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I get that squadrons are undermanned, but you could stay at work till 8pm everyday and there would still be OPRs to review tomorrow. Unless you're part of some sweet union that hooks you up with overtime pay, do your overtime on your missions and let the queep get done when it gets done.

Also, Snaplock: most who know me know that were I the WG/CC, the support squadrons' duty day would look a lot different. I'm of the Robin Olds school: "If I can send a man to fly combat 24 hours a day, he can get paid 24 hours a day!" 1. I would eliminate all internal training between 0730-1630. ("closed for training") 2. I would mandate at least min manning during all squadron functions. Hell, I might forbid squadron functions 0730-1630. 3. While this might be negotiable, I would mandate some manning from about 0300-2300, with full manning during duty hours. MX dudes are working as long as we are, and they have a right to be supported too. And so do I after flying during a night week. 4. Good cop: in AFSOC, this isn't an issue, but I would force-feed the interfly to the support types and ops types alike. Get these folks seeing what they're supporting, and morale goes up - every time. I've seen it time and time again, across AFSCs - show them, and tell them, about what you do and how their help makes your life easier, and you get the results you want. 5. Bad cop: don't like the increased duty hours? I seriously don't care. Chang, I'm taking a page from your playbook: I can train a new CP in an AFSOC C-130 in an average of 2 years. I can train a new 3-level finance troop in 2 weeks. Guess who I care more about retaining? Especially since you A1 types continue to insist that supplying an endless stream of 3 levels and 25 hour copilots replaces the combat tested Pro Sups, IPs, WOs and others we're hemorrhaging . . .

So is mine. Answer up or go away.

State quals. Otherwise STFU.

We understand, it's like being lost in the wilderness with two broken legs. We understand we probably will never get out, but the hope that over next hill is a town with the brewery and strip club are what keep us going. Don't kill my brewery and strip club dreams The current ops tempo does a pretty good job at "educating" the young guys. As said above, about 6 months on the line and that cherry "I'm here to help" attitude turns into the salty bitterness. Hence the minimal numbers of guys that are going to stay in 2 years when the commitments start coming up.

It's because he's a trolling ass clown.

Am I the only one who sees "stop-loss" as blowing up the the AFs face? First off, stop-loss isn't a tool used to fix personnel mismanagement. If we are in a declared war with damn near every squadron deployed...ok, I get it in that situation. Second, if the AF attempts to give guys/gals the heisman after a 11-12 year commitment, or prevents their retirement - then I see all out rebellion, to include a class-action lawsuit. Third, is it even legal? Anyone smart on how this would work (I.e. What is your IRR commitment after the UPT ADSC?). Has this ever been used in the past in this situation?

You jest, but I have heard more than one person from AFPC talk about reducing the 2MDS vol 1 hours requirement to be "experienced", that way the experienced/inexperienced ratio numbers look better... So it may not be a huge stretch to change pilot rest requirements when home station on training sorties (i.e. Not deployed). If stop loss is on the table, I'm sure other crazy ideas are as well.

This would probably help manning and give some hope for you. " (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than September 30, 2019, the Air Force shall fully transition to an organizational model for all Air Force remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) that uses enlisted personnel as operators of such aircraft rather than officers as the preponderance of operators of such aircraft." - NDAA FY17 as passed by SASC on 8 May 16 https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/S2943%20-%20Committee-Passed%20NDAA.pdf

Been on the road for the last week and enjoying the entertainment on this thread, largely via Chang's bait and all the bites he is getting. Like watching a fishing show where every cast = a strike followed by a dramatic fight to the catch and release. My opinion is that Chang is a FGO on staff and is enjoying his ability to wind up the AF's "one percent" population. (I know the math isn't right, but for the purposes of this post, just go with it). So he gets his cheap shots in, gets so much attention that he self-actualizes and needs a tissue to clean up with, and, not coincidentally, takes a few ideas back to his overlords that this thread generates. As well as serving as a non-attributable arena for some trial balloons - "Hey, how will the plebes react if we stop-loss? Will they go tell Congress or can we get away with it?" "15-19 year ADCS for UPT? Would they preach against it to newbs?" If Big Blue goes stop-loss under the current geo-political situation, i.e., no bigger war or major U.S.-based terror attack like 9/11, the screaming to Congress and the multiple class-action lawsuits that AF will have to answer will approach the ridiculous. Congressman X: "So, CSAF, you have the fewest aircraft in your inventory since pre-WWII, yet you are hundreds of pilots short to fly them. Why? How come the Army and Navy don't have this problem (assuming this is true, I don't know for a fact)? And since we, Congress, haven't declared that we are in a national emergency/voted for such, why are invoking the law we gave you to keep pilots involuntarily? Didn't you just force out a whole bunch recently? Lawsuit A: In that the President hasn't invoked a national emergency and that a stop-loss of any duration or magnitude constitutes a penalty for only a certain group, the AF has caused severe injury and hardship due to its own negligence and stupidity. Or some such legal argument... In A1's terrific solution - make the problem go away until someone else has to deal with it - have they thought through the 2nd and 3rd order effects of stop-loss and indentured servitude-like ADSCs? - As noted, how effective at doing anything other than flying would a stop-loss pilot be? During Madeline Albright's war, I.e., Kosovo, I can assure you my GAS factor was low. Something for the mission and I still ran at the bell. Want some other queep? Sorry, not my problem. And in order to just avoid the dishonorable discharge hoop, the work I will perform will be so sub-standard that you will spend so much time having to re-do it, you can't imagine the ass pain you are about to endure. - So you give a naïve kid who wants to fly a 15-19 year ADSC which he signs because, well, he's naïve. Is he now guaranteed to make at least O-4? Or will you have to ask Congress to modify the laws regarding promotions? - What happens when naïve kid gets cynical and doesn't get promoted? Currently, separation law trumps ADSC regs. - What about the budget effects of this sudden pool of guaranteed O-4s? Only so many FGOs can be on the books. Cut the promotions for non-pilots? Ok, what happens when you run out of MX guys, Cyber guys, etc, etc, etc. Stick a pilot in that billet? How effective will that be? And wouldn't that COA be an own goal since you took your pilot-slave out of the air arena - flying/staff/other directly related jobs - so now you lost both the non-rated expertise in that area plus a pilot out of flying? - This could be just the ticket to get the Warrant Officer/Enlisted pilot track underway. Cuts officer money, avoids the FGO limit. Win/win for the AIr Staff.

I'm prior E. I reached the end of my UPT commitment with 16 years TIS. Knowing that to be the case all along, I'd always planned to stay until 20. I've had great assignments and am not nearly the most disgruntled dude on here, but I did not want school. Didn't even honestly think it was a possibility. I'm not tracking your logic in why it's a sport bitch, but even after 13 years on this board, I can rarely follow most of your posts.

I love the irony of the situation Big Blue finds itself in. For a decade, rated retention was an afterthought; airlines weren't hiring, the economy went south and they enjoyed ~2 years where no pilots could get out. During that timeframe queep mounted as CSS troops were cut and flying hours were slashed. At the tail end of it all they reward the military with pathetic 1.X% raises and lower BAH. Their attempt to recapitalize the fleet (JSF shitshow) is falling squarely on the shoulders of AD troops. Almost as if on cue, the economy finds its footing, airlines start hiring like gangbusters and every ANG/Res unit is looking for good people. There is actual movement on bonuses for technicians and the AGRs will likely partake in whatever boost their AD counterparts get. AD has competition both from airlines and a RC that may have decent bonuses to offer. Sorry, Big Blue - timing is everything.

We called them pigeons-you had to throw rocks to get them to fly.

We like to print out the lowest 30-60-90 times and hang it in the office so we can shame those you speak of. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The term you're looking for here is "daywalker".

As an IDE-select who passed on the opportunity, I have found this sentiment to be misleading. Good leadership is highly valued on both sides of the fence. The Air Force has more opportunities per capita, but puts very tight left and right bounds in place. That makes it a better place to learn leadership. The outside world has fewer opportunities, but can have many more degrees of freedom. That makes it a better place to execute leadership. -

The drone pilot may not be risking their life, But they deserve respect. As there is a need of extra talent to use a drone with virtual visuals.

Two thumbs up for this selection. He will continue the great works started by Gen Welsh. Get excited; our future is in good hands, Airmen.

This is only the first step. If we can get more enlisted RPA pilots to take over all non-combat RPA roles, then permanently reclassify all current RPA pilots into the RPA career field, we will no longer need to pull pilots out of cockpits for RPAs. This would solve rated manning problems faster than any bonus increase (although A1 will continue to pursue that with Congress). Lots of reasons to be positive, people.