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It's over, sort of. Policy implementation now delegated to MAJCOM/CCs. AFSOC ended the policy effective immediately.

This is what I imagine I look like whenever I adjust the bottom zipper on my flight suit:

What do you think of a MAJCOM that only wears the minimum number of pieces of flare?

1. Shut up Nav, go plot a course with a sextant or something equally as worthless and leave the strafe debriefs for the adults. 2. That was from almost 5 years ago.

Rick is pretty amazing. I read his column for years in airways and have his book. Totally humble guy who's just had a lifelong love affair with airplanes. He retired a few years back from FedEx and lives up in Friday Harbor Washington. When he was in new-hire class at Tigers, they were doing the around the table meet and greet. Rick had commented on how he had just returned from Laos, having flown there as a civilian. One of Rick's classmates commented that he had spent a night there once. "Where would that be?" Asked Rick "Tchepone." Replied the man. "Are you sure?" Rick asked. (Pathet Lao, artillery, not a place to visit.) "Yes, that was the place. You see, I was shot down there." "We were both smiling at that point. Everybody else was silent, listening intently. "When was that, do you remember the date?" "Sure." he said, and told me. Something strange rang a bell. A loud one. This was rapidly becoming one of those strange, rare, haunting moments when when you have the feeling of having been there before, when some cosmic forces align to turn our lives around , that special meaning is taking place, when what me might call a coincidence becomes significant and special. Some call it synchronicity: a lovely perhaps spiritual phenomenon. "You callsign wasn't perhaps Playboy, was it?" "YES" How did you know?" Because I was flying the Skyraider on your rescue."

Can you clarify this a bit? What question did said Missileer ask Gen WELSH? As written, your post seems to say that CSAF is referring to the fact that he hasn't written a blues on Monday policy. If that's indeed the case, can we then infer that all policies written by a previous CSAF become null and void immediately following the change of command in which incoming and outgoing CSAFs were both wearing band uniforms?

I would say ClearedHot is a valid source of info on this topic.

I think I know what AETC's stance on the policy will be.

A lot of honesty in the letter, but an email isn't the best way to approach it. A much better way would have been to do it in person, 35 years ago.

Saw on National Geographic they're doing a series called Inside Combat Rescue starting in 2013. Seem pretty legit.

This cracks me up. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4A_18kf4PY

We have spent Trillions since President Johnson declared the War on Poverty and levels of poverty have pretty much remained the same since 1973. In the meantime, the definition of poverty has changed: https://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/poverty_like_we_ve_never_seen_it_1Tm0h9YpmVsEc2gHYm6DaN. I'm debating whether to cancel my satellite TV to save money and 2/3's of those "In poverty" have that or cable. WTF? Trying to achieve equality of outcome is just not going to happen no matter how many more trillions we throw at it because some people are quite content with doing nothing if the free benefits return a level of comfort they are satisfied with.

Cheesy website aside, she seems like a tough-ass chick who's done well for herself. Good for her.

First F-35 operational flight? F-22's deploy to a warzone?

I heard that since your mom is so old and expensive, your dad just logs currency hours in the co-located pool boy.

A national sales tax with a progressive scale. More expensive/luxury items would be taxed at a higher rate than "necessity" items. I know this wold be a hard sell at first, but it seems to me the most fair way to tax. The more you spend, the more you pay. I agree asocial safety net is a good thing, but the size and scope of the current net is getting to be ridiculous, we have a program to give every family a cell phone.. What's next, an Xbox? A car? A cellphone with a data plan..?

I submit the way its going is not where you want to go. I can appreciate your desire to do what you can to secure your dream, but you are in fact, doing it wrong and subsequently will probably not achieve your dream. Relax and stop sacrificing some good things in life because you think it will get you ahead, foot in the door, etc (it won't). I think it was Buddy Spike who said 69% of getting yourself that dream job is just being a good dude (and that also means being yourself, not pretending to be someone you think they want), showing a bit of aptitude and knowing when to STFU. All of that does not even remotely require you to burn through your bank account (buying a glider for example), give up on "the fun job," dump the girlfriend, etc. You seem like the guy who will role into an interview trying to be someone you think the dudes want to see, talking about aerobatic glider flying and how you gave up all this great shit because flying means more than your own mother. If you just shitcan that approach, be 100% yourself and most of all, be humble, you'll have a FAR better chance of getting hired. You're not going to impress anyone with the approach you seem to be taking. You will impress people by being a genuine, good dude who's actions and words speak to that. Lastly, flying anything can help you in UPT, albeit usually only slightly. Fly because you want to have fun, learn something new, etc. Don't get wrapped around the axle about instrument vs. aerobatics vs. tailwheel rating, etc. None are going to give you a magical advantage over the others when it comes to prepping for UPT. If you really want to drop 15K on a glider, go for it, but DO NOT do it because of some idea it will help you get a guard job or help you get DG at UPT - do it because you really have a passion for it (side note: probably want to figure out if you actually have a passion before buying your own aircraft...technique only). That's my candid, no bullshit response to what I've read here. Take it as you may, but realize while there are some sarcastic responses on here, there are several legitimate responses from experienced flyers. I suggest you take that into account before continuing down the "LOL, fuck it, this is the way it goes" road.

Two things: 1) CSO Bonus: There was a follow up message that re-stricted the inital e-mail...basically, it only applies to WSO's (I will not call them a CSO) that winged in FY06 so their initial commitment is up right meow....lots of pissed off WSO's on all other year groups....mother AF says our WSO's are so undermanned that you are not leaving the cockpit for the foreseeable future and guys are getting non-vol'd to go Ops-to-Ops (guys are jiggy with being deployed on a 1-2 dwell for 2 Ops tours in a row), but they didn't feel they were so under-manned to offer the bonus to more people. 2) Don't ever feel like you are "too close to get out"....I'm getting out with 15 years an a line number to Lt Col, but I will be damned if I am going to stay in and get short notice fucked for the next 5.69 years at the expense of my wife and two young kiddo's 6 and under....the growing up years are too precious to be gone all the time....and with more of my buddy's getting tagged for MC-12's / UAV's, Safety investigations / AOC 365's or just being gone 6 months with <12 home, I just don't like what the short term looked like, so I punched....and couldn't be happier with my decision! Cheers, Cap-10