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My favorite quote (this is a paraphrase) from "American Patriot" is after a reporter asked about why he wouldn't particpate in the program to return to Vietnam to meet former captors, see the prisons, etc like John McCain was doing. She asked something along the lines of "so you would never go back to Vietnam?" His response was "actually yes I would go back to Vietnam...leading a 4 ship of F-100s full of napalm."

Yeah but we get to go to https://www.thecottonclub.ca/

Wherever Bud Day is today, I'll bet it's a day like this. (Two years ago, courtesy of the Collings Foundation)

I used Arizona Flight Training Center in Glendale about 6 months ago. I stayed at Luke which worked out very well. It was pretty much one day of ground school, one prep flight, then check. Very straight forward, done in 3 days. Nothing more than an instrument check with some single engine work. They prepped you very well for the ground eval. No surprises on the ground or check. I think it set me back about $2995. Obviously no type rating, but fast and economical. I would use them again. Good luck, don't wait!

Hasn't been the same since the fire. *sigh

I opened a brothel. Hookers plus real estate all in one. Winner, me.

If you have not read the book "American Hero" by Robert Coram, then you should. The intro alone got me hooked on the book. It describes how an older retired pilot puts on his mess dress jacket, and then a very important medal around his neck. He could barely do this because of his torture in the Hanoi Hilton. I believe he spoke at Laughlin AFB during a dining out. I wish I had been there, because it would have been an interesting night. Instead of following protocol, the generals in attendance were introduced first. In order with tradition, a medal of honor winner should be introduced first due the medal's rarity and importance. The general's and base commander received modest applause. When Colonel Day was introduced last, spoons started to tap slowly at first, then faster, then louder, and then he received a standing ovation. If you have not read this book, or know of this great man, then you owe it to yourself as a member of the Armed Forces to see what he was all about. Nickel on the Grass.

Most important thing to understand: recruiters lie to make their quotas.

SHit X8Hcself? I don't get it.

I'll use kid gloves for your first reply. Others might not be so friendly. If you think the AF is any more family friendly than the Marines, you're simply kidding yourself. If you join the AF, you'll deploy for at least 6 months multiple times. You'll probably do at least 1 year tour away from your wife. You'll still move at the drop of a hat, even in the RPA world. You'll still be owned by the military. If #4 is really a hangup, do not join the AF. There is not a single job in the AF that's family friendly.

Incredible video. It was amazing to see Col Day back in the jet.

Don't forget the 3F rule!

Actually, it started (post #22) when some of the Herk sheeple on this forum started chiming in yet another C-17 discussion like a freckle-faced middle child. It's as if they were oblivious to their own record of touching down 2,800 feet short of an airfield in Kuwait or overshooting final in Toncontin and coming to rest at highway interchange...Isn't there some thread here about a -130 carrier landing in Afghanistan that had to be scrapped recently? There is no sense in dangling this kind of stuff over the -130 community, or any community in general. I have many bros that are stellar Herk drivers and even they know that what they fly doesn't define them. There is plenty of good information so far in this thread and elsewhere. My .02, pick the plane based on the mission you think will be most gratifying to you. Most people really enjoy their first assignment regardless of the location which is due, in most part, to the awesome pilot (and USAF) community you will soon join. You will also be surprised how little control you have on your next assignment/location/airframe. With the exception of your parents, no one really gives a shit what plane you fly or even the fact that you are an 11X. This includes the non-rated AF and those hot old high school flames you are probably still trying to impress...

Don't kid yourself. No matter what you fly, everyone is supporting someone else's mission.

It's also impossible for us to crash seeing as we have both an engineer AND a boom in the cockpit.