arouth

ACSC is complete by correspondence

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Jetdriver69

I retired from the AF in 2003 after flying the C141, C21 and as an Army Warrant flying helos. Luckily I did the whole 21 years flying and my be all, end all of human existence was an airline job flying the 747.

I had an interview with American the end of Sept 2001 and was supposed to retire Mar 2002. Well 9/11 took care of that plan and I was stop lossed for a year.

Good thing as there were zero flying jobs after 9/11. I retired a March 2003 with about 7000 hrs, tons of international and IP time, but without any prospects. I applied to every carrier known to man, but there just wasn't anything out there.

In the meantime, I taught classes with Embry-Riddle, flew day rate on a Jetstar II (huge POS), Citations, Lears and finally got a gig managing a 2 airplane Part 91 flight dept in Mobile, AL.

2 years after retirement, I found my current gig goofing on Monster.com. Now flying a G550 for a Fortune 100 company and making pretty good coin, tons of time off and great bennies.

I couldn't go to an airline job now under any circumstances, I'm too spoiled flying Part 91.

A flying life after the AF is very doable, even with a break in flying like you have. Get that ATP and put yourself out there. Check every free pilot job site everyday and send out a 1000 resumes. There are many corporate outfits that hire on personality, not type ratings.

If you must fly for the airlines, then it will probably be a regional to start off. I never did like that option.

You are right about one thing, Tricare Prime is the best thing besides the check you can get for your service.

Good luck!

Max Relax Roll

I thought you were joking when you said doing ACSC and getting your Master's was a good time investment.

I'd have run away as far as I could from a Guard unit that cared if I had done ACSC, let alone asked that as one of their first questions.

I separated clean after 14 years - no TSP, no TERA...nothing. It was the smartest decision I ever made in those 14 years. Find a Guard unit where you can bum, build PIC and IP time, and pay the bills until someone you want to work for calls. There's no reason you'd need to work for a regional unless you need to amend for multiple Q3s, a DUI, etc.



"Do you have ACSC done?" That's just @&*?! unbelievable.

TankerDriver

It is quite possible to not get promoted and passed over (twice) in the ANG if you don't have ACSC done. It ain't the "old" Guard anymore... I know someone potentially getting pushed out for this exact situation.

I'm sure most of the ANG units out there are going through the same issue, but it is quite possible to get a guard job and be hired as a temp ART/AGR within months of being hired off Active Duty. We can't keep cubicles filled with the airlines hiring as much as they are. We've had several people hired recently fresh off Active Duty who've "stepped in $hit" and landed a Temp ART job. GS-13 pay isn't shabby while you're building time. You're not going to get paid that much anywhere else to build time. It's not something you're going to want to do long term if you have airline aspirations, but 3 or 4 years of flying your arse off as a GS is a great way to build time.

arouth

Yeah, I was rather surprised at the ACSC question.

Continuing in the military is also a possibility, so when it comes to being competitive for various things ACSC helps as well as having a Masters Degree. The Masters Degree was completed 6 years ago and was free, not particularly difficult after going through UPT, and helped me get promoted.

I would make the same choice on both if I could do it over again.

Gilligan13

Seems like a waste of money for six years.

2loud

6 years equate to 2 tours and no guarantees of a flying assignment. Most likely, a job at the Pentagon as kernel Starbucks on foot. Let's see.... suck ***k for 6 years or have a guaranteed guard flying job while making yourself available to the airlines? hmmmm......

Max Relax Roll

I don't make every decision based on how much money I'll make. I was in for just over 13 when I made the decision to bail, and I'm not sure I could have taken another 7 years of failed leadership, careerism, devaluation of the mission, and the general pervasiveness of queep that now defines the Air Force in general, and AMC in particular.

However, I don't think there will much difference between what I would have made slugging it out 'till 20 vs. what I will make on my current path. Staying in would have necessitated a non-vol PCS to fly RPAs (or UAVs, or UASs, or whatever the hell we're supposed to call them now), with zero chance of returning to the cockpit. Although I realize there is plenty of money to be made on the outside by people with RPA experience and a TS clearance, that's not what I have wanted to do since I was 8. Had I stuck it out till 20 I'd be 7 years non-current when I hung up the uniform, which would require a year or so doing regional or corporate flying before even being a glint in the eye of a major airline. If I stay healthy I have 28 years of flying left. Staying would have brought that down to 20, tops. 8-9 years seniority compared to 40% of a Major's paycheck for 17 years (the difference between my theoretical 20 year retirement and when I'll start drawing my ANG retirement) is, I don't think, a particularly large sum of money.

YMMV.

Max Relax Roll

Oh I almost forgot:

JetBlue won't be sending me to Kabul or Al Udeid to spend 365 days with our "allies", as Uncle Sam has a penchant for doing to passed-over O-4s with retirement paycheck on the horizon and an 11X AFSC.

Gilligan13

Oh, the way I read it was no guard just walked. Makes sense now.