Scraggly Heron

Quick note for the OP--separation pay is considered an advance on disability payments. So if you have 20% for messed up knees, you would not receive disability until the amount of your separation pay equaled what would have been paid in disability. IIRC, separation pay is taxable, while disability pay is not.

BigIron

Great, thank you.

kbay hombre

I can relate, was passed over once a few years ago but made it the second time around. When I was a 1P, I was looking into exactly what you are, and asking the same questions. I only just retired recently.

The hiring environment has changed markedly the last few years. As everyone else has already said, it's a boom period right now. Maybe it will last a decade or more, or maybe it won't. Get in while you can. What I recommend is you take a fat separation check, go to a regional, and go reserves/guard as soon as possible simultaneously so that you can keep building time for retirement. Believe me, the longer you spend after getting out before you go weekend warrior, the more you'll regret it later on when you are in your 40's and still having to drill to get to 20.

Even if you don't get into an aviation reserve billet/unit, freaking go be a yeoman or a desk jockey of some sort; even resign your commission and go an enlisted rate if you have to. Just get back in, get that cheap Tricare (medical + dental for about $70/month as a reservist), and keep building time to 20 and a military retirement. Who cares whether you get a flying billet right after AD sep; just get back in! You've got to be at least an O3 by this point and if you were passed over you've got nearly 10 years commissioned or more, so when you go into the reserves/guard, you usually start fresh with time in grade and the clock restarts, meaning you get a minimum of another 6 years as an O3 and who knows what it'll be like when you get to 16-18 years in. At its worse a few years ago I saw people taking Temp Early Retirement Authority (TERA) at anywhere from 15-19 years commissioned. A reserve pension/retirement (kicks in at 60) for even a very very senior O3 is a nice extra chunk of change.

rickair7777

Historically sound advice. If the airline industry continues it's epic trend, you might not even need the mil retirement, ie the hassle wouldn't be worth more than money in light of your airline earnings. I think it's on a pretty good track for 15 years, but the industry is cyclical and highly vulnerable to Black Swans. In addition to retirement and medical, if you get furloughed you can *usually* go on long-term orders (not always, but industry downturns often seem to coincide with war...). But I mostly enjoy the reserves (don't enjoy scheduling my life around the reserves).