hawgdriver

I'm looking for some advice. I have 1.5 yrs left on my ADSC and my plan is to Palace Chase this fall. I've been offered a job by a guard unit with the option of a part time or full time job. They are asking me to give a 2 yr commitment for the full time position which will start this fall. I still flight instruct on the side and have some other connections for flying jobs to make ends meet while waiting for an airline job. My wife also works and we have two small children. My goal is to go to the airlines as soon as possible. Currently, I have my app in with united. My question for all of you is; Do I roll the dice, take the part time job, and hope I get an airline gig by the fall or do I take the full time position and not be able to get an airline job until fall of 2015?

fishforfun

How sure are you that you will be able to Palace Chase? I just read a memo that came from AFPC and said all 11X career fields were inelegible in FY13 for Palace Chase. Not 100% sure of all the details. Me personally, I would take the guard part time job and keep your options open for the airlines if thats your ultimate goal. From everything I hear timing is everything and it would suck to miss the opportunity if it comes. 2 years of seniority is huge.

Pyro

Take the full time job, ANG agreements can be amended if your leadership allows. Bird in the hand brother.

I know a dude that AFPC recently approved PC, it's still at the SAF office, but it looks good. And he is an 11F.

UAL T38 Phlyer

Could you take the AGR job, and if offered an airline job, ask them to convert it to Traditional Guardsman?

Is this Hawg Unit close to home, and would it give you quality of life with your family?
How often would you deploy?

Are any UAL domiciles close to your home? Or, are you looking at a commute?

Assuming you are a Major, consider the difference in pay: first-year/two United, vs 10+ in the military.

Lastly, health insurance. Active-duty Tricare is probably worth about $30k a year for a family of four.

These are the questions you need to ask. You have to be happy in what you do. It has to pay the bills and then some. And it has to give the family their "Dad" time.

For me, that meant I went from a TR back to AD. I started late in the airline game, and I will probably never be a Captain at United.

And I really don't care. I made better money, had more fun, more sense of purpose, and had more time with my family in the Air Force.

Good luck with your decision.

hindsight2020

I know you didn't specifically suggest he do this, but asking for a curtailment straight out the chute? "do you also want fries and a drink with that?" is what I would say to that. We don't need any more of that in the ARC.

If the OPs goal is to go airline my recommendation is to stay AD, finish out the ADSC, roll up into the ARC gig as a part-timer, trough/bum as available and as required, and wait for his airline dreams to materialize or not. Generally speaking rolling up on long term orders, whether AGR or straight MPA tour, isn't a good deal in order to keep one's availability open for airline class dates. I know everybody wants the cake and eat it too, but let's not perpetuate the scammer Reservist stereotype, particularly to the 10year separatee crowd that needs a proper Reserve-ways education the most.

thrust

If you're referring to the recent PDSM that just came out regarding FY13 Force Shaping programs, notice the difference between that "version" of Palace Chase and the traditional Palace Chase. For the "special" one for FY13, they're waiving the 3 years of every year of ADSC remaining to 1 for 1. Hence why that's not open to 11X AFSCs.

The "normal" PC is still very much alive and well. I've heard mixed results to whether or not the ARC would even hold you to the 3:1 rule, and nothing about it says you have to do the 3:1 full time... being a bum counts. My guess is he'd get 1.5 years waived no problem. I've personally seen people with 1.5-2 years left of ADSC successfully PC over the past few years. If this is something that interests you, please apply and let the rest of us know how it goes!

For the OP, I'd look at it this way... if you take the AGR gig for two years, that's basically two more years of full pay and benefits to go with two more years towards your AD retirement, and it's almost the same amount of time had you not PC'd and stayed til the end of your ADSC. Two more years to build hours and make yourself more competitive, without any of the AD BS that everyone hates. And you might make more airline connections in the process. Good luck, and let us know how your PC goes!

fishforfun

Thanks for the info, I am not very well versed and yes, that is the one I was referring to. I am getting much more educated as I'm about to get an assignment dropped that I may 7 day opt on.

I still say suck it up, trim down your life, bum as much as you can and wait for that glorious call as long as you can.

AF2Navy

This caught my attention.

Would someone who is using Tricare Reserve Select please chime in and educate us?

Here's what I know so far:

Health Plan Costs - TRICARE Reserve Select Costs

Mo. Premium: Member and Family: $195.81 per month

Annual Outpatient Deductible: Sponsor Rank E5 and above: $150 per individual/$300 per family

Cost Shares: typically 15% after the $300 deductible is met.

Dental.......Family: $31.96 per month(Active duty status), Sponsor and family: $90.57 per month(reserve status)

Vision?

Pharmacy?

Medical(200*12)+300 = 2700 Dental(100*12)=1200
On a normal healthy year what are you paying under Tricare Reserve Select? $4000?


What am I missing?

Any and all advice/input is appreciated for those who are making the decision to transition...........thanks y'all!

jc23

My advice, based on similar decisions I had to make, protect the "golden egg", which is the guard gig. Let the "pretend golden egg", which is the airline job, come to you so to speak. Pursue the airline gig if thats what you want but I wouldn't sacrifice the guard stuff for an airline job. That airline job can disappear at any time, and the guard gig will be there with open arms (for the most part). I wouldn't "roll the dice" in your situation. Seniority is important in the industry, however, it means nothing should a furlough or worse bankruptcy happen (I've experienced both). Don't mean to come off like "negative nancy" but a wife and two kids puts a different light on the situation. Fall of 2015 is not that far away, solidify your guard gig, that's your real "golden egg" IMHO. Loss of 2 years of seniority in the airline industry versus planting your feet in the guard, maintaining a good paying job with benefits, securing a retirement with pension and medical...for me it was a no brainer. Good luck. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, our paths are not the same but similar.

rickair7777

I would agree up to a point. That point is about 45 years of age. At that point you're phasing out of the military unless you're on the fast track (or maybe work for a state with no HYT).

Also there is certainly reason to believe that the high miltary/airline opportunity ratio of the last decade is about to invert in the next 1-3 years as DoD budget cuts roll in and airline retirees roll out.

I wouldn't bet on military job security unless you're a SOF operator or some other high-demand, hard-to-fill niche (submarines?). Winged guys are a dime a dozen (bakers dozen) when the cutbacks start.

I lived through the last drawdown...when it comes, it will make your head spin how fast it happens.