Active Duty vs Reserve
02-04-2016, 07:30 PM
#31
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Joined APC: May 2015
Posts: 49
Originally Posted by Sliceback
The value you gain by getting hired by a major airline sooner outweighs the value lost waiting to cash in on your retirement checks. And if you earn enough points you can get a retirement check prior to 60.
As a reservist you can do about 75-90% of what the active duty guy does. You just get to pick and choose if you want to do it. He can't do 1% of your airline career for 20 years. At that point you're 15+ years into your airline career and he's getting a retirement check. His pay, including his retirement check, is less than you're pulling in. He should close the gap but will never match your pay. With his retirement check he might, but probably won't, exceed your airline pay. Add the money up over the entire career and you'll be ahead.
As a reservist you can do about 75-90% of what the active duty guy does. You just get to pick and choose if you want to do it. He can't do 1% of your airline career for 20 years. At that point you're 15+ years into your airline career and he's getting a retirement check. His pay, including his retirement check, is less than you're pulling in. He should close the gap but will never match your pay. With his retirement check he might, but probably won't, exceed your airline pay. Add the money up over the entire career and you'll be ahead.
This is an eye opener for sure. I didn't look at it this way. I didn't know you could get your retirement check prior to 60. How difficult is it to do that? How much earlier can I receive it?
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02-05-2016, 04:14 AM
#32
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Joined APC: Aug 2013
Position: FO
Posts: 627
Originally Posted by TKOwnedU5
This is an eye opener for sure. I didn't look at it this way. I didn't know you could get your retirement check prior to 60. How difficult is it to do that? How much earlier can I receive it?
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If you do 20 years of active duty or the equivalent, you get a retirement check right away.
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02-05-2016, 05:09 AM
#33
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Joined APC: Dec 2007
Position: Window seat
Posts: 5,191
Originally Posted by TKOwnedU5
This is an eye opener for sure. I didn't look at it this way. I didn't know you could get your retirement check prior to 60. How difficult is it to do that? How much earlier can I receive it?
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I've been out so this is how I remember it and how recent retirees have explained it - you get a point for every day of AD. Get 7365(?) points and you start getting checks.
That's 20 yrs of service. If you're a reservist you have to spend more than 20 yrs accumulating it. Recent coworker had 33 yrs of service and over 7365 pts.
How do they get the points? Many got it from the recent furloughs. Others volunteer for AD orders and take a MLOA(military leave of absence) from their civilian job.
Guys don't go into the reserves expecting to get retirement prior to 60. They join the reserves/ANG because even waiting to 60 it's a better deal. When they do get a retirement check prior to 60 it means they spent a LOT of time on AD even as a reservist. It's a lot of work, they earned their points.
And there's been a recent program that reduced the age 60 start date by one day for every day spent on orders during the current conflict. So two years on orders reduced the start date to 58 yrs old. No clue if that's still in effect or if it will be available in the future.
The short answer is still - guys typically say reserves/ANG is a better choice. AD has more options (test pilot school, Blue Angels/Thunderbirds) and other schools/exercises. But overall the majority prefer reserve/ANG over AD, especially in the current hiring environment.
02-05-2016, 01:45 PM
#35
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Joined APC: Sep 2012
Position: left seat CRJ (again!)
Posts: 349
Originally Posted by navigatro
Never heard of anyone in the Reserves at the O-5 or below level having to move (find another unit) to accept a promotion, at least as a flyer.
Typically this is done if you accept a promotion to O-6.
Typically this is done if you accept a promotion to O-6.
When one gets to O-4 in some states in the ARNG, the choices begin to narrow. Some go to the Reserves at that point in time to make O-4.
As a signal officer, several states have one O-5 signal slot and that's at state headquarters. I had an offer to go to another state as the S-3(operations officer) of a signal battalion. Retirement was looming when that offer came and I was looking forward to getting out.
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