PA Spine and V Eng 3 Question

[Flying_Padre]

Has anyone come across any pros or cons with the PA Spine and V Eng 3?

I have heard of someone in the AAC who, having signed on to V Eng 3 now finding that when giving 12 months notice they are going to be hit in the wallet to the tune of 50% of their flying pay!

Seems a might unfair as no doubt the individual will be expected to to continue to fly 100% of the time not 50%!

Would being on the PA spine thus protect the individual from such a 'punitive' measure as, I am lead to believe, on the PA Spine you are no longer in receipt of 'flying pay'?

Any guidance would be gratefully received,

Padre

[Sloppy Link]

Has always been the case (well, in recent history) that if you end your contract by PVR-ing ie, leaving before your tranche of VEng then you FP is reduced....however, if you are on PES(A) you do not receive FP and therefore, nothing to half! Beware though, if you have not done 5 years PES(A) then they will take you off the spine, back onto FP and then half it. Sneaky.

LSL(A) = no promotion but ability to leave at short notice with no penalty
VEng 3 = chance of promotion but penalties if you leave before your time

I wonder which one our employers voted for? In the harsh reality of manning, can you blame them? You were given 5 years with every expectation to get 15 years but did not have to give any guarantee that you would complete with no form of forfeiture, a manning nightmare. Now at least they can ensure you (to a degree) remain on the manning plot until your 48th birthday.

[Mister-T]

Sloppy Link, you raise a good point about the 5 year return of service for PA spine and I have spent many an hour digging through the various documentation and I do think you may be wrong.

The paperwork that is used to apply for PES asks that you have at least 5 years return of service but at no point does it suggest you have to complete it. Furthermore the AFPS 05 scheme gives a pension based on your highest years salary in the last 3 years or similar which would make it incredibly difficult for Glasgow to amend.

Just my thoughts as I am on PES but remained on Continuance as I saw very little merit in the Veng 3. I am curious as to anybody else's thoughts as I assume that if I leave inside of the 5 year time I should not be penalised.

[Sloppy Link]

Mister T,
You may well be right if you are AFPS 05 but on 75 the 5 year bit is definiteley there. This is to achieve the benefits, it doesn't stop you leaving before that, just that if you do it will be without any of the PES(A) advantages. Another little gem I discovered is on 75, as an Officer, being a Major or a Captain gives quite large differences, 05 no difference at all.
I am still trying to get onto 05 but think that the door is closed now. I very much feel that all the time they are being approached by individuals they can fend us off, were we to collectively approach, the sum power of the collective could well be greater than our constituent parts.
PM me if any ppruner thinks this is a goer.

[fixinflyback]

I agree with Mister T reference having to give 5 years return of service if you are on AFPS 05 and the PAS. I was given 5 yrs continuance just before my 55 yr point, and also placed onto PAS. Originally I didn't have five years left in the Service, when PAS was introduced, so I wasn't eligible to receive PAS. Under the terms of continuance I can give 3 months notice to leave, the Service can give me 6 months notice to leave. I began to wonder if I had to give 5 years return of service, as you have to if you are on AFPS 75. I wrote to Glasgow to ask them the question as a possible scenario could having me serving another 4yrs, the Service giving me 6 months notice, so I would leave after four and a half years, not completing 5 yrs return of service. This is the reply received from Glasgow.

I can confirm that your pension will be based entirely on your service and salary and that in the 05 scheme there is no 5 year requisite period nor do supplements come into the assessment of your pension. The calculations that will be done are as follows;
Reckonable service x Best 365 days salary of last 3 years divide by 70

Unfortuantely doesn't seem to help those people on AFPS 75, but a different story for those on AFPS 05.