Four types: you left 2 years ago after 35 years but are now 42. You joined when you were 5 years old then?

mopardave....
 

......give yourself time to think.

If I were to ask you to reply instinctively, no umming and ahhing to the question "What do you want to do more than anything else in the world, NOW" what would the answer be? You might surprise yourself!

I did ask a hard bitten Ozzie business man that question and his reply was "I want to stand on the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem" straight out, no messing. When I recovered from my surprise and asked him why, his reply was that all three of the world's monotheistic religions wanted to be there and he wanted to see if he could "feel" what it was that drew them there.

If there's a pause of a few seconds followed by a "Weeeelll...." you're not going to hear the true feeling.

BTW there's lots of other good advice above - some of which I followed.....

The Ancient Mariner

Or might it be he has done 110,000 words and has only just reached 42 in the autobiography rather than in life? I know new recruits seem to be getting younger every year...

I left in 2003 after 39 years. I think I should have left 3 years earlier!

Actually what do pilots do when they retire? They go flying of course! I bought an ex RAF aeroplane and still fly it. Trouble is I now pay to fly, not Her Majesty, but at least I fly when I want to, not when the RAF wants me to. And I only fly when the weather is nice!

Moreover, I am now far busier than when I was in paid service. There are millions of things one can do, some have been mentioned. For myself, I write, I am active in several Clubs, I fly, I am a Justice of the Peace (quite interesting that!). No pipe & slippers for me.

In all, I don't regret leaving. I had a ball, but time to move on.

Sharpend,

Am I correct in thinking being a JP isn't permitted whilst still serving? I know a MOD civil servant who combines the 2, and it's something I've occasionally considered doing, but thought it would have to wait until HM no longer required my services.

Some good posts above...this I think is excellent.

Having financial security in retirement is absolutely key to having a happy retirement for 99% of us. You will be amazed at how far your money goes, if your retire debtless.

At 58 I still work and I'm still adding to my families wealth (in fact I'm just kicking off my third career), but It's my choice entirely. In 2011 I spent the whole year travelling and being outdoors...it was immense!!

You can't do stuff like that if you are worried about the pennies.

Step 1 Make yourself financially secure (no debt to service).
Step 2 Spend your days doing whatever floats your boat.

Back in 2011 I met many, many people from all walks of life (and that in itself was a buzz). I was often asked "what's retirement like then?".

My answer was always the same..."you know that feeling you get at about four o'clock on a Friday afternoon - when you are retired you feel like that every moment of everyday."

As a civilian Met Man, I found the handing in my various passes and "whatever my civvy RAF-style ID was called" was emasculating.

Interestingly [I hope] I belonged to a group of like-minded RAF and Army officers who all retired within a year or so of me. On our get-togethers, we first said that "nothing short of £100,000 cash down, plus salary, would get us back in harness for a year". Next year we said "nothing would get us back!"

Nearly 18 years away from it, pension is good, and days are full. BBQ to dust off soon.

I understand crab@SAAvn wants to run a Fish and Chip shop - he will make a good profit as he will only need to buy the Fish!

On a serious note try being a Magistrate - its seriously good!

I have never stepped foot on an RAF Station since I retired from the Service in 2002. For me, it was a case of the past is history, look forward to the future in civilian employment.

After I started receiving the State Pension, I joined a canal preservation group as a volunteer and last week I qualified as a 360 digger driver/operator. The group has been awarded large HLF grant to restore a flight of locks, so there is more than enough to do to keep me occupied and active for the next few years. Sitting in an armchair reflecting on days-gone-by is not an option for me.

I retired at 55 and have never looked back since the barrier came down behind me. A quote from a good friend, "The retirement clock has no hands!". A very true statement and I've also come to realise that an alarm clock is an optional accessory! You've got one life - live it!!

Have a plan (and make sure its financially viable) and look forward not back - limit the reunions etc. They are fine to meet old mates but not a reason to exist.


3 winters in the Alps now and still looking forward to next season.....

The clue to what Morpardave did until recently is in his first post. Hence my suggestion of getting into the voluntary fire fighting scene for small airfields like Old Warden.

LJ

PS. All good advice from all so far :ok:

I left the RAF just over 20 years ago. It wasn't my decision but one brought on by peace breaking out and the down sizing of a number of NATO forces. Having served for just under 24 years got a small pension and of course a gratuity. Luckily the RNZAF was looking for someone with my skills and offered me a job. Came to NZ on a 5 year contract with all expenses paid. Got a 5 year extension but decided just before my 50th birthday to pull the plug and hand back my uniform. That was 12 years ago and I have not missed being in uniform at all.

Since I left I have done quite a number of different jobs ranging from International Relations with NZ Customs to contract work with the Electoral Commission. My income is very much down on what it was when I left the RAF but what I earn with periodical work combined with my RAF pension I still maintain a good lifestyle. Of course I can only do that because all debt has been settled and I do not owe anyone a cent.

When not working I have a productive garden and chooks to look after. I also volunteer at the local museum.

Whilst I did not want to leave the RAF in 1994 it was perhaps the best thing that could have happened. It allowed me the opportunity to try a new country and experience new things. I have also missed out on what appears to have been quite a turbulent 20 years in the British Defence Forces.

Did not fly a jet till 48 yrs. First real paying job. Forced to retire from Part 121 at 60 and went back to part 135. Then recovered my Part 121 position when the rules changed and flew up to the morning of my 65th. Went back again to Part 135 until a detached retina mandated my retirement

Moved to Vancouver Island in retirement and am loving every minute of life with no schedule

As I approached the prospect of retirement after being a soldier for all my adult life I was full of foreboding. I left at 57 and in the event it all worked out fine.
After 34 years, provided you are free of debt, the pension is enough to live comfortably on, though without extravagance, and there is no need to commute or be shat on from above. I became involved in voluntary work with the RBL and ABF but avoided reunions while staying in contact with a few close Service friends, mostly ex aviators. I have been a community first responder, a wonderful voluntary job for an ex-service person, for the last 12 years and have now attended over 70 medical emergencies. Nowadays it is not often that I attend a patient older than I am. Though otherwise healthy I had a brief brush with cancer (please have your PSA checked regularly) but had surgery and can now pee and function fairly normally. I live in God's own country on the edge of the N York Moors with the lovely WRAF girl I married 45 years ago. I am proud of all my children, one of whom is a RAF pilot. I am very fortunate. I am very content. I am never bored.
Don't be afraid of retirement. Don't harbour regrets. Don't be rash. Don't pay higher rate tax. Live a good life.
Retirement is wonderful and as icing on the cake I get my free TV licence in a couple of years!

I retired at 55, I don't wear a watch and only set the alarm when I'm going out fishing in my boat.

I'm glad I retired when I did, I have 37 years of memories to keep me going. I don't miss the Hi-Viz vests, 'elf and safety' and 0700 FOD plod, after the sweeper has already cleaned the apron, to 'improve morale and cohesion' between the aircrew and maintainers. (To my mind, the best way to do that is put a barrel of beer on @ Friday knockoff.)

I do miss the people, the 'can do' attitude of the military, the deployments and getting attack criteria on an unsuspecting sub.

A wise man once told me that you'll know when it's time to retire, in my case, he was right.

I don't know how I ever found time to go to work! Left on redundancy at rather short notice, bought a house and found a part-time job with a famous University, got married, loads of diving trips. After our parents passed on we had few full-time ties to the UK so we sold up and moved to the South of France. Been here a year now and have never looked back.

There are so many options. As has been said, occasional dreams about still being in the Service, but that's more common than many realise.

If I were bored, there are a thousand things I could do. It's not hard to stay occupied. Then there's always the "Honey Do" list.

There is nothing to fear.:ok:

It's really heartening, but not all surprising to hear these many stories of a happy retirement. Mine was sprung on me a few years ago but I was already beginning to think of leaving. I now know that I had a misguided sense of duty to continue until the bitter end. I can honesty say that that the last couple of years have been the best of my life.
It's truly liberating not to have the obligation of work and the initial feelings of guilt at doing precisely what I please each and every day have long since vanished. I had a fantastic 30 years in the Service but that was a different life and I have moved on. Embrace retirement as soon as you can afford it (and you'll need far less money than you think). You're only here once!!!

Very true. It's already been mentioned but if you are debt free then you would be surprised at how little money you need. Money can't buy time, and time is a limited commodity for all of us. Make the most of your allotment.

Thinking back ... and what happened next?
 

I actually stopped "working" in 1993, on that August day (16th?) when the redundancy letters were handed out. My COS handed me the letter with the good news that my application had been accepted, and I handed COS a leave pass which conveniently covered the remaining months until my final day in the RAF :cool:

There then followed a few months as a house husband, and facing the first big challenge in those early days - choosing what to wear every morning! It took more than a decade to feel comfortable wearing anything blue :ooh:

At the beginning of 1994, now officially a civilian, I took on as planned a part-time job as an RAF Sport Secretary and embarked on a house-hunting exercise in anticipation of my wife's redundancy (she had to wait until the 2nd Tranche, as she was far more valuable to the RAF than I had been). And then we moved out of her Quarter and into our 'retirement home'. At which point, in addition to my 2/3 week 'job', we got involved with local politics (obviously not permitted whilst serving). In between sorting out our new home, my 'job' and political activity, over the next few years my leisure contracted to a vanishing point on the horizon ... I found myself busy 6-7 days a week!! I think the same, in one way or another, tends to happen with most Service guys who retire - they end up far busier than they ever were, and the frequent comment is "How could I find time to do all this and go to work as well?"

Eventually I cried "enough" and downsized the job commitment, which gave me at least a couple of days off most weeks, and in 2000 we started going on holidays!! We had hardly ever bothered over the previous 20 years, not only because of the difficulty getting leave at the same time but also due to my 'time off for sport'!

After 11 years of seemingly non-stop activity, I 'retired' again, and we moved to Jersey ... a bit like Courtney Mil, no family ties in UK any more. Apart from about 6 weeks working for RBL during Poppy Appeal, we now avoiding falling into the voluntary trap again! Instead, we plan/do more and more holidays to make up for all those years we missed ... and that takes a lot of time to research the most economical way of doing it in comfort! Recent years/miles flown ... 2012/25,000, 2013/16,000, 2014/28,000 ... and 2015 already has 41,510 miles already flown or booked :D

Now please excuse me, I need to get back to researching a couple of warm-climate holidays for next winter :cool: