Originally Posted by
DougForcett
Hello all!
There's a high likelihood that I'll be out of active duty this summer, at about 10 years of service. Has anyone here transitioned to the civilian side without joining the Guard/Reserve? I would prefer to not work 2 jobs for the next decade, but would appreciate any insight on that path. Our main family concern is healthcare. I know we'd be able to afford HC-related costs while I'm flying, but what about after retirement? Is Medicare the only option?
Thanks!
Major airline retirements generally include some sort of medical, at least the top-tier majors. How will that compare to TRICARE? Hard to say since TRICARE might change over time.
Regional retirement is generally limited to a certificate of appreciation and travel benefits at a very low priority.
But ten years is a lot of retirement points to leave on the table. I would at the very least participate in the reserves in a non-flying billet... most of those billets are much lower workload especially if your career ambition is limited to making O4 so you can make 20 years. Give it a try until you know how the airline gig is shaping up, at least you'll have a fallback position while junior in case of furlough or probation issues. Maybe you'll even enjoy it. Inter-service transfers are possible too if that would help your geographic situation... everybody wants winged aviators in their inventory right now, even if you're in a non-flying billet.
I was of your mind about 25 years ago. Then I kept running into old guys who said "gee I sure wish I had stuck with the reserves and got the retirement". After hearing that enough times, I signed up and am quite glad I did now.