Aviation Career Incentive Pay

1. Aviation Career Incentive Pay LT Jeff Grubb MSC USN 14 August 2009

2. Why We Fly (…and get paid for it) • Gain a first hand appreciation of what the people we serve are up against. • Learn to speak Aviator-ese. • Build non-adversarial relationships with the people we serve.

3. Kinds of ACIP • Continuous ACIP • For Pilots, NFOs, & AEDOs with less than 12 years in aviation and those with more than 12 years who have met required hour gates through 25 years of service. • Conditional ACIP • Aeromedical Officers and Aviators who have not met hour gates. • Must qualify for aviation service • Must be on DIFOPS orders • Must be in a DIFOPS Billet • Must fly in accordance with governing regulations

4. Regulations Governing ACIP • OPNAVINST 3710.7T • Annual requirement of 48 hours per FY (Oct. to Sept.) • Semiannual FY requirement of 24 hours (Oct to March, Apr to Sept.) • DoD 7000.14-R, Volume 7a, Chapter 22 • Monthly requirement of 4 hours. 4 hrs/month * 6 Months = 24 hrs 24 hrs * 2 6-month periods = 48 hrs/year BOTTOM LINE: Fly 4 hours every month and you are set.

5. But what if I… • …fly more than 4 hours in a month? • You can apply extra hours up to 5 months out • e.g. Fly 24 hours in October and you will satisfy OCT plus NOV, DEC, JAN, FEB, and MAR • …fly less than 4 hours in a month? • Enter a Grace Period.

6. Grace Periods • Per DoD 7000.14, you have… • 1 month to bag 4 hours • OR 2 months to bag 8 hours • OR 3 months to bag 12 hours • Fly extra hours in subsequent months to make up a deficit. • Hours flown apply to the month in which they are flown first • e.g. If you fly 3 hours in OCT and 4 hours in NOV, you enter DEC in a grace period still needing 1 extra hour for OCT.

7. But what if I can’t fly due to… • …injury? • If you are injured during operational flight, you remain ACIP eligible for up to 3 month despite not flying. • If you are injured outside of flying, you are only eligible for what you have flown to date. • …couldn’t get a flight? • You may apply for a 6-month waiver

8. Waivers • Two valid reasons • Military Operations (i.e. too busy at work) • Bear in mind that as an Aeromedical Officer, flying is part of your job. • Nonavailability of Aircraft • Waiver process and what you get • You must get a letter from your “commanding officer” certifying that only these reasons prevented you from flying. • The waiver gives you 6 months to accumulate 24 hours. • The 6 month period is calculated from the first month that you do not meet the 4 hour requirement.

9. Consequences • DoD 7000.14-R Requirements • Lose pay for any month that you do not accumulate 4 hours. • OPNAVINST 3710.7T Requirements • Lose one month’s pay for every four-hour increment toward the 48 hour requirement that you fail to achieve • e.g. Fly 47.9 hours in an FY, lose 1 month’s pay; fly 43.9 hours in an FY, lose 2 month’s pay

10. Clear as Mud?

11. How Much ACIP Does He Rate? • LT Derrick “McDreamy” Sheppard is busy and can’t fly every month, but he gets his 48 for the year. Is he good-to-go? Rates 6 Months’ Pay Grace Period Begins Grace Period Begins Grace Period Begins

12. How Much ACIP Does He Rate? • LT John “J.D.” Dorian has hours banked up from last year. Rates 11 Months’ Pay

13. How Much ACIP Does He Rate? • LT Douglas “Dougie” Howser just went on flight status on 15 APR. On flight status for half a month and flew half a month’s worth of hours. Rates 5.5 Months’ Pay

14. How Much ACIP Does She Rate? • LCDR Grey is caught up through September. • If she flies the following and doesn’t get a waiver, how much ACIP does she rate and for which months does she rate it? Rates 12 Months’ Pay Grace Period Begins Grace Period Begins

15. How Much ACIP Does He Rate? • LCDR Mark “Goose” Greene is caught up coming into the FY. • On 28 JAN, he is injured while ejecting from the last remaining USN F-14. Rates 12 Months’ Pay Rates 10 Months’ Pay Grace Period Begins Grace Period Begins

16. Fly Early & Often