Leaderboard

I walk every time...even when parked on Oscar or Pappa row (which is a looong way from our ops building). Why? Because it takes trans no-shit 15-20 minutes to get a bus to our airplane..I can be back in the building by then. I give kudos to our MX troops because for the most part, they work pretty damn hard. As for ferrying parts to the flightline, I've got TONS of stories where the MX troop was sitting around waiting for the part, telling me "it's just a 10 minute fix, but they are waiting on the part..." 2 hours later, he's got the part in hand. As for bus drivers...my favorite trans story: I planned an exercise for our crews to prepare for the upcoming ORI. We were to do some ATSO drills out at the CE facility with flash-bangs, and have them brief in their MOPP gear. Normally, trans sent two buses for the crews...a bus for the Loadmasters and FEs, and then later a bus for the pilots and navs. My intent was to do all the briefings in their gear at the CE facility and have trans bus them to the aircraft at the normal time (so not to screw up trans' schedule). I called about a week out and said "hey, we're still going to go with the same two buses at the same times, but instead of picking them up at the squadron, I need you to pick them up at the CE facility (which was right down the road)". Response? "Sir, we can't do that because we're undermanned, and you didn't coordinate with us to support an exercise". Me: "OK, well you guys aren't in the exercise...I just need the same two buses, at the same two times, to pick up the same people, just at a different location" Trans: "Sorry, you don't understand, we are way undermanned and we can't do it. You'll just have to have us pick you up at the squadron" Me: "Right. Let me ask you a question...why does changing the pick up location change your manning situation?" Trans: "Because we didn't plan for it" Me: "OK, let me talk to your NCOIC" I spoke with the NCOIC and got the same story...sorry, we're undermanned and can't support your change of pick up location. Ditto with the OIC (a young 1LT). So I re-attack and get our chief of XP (Lt Col) to make a call to their Squadron Commander....from my boss, he said the Trans Sq/CC reluctantly agreed to change the pick up location. WTF??? This in addition to a plethora of finance screw ups, cops trying to arrest me and my toddler kids on the flightline (while I was in a flight suit with line badge...and yes, I had authorization to take them out there), and comm ing up my email box to where I couldn't get email for over a week...just the tip of the iceberg. If there was this level of incompetence in the flying/mx world, we'd be losing jets weekly if not daily. And the most frustrating part...the USAF leadership is catering to the "lets make the support people feel like they are the mission" mentality.

As a former MX dude: No you don't. MX does. MX has to go pick up their own stuff when things are time critical, because many times you can't be relied upon to find the flightline. Edit: Toned it down.

I was a non-flyer in a LRS and a MXS before I retrained and became a flyer. I know what Supply personnel do, and it's not much. Might be a reason why a majority of your careerfield (like others) are being contracted out.

You want Intel? - in the continuing quest to do more with less, the Air Force cuts manpower from all the wrong places (orderly room, MPF, finance, comm, etc.) We flyers realize that we have less support on base from support agencies, we get it. We can go without being paid, without our computers working, without our orders being correct or without our records being updated prior to promotion boards. We can go without our family separation pay, combat pay, flight pay, you name it. We can spend an extra hour or two after landing waiting for a bus or waiting for billeting arrangements to end an 18hr day. We are doing more with less...less service from our supporting agencies. And we are doing more... We get the job done and support the troops on the ground no matter what - proud to serve. What do you do?

Glad you're entertained. Maybe we're bitching because it's repeatedly getting fucked up? I'm currently broke off station and have one duty day upon returning before I deploy again. What are the chances I'll get paid correctly for my TDY? History tells me 0% chance of finance getting it right the first time. So I pay out of pocket for the entire time I'm gone and hope I'll be reimbursed next year when I come home. I've lost a lot of money over the years because I'm simply too busy doing the job to walk into finance and un-fuck what they can't get right. This thread is proof that I'm not alone. Based on the tone of your post I'm guessing your one of the support types? Hope you're proud of standing in the way of dudes doing the mission.

You said it best yourself there, when time critical. Not everyone shops at the Air Craft Parts store on the flight line....so, perhaps you don't recall as much as you think you do. No worries, and so quick with the profanity.....was that part of your PME? Of course it wasn't. Meanwhile go have a smoke and calm down.....I have more threads to troll....

And that's where your feelings are misplaced. Crews walk because Command Post forgot to call, no ,matter where I have been CP has been the weak link in crew pick up. So if you walked, give those guys a shout and ask them WTF? Becareful calling them, they record all phone calls. Out bound crew? Did your Ops office call for crew pickup? I assure you we are more than just bus drivers. But then any cargo flyer is a bus driver.....so see we have alot in common.

Close...but no cigar....V-Ops. And if you want to say we don't do much.....that's fine, keep telling yourself that. And talk about being replaced...can't replace me with a UAV.

Let's just say this shoe clerk makes sure parts that fix the plane get to the mechanics, and I have the dubious pleasure of trucking the onesies to their air craft. It's quite a disappointment to see how the flying community views the rest of AF.

Intel 3 yrs old is still pretty good, seems the guys in the onesies bitch about the same thing.....repeatedly. It's actually entertaining.