Getting out?

[The_Russian]

All you guys who have been on this site a while seem to want out of the military. Well I really want to get into the military to fly. What reasons are you all leaving for? Thanks guys.

 

[BMW]

Leaving to spend a little more time with the family! Loved being on actuve duty, but its just that you are always on duty. Looking forward to leaving work at work.

 

[L'il J.Seinfeld]

Keep in mind that the mil folks on this board are looking for greener pastures. Those happy with their QOL are not perusing flightinfo.

With that qualifier, I'll tell you why I got out. The worst leaders I knew kept getting assignments and promoted. My last Sq CC was the biggest tool I have ever known. To a person, everyone in my unit would agree that this guy was incompetent, selfish, and lacked integrity. He was selected for AWC and will make O-6. My last Wg/CC was also the worst Wg/CC I had seen in 10 years and she recently made BG. So I got out because of what I perceived to be poor leadership.

 

[Deuce130]

The reasons I left are varied. I loved military flying, I had great leadership on the squadron level, some great, some horrendous leadership on the group and wing level, and thoroughly admired and respected the people I worked with. Indeed, the BEST peeps I've ever met have been in the military. I left b/c I saw an opportunity at FedEx, a very short window of opportunity. They were hiring like crazy and I had some "ins" at the company. I was also pissed off about the bonus. That is probably the only thing I was bitter about. The 20 yr bonus was a great deal and offset any pay you might miss out on the airlines (before the current collapse) and, in my opinion, was part of the perks of being a military pilot. When the bean counters changed it to a 5 yr bonus for FY 05, and now a 5 yr bonus for 06 with no money up front, it sent a very clear message to me. Also, the idea of serving alongside another pilot who I may outrank or supervise in five years, after my bonus had run out and his was still being put in the bank, rubbed me the wrong way. I also had a spot waiting for me in the reserves, which have been pretty good to me so far. It's tough to leave the big blue blanket, but sometimes it pays to gamble.

Russian, good luck in getting in the AF/USN/USMC. There's no better flying and no better training than you'll find in the military.

 

[schoolio]

I got out due to QOL and what was ahead of me. Of course, you have to look at the fact that I was an Army Commissioned Officer, and short of maybe 2 more years of "flying jobs" (a company command, and if lucky, a battalion command), my flying was pretty much done. I looked at the jobs that would have comprised the other 11 years of my career (to get to 20) and they were not jobs that I wanted. I saw the people that were in those jobs and they hated life. They were miserable. These guys would go to work at 6am and leave at 10pm, and they had wives and small children. I just got married in May, and this was not the type of life conducive to family.

Oh yeah, that and another year of living in a tent in the sand, not flying. You can see more about my current QOL (since I've been out of the Army) on my blog, in my signature block.

I don't regret my time one bit. If I had to do it again I would probably go air force. At least I would get to fly there.

 

[anasun2000]

Some people constantly show up for work late, call in sick five minutes before shift start, etc, etc. Despite the fact that they are clearly not an asset to your organization, you cannot fire these people. It appears that I am the lone enlisted person here, but the officer side of the house may have the same problem. Or maybe it is just an Air Force problem?

 

[schoolio]

Call in sick? hehehe there is no calling in sick in the Army.

 

[Ih8AFYesmen]

My experience is similiar to that of "Seinfeld". I think the cause of having $hithead leadership is what happened in the early 90's, IMHO. Back when I went on active duty, there was a RIF (redunction in force); the AF forced a bunch of people out. The smart ones left on their own with a modest severance pay and the WDs stuck it out. The ones who survived the RIF were usually the ones who could not make it on the outside. Now 15 or so years later, these f**kups are now commanders and are in other "leadership" positions.
Now, I'm not saying the dudes/dudettes who've decided stay in are all WDs. Infact, majority of my buds are still on active duty. Given the state of the airlines, who could blame them.
I had a blast flying in the military and made life long friends. No matter what you fly, military flying is a blast and rewarding. In some ways, they throw you to the wolves, but that's when your learning curve hits the L/D max. That's about the only good memory of the military for me. Now, I get to enjoy my family life and the freedom to just say "NO". No more "yesmen" for me!
May I suggest the guard/reserve? Good luck.

 

[ONEWAY]

ahh, the green flight suit..

It truly is great waking up in the morning, and zipping up the green flight suit... but as BMW said, it requires a lot of time away from the family....and depending on what the current task at hand might be, job satisfaction varies from time to time...

While pay is ok, and benefits are pretty much unparallelled, my family and I wish to stop being forced to move around...
I did enjoy it while it has lasted..

 

[L'il J.Seinfeld]

My experience is similiar to that of "Seinfeld". I think the cause of having $hithead leadership is what happened in the early 90's, IMHO. Back when I went on active duty, there was a RIF (redunction in force); the AF forced a bunch of people out. The smart ones left on their own with a modest severance pay and the WDs stuck it out. The ones who survived the RIF were usually the ones who could not make it on the outside. Now 15 or so years later, these f**kups are now commanders and are in other "leadership" positions.
Now, I'm not saying the dudes/dudettes who've decided stay in are all WDs. Infact, majority of my buds are still on active duty. Given the state of the airlines, who could blame them.
I had a blast flying in the military and made life long friends. No matter what you fly, military flying is a blast and rewarding. In some ways, they throw you to the wolves, but that's when your learning curve hits the L/D max. That's about the only good memory of the military for me. Now, I get to enjoy my family life and the freedom to just say "NO". No more "yesmen" for me!
May I suggest the guard/reserve? Good luck.

Finally someone who can recognize my excellent insight. Very interesting observation about the RIF in the early 90's. I think you might have it right. There are current base level senior leaders who expect their young CGOs to put in 10 hour non-flying days in between deployments. Keep in mind that just about every crew dog is deployed 200+ days! No thanks. UPS is widely criticized in its employee relations, but they are a breath of fresh air compared to some in the AD USAF. I did my time, did not complain, and am glad its over. The Reserves are an entirely different institution though and I have enjoyed in tremendously.