USAF flight pay as an IMA reservist
 

I served 11 consecutive years of USAF active duty flying and accumulated the gate months necessary to receive flight pay through 18 years of service.

I am currently serving as an IMA in a non-rated staff billet at the Pentagon, so I do not receive any flight pay. I'm not sure how much money I am leaving on the table by not drawing flight pay for my reserve duty.

Does anyone have any experience as an IMA in a rated staff position and knows how much flight pay they receive? My initial thought is that I'm just losing a small amount of money (1/30 of my monthly flight pay rate for each IDT or AT I serve). However, I also receive foreign language proficiency pay and I'm receiving that pay in full each month just like I used to when I was active duty regardless of whether I serve a single day that month or not. If flight pay is paid out the same way, I'm losing $650 a month which means I need to find a rated billet now!

Any thoughts are appreciated.

I know that traditional reservists get 1/30th flight pay for each IDT, MPA, or RPA day; would IMAs be different?

I think you should be getting flight pay based on your gates. Not posivitve but it makes sense.

I also think you should be getting flight pay in your current billet. I was an IMA in a command post position (86P) and was receiving flight pay. Talk to your finance people.

Aloha,

I'm definitely going to reattack with my finance and personnel folks.

Do you recall how much flight pay you received while you were in your 86P IMA billet? Did you get your full month's flight pay at the beginning of each month (the $650 or $840 amount depending on your years of aviation service) even if you didn't serve any IDT/MPA/AT? Or did you receive 1/30th of your monthly flight pay for every tour you served?

I'm trying to figure out how hard I need to pursue this.

Thank you for the insight.

You receive 1/30 of a month's flight pay for each "day" of duty, whether it be active duty or inactive duty. If you do 2 "days" of inactive duty in one calendar day, then you get 2 day's worth of flight pay.

It is my understanding that IMA's do not generally get flight pay, even if you have met your gates. I think if you are on long term orders, however, that may change. Not sure of the exact reg.

Seems to me that the command post billet may have been a rated staff position vs a non-rated position.

Current flight physical?

+1. Buddy of mine lost his flight pay in a staff job because he let his lapse. Not sure how they know/knew...

I believe the HARM office maintaining your flight records tracks when you go overdue on that sort of thing and stops your Flight Pay.