Permissive TDY to take a 737-type/ATP course?
 

So I am currently signed up for a 737-type/ATP course and I am partnered up with a friend of mine who is also in the AF and his commander approved him 10 days of Permissive TDY to go to it. His commander based it off of 36-3003, table 7, rule 15, but he is no longer in a flying squadron and I am afraid that if I ask my Commander to approve this he will be afraid to approve it because he will then have to approve every other pilot in my squadron that wants to do this. Has anyone ever used this reg to get a PTDY approved to go get your ATP?

Here is the rule:

to travel to a
governmental agency
to take an examination
for certification and
licensing in the
registry of medical,
dental, medical
service personnel, or
engineers, architects,
financial, and
Airframe &
Powerplant, or where
other profess
ional
certification and/or
licenses exists.

Note:
The certification and/or licensing
must have a direct relationship to the
member‟s primary military duties and
clearly enhance his or her value to the Air
Force.

Good luck selling this point....

Be happy for your friend having gotten a good deal, but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. In all honesty, doesn't look like it fits the bill to me.

Guess it can't hurt to ask (and you definitely won't get it if you don't ask)--but, the fact that you're worried about your CC's reaction makes me wonder if you're comfortable / in a position to do so....

If you don't ask, the answer will definitely be no... might as well try. Perhaps have your friend provide proof of his SQ/CC's justification, and give that to your SQ/CC. Then, if he denies it, add it to all of your other IG complaints... what have you got to lose?

Yep... that's the part I was worried about. The advanced flying training and the ATP can definitely be beneficial to my job as a pilot, but "clearly enhancing my value to the Air Force" may be a long shot.

I'll give it a try though. Does anyone know if you have to take R&R leave directly following a deployment or can you delay that leave and take it later?

Hmmm...

Does the class offer CRM training?

Find something the class offers to foot the bill. Enough said.

Very good point. I'm guessing your typical 737-type rating course is loaded with CRM training. That's a good approach to it. Thanks!

In the current climate of austerity, I'd be leery. I'm all about helping folks out but this might cross a line.

Yo right here. Did that exact thing with HPA. The CC double checked that no one else was going to have to pick up my slack during the ten days ( I would have taken ordinary leave in that case), and then signed on the dotted line. Give it a whirl. Hell frame it as transition assistance.

I wouldn't worry about austerity, it doesn't cost the government any money to let you go PTDY. As far as post-deployment leave, you can do whatever your commander will let you. I've taken it all at once as soon as I walked in the door and I've split it into two chunks seperated by a month. I plan to delay it after this deployment so I can get one or two sorties as soon as I get back to re-hack landing currency, then go on leave.

Good luck and post what your boss approves when you know.

If the Air Force requires you to have master's degree, but doesn't care at all about what the degree is in, then there is little argument that the degree alone makes you more desirable. I would argue that any aviation training would enhance your knowledge of aviation and better hone your flying skills which would have a direct impact on the Air Force's mission. The ATP would make you much more marketable for a transition to a civilian flight job, but so would AIS, Safety school, or UPT in general.

I say ask, and thanks for letting me know that this is something that I will ask for if I decide which ATP/Type program to take.