Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Navy Pilots Debate Taking $125,000 Bonus Or Running
By Kate Wiltrout, The Virginian-Pilot
NORFOLK - Pin stripes or a flight suit? That's the bottom line in the choice Eric Perle must make. A C-2A Greyhound pilot with eight years in the Navy, the 29 -year-old lieutenant is at a crossroads: He could extend his service by five years in December, or he could put his pending MBA degree to work in the corporate world.
The Navy wants him to stay - and will pay him a $125,000 bonus if he decides to sign on for another hitch. It's a standing offer for young aviators: an extra $25,000 a year in exchange for a five-year commitment. Since October, the deal also has been
extended to naval flight officers who operate systems aboard various Navy
aircraft.
Perle said the bonus will play into his decision. "I'm on the
fence," he said. "Guys like us can make more money in the civilian world.
Definitely the bonus will be a determining factor in my decision. Who doesn't
hope they'll get more money?" Flight officer retention has risen 10 percentage points in response to the bonus deal, said Capt. Mark Guadagnini at Navy Personnel Command in Millington, Tenn. Retention rates had not dipped low enough that the Navy had to institute a stop-loss, which the military can use to halt critical losses during wartime.
Yet with conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq stretching forces thin, and a strong economy luring soldiers and sailors back to civilian jobs, it didn't want to see attrition get any worse.
Debate? There is no debate. Let me help those guys out by showing them something.
Delta, American Airlines, Continental, Northwest Airlines, etc, etc...
See a the pattern? They're all going bankrupt, have gone bankrupt, and will not be looking for pilots any time soon.
Stick to your day jobs boys and girls. Take your bonus, get your 20 in, and then look for a flying gig outside
posted by El Capitan at 9:59 AM
1 Comments:
airforcewife said...
A bonus would be nice. Not asking for 125K or anything. Maybe 10, 25, 50.
Instead, we get stop lossed.