Flight Pay... WTF?

[lmnop]

Average Median Salary (payscale.com):

Lawyer (5-9 years experience): $88,461


O-3/4yrs: (Aviation career incentive pay, StayNAVY website calculator, Pcola BAH):

According to your input, your Military Gross Pay is $78,363.12 annually.
As a civilian, you would have to earn $87,029.61 to have a comparable after tax income.

And??

 

[red_ryder]

And if you heard a lawyer say they weren't getting paid enough, what would you tell them?

And instead of having to be a lawyer they had one of the best jobs in the world, too?

I dunno, I'm probably missing something, being a n00b Ensign. If so, somebody clue me in.

 

[abracadabra11]

Wtf? Why compare a lawyer's salary to that of an aviator? Completely different jobs.

 

[exhelodrvr]

Or you could be a Navy JAG. That way you can fly and be a lawyer!

 

[SemperGumbi]

Average Median Salary (payscale.com):

Lawyer (5-9 years experience): $88,461


O-3/4yrs: (Aviation career incentive pay, Stay NAVY website calculator, Cola BAH):

According to your input, your Military Gross Pay is $78,363.12 annually.
As a civilian, you would have to earn $87,029.61 to have a comparable after tax income.

Yeah, those numbers work if you are getting sweet BAH. They also factor in your retirement that you might not actually get. Look before you leap.

I don't hear Make Vapes complaining about the pay, but the fact that something hasn't been changed (well, actually it effectively has) with the times.

I was under the impression that the Gov has "fixed the glitch" about per diem. I know the Marine side of the house had a big ta-do a while ago cutting the per diem rates from huge amounts to negligible amounts in some choice garden spots (all covered in sand).

But guys coming back from P-3 deployments and dropping 20+K cash on a car strictly from per diem seems silly and unfair.

And before you say I am just jealous, I am just jealous.

 

[red_ryder]

Understood. I agree that they should eventually overhaul that, actually they probably should have a long time ago, but I can't imagine giving out extra money is high on their list of priorities these days.

I think I heard they're even overmanned 200+ stud slots now?

 

[PropStop]

But guys coming back from P-3 deployments and dropping 20+K cash on a car strictly from per diem seems silly and unfair.

Okay, gotta take issue with this. You guys fly sexy planes, chicks did those. You tell a chick that you fly Patrol planes and they look at you like you have an arm growing outta your ass. Now if you follow that up with, "Wana take a spin in my Jag?" they leap into your lap.

So, it isn't unfair, it's how we gain parity with cooler looking, faster planes.

 

[Flash]

Yeah, those numbers work if you are getting sweet BAH. They also factor in your retirement that you might not actually get. Look before you leap.

Military pay is a lot more generous than you think. It will be a few years before I get back to what I took home when I was in the military, and I got my pay 'equaled' when I left.

I was under the impression that the Gov has "fixed the glitch" about per diem. I know the Marine side of the house had a big ta-do a while ago cutting the per diem rates from huge amounts to negligible amounts in some choice garden spots (all covered in sand).

As far as I know there has been no 'fix' for whatever per diem 'glitch' that you are talking about. When you start talking about Marines cutting per diem rates I think it is less about 'fairness' and more about moving money to where they want it. Wehn I deployed with some Marines we got paid a regular rate while the Marines got paid a much reduced one, even though the USMC was funded for that rate. So where did the money go? Wherever big USMC wanted apparently. And that is not 'fixing a glitch' it is bordering on illegal, misappropriation of funds anyone?

But guys coming back from P-3 deployments and dropping 20+K cash on a car strictly from per diem seems silly and unfair.

And before you say I am just jealous, I am just jealous.

I never knew anyone who came back and dropped $20k on a car with just per diem, and I lived the per diem 'high-life' myself for a few years. Spend a little less money on wax treatments and bubble baths then you too can get a cool car with the money you save.

 

[usmarinemike]

I spent Saturday night listening to a bunch of JO’s whine about the most asinine things. The entitlement attitude so many seem to have these days is mind boggling.

Come hang with Marine Lts for awhile. We do a pretty good job of getting rid of the Generation X/Y sense of entitlement. If anybody has any different experience on the flight side it's probably because the Lt had been hanging around with flight students too much.

When I deployed with some Marines we got paid a regular rate while the Marines got paid a much reduced one, even though the USMC was funded for that rate. So where did the money go? Wherever big USMC wanted apparently. And that is not 'fixing a glitch' it is bordering on illegal, misappropriation of funds anyone?

I would venture to say it was more about inept administration of pays and allowances than anything malicious. It's a hair raising experience every two weeks just looking at the bank account hoping that you got the correct base pay. It's usually a guarantee that your per diems, temporary allowances and pay checkages won't be correct.

 

[Spekkio]

I spent Saturday night listening to a bunch of JO’s whine about the most asinine things. The entitlement attitude so many seem to have these days is mind boggling.

Haha, I had a JG in my nuke class whine about having to speak to her advisor because he was a DIO JG, but she EARNED her rank.

Come hang with Marine Lts for awhile. We do a pretty good job of getting rid of the Generation X/Y sense of entitlement. If anybody has any different experience on the flight side it's probably because the Lt had been hanging around with flight students too much.

Your gunnys do a decent job of it, too.

 

[MAKE VAPES]

If anybody has any different experience on the flight side it's probably because the Lt had been hanging around with flight students too much.

Some good intentioned advise my friend, looks from your profile yer headed down the path to Golden Leg Spreaders. If not disregard.

Quite a few prior enlisted devil dogs in 4.7 years in VT7 had big-ol problem adjusting to flight school life... shed the "grunt/yuk yuk" 'tude that served you so well, and adopt the "when in Rome" 'tude (you'll quickly isolate yourself with the former, makes flight school much tougher)... Keep the hard charging attitude and play off the other Marines there. Yuk when amongst Yuk Yuks, slime less slimelly when amongst squidies.

Yer gonna be older, more experienced at diggin fox holes and marching around in various geometric shapes but absolutelly no better at manipulating the bernoullis on the wings of orange and white aircraft. That is what counts. Best of luck, congrats on gradiation. Enjoy your $67 dollars that looks like $125 '87$ on your LES!

 

[usmarinemike]

Some good intentioned advise my friend, looks from your profile yer headed down the path to Golden Leg Spreaders. If not disregard.

Quite a few prior enlisted devil dogs in 4.7 years in VT7 had big-ol problem adjusting to flight school life... shed the "grunt/yuk yuk" 'tude that served you so well, and adopt the "when in Rome" 'tude (you'll quickly isolate yourself with the former, makes flight school much tougher)... Keep the hard charging attitude and play off the other Marines there. Yuk when amongst Yuk Yuks, slime less slimelly when amongst squidies.

Yer gonna be older, more experienced at diggin fox holes and marching around in various geometric shapes but absolutelly no better at manipulating the bernoullis on the wings of orange and white aircraft. That is what counts. Best of luck, congrats on gradiation. Enjoy your $67 dollars that looks like $125 '87$ on your LES!

Thanks. I know of what you speak, and none of us have intentions of being complete know-it-all tools, but we've already been advised directly from MATSG not to fall in the other hole which is shedding all vestiges of officership we have learned thus far and falling in with the "cool crowd" of Ensigns. Not a rip on Ensigns as I have many Ensign friends, it's just that by design we're a little further down the road to being military professionals and the potential for regression "in Rome" is high.

And my wife already has plans for the $67 ($125). I'll have to get my golf money from somewhere else in the budget.

 

[HighDimension]

Not a rip on Ensigns as I have many Ensign friends, it's just that by design we're a little further down the road to being military professionals and the potential for regression "in Rome" is high.

Are you talking about Marines in general or prior enlisted?

 

[Flash]

I would venture to say it was more about inept administration of pays and allowances than anything malicious. It's a hair raising experience every two weeks just looking at the bank account hoping that you got the correct base pay. It's usually a guarantee that your per diems, temporary allowances and pay checkages won't be correct.

No, it was deliberate, helping to fund O&M apparently. Admin/pay was not to blame for this one, it was a decision made higher up the chain.

 

[usmarinemike]

Are you talking about Marines in general or prior enlisted?

The we I speak of is Marine 2ndLt's after TBS. Being a prior doesn't mean all that much in the grand scheme. I'm one of the last to exude my priorness unless someone is treating me with total kid gloves or brings it up without my prompt.

Let me make it clear here that I have no intentions of digging on Navy O-1s or how the Navy does business (although I do find many aspects quite peculiar). What I am saying is that TBS is more about leadership than it is about all the yut stuff the Navy guys like to talk about. In fact, it is quite an awesome experience when you cut out all the BS. That's an experience that the other studs don't have. Not that they aren't good men, future combat pilots, and future CNOs and all that good stuff, just that they haven't been fully steeped in the institution yet. I could start a whole new thread about the differences, and the goods and bads, and how so many people on this board say that the Navy doesnt value real leadership the way it values the check in the box leadership and why, but that's not the point.

I could say any number of things at this point, but if I go any further I'll get a whole dump truck of STFU dumped on me. I'm going to have to experience flight school and its people before I can pass off my opinions as credible.

Now about that flight pay...