TL: DNR? Go to last paragraph and skip all the thought processes...
I'm asking specifically about retirement, not separations since they seem to have a different process for the two -- I know lots of guys who have withdrawn/adjusted their separation date but none who have attempted this for retirement. I am approved for a retirement date in a few months and have about 3-4 weeks to make this decision before I start running into excess leave issues. I've had my apps in since August and have seen a lot of friends get hired yet for some reason my phone hasn't rung. Of those hired, some have been slightly more qualified, some slightly less, but for the most part my experience and credentials put me right in the heart of what the airlines are picking up from retiring USAF fighter pilots.
I really only have 2 choices: suck it up at a regional for XX months until I get a call or try to wait it out a few more months on AD. I guess I have a 3rd choice of retire and wait around but I don't plan to exercise that option.
If I suck it up at a regional, I get an edge over almost every other military pilot out there since I'll be able to check the 121 container but frankly I know this isn't required since I know so many guys who have been hired without it. If my application to extend my retirement date is denied then this will end up as the default choice.
If I extend my retirement date, I'll earn significantly more money over the months where I would've been at the regional but I'll be a little less flexible in start date, and my resume' really won't get any better -- I've got so many hours that what I get in an extra XX months probably won't score me any higher on my airlineapps application. I'm not too worried about the start date since the airlines I most highly desire have pools so full that even with the delay in retirement date I might have a month or two of sitting around waiting for a class. There's a very small part in the back of my brain that keeps telling me to GTFO since the USAF could pull some stop-loss crap on me during that extra vul time but I think I'm probably not the target of any future stop-loss actions.
Anyway, that was a very verbose explanation of my thought process since I'm not really asking for advice on what road to take, but I am asking for advice from anybody who got an approved (or disapproved) retirement extension on what to put in my request. I plan to ask for a retirement extension based upon "needs of the AF" since I do not qualify for the other two reasons they allow when extending a retirement. (Un)fortunately my unit is near 100% manned which takes that option away as a good reason for the AF to help me out. The AFI very specifically states you cannot use inability to secure employment as a reason to extend your retirement date. In my favor, I'm an 11F3H which is one of the most critically manned AFSCs around. Of course AFPC already knows my AFSC so I'm not sure how much I should write about my awesome F-16 skills and prowess . I emailed the POC @ AFPC to see if they could answer my questions and of course I got an autoreply telling me to go EAD, they're too busy with VSP to actually answer questions (so they've got time to approve/disapprove my package, but not enough to help me make it a successful package, sounds like promotions but I digress). So, in addition to being my own finance officer, travel officer, computer officer, and who knows what else, I'm now also my own retirements and separations adviser. Anyway, I'd appreciate any insights folks may have on this.
BL not UF:
1. What info should I put in my request to maximize chance of success?
2. Does length of extension request matter?
3. Does crossing into a new FY decrease PK of success?
Thanks!