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How does reserve pay work?

bunk22

bunk22

Super *********
pilot
Super Moderator
I have yet to find these answers, being an active duty guy for the last 14 years. If I try for the reserves, it will be the training command down here. How many days can one work in a month and how much would an O-4 make? I've seen the pay scale but not sure how it works.

Bunk
 
bunk22 said:
I have yet to find these answers, being an active duty guy for the last 14 years. If I try for the reserves, it will be the training command down here. How many days can one work in a month and how much would an O-4 make? I've seen the pay scale but not sure how it works.

Bunk
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Unless it's changed ... and I doubt it ... the pay is based on drills, i.e. 4 per month (one weekend) and how many additional drills and/or ACDUTRA you can scam from your command.

While on an airline furlough ... I made over $20K one year ... equivalent to @ $50K today .... :) ... the Reserves are a very, very good deal when one has a pay billet with extra/additional drills and/or ACDUTRA for the asking ... so I guess what I'm sayin' is that it's command/unit specific.
 
I'm trying to find a reserve guy or gal but they have not been around as of late. How many days can one work? I know we had a reserved pilot back at VAW-120 who worked at least 10+ days a month. Someone said one day of drill is equal to two days of pay, or something to that effect. I think for an O-4 with my time is, it's $805 per drill period.
 
bunk22 said:
I'm trying to find a reserve guy or gal but they have not been around as of late. How many days can one work? I know we had a reserved pilot back at VAW-120 who worked at least 10+ days a month. Someone said one day of drill is equal to two days of pay, or something to that effect. I think for an O-4 with my time is, it's $805 per drill period.
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The answer is that it really depends on the unit - life (and subsequent $$) in a flying or "hardware" unit is much better than in a more traditional reserve unit.

There are a number of different pots of money you can tap when you drill. The most basic are "drills", which come in half day increments - 4 drills equals a full weekend. A drill is essentially a full active duty day's pay, so you are getting a 2-fer. You have a god-given right to 48 drills per year.

Since if you are flying you need to be spending a lot more than just 24 days a year "doing stuff", there are additional pots of money - the primary one is known as AFTPs, "Additional Flight Training Periods". These are meant to be used when you are flying during the week; they are not a 2-fer, but a one-for one pay. You are allocated a certain number of these per year; I think we (in the VAQ world) get 48, but this is also heavily dependent on the current fiscal situation. Times are tough, and the Reserves are getting hit hard for $ to pay for the war, and AFTPs are being cut significantly.

Lastly, there are RMPs - Readinesse Management Periods. These are supposed to be used to cover admin and training requirements (G-lectures, misc paperwork, etc.) You also get a certain number of these, but as with AFTPs they can be variable.

So the big picture is you can make some serious bucks as a Reservist in a flying billet, subject to a few constraints. We've had several folks over the years who had no real jobs other than being a Reservist - by stringing together drills, AFTPs, RMPs, and other active duty periods (ATs - annual training; ADT - active duty for training; and ADSW - active duty for special work), you can clear quite a chunk of change.
 
A drill period is typically : 2 drills per day = 2 days of active or thereabouts plus you still get ACCIP pay.. Additionals count as one drill and AT is day for day (ie.. 12 days AT = 12 days on active duty... Base pay , BAH, the works..) :D Some of my buds in the training command are making about 30-32 K ballpark range but some units (VR), Ain't got that kind of cash...
 
I'm just brainstorming here. Have about a year and a half before I decide. I'm flying with VT-6 and would try to stay down here and keep flying. I would have to get on and being I'm very senior, might be tough if there are a lot of junior guys wanting the same flying slots.
 
bunk22 said:
I'm just brainstorming here. Have about a year and a half before I decide. I'm flying with VT-6 and would try to stay down here and keep flying. I would have to get on and being I'm very senior, might be tough if there are a lot of junior guys wanting the same flying slots.
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The general rule of thumb for picking up new guys is "junior most qualified", so being senior can be a challenge. Conversely, it depends on the unit's manning document at any given time - for example, we are dying for pilots right now. Any O-3 or -4 pilots out there interested in a Reserve Prowler squadron? All the doughnuts you can eat, day-only CQ 2x a year, and a bunch of fun (and some not so fun) dets. I'm off to Alaska tomorrow for 10 days - it doesn't suck...
 
FlyinSpy said:
The general rule of thumb for picking up new guys is "junior most qualified", so being senior can be a challenge. Conversely, it depends on the unit's manning document at any given time - for example, we are dying for pilots right now. Any O-3 or -4 pilots out there interested in a Reserve Prowler squadron? All the doughnuts you can eat, day-only CQ 2x a year, and a bunch of fun (and some not so fun) dets. I'm off to Alaska tomorrow for 10 days - it doesn't suck...
Click to expand...

If I were a Prowler guy, I'd sign up :D That's the thing, the only thing I've got going for me is I'm already qualified. Sometimes the board gets quite a few guys applying from other communities vs in home. Timing would be everything.
 
Bunk (and whomever else is interested) -

If you PM me, I"ll give you the names of the dudes at 120 who are reservists and rushing the airlines and/or just started with the airlines (less than 2 years) out and/or waiting for something random to pop up. (a bunch of guys just dropped their letters..not sure what their plans are, but I know part of it includes working for the SAU).

Rugger
 
Bunk,
Here is a rundown of the ways to get paid on the Green side, I cant imagine Blue side being too different.
1-drills the one weekend a month, as mentioned above you make O-4/30 x drill periods (4 is normal, 5 is also done if you work friday night
2-AFTP Additional Flight Training period-this is a "I come in to fly" on the green side it is TMS dependant, for rotoray wing guys 1.5 hours of lfight time = one drill so most guys fly a 3.0 and get paid two days of base pay and flight pay as an O-4 (around 400 or so)
3-RMP- its late cant remember the acronym but it would be like I came in to do ODO or something else = 1 days pay for one days work
4-ATP-Aviation Training period, i.e came in to be on a stan board etc 1 days pay for one days work
5 ADSW-Active duty Special work, you come on Active Duty for a set period of time to do something airshows etc. You rate bsaic pay, flight pay and if over 30 days BAH. IF you are over 50 miles you get per diem and a hotel room
6 Annual Training-your two weeks a year, you make O-4 and flgiht pay

I am sure Blue side is similar (bet all the accronyms are slightly different), your drills and AT are yours and not dependant on the Commands money so do those last. ADSW AT and RMP depend on a given budget. ADSW is attractive to furloughed Airline guys and if you have a good rep it will be offered to you first.

Hope this helps, our unempoyed/underemployed guys make between 35-50K doing reserve stuff.

Edit: Flyspy beat me to it, sounds like the two are similar
 
skidkid said:
Bunk,
Here is a rundown of the ways to get paid on the Green side, I cant imagine Blue side being too different.
1-drills the one weekend a month, as mentioned above you make O-4/30 x drill periods (4 is normal, 5 is also done if you work friday night
2-AFTP Additional Flight Training period-this is a "I come in to fly" on the green side it is TMS dependant, for rotoray wing guys 1.5 hours of lfight time = one drill so most guys fly a 3.0 and get paid two days of base pay and flight pay as an O-4 (around 400 or so)
3-RMP- its late cant remember the acronym but it would be like I came in to do ODO or something else = 1 days pay for one days work
4-ATP-Aviation Training period, i.e came in to be on a stan board etc 1 days pay for one days work
5 ADSW-Active duty Special work, you come on Active Duty for a set period of time to do something airshows etc. You rate bsaic pay, flight pay and if over 30 days BAH. IF you are over 50 miles you get per diem and a hotel room
6 Annual Training-your two weeks a year, you make O-4 and flgiht pay

I am sure Blue side is similar (bet all the accronyms are slightly different), your drills and AT are yours and not dependant on the Commands money so do those last. ADSW AT and RMP depend on a given budget. ADSW is attractive to furloughed Airline guys and if you have a good rep it will be offered to you first.

Hope this helps, our unempoyed/underemployed guys make between 35-50K doing reserve stuff.

Edit: Flyspy beat me to it, sounds like the two are similar
Click to expand...

ADSW- Only if the sqaudron NEEDS an extra active duty guy. Theres is one that is in my command and he was the first. I don't know how he swung that one(furloughed pilot)
RMP- These can only be done by the Reserve unit CO for admin and paperwork.
IDT (ie drills) god give right to 48 a year. Most people think that its 1 weekend a month (good slogan). However, if your squadron does not fly on the weekends then you are not going to get paid for them. Must airline guys will come during the week. There is no set time to do them.
AFTPs- IE: fling drills- Can only be used for flights and the fling commands are the only ones that get them. In TW-4 they are 48 a year and we just got more money to go to an additional 48. so thats 144 drills=$

The pay scale that was in the above post is for a 2 day 4 drill pay. I think the pay for O-3 at 10 is 161 per drill and an O-4 at 10 is 181 PER DRILL. Some guys in my unit do 10 drills in a week 2 per day and and some more. As long as they do not go over there alotted amount then they are fine. They also do more when they know that they are going to be working for the airlines or upgrade for their job so the bank those drills.

AT- this is 12 min to 17 max active duty. Like in other posts they get BAH, BAS, BASE pay and ACCP for the week they are on Active Training. Take what you are making now and divide by 52 and times by 2 to find out what you would make.

It is a way to make some extra cash if you have a way to get to the squadron you are drilling at. If you are not able to jumpseat and need to pay for the tickets to the drill site you may need to look at another drill site. Biggest thing is you are not throughing are 14 yrs of service out the window and once you make 20 years of service you start to get a retirment at age 60. It will be a reduced retirement but free money is free money.

P3pilot
 
p3pilot said:
RMP- These can only be done by the Reserve unit CO for admin and paperwork.

P3pilot
Click to expand...

RMP's can be done by any officer assigned to a qualifying billet that requires a sort of additional duty. That includes LSO, NATOPS, Admin or XO. Caveat my info is about two years old but that was the rule then and it made some sense.
 
The reserves are some of the best deals out there. Too bad the Marine Corps keeps closing all the squadrons in their typical short-sightedness. In a few more years, there won't be anywhere to drill other than the training command and -130's.
 
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