Clue32

You have to look into the federal pay regulations to fully understand, but here is the basics. Some managers try to help out their employees (my case as I got lots of Overtime), and some use the regs to their advantage at the expense of their employees (apparently in Miami).

Waco mentioned scheduling duty after Sunday, or after the start of the pay week. AIA's are paid 50 hours each week regardless. If they do five days of 8 & skates (40 hours) or get stuck on a call every day and work 5 12's (60 hours) they are paid for 50 hours (8 regular+2 Leap). If The supervisor schedules extra work for an employee before the start of the pay week that is paid as OverTime (say Friday asking a guy to work 4 extra hours on Tuesday after a weapons range so they can burn a bag of gas on a 2.5 hr patrol). Ask that same employee today to work extra today, that is LEAP.

The regulation was written for criminal investigators as they couldn't tell exactly when their cases would require them to be on duty, or how much they would actually work. CBP uses this pay rather than other pay avenues like AUO (Automatic Uncontrolled Overtime)

Clue32

A FLETC classmate left South Texas and got SD at the 3.5 year mark... all depends on current vacancies.

UAS at Corpus, Sierra Vista, Grand Forks.

206...meh. But I didn't have a sensor, the terrain wasn't suited to FW sign-cutting, and my '68 year model gave me 4 or 5 alternator failures, so perhaps I am jaded. The EC-120 on the deck chasing bodies through the brush was where I preferred to be. Flew 650 hours my first full FY, nearly all RW. I would have been up there the next FY but I spent 13 weeks TDY in McAwesome and that significantly cut my flight hours.

Loved my branch, loved the job, and was excited to get to work everyday. I did get glimpses of the dark side of CBP. The unfortunate thing about the agency is you could love your job, love your branch, and love the town your branch is in, but chances are you won't get all three.

Gilligan13

Why did you leave? Helos sound like a blast.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Bootsa10

Some good info here, some not so much. 15 year AIA - PM me with contact info if you are interested in the job and want some information.

hindsight2020

To be clear, this has to do with the fact the GS tables are garbage when it comes to locality pay. Most people think they're calculated on housing costs like the DOD; they're not. As such, you guys are getting paid 15% ("rest of the us" rate) to work in PR (17.9% in HI, which is equally as gross) and the rest is history. By comparison, a DOD O-3 stationed in San Juan gets OHA (personally I think it's beyond ignorant and racist that PR doesn't get a BAH code like HI does but I digress), and that comes out to $2980. "Bigly" difference.

Under CSRS it would be a good trade, but last I checked FERS only credits 1% per year and the vesting now for post 2014 hires is a whopping 4.4% of your gross check. That's an insane paycut. Even with a 6c early retirement, 1% multiplier is GARBAGE. Some LEO get that 1.7% multiplier, that's still not a big enough carrot in my opinion. You need 2%+ to start talking. No way I work OCONUS for that chicken-scratch, and I'm from there mind you!

I know USMCFLyer remarked earlier that such are the opportunity costs of working for GovCo income stream stability. As a fellow career military guy I agree in principle, but just wanted to remind the gallery there was such a thing as CSRS. People today would fall off their chairs if they had that, instead of having to take a 5% gross paycut to fund a retirement worth 50% LESS and take money from your own pocket to fund the difference via crapola 401k. Talk about insult to injury. Jabbing at the expensive PR location isn't really the complete picture when it comes to this job, when the shave you're taking has nothing to do with location and everything to do with boomers grabbing the ladder from underneath them on their way over the wall.

DustoffVT

DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT leave a major to come here.

This job is at a historical low point. With airlines that can be cyclical, but here it's unlikely to return to the heydays of even just a few years ago. AMO executive management is extremely heavy with non-pilots, sensor operators and boat drivers. Pilot culture is on the wane here, and management likes that. Listen to Clue when he says the best locations job wise are the worst for your family, and remember that there is no union or seniority system. Agents with 20+ years have just been force transferred out of their branches to undesirable locations this month.

Only Laredo, McAllen, P.R., and the UAV bases are available. If you accept a UAV job you will not fly a manned aircraft.

Please realize that many, many pilots have left CBP for majors, ISR contractors, and even 135. I am not among them (yet), but it is VERY hard for me to walk through the hangar door each day.

Plenty of guys enjoy their time here, and plenty don't. It can be unique flying, and your family situation is a huge determinant of happiness here. If your wife is cool with south TX, that would help. Few who aren't from there like it.

Personally, I get way, way more out of my volunteer time than this. Wasn't always true, but definitely is now.

Gilligan13

Are the helo only guys happier?

WacoQCF

Helo guys are NOT happier in my branch. Branch leadership does not want the helicopters and has actively tried to transfer all rotors out of the region our rotor pilots are now some of the most unhappy. Branch mgt has severally limited their capability and significantly reduced the number of persons flying them.

Gilligan13

What are helo pilots doing all day if they're not flying? Besides a UAV wouldn't a helo be the most productive?

kaputt

Good info in this thread, but I'm looking for some updated gouge.

To start, the recent posting on USA Jobs mentioned openings at the following locations: Sierra Vista, Yuma, Grand Forks, Aguadilla, Alpine, Laredo, and McAllen. Specifically what, if any, fixed wing opportunities are available at those basing locations?

Second, what is the health of the fixed wing community looking like? I see that they have been buying new King Airs, but how many are out there? Also how many PC-12s, Citations, Dash-8s, etc... are in the fleet, and are those aircraft going to be sticking around for awhile? In addition do you get any say at any point in the hiring/training process in what airframe you would want to fly, and more specifically is getting non-vold into RPAs something that could happen?

And finally, what is the future looking like for CBP dudes? How many flight hours per year could the average fixed wing pilot expect? I've read a few articles that CBP is facing some of the same issues as the rest of the aviation industry, so do you see some of the good deal locations opening up at some point as guy's that have been sitting there start to retire or make the jump to the airlines?

Appreciate any help!