Usaf pilots hedged their bets...
#11
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2018
Posts: 1,091
Somehow I don't think that the senior brass will ever grow a big enough pair to tell Congress that we can't/shouldn't 'do more with less,' so I doubt this paradigm shift (back to the way things used to be) will ever occur
#12
Don’t get me wrong, abuse of the USERRA does occur, and both the military and the airlines need to be able to stomp on it when it happens. But after accepting Billions in PSP, the airlines would be ill-advised to get churlish about supporting the legitimate requirements of Joe average reservist.
But if the mil tried to implement a hybrid solution (Navy seriously considered this) where some reserves would be planned (obligated?) for a much higher participation than traditional, I doubt the airlines would see the humor in more of their pilots being gone for more time. I was a heavy traditional participant, any more and I would have needed to be chasing the AD 20 year pension. It's not a seamless sliding scale, there's a tipping point where people want the regular pension and behave accordingly. Or if it's not available, they'll behave accordingly, like TRs.
#13
It's just that the "surge" is 20 years and counting lol. They've done a great job of slowly turning us into the AD and they even keep sending us their LTs because they can't train them.
#14
I was active duty for 10 years until 2006 and have been in the AF Reserve since. What is old is new again. When President Trump closed down the country last year due to Covid, I bet there was some gumshoe at the Pentagon that woke up smiling thinking that the pilot retention problem was fixed. I would not be surprised if some short-sighted folks looked to even eradicate the pilot bonus. Obviously, the retention issue was not fixed, and the can was kicked down the road.
An earlier comment on this thread suggested passing more flying to the Guard/Reserve unit. I can only speak from the position as a TR in an associate wing flying T-Tails. There should never be an assumption that we will just plus our participation up. Family first, civilian job second, Reserve job is third.
I've said it for years. Until I see all the offices on the Active Duty side emptied out, then the Active Duty can still support the mission. Millions of dollars were spent to generate a pilot, not an exec officer.
An earlier comment on this thread suggested passing more flying to the Guard/Reserve unit. I can only speak from the position as a TR in an associate wing flying T-Tails. There should never be an assumption that we will just plus our participation up. Family first, civilian job second, Reserve job is third.
I've said it for years. Until I see all the offices on the Active Duty side emptied out, then the Active Duty can still support the mission. Millions of dollars were spent to generate a pilot, not an exec officer.
#15
Occasional box hauler
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 1,676
I was active duty for 10 years until 2006 and have been in the AF Reserve since. What is old is new again. When President Trump closed down the country last year due to Covid, I bet there was some gumshoe at the Pentagon that woke up smiling thinking that the pilot retention problem was fixed. I would not be surprised if some short-sighted folks looked to even eradicate the pilot bonus. Obviously, the retention issue was not fixed, and the can was kicked down the road.
An earlier comment on this thread suggested passing more flying to the Guard/Reserve unit. I can only speak from the position as a TR in an associate wing flying T-Tails. There should never be an assumption that we will just plus our participation up. Family first, civilian job second, Reserve job is third.
I've said it for years. Until I see all the offices on the Active Duty side emptied out, then the Active Duty can still support the mission. Millions of dollars were spent to generate a pilot, not an exec officer.
An earlier comment on this thread suggested passing more flying to the Guard/Reserve unit. I can only speak from the position as a TR in an associate wing flying T-Tails. There should never be an assumption that we will just plus our participation up. Family first, civilian job second, Reserve job is third.
I've said it for years. Until I see all the offices on the Active Duty side emptied out, then the Active Duty can still support the mission. Millions of dollars were spent to generate a pilot, not an exec officer.
#16
When President Trump closed down the country last year due to Covid, I bet there was some gumshoe at the Pentagon that woke up smiling thinking that the pilot retention problem was fixed. I would not be surprised if some short-sighted folks looked to even eradicate the pilot bonus. Obviously, the retention issue was not fixed, and the can was kicked down the road.
This! That's almost verbatim words passed to me by my first flight commander. It's something I pass on to our young guys as well. I know it's hard for AD guys to fathom, but we're burnt out as well. The constant deployments are wearing on the force.
#17
An earlier comment on this thread suggested passing more flying to the Guard/Reserve unit. I can only speak from the position as a TR in an associate wing flying T-Tails. There should never be an assumption that we will just plus our participation up. Family first, civilian job second, Reserve job is third.
https://youtu.be/bJaSIUCPZKc
#19
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2018
Posts: 644
My best friend from college was an AF IP. A couple years ago he told me it was a massive uphill battle to wash anybody out of UPT. Then they basically cut the hours in half and tried adding a bunch of VR-type training that'd track their instrument scan, etc. That stuff definitely helps, but it's not anywhere close to a 1 for 1 replacement for the SA, airmanship, and ADM from real-world experience.
#20
My best friend from college was an AF IP. A couple years ago he told me it was a massive uphill battle to wash anybody out of UPT. Then they basically cut the hours in half and tried adding a bunch of VR-type training that'd track their instrument scan, etc. That stuff definitely helps, but it's not anywhere close to a 1 for 1 replacement for the SA, airmanship, and ADM from real-world experience.
https://www.airforcemag.com/usaf-bri...al-curriculum/
As far as “...a massive uphill battle to wash anybody out of UPT...” I would point out that the largest single source of UPT candidates remains the Air Force Academy, and most people go there through appointment by some Senator or Congressman who oftentimes takes a proprietary interest in ‘his’ or ‘hers’ recent graduate’s continued success.
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