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About James Bell
Expertise
I am a retired MSgt (2004) with 24 years experience in the aircrew career field, both as a loadmaster (AFSC 1A2x1) and flight engineer (AFSC 1A1x1). I have been to every continent at one time or another, and regularly flew 300 to 500 hours a year. I have been involved in the operations in Grenada, Panama, Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. I can answer most questions you may have about enlisted Air Force life in general, assignments, benefits, and enlisted aircrew operations.
NOTE: If you have specific recruiting and/or medical questions about how to get into this career field as a civilian, they have changed since my time, so that is best answered by a recruiter or MEPS. I can answer questions about military personnel wanting to RETRAIN. If you are asking about being an Air Force pilot, please be advised my area of expertise is ENLISTED aircrew operations, NOT OFFICERS.
Experience
Loadmaster (AFSC 1A2x1): 7 years - 2,000 hours - C-5A Galaxy cargo plane. Flight Engineer (AFSC 1A1x1C): 7 years - 2,500 hours - C-141B Starlifter cargo plane, 10 years - 3,800 hours - KC-10A Extender aerial tanker. Served as aircrew Flight Instructor, Flight Evaluator and Training Manager
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You are here: Experts > News/Issues > U.S. Military > Careers: Military--Army, Navy, Airforce, Marines, Coast Guard > retraining
Expert: James Bell - 10/27/2009
Question
I am currently a active duty enlisted flyer on c-130s. I am a first term airman and love my mission in the air force but ready to get out and travel. i want to keep my job as loadmaster but want to switch airframes. How long do I have to fly on the aircraft before i am able to put in for a new assignment and is the process i have to do.
Answer
Chris -
Let me get this straight ... you are a C-130 loadmaster and you don't travel enough? Granted, I know the deployment rate is high, so I am assuming you mean you want to travel to places OTHER than home station and the desert?
Although you are staying within the same career field, your Active Duty Service Commitment (ADSC) would still be affected as you would need to go back to formal school to learn the new airframe. You should know if you have anything left on your ADSC. You are also required to meet minimum Time on Station (TOS) requirements, usually 24 months. Provided you have met those requirements, you should be able to put in for a reassignment. Unless procedures have changed, the only way I know to do that is to change your assignment preferences on your dream-sheet. Change all the bases to where you would want to be assigned.
Making those changes triggers the assignment system to see if it is advantageous to the Air Force to move you. You would only be looking at a transfer if the base (and aircraft of assignment) you are wanting has more critical manning level than your current assignment. Even then, unless your squadron (and airframe) are really over-manned, it takes quite a bit to have the assignment automatically processed. If your unit are already undermanned, it may be very difficult to get a transfer.
I have known people that wish to move to another base and airframe that make contact with the Resource Managers in the squadron they wish to switch to. Having someone working a transfer from the gaining squadron, in addition to your desire for a reassignment, sometimes gets the process rolling if there is no action being taken on the personnel side alone.
Short of having a contact "on the inside" of the squadron you want to move to, getting moved from one airframe to another simply because you want a change isn't usually approved by the military. They already have you trained and assigned to a particular location, and they aren't usually wanting to make changes unless there is a legitimate Air Force need to do so.
Good luck.
Sincerely,
James Bell
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