pawnman Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 If the only people taking the bonus are the ones who would stay anyway... why would the Air Force keep it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magellan Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 55 minutes ago, pawnman said: If the only people taking the bonus are the ones who would stay anyway... why would the Air Force keep it? Retention could tank even further. I think it is a false assumption that those 30% were staying anyway. The IDE, Staff, DO, SQ/CC, School, Staff hustle to stay Tier 1 and survive until 20 years becomes A LOT less appealing if you pay them $245,000 or more less... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoleIt Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 I don't think I would have gambled a 3 year ADSC extension (because of COVID) if it wasn't for the extra bonus money. I probably would have taken the ART job or DSG options I had. I sure do regret not taking the ART now! Granted, I'm also not the main consumer the bonus is being marketed to. The AF really wants people to stay til 20, thus why they dropped the shorter term bonus. Better question, with the rate the airlines are going to higher...can the AF take a risk messing with the bonus any more just to find out if that 30% would stay regardless? I mean...what if it drops to 10%? Are they prepared to basically gut an entire FY of officers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
di1630 Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 The bonus does matter. Imagine the line pilot working 14 hour days making the same plus measly flight pay as the shoe clerk that barely works.I’d cut the bonus and make flight pay $1k at UPT and then rise $250 a year to $4k.We’d get better UPT candidates I bet and better retention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pawnman Posted September 1, 2021 Share Posted September 1, 2021 20 minutes ago, di1630 said: The bonus does matter. Imagine the line pilot working 14 hour days making the same plus measly flight pay as the shoe clerk that barely works. I’d cut the bonus and make flight pay $1k at UPT and then rise $250 a year to $4k. We’d get better UPT candidates I bet and better retention. Maybe...but doesn't your scenario describe every pilot who doesn't take the bonus but stays on AD? I'd be curious if retention rates match bonus take rates. I suspect they're not one-for-one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckHunter Posted September 2, 2021 Share Posted September 2, 2021 13 hours ago, Chuck17 said: Get ready for this kinda take rate being used as justification to kill the bonus altogether… I give it one more FY, tops. Makes a perfect compliment to the $300+B in cuts coming to the Pentagon… Rough roads ahead. Chuck Great. Maybe they’ll bring back early retirement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Retention could tank even further. I think it is a false assumption that those 30% were staying anyway. The IDE, Staff, DO, SQ/CC, School, Staff hustle to stay Tier 1 and survive until 20 years becomes A LOT less appealing if you pay them $245,000 or more less...Retention will tank further; every passing day proves it…I agree. I disagree about the 30%, they were at worst willing to stay. I also disagree it takes any of those thing listed to make it to 20 years.That said, we’re in a bad way. Centralized Command, Decentralized Control, and the lower echelons of Command AND the highest levels of Control are both incentivized to just say yes, beyond reason. It’s clear to those who can see it, at the highest and lowest levels.It’s a great job (calling even) this AF pilot gig…it’s a horrible place to spend a career. Don’t ever think it’s the same for 20 years…be a pilot, serve your country, then choose for yourself if this is what you want. Most of us stay because we think others need help/protection. If no one cared about people, the take rate would round down to zero. IMO.Don’t take the bonus unless you love/will love what you’re doing…to each their own.~BendySent from my iPad using Baseops Network mobile app 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter14 Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 Great. Maybe they’ll bring back early retirement.Don’t tease me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckHunter Posted September 4, 2021 Share Posted September 4, 2021 3 hours ago, Scooter14 said: Don’t tease me Haha, I’m teasing myself. I’m one of the guys who was getting out (hit submit on my apps Mar 15, Aug separation date). I took the 3 year to see how things play out. That would be my best case scenario. That being said, I know better. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me a million times… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teaser Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 Wait until the Bob's realize how many pilots are going to be required to conduct Over The Horizon missions. I have a feeling they are already regretting the recently reduced bonus amounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprkt69 Posted September 23, 2021 Share Posted September 23, 2021 6 hours ago, teaser said: Wait until the Bob's realize how many pilots are going to be required to conduct Over The Horizon missions. I have a feeling they are already regretting the recently reduced bonus amounts. I doubt it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 24, 2021 Share Posted September 24, 2021 On 9/23/2021 at 12:51 PM, Sprkt69 said: I doubt it Sadly, it's probably this. Why do anything positive to keep pilot retention? Congress gives ANOTHER billion to the modern nation-state Israel instead 🤣 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Dawg Posted September 27, 2021 Share Posted September 27, 2021 On 9/1/2021 at 7:27 PM, DuckHunter said: Great. Maybe they’ll bring back early retirement. Don’t tempt me with a good time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Rose Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 With the fiscal year over, I was curious where the take rates ended up. They were abysmal, as we all knew they would be. Overall rated take rates for Initial Eligible folks was 42.5%, but that is artificially inflated primarily by higher take rates among CSOs and RPA pilots. Fixed Wing Pilot initial take rate was 35.4%. AFSC breakouts were as follows: 11B - 30% 11F - 29% 11M - 31% 11H - 56% 11S - 54% Can't wait to see the spin if this gets any visibility in Congress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raimius Posted October 13, 2021 Share Posted October 13, 2021 3 hours ago, Hunter Rose said: With the fiscal year over, I was curious where the take rates ended up. They were abysmal, as we all knew they would be. Overall rated take rates for Initial Eligible folks was 42.5%, but that is artificially inflated primarily by higher take rates among CSOs and RPA pilots. Fixed Wing Pilot initial take rate was 35.4%. AFSC breakouts were as follows: 11B - 30% 11F - 29% 11M - 31% 11H - 56% 11S - 54% Can't wait to see the spin if this gets any visibility in Congress. Curious what was the 11H rotary-wing rate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokin Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 Breaking news, congress doesn't care. They might ask 'did the 29% of fighter pilots that took the bonus complete their weekly CBT on transgender anti-racism training?' 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeloDude Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 7 hours ago, raimius said: Curious what was the 11H rotary-wing rate? If I’m a betting man, I bet it’s around 60-65%. That’s assuming that HC-130 pilots make up 15-20% of the 11Hs and that about 35% of those pilots took the bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guardian Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 What is a good or ideal take rate from the viewpoint of big blue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzdude Posted October 14, 2021 Share Posted October 14, 2021 What is a good or ideal take rate from the viewpoint of big blue?The number used to be something like 65% take rate target. Haven't been anywhere near that for several years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Ranch Posted December 26, 2021 Share Posted December 26, 2021 Any rumors on next year’s bonus? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sua Sponte Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 9 hours ago, King Ranch said: Any rumors on next year’s bonus? They're just going to pay for your ATP, Airline Apps, Prep course, etc. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigred Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 11 hours ago, King Ranch said: Any rumors on next year’s bonus? Took a quick search through the 2022 NDAA and I found something to the effect of ‘extending special pay/bonuses’. So, it doesn’t look like the max will change. Now it’s up to the AF to decide how they want to spend it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Dawg Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 I’d like to think after bungling it spectacularly last year, they’ll course correct back to something more like the FY19 bonus….but that implies intelligence and caring on the AF’s part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainMorgan Posted December 27, 2021 Share Posted December 27, 2021 Given they’re doubling down on producing rather than retaining to solve the shortage, I doubt we’ll see any improvements to the bonus. With Afghanistan over, I could also see them adjusting MAF crew ratios again to “help” our manning. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingWolf Posted December 28, 2021 Share Posted December 28, 2021 (edited) We're looking at the highest inflationary environment in most of our lifetimes, big airline hiring at the beginning of a long term surge, and omicron likely signaling endemic C-19. All on the heels of a dramatically poor take rate last year. You would think an adjustment to the contract offering would be a no-brainer... but who knows, maybe we need to fail catastrophically before we change. Edited December 28, 2021 by FlyingWolf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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