year remote to Korea with the understanding he was to return to the Strike Eagle... functional changed out, the new guy sent him to T-6s and after his 3 years there, he is now flying for American... phenomenal guy, the AF really screwed themselves letting him go.

7 hours ago, Duck said:

Just ask my bud who volunteered for a one year remote to Korea with the understanding he was to return to the Strike Eagle... functional changed out, the new guy sent him to T-6s and after his 3 years there, he is now flying for American... phenomenal guy, the AF really screwed themselves letting him go.

Enlisted usually get guaranteed follow ons with Korea. Weird O’s don’t.

Edited July 1, 20187 yr by Azimuth

40 minutes ago, Azimuth said:

Enlisted usually get guaranteed follow ons with Korea. Weird O’s don’t.

 

8 hours ago, Duck said:

Just ask my bud who volunteered for a one year remote to Korea with the understanding he was to return to the Strike Eagle... functional changed out, the new guy sent him to T-6s and after his 3 years there, he is now flying for American... phenomenal guy, the AF really screwed themselves letting him go.

At least our functional was honest... looking for 365 volunteers said "list your top 5 follow on choices and we'll try to get you one of them"... would work as long as options 1-5 are Dyess.

...anyone still wondering why pilots are getting out so quickly?  This process is jacked.  AFPC KNEW that they'd be late.  They probably knew it in May.  Nope, gunna wait to notify people that their lives are on hold for another month...because the promise of waiting only another month holds lots of water.

Edited July 5, 20187 yr by FourFans130
words

...anyone still wondering why pilots are getting out so quickly?  This process is jacked.  AFPC KNEW that they'd be late.  They probably knew it in May.  Nope, gunna wait to notify people that they're lives are on hold for another month...because the promise of waiting only another month holds lots of water.

 

Bingo, this type of issue is why people are leaving. Every promotion board, now assignments? I worked a drug-deal assignment swap from the summer cycle match and neither of us have received a notification. The assignment I’m taking had training scheduled for 10 Jul. Talked to the registrar on Thursday and his name is still attached.

It's not like people have kids in school, right?  Why PCS during the summer when you can do it in the middle of the school year?

9 hours ago, BADFNZ said:

It's not like people have kids in school, right?  Why PCS during the summer when you can do it in the middle of the school year?

Exactly the situation I'm in.  Judging by the resistance I'm experiencing, you'd think I was asking to get the F-35 procurement canceled.

Any of you dudes received any assignment notifications yet for the winter VML? My functional has been eerily quiet since TM shut down in May.

-9-

Edited July 11, 20187 yr by Nineline

Our functional went completely NORDO about 3 weeks ago right after we got the "must pay" list for the winter VML--still no assignment notifications.

In other news, our FSS said that we should expect the '10 Maj board to be delayed & possibly re-introduce PRFs.

 

11M. Same here. No words. Just the post and word of mouth through the squadron. No official email or TM notification. And we wonder why we struggle at getting people to want to be part of such a dysfunctional organization.

I don't understand why pilots are bailing as quick as they can to go to the airlines...a real head scratcher here 🤦‍♂️

Same same, but then, guys at the FTU were told that they were going to stay put for the time being.  Pretty much the only way out of the FTU is to directly work a one-for-one instructor swap with an Ops squadron through the OG/CCs.  

But then, the functional told us the OG/CCs managed all the assignments.  There wasn't a real clear answer when I asked why we're even filling out the Talent Marketplace thing if the only thing that matters is what our current OG says.

My current assignment: Layover in Frankfurt Germany. My functional (me) is telling me to enjoy some beer and feel sorry for you guys stuck in the active-duty clown show. I truly hope every one of you find an escape hatch to the Guard or Reserve, or, just bail entirely. Good luck folks, this cold one is for you!

Edit: Before this 6-day trip, I had 11 days off. Every single day, playing with my kids, taking them to lunch, saw Incredibles 2, a few days later Ant Man and the Wasp, made them breakfast almost every day, lots of “quality” time with the wife, honey do list complete, etc, etc. After this trip, I have 5 days off. God bless you all.

🍺

Edited July 12, 20187 yr by Merle Dixon