( ) This protects America’s reserve military capability by requiring all employers to give their employees up to five years of leave for military duty without any negative repercussions. There’s a federal law call the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA. Thankfully, though, there’s a good deal that protects every single one of us in this situation. You’ll burn out and it won’t be worth it in the long-run. Sure, you’ll make a lot more money this way, but I feel like it’s just too much time away from home. Most units will want a minimum of one week per month from you (though there are exceptions we’ll discuss later.) If you want, you can do this week of military flying in addition to you airline flying, though I don’t recommend it. Once you’ve been hired by an airline, you continue serving part-time in the Reserves. The most critical point in this whole scenario is getting a seniority number at a major airline…because Seniority is Everything. If you start at a regional, it’s critical that you focus as much as possible on flying there and doing whatever it takes to get hired by a major. If you can’t, there’s nothing wrong with doing a Regional Airline Touch & Go. Ideally, you go directly to a major airline. 1) you join a Guard or Reserve unit (hereafter just “Reserve,”) and 2) you start work at an airline. Ask Admiral Akbar why not.įrom here, you do two things more or less simultaneously. Even if you choose to stay in, don’t take the bonus. If possible, use Palace Chase or a similar program to get out early. Whether your primary concern is lifetime earnings, a secure retirement, or overall Quality of Life, I humbly assert that there is almost no reason to stay on active duty past that point. If you include time spent waiting to start, and then completing training, this means most pilots hit free agent status around 11 or 12 years of total active duty service. Military pilot training incurs an Active Duty Service Commitment/Obligation (ADSC/O) of 10 years, starting the day you get your wings. Please help me achieve that ideal by sharing this article with at least one of your fellow aviators.) (If I had my way, this would be required reading for every pilot officer and warrant officer in the Air Force, Navy, Army, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. What follows is my personal opinion of the ideal career path for any military pilot who wants a military pension. However, based on several recent questions and discussions, I feel like I’m failing to communicate my intended message. I feel like I’ve made this obvious, and that the resulting career path should be clear. In short: there is no financial justification for staying on active duty past your initial ADSC. If you compare those numbers to what I actually made during my first two years ( ) you’ll see that airline pay has the potential to drastically outpace military pay, even including retirement and heath care. After 2.5 years at Delta, with a cosy armchair-quarterback’s view, I now realize that my numbers in that post were way too conservative. My original post ( ) said that the money is a wash, so you should consider other factors. I’ve posted extensively about considerations on whether to leave active duty as soon as possible, or stick it out until 20 years. That’s what prompted me to write this today. Many of my articles originate because I get repeat questions, and/or see the same questions in posts/comments on social media. One of the interesting things about fielding so many questions is that I see a lot of trend data. Please continue to send me your questions! As such, I’m pleased to get frequent emails and DMs from you…asking for help or advice on your particular situation. I write what I do because I like helping people get the best possible flying careers. Although I value the title of TPN Staff Writer, you won’t find it on my tombstone. You don’t see my name appear so frequently on TPN because I’m seeking fame or glory.
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