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If your lifelong dream is to fly a fighter and it didn't work out for you in UPT for whatever reason, I say jump at it. I flew Eagles for a much shorter time than I flew U-28's and I look back on that time very fondly. Don't give into the Baseops "everything sucks" mantra, and make your own decision. Trust me, the first time you strap on a fighter and go rage around, it will be worth it. If you don't go for it because of whatever reason, you'll regret it and have that "what if" thing. And if you want to be successful in fighters/tactical military aviation, you've got to be confident. To become confident, you better work your ass off. If you don't work for it and still think you're the best, you're out to lunch and are a joke. Fortune favors the prepared.

Man, I'll be honest, flying fighters isn't what you see in the movies. Hell, it's not even what it was 15 years ago and I'll tell you why.....Technology. Don't get the idea that it's rolling in on a soviet tank in a 60 degree dive and pulling the trigger or saddling up on the 6 of a mig-29 with thrust vectoring to employ your gun. It's just not like that. I won't say it could never happen but nowadays with bombs that can guide themselves to where you are looking with your helmet mounted sight or data linked missiles....you don't need to be chuck Yeager or robin olds reincarnated to be a good fighter pilot these days with the stick and rudder skills. You will find however the successful fighter guys all have common attributes that allow them to work well as a team, problem solve, multi task, perform under pressure. The biggest thing is you have to want it. A lot of dudes want to be fighter pilots but don't understand the reality of it. Hard work, long days, kicks in the junk by your IP's...but it all pays off. It's an awesome job but again, not what you see on TV and 50 year old stories.

Years ago in FLYING magazine Len Morgan wrote about his experience flying P-51s in the ANG post WWII. He took a job as a guard unit’s boss of the chow hall just to get a few precious hours a month in the Mustang. While Len had TONS of hours almost all of his time was in C-47s, C-54s and in his civilian airline job flying Constellations worldwide. He related that on numerous occasions while flying what we now call BFM with the unit’s other pilots he was repeatedly “waxed” by his squadron mates. He made the observation that while he was a safe, competent Mustang pilot; at the end of the day, while he flew fighters, he wasn’t a fighter pilot. He said the other guys had a completely different outlook on flying, not cocky or overly aggressive, just different, and that made them what they were.

Everyone is hung up on flying "aptitude" when the real focus needs to be "attitude". Give me a MAF guy who really wants to fly fighters and has a kickass aggressive attitude and he/she will do fine. I've known guys in almost every fighter who cross flowed back in the day. A lot of them were badass dudes. I saw some great potential students end up in T-1s or others because of bad luck/timing. Get some of them cross flowed and they'll do just fine after some experience.

Well at least you get the US and the NATO holidays off.

Showed up to my first operational KC-135 unit in May 2009 and was an AC by April 2011. But I volunteered to go TDY, deploy, and took weekend lines and flew my ass off. Also sought out SOAR and RT co certs to experience the other mission sets of the 135.

Average I've seen from 2 assignments in the tanker is 2 - 2.5 years

Current AC-U time is an average of 2.5 years. It totally depends on the individual, as it could be significantly quicker or longer though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Average in the C-130E/H was about two years from new copilot to certified aircraft commander. The C-130J is around 18-20 months.

In the C-17, it took me a little under 2.5 years from the day I inprocessed the squadron until the paperwork was complete on my upgrade. Could be a little faster if you stayed airland only, or maybe a little slower with extra quals like airdrop, SOLLII, etc.

How do you plan on collecting?

Out of curiosity, do you guys do things like "BFM Friday" or other things to practice the lost arts? Or are the sorties/hours/upgrade limitations bad enough that you have to focus 100% on current tech/tactics/weapons? We had similar issues in the Bone...between the number of MQT and upgrade studs, and constantly evolving TTPs for new weapons and threats, we had little time left to just rage around low level building airmanship and stick/rudder skills. About the only thing that ever caught traction was doing a GPS-out day every week, but that had leadership buy-in due to projected contested environments. Also, so as not to derail the thread too much...I think this projected MAF/CAF swap will have less detrimental affect on the bomber community. If you have the right attitude, you'll most likely succeed. We've had a few bad experiences with dudes straight out of T-1s but they weren't the norm, and the one constant among them was attitude. The herbivore, risk-adverse dude will have trouble, at least in the B-1. Even with good hands, you'll have problems with your peers when it comes to mission management and leadership.

MAF guys coming to the CAF? I can't speak for everyone, but as for ME, I'm really looking forward to all those esprit-de-corps building MAF squadron traditions they'll certainly bring with them to my squadron. Wheeeee...can't wait.

Valid - the discipline to regress to lower automation has to be instilled and enforced. If I were king, every flying wing would have access to an aircraft like this for basic airmanship skill building and maintenance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aermacchi_M-290_RediGO AMC was my first MAJCOM also so I know what you are talking about. Referencing the above fantasy program of a low cost, recip powered, acro capable light trainer - that is something that could help dudes whose flight hours are probably 75% autopilot time (yours truly included in that also) but AMC and the AF don't see it that way. Unless there was some demonstrated need, basically a rash of accidents, they would never allow an ACE program, even a watered down one that is budgetary peanuts, ever happen again. What you saw is what is the most easily observable problem in the culture of the AF or an aspect of "the problem" - the belief that the administration / management of the AF is either indicative of military leadership potential or the performance of military leadership. Not true as the titles to the job sound like the performance of military duties (mission execution, military leadership, etc...) but in reality are almost all mundane duties of paperwork, meaningless regulation compliance assurance, and exercise with the sole intention of just looking busy / productive. I am digressing into a stream of consciousness riff probably better suited for the "What's wrong with the AF thread?" but I suspect that in the heavy community the respect for flying skills / airmanship is not necessarily low but just secondary to office politics and the infatuation with office work proficiency. Not sure about the CAF and SOF flying world as I have not served an assignment there, worked with them, but not a full 3 year tour to give me enough first hand knowledge to make a semi-informed opinion but I suspect that as the likelihood they will be in harm's way is more often, it gives them more focus, not a slight of the MAF, just my opinion. As to crossflow for fighters for a heavy driver if you are offered and you want it, go for it, don't look back 10 years later and regret not trying. If I were in the position of someone who could apply I would. You have to make the right call for you and your family but if you want to, don't just think about all the shit that can go wrong, think of the shit that might go right. Be honest with yourself and consider your ability to pass all the schools you will have to attend but worse than the self-imposed, unnecessary shame a lot of Type A personalities will impose on themselves if they fail at something is WAY less than the shame of not doing or going for something that you wanted and when life gave you the chance to go for it, you passed because you were afraid of the stigma of possible failure so you did not even try. Just my 2 cents, I have no skin in this game but an opinion worth what you paid for it.

Only my wiener.

Do you smell like kimchi?

IMHO: Cockiness. You have to believe you can win and you will win because the other guy(s) suck. Controlled aggressiveness. Push the rules and the jet right up to, and maybe a smidgen over, limits. Go full throttle. You have to go "all in." There is no room for half hearted efforts on the range, in theater, or in the books. This can and does get carried over into life outside the squadron which "The Right Stuff" does capture well.

Well my RQ-4 experience will transfer perfectly, I'll keep an eye out for the email.

He does know that he can't just put the thing on auto-pilot right?

BWAA! Hahaha!!!

I did my FC1 a couple weeks ago, showed up Monday, was done by lunch time Tuesday. Was very straight forward. PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll let you know. Civilian going Reserve.