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Speaking of the club, how about these thoughts from the brethren? A lot of truth in this article INDEED! Where Have All The Fighter Pilots Gone? We used to go to the Officers Club or NCO Club Stag Bar on Friday afternoons to drink, smoke and swap lies with our comrades. Think about this when you read the rest of the letter below. What happened to our Air Force (or Military)? Drinking then became frowned on. Smoking caused cancer and could "harm you." Stag bars became seen as 'sexist'. Gradually, our men quit patronizing their clubs because what happened in the club became fodder for a performance report. It was the same thing at the Airman's Club and the NCO and/or Top 3 clubs. Now we don't have separate clubs for the ranks. Instead we have something called All Ranks Clubs/community clubs. They're open to men and women of all ranks....from airman basic to general officer. Still, no one is there. Gee, I wonder why. The latest brilliant thought out of Washington is that the operators ("pilots?") flying remote aircraft in combat areas from their duty station in Nevada or Arizona should draw the same combat pay as those real world pilots actually on board a plane in a hostile environment. More politically correct logic? They say that remote vehicle operators are subject to the same stress levels as the combat pilot actually flying in combat. ----- REALLY!!!??? Now that I've primed you a little, read on. There are many who will agree with these sentiments, but they apply to more than just fighter pilots. Unfortunately, the ones with the guts to speak up or push for what they believe in are beaten down by the "system." Unfortunately there is a lot of truth in the following text - supposedly, Secretary Gates has a force beating the bushes to learn who wrote this.... Where Have All The Fighter Pilots Gone? Good Question. Here is a rant from a retired fighter pilot that is worth reading: It is rumored that our current Secretary of Defense recently asked the question, "Where are all the dynamic leaders of the past?" I can only assume, if that is true, that he was referring to Robin Olds, Jimmy Doolittle, Patton, Ike, Boyington, Nimitz, etc.? Well, I've got the answer: They were fired before they made major! Our nation doesn't want those kinds of leaders anymore. Squadron commanders don't run squadrons and wing commanders don't run wings. They are managed by higher ranking dildos with other esoteric goals in mind. Can you imagine someone today looking for a LEADER to execute that Doolittle Raid and suggesting that it be given to a dare-devil boozer - his only attributes: he had the respect of his men, an awesome ability to fly, and the organizational skills to put it all together? If someone told me there was a chance in hell of selecting that man today, I would tell them they were either a liar or dumber than shit. I find it ironic that the Air Force put BG Robin Olds on the cover of the company rag last month. While it made me extremely proud to see his face, he wouldn't make it across any base in America (or overseas) without ten enlisted folks telling him to zip up his flight suit and shave his mustache off. I have a feeling that his response would be predictable and for that crime he would probably get a trip home and an Article 15. We have lost the war on rugged individualism and that, unfortunately, is what fighter pilots want to follow; not because they have to but because they respect leaders of that ilk. We've all run across that leader that made us proud to follow him because you wanted to be like him and make a difference. The individual who you would drag your testicles through glass for rather than disappoint him. We better wake the hell up! We're asking our young men and women to go to really shitty places; some with unbearable climates, never have a drink, have little or no contact with the opposite sex, not look at magazines of a suggestive nature of any type, and adhere to ridiculous regs that require you to tuck your shirt into your PT uniform on the way to the porta-shitter at night in a dust storm because it's a uniform. These people we're sending to combat are some of the brightest I've met but they are looking for a little sanity, which they will only find on the outside if we don't get a friggin' clue. You can't continue asking people to live for months or years at a time acting like nuns and priests. Hell, even they get to have a beer. Who are we afraid of offending? The guys that already hate us enough to strap C-4 to their own bodies and walk into a crowd of us? Think about it. I'm extremely proud of our young men and women who continue to serve. I'm also very in tune with what they are considering for the future and I've got news for whoever sits in the White House, Congress, and our so-called military leaders. Much talent has and will continue to hemorrhage from our services, because wanna-be warriors are tired of fighting on two fronts - - one with our enemies, another against our lack of common sense.

Someone should include this in the a letter to Gen Welsh. "I'm leaving the Air Force because it's taken the shirt off my back, the boots of my feet, and now my home - all in the same week."

Wait for it. It's only a matter of time.... Post-defecation Rectal Hygiene (Wiping). Upon completion of bowel movement duties, Airmen will thoroughly clean the rectum and surrounding areas. Cleaning materials are limited to the Standardized Air Force Rectal Sanitation Paper (SAFRSP). The Joint Service Post-Defecation Cleaning Tissue (JSPDCT) may be used in lieu of the SAFRSP until 31 October 2011. Compliant SAFRSP or JSPDCT rolls must be white, single-ply, unscented, non-absorbent, and of sandpaper texture. Ultra-soft, multi-ply, and papers with Aloe Vera are not authorized. Moistened cloths, such as baby wipes, are strictly forbidden. Within the continental United States, authorized paper rolls will be stored on the centerline of the stall, slightly to the toilet’s right. When inside a combat theater, paper rolls may be stored in appropriate locations as determined by the installation commander. When utilizing the above outlined paper, Airmen will conduct a front to back “sweeping” motion to remove any associated debris. Airmen are limited to two (2) feet of paper (approximately 6 squares) per cycle.

I'm pretty sure that busdriver is wearing the patch for that very reason. Along with nearly every other rescue guy who is remembering Pedro 66

My simple answer to the no pen tab patches is simple: it's a memorial to a friend who gave his life in defense of our nation. Then walk away.

How about I just wear black t-shirts and socks until they Article 15 me. Then I can get RIF'd easier and get a job without stupid rules about what color socks I can wear.

Ahem, AFI-69.69 CO-PILOT UNION BI-LAWS 1.4 CP DUTIES. The CP is a valuable and integral part of any crew aircraft has many responsibilities. These include: finding sweet hotels when TDY in close proximity to speakeasies and houses of ill repute, AC ego maintenance, operating the landing gear, operating the flaps (some airframes), bailing other aircrew members out of jail, entertaining the crew with witty banter, quelling any navigator uprising and ensuring LMs stay out of the ACs box lunch. Under no circumstances will the CP, have to play wingman for a navigator (on crews with two navigators, they will wingman for themselves, preferably at a different bar from the rest of the crew) or take the fat chick (this is a loadmaster duty described in detail in TO XXX-1). EXCEPTION: Crews with radio or boom operators make delegate him to take the fat chick.

I'm not sure what you guys' ABUs are made out of, but the fabric is so damn thick that when the sleeves are rolled my arms barely squeeze through and I look like I'm swole all day. Unless you have the biceps of a 12 year old girl it's just not comfortable or worth it...maybe there's a summer-weight version I'm missing out on? I'm all about fighting shoes with their own shoe rules, but the day we start adding to the bullsh*t just to f*ck our buddy is the day we're truly fit for managership (note I didn't say leadership). The big wig for uniform BS is an officer and in all likelihood a pilot (although not the current one) and maybe someday in the distant past he was just like us. But at some point he drank too much kool aid, became the good idea fairy, and bam, now we have more stupid sh*t in the new AFI than in the last version. Be careful about playing the shoe game too well. Also, here is the process for trying to reverse some of the dumbness:

https://www.builtforthemission.com/combat-proven.php If you can look at the capability decision matrix for this airplane contest: For the LAS mission, the Super Tucano is the overwhelming winner! If the priorities come down to: "What's in the BX? Or "How large is the swimming pool and is the Golf Course in good condition? … Then go for the AT-6. Rainman's description has it right! It should be an Army Fixed Wing mission! The A-29 Super Tucano stands alone as the only combat-proven, mission ready and operational contender in the U.S. Air Force Light Air Support competition. What differentiates the Super T from the competition: •Clean sheet design: built for the mission, and optimized for the U.S. Air Force. ◦No adaptations or compromises necessary. •173 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft in use today or on order. •Ordered by the armed forces of seven nations. •100,000 flight hours logged to date. •16,000 combat hours without a loss. •Highest weapons load in its class. ◦Five intelligent NATO hard points. ◦Two internal, wing-mounted .50-caliber machine guns: accuracy with no drag. ◦133 fully-qualified and operational weapons load configurations. •Fourth-generation cockpit with HOTAS controls •Fully-integrated FLIR thermal imaging system. •Tested and requested by U.S. Navy for Operation Imminent Fury. •Capable of routinely taking off and landing on rugged terrain. •In production today, which means low customer acquisition costs; development costs are long-since paid for. •Low operating costs. •Longer airframe and larger rudder enable superior performance with high-torque 1,600 HP engine •Retained best aspects of trainer without compromising on combat capability.

Actually, me either. Always been a Friday Shirt. Thought that was the term the AFI used but I guess not. Timing is perfect too. I no shit just paid for a fresh batch of 30 Friday shirts last week. Good news is we're going to wear them anyway. Screw the change.

Hopefully I'm not alone in the fact that I will continue wearing my Friday shirt, unless somebody in a bag with wings on his chest tells me not to. Fucking shoes...this is the AIR Force, we FLY, break shit and hurt bad people. If you're so damned butthurt about not being able to wear a bag, maybe you should've worked harder.

I guess I'll lump myself in with those new-age SNAPS, but you guys realize that Nellis has non-fighter units that actually deploy right? In fact, in the 5 years that I spent at Nellis, I can't remember one fighter unit that did deploy. Home of the Fighter Pilot? I guess, but meanwhile I (helo pilot) spent 5 years there working, deploying, sweating and bleeding (watching friends bleeding) getting the job done. I don't care for the PC culture of the Air Force; I don't think everyone is a warrior, and I do think Robin Olds is a bad-ass, but I think Nellis AFB is more than the "Home of the Fighter Pilot." As I was.

Except for the guys who actually wear patches for that exact reason. Thanks for playing. I just want my landing fees back. No reason to pay for a friday shirt I'll never get to wear.