flybynuts

I am starting to look on you with envy my friend. Are there any more spots available?

limelight

Granted I live in Hawaii but I'm an O-2 with 4 years in service and my monthly entitlements total just over $7,600. That's not including all the per diem and HFP/IDP,tax free's either. I think it's time for airlines to up the ante a bit.

c17heavy

I have just over 9 years in the AF. I'm pinning on major next month and will get the pilot bonus in about a year. That will put me at about $128K/year gross. Although many of my months are tax free, that's just the problem...to get the tax free I'm away from home. QOL sucks a big fatty. Plus I'm deployed now (4 months into it), I missed my anniversary, wife's b'day, son's first b'day, holidays...get the picture.

I have a lot of buddies who seem to have the best deal. They are w/in 30-60 min of both their reserve unit AND their domicile (DAL, CAL, SWA). Plus they're home A LOT more than me.

My decision to stay/go comes up next year. Not sure what to do, but my buddies make a great case to punch.

TBoneF15

I thought I would have a lot more time off after punching out. But here's the real math if you have to commute:

I'm new so I'm on reserve. Since hiring stopped, I'll be on reserve for a long, long time. I owe 18 days of reserve a month. Translation: It's like being gone Monday through Friday for the first 3 weeks of the month, then 3 days of the 4th week. Except I don't actually get weekends off. Seems a little different when I started looking at it from that perspective.

If you are driving distance to domicile, that's huge, but I have to commute on either end of each of my reserve blocks. I always have to go the day before. That kills a 1/2 of one of my days off for EACH BLOCK of reserve on my schedule. Sometimes I get home the evening of my last night of reserve, sometimes I don't and have to kill 1/2 of my first day off just to get home. So how many actual days do I have off a month? Depends, but I usually end up with 6-8 or so complete days off. Sounds like a regular job now, except I don't come home at night when I'm working, so I can't see my kids then. Right now, my kids are little, so I can at least see them on my random off days. When they are older and in school, being off during the middle of the week instead of the weekend makes that a big deal.

By the way, you won't necessarily have any say in the matter for your domicile. Depending on who hires you, you may not even have a domicile anywhere near you. So be careful counting on that to improve your lifestyle.

On missing b-days, anniversaries, etc. It will be a long, long time before you have the seniority to get choice days off. Don't count on being home for any of that. Vacation? Not much for a while. Certainly no summers or Christmases for years. Want to watch your kids open presents on Christmas while they are little and still believe in Santa? Odds are not that great in this job.

From what I can see, the promised land of working very few days for good money and getting some say in your schedule is WAY, WAY off. Just don't think the grass is too green on the other side. It will take years to get real green.

SoPinesHeel

Thanks for the realistic post TBone- it is a good reality check.

I seperate 1 Jul and am fully aware that I am giving up all the tax advantages and great health care. I had an interview with Delta that got canceled so thank god for the reserves...

My decision is based on the fact that I see my career path on active duty ahead of me and it isnt where I want to go. I have very little freedom or variance in that path despite all the exchange and phoenix programs. True good deals are not considered "what I want to do" by leadership because they are not what THEY think should be done.

Plus the active duty seems to like to take its best performers and give them "opportunites to shine" which translate into crap deals...meanwhile those who do nothing and min run it slide under the radar and just fly the line. What kind of incentive is that to continue? I will take the insecurity of the civilian world to have a chance at some freedom and career choice...

of course when I am living in a van down by the river and having my kids work in the textile mill here in a few months yall can say I told you so!

SaltyDog

I agree, reason I left AD after nearly 10 years. Went reserves, left in early 93 just in time for the furloughs and hiring stops. Still glad I got 'out'. You will do fine

beis77

I hear ya. I'm in a similar boat; I've been in for 9 years now, and don't like what lies ahead for the next 11 years. I want to stay put and settle with the family; a reserve unit just rolled into town here (BRAC), so I have that lined up as well. I just can't see staying in (for my situation)... moving at least 3 more times to places I don't want to be, and still have to deal with a remote tour... I've already been deployed the better part of 2 years (20 months), but the deployments have been spaced out enough that I can't recieve short tour credit. And I'm really not up for a "365 day TDY Opportunity" to Baghdad or any other S###hole to teach Iraqi pilots how to fly.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm not necessarily "sold" on the airline industry, I'm just definitely sold on getting out. I'll definitely fly in the Reserves, and if I can get a Technician job; all the better. Airlines would be nice, but if not then I'm sure I'll find something else. Otherwise, I may end up being your neighbor in that van down by river

LEROY

I don't post much around here, but after reading TBoneF15's thread I thought I might slit my wrists...

I've been at Purple a little over 4 yrs. I was on the panel for 1 yr. I sat reserve for 3 months. I left narrowbody right seat after two yrs, only after having passed on two opportunities to go to the widebody. I haven't stood reserve since the company gave it to me as a new hire.

I commute. I have (knock on wood) never missed Christmas, Christmas Eve, Thanksgiving, nor most of my childrens'/spouse's birthdays.

I waited 2 yrs in the hiring pool, which SUK'd, but after one year on the property I made more that when I got out as an O-4 (without bonus).

BTW, even as a new-hire at Purple, you get 2 7-day blocks of vacation, which roughly translates to almost TWO MONTHS OFF, depending on how good you are at strategic vacation-bidding. You may not get your vacation block on Xmas/New Years/T'giving etc. if you are junior, but you can still bid around them.

Granted today's economic environment, coupled w/ Age 65 will slow things down a good bit, but JEEZ, it's not really THAT BAD for everyone at Purple (or Brown, I suspect).

Given the choice of stayin' in or gettin' out, I still say I made the right one. Just my .00003 Euros...

Spongebob

Leroy,

I think the point is to be informed. Purple or Brown would be great! However, I didn't have enough Fied-wing PIC time (damn multi-seat cockpits and I guess being an RW PIC is easier somehow) to get hired by either when I jumped....since neither is hiring at the moment or any time soon, I think it's unrealistic to base your post-military life on working at either anytime soon.

So, while yes, you'd be better of at Purple, Brown, SWA than staying in, those aren't options right now and one needs to plan to bridge that gap. Most options to bridge that are either going to pay less and/or keep you out of the cockpit (which affects your ability to get hired there when they open up).

There's an infinite number of experineces out there, take them all into consideration when deciding what is best for you.

HTH
Spongebob

dbtownley

Well said brother. Good luck in the future with your plans.