seward wrote:I wondered about this part of the work statement: "You will have the option to continue your health coverage while in non-pay status."

MTV or Troy, do you know if that means one would have to use COBRA for insurance? That would be very expensive. Or does the government carry it for you?

Sean

I’m not up to current speed, but in the olden days, you were allowed to continue it, but JUST AS WHEN YOURE ACTIVE, you have to pay for it. The govt. “Helps” pay for health care, but there’s a sizable chunk taken out of your pay.

MTV

I’m sure you read this 93k: https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services ... mputation/

There are calculators available in the internet. Figuring your high 3 is pretty easy; just need to consider if your going to stay in that job your whole career then you figure what step level you will be when retirement comes. Also consider that a lot of your retirement money will be in the TSP (thrift savings plan, 401K) and the “pension” is kinda just a nice extra.

Lots of folk move to a less desirable but higher grade job for their last 3 years.

Continuing the medical coverage during the non-pay period is just as MTV describes. Your insurance doesn’t change and neither does your monthly premium. Federal medial is pretty good but it it isn’t cheap.

I am not a good person to ask about retirement, been working here 23 years but have never really investigated the details on retirement.

However, I do know that the pension side is less central for employees of our generation than the previous generation. The Thrift Savings Plan, which is basically a government version of a 401K, is the more substantial part of current federal civil service retirements.

When I was a kid I spent lots of time at the DLG airport and always swooned over Togiak National Wildlife Refuges planes and pestered some of the pilots and biologists. Same with the Troopers and they had Grumman Gooses back then. But it seemed the feds had the best facilities and the coolest planes. I really wanted to do that. But back then it seemed that the pilot/biologist (wildlife management degree) positions were few and far between. Got sucked into a very good paying air taxi position and drifted away from doing that type of flying then a pilot position opened at Katmai that many of us local guys scrambling to get it. It went to a local guy that grew up in Naknek and had considerable experience flying in that area. He was a mentor to many of us young flyers and a high school sports coach/referee at many meets in Southwest Alaska. Sadly he perished in a accident while flying on the job. He was a really neat person.

I don’t regret the career path in aviation I took but this thread brings back lots of memories of what I wanted to do back in my younger days. I think it would be a neat job or career to fly for the Feds.

TVATIVAK71 wrote:When I was a kid I spent lots of time at the DLG airport and always swooned over Togiak National Wildlife Refuges planes and pestered some of the pilots and biologists. Same with the Troopers and they had Grumman Gooses back then. But it seemed the feds had the best facilities and the coolest planes. I really wanted to do that. But back then it seemed that the pilot/biologist (wildlife management degree) positions were few and far between. Got sucked into a very good paying air taxi position and drifted away from doing that type of flying then a pilot position opened at Katmai that many of us local guys scrambling to get it. It went to a local guy that grew up in Naknek and had considerable experience flying in that area. He was a mentor to many of us young flyers and a high school sports coach/referee at many meets in Southwest Alaska. Sadly he perished in a accident while flying on the job. He was a really neat person.

I don’t regret the career path in aviation I took but this thread brings back lots of memories of what I wanted to do back in my younger days. I think it would be a neat job or career to fly for the Feds.

We always had good equipment, for sure. It broke my heart when Senator Stevens gave our two remaining Gooses to museums…..grrrr.

And, as I suggested earlier, I’d do that job again, gladly. For the right person, it’s a dream job. Sure was for me.

MTV

TVATIVAK71 wrote:When I was a kid I spent lots of time at the DLG airport and always swooned over Togiak National Wildlife Refuges planes and pestered some of the pilots and biologists. Same with the Troopers and they had Grumman Gooses back then. But it seemed the feds had the best facilities and the coolest planes. I really wanted to do that. But back then it seemed that the pilot/biologist (wildlife management degree) positions were few and far between. Got sucked into a very good paying air taxi position and drifted away from doing that type of flying then a pilot position opened at Katmai that many of us local guys scrambling to get it. It went to a local guy that grew up in Naknek and had considerable experience flying in that area. He was a mentor to many of us young flyers and a high school sports coach/referee at many meets in Southwest Alaska. Sadly he perished in a accident while flying on the job. He was a really neat person.

I don’t regret the career path in aviation I took but this thread brings back lots of memories of what I wanted to do back in my younger days. I think it would be a neat job or career to fly for the Feds.

I can’t believe its been 19 years . The Togiak job is about the only one I’d leave my current job for, seems like a fun way to get paid to fly a cub.

I remember more than once doing the grind dlg-kmo-twa-tog-dlg or the twice weekly Cape Newenham trip and seeing either the refuge cub or 185 doing it’s work. Had to take a look at myself a few times and review my career goals.

19 yrs…………bet that was tough on your family. Got lots of good memories of him since I was a kid. Like the time at the DLG High school wrestling tournament when Yute Air dropped the ball and couldn’t get the Kodiak kids and the Penair Kodiak base didn’t have a plane available. Referee shirt and all he jumped in the DLG based Penair Navajo (his place of employment) and delayed the tournament till he got back with the Kodiak kids. Wicked sense of humor. Anyways sorry for the digression.

Went to watch a few of those subsistence board meetings and usually there was always a Fed pilot/enforcement guy with biologists and managers there to make comments or observations to board members. Those jobs as others have pointed out have duties way beyond flying.

TVATIVAK71 wrote:I remember more than once doing the grind dlg-kmo-twa-tog-dlg or the twice weekly Cape Newenham trip and seeing either the refuge cub or 185 doing it’s work. Had to take a look at myself a few times and review my career goals.

19 yrs…………bet that was tough on your family. Got lots of good memories of him since I was a kid. Like the time at the DLG High school wrestling tournament when Yute Air dropped the ball and couldn’t get the Kodiak kids and the Penair Kodiak base didn’t have a plane available. Referee shirt and all he jumped in the DLG based Penair Navajo (his place of employment) and delayed the tournament till he got back with the Kodiak kids. Wicked sense of humor. Anyways sorry for the digression.

Went to watch a few of those subsistence board meetings and usually there was always a Fed pilot/enforcement guy with biologists and managers there to make comments or observations to board members. Those jobs as others have pointed out have duties way beyond flying.

He was a special guy, always made everyone laugh. I miss Penair too!