I'm a very junior lineholder on the 7ER in NY. I normally put my drill weekends in a "prefer off" at the 1st and 2nd priority for both line and reserve bid. If I have to reschedule a drill weekend here or there, it's not usually a big deal, so I only Mil Leave for the few mandatory drill weekends and AT/ADT orders.

Sometime in the last 48 hours our June drill weekend (9/10) became "not mandatory but you better have a damn good reason like a wedding or a vacation" due to external factors at the next higher command.

I got a coverage award for a 4 day starting on the 9th. It's also my highest paying trip for the month (26+ hours)

Anyone near me seniority wise was coverage awarded trips or reserve right around that weekend.

Is my understanding that if I Mil Leave the 9/10th, I lose the whole trip correct? One of the guys in my unit (not a Delta guy) seems to think I only lose the 2 days, and then I get deadheaded to the rest, and thinks that's a USERRA thing. I think he's on crack. But if he's right, I'd like to know.

I am currently on a set of 3 week orders they dropped in my lap on 5 day notice so I'm thinking of telling the reserve "I gave you 3 weeks last month, I'm not coming" because I don't want to lose 1/3 of my month's pay to make $500 after taxes sitting in some sweaty ass auditorium listening to some Admiral drone on for an hour about things that don't apply to me.

As I'm understanding it my options are:

1-Mil Leave, lose a 26 hour trip, try to whiteslip something to make some of it back.
2-Tell reserves I'm not coming in June, they got 3 weeks out of me in May.

If there's more options, I'd be glad to hear them. I'm about burnt out on Reserve stuff at the moment, and would rather fly, especially since I'm off reserve and have some decent trips considering my lack of seniority.

I'm still on probation if that factors in at all.

 

Decide what you want to do. Tell the reserves, then tell the company.

 

Sounds like you would rather fly the trip. I’d fly the trip.
Re: Reserves:
1) DWE are either mando or they aren’t. Even mando, there is some room for discussion.
2) You serve at the pleasure of you, not the Reserves. AD mentality takes some time to break.
3) If you are being made to feel that your unit job security is tenuous, and they are jerking you around, consider looking elsewhere to finish. Plenty of options out there.

 

As I'm understanding it my options are:

1-Mil Leave, lose a 26 hour trip, try to whiteslip something to make some of it back.
2-Tell reserves I'm not coming in June, they got 3 weeks out of me in May.


This is correct. One thing to consider is how much open time is available in your category? It might be pretty easy to WS something - especially if there were a bunch of coverage awards around that time.

Scoop

 

Think you answered your own question.

 

I agree with Scoop, should not be difficult in the 7ER Category to pick up time. Crew scheduling generated trips can be the best deals out there. Carefully put together a WS with parameters that insure something good. You can also pull time out of the bank if needed.
I have not had them break up trips for mil leave. Our various rigs make that impractical most of the time.
One last thing to consider. If you have PB days this could be the time to use them. I know pilots who were awarded pay back days and were unaware of it.

 

How do you find PB days you are unaware of?

 

Bottom of your time card

 

"not mandatory but you better have a damn good reason like a wedding or a vacation"

That’s pretty nice. I wish my unit looked at weddings and vacations as an excuse for missing drill.
In light of the OP, WS it to make up the difference.

 

I liked it when they said:
"It's not mandatory, but it's so close it's hard to tell the difference"