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Old 08-24-2016, 11:17 AM
  #11  
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Why would anyone do that?

Go to your airline of choice, go Guard/Reserves and be well ahead of those who go back to active duty or who stay in.

There's no way Uncle Sam will pay me what I am making just 4 years into my stint at FedEx.
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Old 08-24-2016, 11:34 AM
  #12  
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Visit exotic places, meet interesting people, then kill them.
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Old 08-24-2016, 12:56 PM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Hacker15e View Post
A former F-15E buddy of mine came out of retirement in '10 to a UPT T-38 gig, and did 6 months on the E-11 in Afghanistan as part of the deal.

He didn't mind picking up the BD-700 type rating, but...
The good news is that they couldn't send him to Big Spring.
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Old 08-24-2016, 03:52 PM
  #14  
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I wouldn't be surprised if they do it again but why would you want to go back, especially in today's market? A few of my buds went back after they got furloughed after 9/11 and one of them did because he hated Continental/the airline gig. He was in AETC and even they were getting deployed.
Just before I retired from the reserves, dudes were getting shafted with non-flying deployments to the sandbox for just shy of 365 days! Things would be different if these were wars that are worth fighting for but that's a different thread.
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Old 08-24-2016, 08:43 PM
  #15  
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Funny.., I brought up this very issue with my wife yesterday. And she said the same things: "why work longer, for less money?"... although she was a bit more disgusted that I even brought it up.
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Old 08-25-2016, 07:50 PM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by HuggyU2 View Post
Funny.., I brought up this very issue with my wife yesterday. And she said the same things: "why work longer, for less money?"... although she was a bit more disgusted that I even brought it up.
So when are you going back to UAL?
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Old 08-26-2016, 04:21 AM
  #17  
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Default Timing is everything....

...and there is no justice.

The Retiree Recall program for pilots was announced in the spring of 2009. The rules were;
O-5 or below
Had to pass a flight physical
Commit to 3 yrs plus training
Would not be eligible for the bonus
Would not be eligible for promotion
Would not be sent remote.

The economy had just tanked, and in Vegas it was very bad.
I had recently lost my job flying a G-450 and BBJ with one of the Casino's
No one was hiring pilots.
Through the efforts of a bud, and the fact I still had a security clearance, I got part time work for a contractor at Creech which provided a small paycheck, but was otherwise miserable so I figured what the heck and signed up, thinking since I lived in Vegas, they'd make me a professional model railroader or be put on the Red Flag staff.
Took and passed my physical (was rather amazed that I passed).
Nothing happened.
Found full time work as a simulator test pilot for an aircraft manufacturer in St. Louis. Good pay and benis, but left family in Vegas, and job was dull.
Feb, 2010 got an e-mail from AFPC saying recall program is over, thanks for playing. Very next day, got an e-mail from AFPC saying congratulations, you've been selected to be recalled, your assignment is the 25 FTS, Vance AFB, OK.
2 seconds later, I called AFPC and asked which e-mail I should pay attention too? They said second one, I was in last group to get recalled and shouldn't have got the first. 2 more seconds the phone was still rocking on the hook and I was west bound on I44--just kidding,
Found out I could take Mil leave from Boeing and started the process to get resurrected as an active duty O-4 after 5 years of retirement.
Moved back to Enid by the Sea in late April, 2010, 20 years after I left as a Tweet FAIP.
Wore blues on my first day because it was a Monday and everyone laughed at me. I was very happy, I was essentially back in a Fighter Squadron.
Went to PIT.
Got back in Sep, and three year clock started ticking.

Good things about being recalled.
Going back to UPT as a late 40 something was like going back to college knowing what you know now.
Was getting paid to fly.
Was getting paid to fly a pointy nose airplane with afterburners.
Was getting paid to fly with 22 year old LTs who are all knuckleheads, but a blast to be around and teach.
Got to deffer the new GI Bill to my kids (retirees could use it but not deffer it)
The 25th, at the time, was an awesome Squadron (although the PC Air Force was much worse than when I retired in 2005, the PC police hadn't completely taken over....yet).

Not good things...
Was first told I wouldn't deploy
A year later was told I would deploy, find a job, or we'll find one for you.
Back to good things...
Finagled my way into the E-11 and got a 50K Type rating courtesy of Uncle Sam.

More bad...
Had to earn the type rating by living 6 months in Kandhar where *******s drop rockets on your cranium and worse, the PC Air Force is very much alive and well. That being said, the E-11 and BACN is a great program, it does great work for the real hero's, the folks out on the ground, and 600 hours in a Global in six months is not bad, even though the only thing in Kandahar more boring than flying the E-11, is not flying the E-11.
Made it back in one piece so I guess it was good.
Re-retired in 2013 at 2013 O-4 pay with a new three year look back and 57.5% (2.5% per year more after 20) and a GLEX type rating (and safety stink, was sent to AMIC while in Enid).
Got hired to fly Gulfstreams and a Global in New Jersey which led to my current and awesome gig flying Globals and CH 605s for a really big company that makes jet engines and washing machines.

So, all that being said, because of the timing, the economy and my situation, the recall could not have been better for me. I was told they recalled 1500 retirees (not to be confused with the Reservist they recalled--different program) and only 500 got flying jobs (but I can't confirm those numbers).
So, remember those three conditions? Well, I didn't get the bonus, didn't get promoted, but did get deployed, so 2 out of three promises kept by the AF is pretty good by their standards.

I'd not be surprised if they brought some sort of recall program back, but I'd wonder if they'd get many takers based on the reasons so many pilots are getting out and the fact that pilot hiring is up.
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Old 08-26-2016, 06:43 AM
  #18  
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Like CKGrizwald, I too went back on active duty from retirement. I got furloughed in early '09, applied for the Recall, and fortunately, it only took a few months to get my orders. I was happy to take a staff job at Ramstein, where we toured Europe and my (then) teenage son had an amazing experience living overseas.

My staff job was as the Rated Officer Manager for all of USAFE. As such I was actively involved in rated manning at the units and staff assignments for USAFE, including recallees.

The AF recalled almost exactly 500 rated officers in the 2009/2010 program. "Rated" means pilots, navs, and ABMs. And that includes those that came back from retirement, from simply being separated, and those ARC (ANG + AFRES) members that got extended AD orders under this program.

AMC as a command got the most people total. But Ramstein was the single base with the highest number of recallees (over 40 of the 500 recalless came to Ramstein for the European vacation.)

Flying assignments for recallees were about 40% of the total, with staff jobs being about 60%. But the AF counted RPAs as "flying" jobs in that total. There was also a recallee flying the 737 at Ramstein, and a few guys went to the U-2, among others.

There was never a promise not to be deployed. The fine print of the offer said that we were not eligible for a 365-day deployment, but admittedly the way it was phrased led many to believe otherwise. We could not be PCSed, which included a remote PCS (like Osan).

Unfortunately for me, when my orders were up, I was still furloughed, and now hadn't flown in 3 years. Not much hiring going on in 2012, especially for a guy without currency. But I got lucky and got a job on the 737, and now on the 747, so in the end it's all good. I too used my GI Bill for my son, and he just graduated from Northwestern University without me spending a dime.

Not sure if I'd do it again if they offered it. But at the time and in the circumstances of 2009, it was overall a great deal for me and my family.
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