Take bonus-stay in the Air Force or ??

[OPIE01]

WOW,

WOW,
WOW,
WOW.

 

[Padre]

BeeVee,

Location is important, lifestyle is important, and loot is important. If you can get at least 2 out of the 3, you got it made.

Padre

 

[peepsmover]

Mil Leave Opportunities

Pilots who left active duty, and were hired by an airline, and think there is a high probability that they will get forloughed, might want to consider lining themselves for going back on active duty for a short tour. Well for starters, by doing so you can go on leave for up to 5 years from your employer, and return with the seniority as if you had never left, AND the opportunity to make up your retirement contributions. It is called the military leave act, also known as, USERRA. Presumably a person could retire from such a tour if they are in the window, and there are a ton of jobs to be had, some that might not even require a lot of TDY, and heck gasp, maybe not even a flying job, which sucks, but in return, maybe it will make junior and momma happy to see you home most evenings. The reality is that I suspect that it will be more than two years before those forloughed pilots are recalled, given that in those companies that have forloughed pilots, 250-350 pilots retire per year, and the company may not even want to readily replace those retiring pilots. I have flown with guys who do have their mil retirement and they seemed pretty happy about having that retirement check, granted they are older than their peers. Still, the younger non-mil guys, after 28 plus years in the business have averaged 10 years with strikes/forloughs, so there is that tradeoff to consider when you start looking at opportunity costs and how much you will have earned under either scenario. In summary, break out the friggin dice, baby!

As to the status of the Air Force, I think it is like any complex bureaucratic entity, there are some bright spots and rough edges, aholes and demi-gods, pole-smoking-ass-kissers and junior officers, bad comedians and great comedians.

 

[xhercdriver]

This shouldn't be a very difficult question, really. What are YOUR career goals? If your goal is to fly for the airlines, after (while?) serving the country as a military aviator, then you should position yourself to accomplish that goal. If your goal is to have a career as a military aviator and then "probably" move on to the airlines, then do what is necessary to accomplish THAT goal.

Put the monetary issue aside for the moment. Assuming you are planning on maintaining at least some connection with the military through the Guard or Reserve, you will make enough money to survive somewhat comfortably. If you are able to attain a military retirement, that will supplement your first-year airline pay and you'll survive. If not, take one of the shorter-term bonuses and BANK it so that you can use that to supplement the airline pay.

The only issue is WHEN you want to move to the airlines. If you want to be a career military guy, just go for it! Take the bonus to 20 years, (again, BANK it, don't use it as lifestyle-enhancement; if you can't have a nice lifestyle as a military officer, seek help) don't look back, and in your last couple of years start accumulating your ratings, etc for the airline job hunt. If you want to move to the airlines now, get yourself set up in the Guard/Reserve so you have OPTIONS. Unless you are committed to a military career, my advice is not to stay in the active force. They simply exercise too much control over your life, in too-large "chunks" if you want to have the flexibility to make a sudden career decision.

Yes, timing is everything, and it would suck to miss some golden opportunity with the airlines because you're still deployed with the Guard, but unemployment REALLY sucks. When that furlough letter comes in the mail, it's gonna feel pretty good knowing you're still scheduled to fly the PM trainer at the Guard base the next evening.

The big thing is to make your decision and then be "happy" with it. There are MANY worse jobs in aviation than being a Guard Bum waiting for his "big break" with the airlines, and making $110,000/yr as a "bonus boy" your last 5 years in the active force isn't all bad either. Look at your own situation NOW, and see how to improve it "incrementally" over the next 5 years or so, rather than focusing on what somebody else who happened to be at the right place at the right time has now.

 

[Shav'r]

Dudes,

I just sat back and caught myself up on this thread. There are, as we ALL KNOW, 10 million stories and 10 million more being written even as we speak. No matter what your story is, telling it as honestly as you know it, for others to learn from, is definitely the name of the game!
One thing's for certain... All of us that have served a day in the military and all those who follow in our footsteps should be proud of your time and all your sacrifices, big or small. For our civilian brethren, thanks for all your support while we've been in and while we're transitioning back to normal life!

God Bless America!
Shav'r