$125K Navy Pilot Bonus

[Scratcher]

I agree with Tanker. I passed on the 25 for 5 and jumped ship. It's been two years since I left and I've never had as much time at home since joining the Nav 13 years ago.

There a very few that were getting passed over in the Navy before I left. Most were because of alcohol related incidents in their record. It didn't have to be a major incident like a DUI or anything, just had some kind of Page 13 with the word alcohol on it.

 

[NavinRJohnson]

P3 guys get a bonus... Maybe.

This info is as of fall '05, but those P-3 aviators that stayed in the Navy could elect to get a bonus (I don't think it was the full 25k, something a bit less). The catch was, you had to screen for Department head by the end of your disassociated sea tour. If you didn't screen, you had to give the money back.

Making 04 was no big deal, but from what I understood, you pretty much had to have a stellar record (ie Early Promote, Instructor Pilot during first tour) in addition to getting orders to VP-30 (the RAG, for those not in the VP community) to screen. Very slim odds for any that went to the VT squadrons for their shore tour.

If you don't screen, you won't ever make command, topping out probably at the O5 level in wing staff as a twilight tour. Not that there will be much to command until the 737's come online, sometime in the next millenia.

While I enjoyed hanging out with my fellow JO's, my sea tour was not enjoyable, in large part to the O4's and the front office. No monetary amount could buy me back into that community. It used to not be that way (late 80's, early 90's) but things changed.

Glad to be on the civilian side...

Navin

 

[pilotyip]

Scratcher, in the old days you could not get promoted unless you went to the squadron happy hour with Skipper every Friday and rolled the dice until you fell over. My how things change

 

[Scratcher]

Amen!

 

[Spyguy]

I have not read this year's flavor of bonuses, but there were three you could choose from. 1 - 5/25 aviation (all pilots/NFO's) and you pay it back if you don't screen for DH. 2- Department head bonus (not sure on amount but owe less years (2 I think or it may be the sea service one, but one of them is only two). 3- Sea Duty one. Again don't know the amount.
You can choose only one of these. Yes, P-3's are fat on pilots now, but that is because they shrank the number of pilots in each squdron from 36 down to 30 right when they had a flux from Sept 11. The bean counters already adjusted the inflow of new P-3 pilots coming in as of 2 years ago. So, the abundance of mid-level pilots is only temporary.
I will go back to my original arguement about people getting in or getting out. The CNO has agreed to take up some of the slack for the army and the A/F in Iraq and Afg. Last year the navy had around 3,000 Individual Augmentations (IA's). This year that number is going to jump to 13,000, oh and they are now 1 year long.
Trust me when I say people are going to be bailing ship like rats trying to escape a fire. The bonus is like trying to douse a four alarm fire with a mop bucket. People are not going to stand for three/four CONSECUTIVE sea duties. That amounts to roughly 7/9 years and at the current rate of deployment you will be gone roughly 5/7 years. NO amount of money is worth that. You'll get some single guys to bite, but even my single friends are wanting out. In fact, some of them are yelling the loudest. They don't have time to try and even have a chance for a family.
NavinRJjohson is very correct about the P-3 community. Ep-3 is slightly different. Our numbers are small still so making O-4 is easier, but no one really wants to stay that long.

 

[Scratcher]

Spyguy is correct, the bonus will keep a few but it doesn't stop the bleeding. The fact that the airlines are doing more hiring although not as much as the late 90s will make it even more dificult for somebody to decide to stay in and take the abuse that it looks like is in store for them.

With the additional duties away and non-flying, plus the additional requirements for joint and ACSC in order to promote it just makes your career too unpredictible sometimes. But I guess if you take the bonus at 25 a year thats what your willing to do.

In previous years your DH was 15 for 3 but when I left I'm pretty sure they had actually increased it to 25 for 3.

I'm glad I made my decision to get off AD even though I would say the civilian world hasn't been completely kind to me.

 

[NavinRJohnson]

You know what though Scratcher, I'm still a happier guy now. No more 6+ months away from the family (I can handle a 4 day trip). On the work side, all I have to do is focus on being a professional pilot. No more collateral duties!!!

Not only that, I found a paying reserve billet in my hometown so I can trapse along for another 8 yrs until I hit my years requirement for retirement. Minimal investment in time for a guaranteed pension at the end (I hope). Alas, it's not flying, but hey, I don't have to commute to both my job and reserve.

The only thing that I'll miss is the JO's I met and hung out with on all of my tours, along with the 2 Kloster ride from Utaphao (sp?) to Pattaya. Rumor was there was formaldehyde in that stuff, and I think it was true...

Hasta, the Navin

 

[flyingmonkey]

deleted

 

[YeOldeProp]

Oh baby....Combat Kloster's (ice cold 1 liter bottles) in the Thai countryside. In the crewdog world of "Been There-Done That"...that's one of the better "T-shirts" going...