Leaderboard

A true warrior. Never bitched (excessively), always worked hard, and made the brotherhood and the Air Force a better place. It was my honor, and many others, to serve with him. Artisits: Amn Pucci and Amn Leonard. Nice work boys, some of the best nose art I've seen. #flynavy

https://www.youcaring.com/ashley-eadie-654162 Posted by a squadron mate. Him, Him. Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

#1. What he said #2. Shut up Nav love you Ns

Some quick counter-points, just to cut down on the hyperbole: Let it be said that statistically, it is much easier to get a pilot slot by going to the Academy than by cold rushing Guard units as an off-the-street guy. Going straight to flying in the Guard is what I would recommend to young guys as well, but I also mention that this route often includes a detour as an E in the unit while you go to college so you can build up the type of relationships typically required to be hired in the first place. A) The exit rate is obviously not 99%, but you know that. B) An O-4 on flight pay at any location in the United States makes more than first year airline pay. Your pay potential is much higher at the airlines and you catch back up and exceed AD pay quickly, but don't pretend like you don't have to take an initial pay cut going from AD to the airlines. C) Everywhere has nonsense, you sometimes get to choose your flavor and even more rarely, the amount. 20 years ago was 1996 for those of us who can do math. Are you seriously saying that the USAF of 1996 was led by more "warriors" than today? By what metric? The most senior dudes back then like the CSAF took part in Vietnam, but the average O-6 of 1996 likely did not or did so very briefly. Today's average O-6 has had the opportunity to see combat time in Afghanistan/Iraq/Libya/Syria/GWOT et al, and that opportunity has been sustained unlike almost any other conflict in our nation's history. I'll give you that today's leaders are not exactly Moses leading us to the Promised Land by virtue of their occasional dips into CTZE zones and that a Viper doing NTISR over Afghanistan isn't the same as running an F-4 over North Vietnam, but I'm just trying to call out some obvious fallacies in your argument. //break break// For reference against my advice below, I am an '07 year group AFSOC CSO currently in the Guard after doing AD, so YMMV considerably. My answer to the OP is that flying for the Air Force was absolutely worth it for me and I'd do it all over again mostly the same way. I flew with great people, made some humble but tangible contributions to the nation's security and efforts to combat global terrorist organizations, and was paid well and learned a lot while I was at it. Many of my civilian friends from high school and college have nice lives and careers, but their answer to, "So...what have you been up to for the last 10 years?" isn't nearly as good as mine. My career luck and timing was good in once sense (missed that whole "huge recession thing" while I was suckling Uncle Sugar's teet), but bad in others (I left active duty frustrated and somewhat burned out after 8 deployments and being sent on an assignment that I had 7-day opt'd...not what I was expecting). Learning to be as stoic as you can about life was helpful...control what you can, including how you react to the things you can't control. On the back side now with 2 years mostly in the civilian world under my belt, I'm looking forward to getting back into the fight via my new home in the Guard and I have a better appreciation for the idea that things have a way of working themselves out exactly the way they were supposed to. BL: Decide for yourself whether you'd rather heal the sick or fly, fight and win, and then give one of those your 100%. Talk to both doctors and pilots in real life and used their advice to inform your decision. Good luck!

Fund was set up by Slam. It's legit.

Or maybe it's a nod to the mission where we lost 16 aircraft and the lives of 7 men to attack Japan. Sorry, but your community doesn't have the lock on airmen making the ultimate sacrifice.

Singapore not so much. Thailand on the other hand...your internal "Bitchin Betty" should be on full tilt the entire time you are BOG in that AOR (drunk or sober). One of my plane captains came back post portcall with a black-ish eye/scratches on the face. I asked how he got it...he just pointed to his Adam Apple. Nuff said. Break Break To the OP: Flight Docs are truly gold in the Navy. You might want to give it a look. Besides being cool (I never met a douche flight doc)...they also bring IV bags on cross country/airshow trips so you can rehydrate under the plane after sampling the local adult malt beverage(s) the night (and into the morning) before. You never let a Doc buy his/her on drinks on the road....never. Best of luck with your decision...listen to your gut. Huggy....you nailed (STS) this O-club whites wearing Naval Aviator. You all beeeoootch about wearing your blues here on the boards...but we Navy guys couldn't wait until Friday (or Wednesday night in San Diego) to put on our whites and head to the club. (Tap your sarc meter folks if it's sticking or INOP). ATIS

ATIS, you guys really do impress the ladies in Singapore and Thailand with those whites. And your bar act. But, I've got bad news for you... They look like hot chicks, but they are really guys. Sorry.

I anticipate a flurry of strongly worded letters and a coordinated campaign of breath-holding.

Well that just sounds like a shit show of epic procurement proportions... And what is the point of having a stealthy refueler if it isn't stealthy when refueling? You can't tell me dropping the boom and then connecting to a B-2/F-22/F-35/B-21 will still keep both aircraft LO.

Back to our regularly scheduled broadcast of Assignments- END T-38 -3x F-16 split between Holloman and Tucson -1x F-15E -1x T-38 FAIP T-1 -MC-130J -E-3 -Toner FAIP Honestly don't remember much.

Saw this gem the other day...

You can drink in uniform Daily in a fighter squadron

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I don't come to McDonalds and tell you your job is great. So don't do the same to me. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/09/19/air-force-names-futuristic-long-range-bomber-b-21-raider.html I'm just glad they didn't go for "Liberator II" or some other rehashed name.

"Liberator II" sounds like a device for lonely ladies for use during "me time".

My favorite quote from a UPT instructor was "AETC - Ain't Even Thinking Combat"

You being an expert on both subjects, I'll take your word for it.....besides, its midget porn featuring Del Rio midgets. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Sure. How are the 4x stealthy fighters going to get to the target without a stealthy tanker? What about the ISR survivability? We aren't going to "carpet bomb" anything, guided weapons generally give better Pk. The Russian IADS has gotten much stronger since the Cold War, plus they like to sell it to other countries now too.

See you on the Guard side!

There are certain types of ordnance that are too large for a Raptor or Fat Amy to carry internally. Also, just imagine the kinds of things a huge intercontinental stealth antenna can do when networked to fighters or unmanned assets. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Too many people are cowards these days in regards to the punishment they deal out during their command. In this case, and as with the case when I received similar punishment for a minor infraction that could have been dealt with by means of a verbal counseling, the theme is "I have to hand out paperwork or I risk getting fired under the condition of not leading my people and failure to command." I'm sorry but handing out LOCs/LORs isn't commanding, it is not leading your people. It is simple covering your ass and not having the fortitude to stand up for your actions if you truly believe they are the right punishment for the crime. If you truly believe the punishment shouldn't be handed out, then dispense with the speech that includes "well this gets tossed out in six months so it really doesn't matter." Why waste both of our time then?

Dynamically target.. some cruise missiles have sensors but a human running radio, link, and a pod/radar still has an advantage. Otherwise how do you get the coords to shoot missiles at in the first place?

It's still in the ENJJPT syllabus, but it's a completely worthless ride. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

ANG baby, the only way. Best flying I'll ever have, best people I'll ever meet, have seen things nobody else will. I can't wait to retire.

Interesting. Any insight on the navy?

I just want to point out that a lot of the guys saying "worth it" to "absolutely worth it" are older dudes career wise. I can say having been in almost 10 years that this place has changed and not for the better. Flying is awesome. The Air Force sucks. Sucks to the point where it over shadows the mission. Bro, I know like 5 guys staying in past their initial commitment and they are not really the guys I want leading... But I am afraid everyone else is going to be gone. This has only 1% due to the airlines hiring and 100% to do with the complete lack of focus and the pussyfooting risk-adverse management that think they are too good to fix what's wrong with Big Blue. Glad I experienced it, but I have had enough. Wouldn't do it again. Stick with Med school, push for guard job. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I flew f-16s for 10 years. I'm off of active duty now, and even through rose covered glasses, I look back on my time like a prison sentence. It feels amazing to be "out." If you want to experience 85% of your life as a fighter pilot, go hang out at the DMV for 12 hours tomorrow.

Time to boycott his business. Let him know about it too. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Almost a decade after the start of this thread, TIB is supposedly gone for good.... https://www.airforcetimes.com/articles/tops-in-blue-permanently-shut-down

I would disagree with you. It is so much more than just a trainer. Designed in the 1950s, it has done a fantastic job for 50 years in transitioning pilots to supersonic fighters, and a myriad of high-performance heavies and bombers. NASA astronaut trainers, USAF and Navy TPS usage, test squadron aircraft for chasing cruise missiles on low levels. And most recently, a jet used to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in its F-22 adversary support role. Versatile... and impressive. Did you know it briefly held the time to climb record in 1963? And be thankful: had the T-38 not been selected, it would have been an F-100 variant. I'd bet we wouldn't be flying those anymore. When it came to getting out of Del Rio, Randolph, or Beale on the weekend, the "two-engine, twin-turbine, JP-8 slurpin', dual afterburnin', supersonic bar hopping machine" was the perfect steed. I met a lot of people as a result of the T-38. Even flew six sorties with Steve Ritchie. I got 5 rides in the T-38 in college; solo'd it in 1985; flew it all over the U.S. in some very challenging conditions, and on gorgeous VFR legs through the Sierra and the Rockies; flew my fini flight on 24 Sept 2014. Some trips were solo, some were with my favorite people. Loved it every time I got in it. And I am a substantially better pilot today because of all the sorties I flew in that jet. I've got over 100 types of aircraft in my logbook, including 8 sorties in the Viper (one from the front seat), a smattering in the Eagle, two in the T-45, three in the A-4,... F-18B, F-18F... and plenty more. From my perspective, looking at those other 100 types I've gotten stick time in, the T-38 is pretty impressive. F16 capabilities? Nope. But just because you're married to a Brazilian supermodel doesn't mean every other woman is a let down. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Think of me more as "Been there,done that, seen the repercussions" kind of guy, regs be damned. And I'm not your mother, I will not feel sorry for you if this is disregarded.

Pretty easy to have excess capacity when you take all additional duties and deployments that the T-38 guys were doing and force them on the T-6 guys.

Hide your guns!

I'd like to think it was intentional, but a nice salute to Raider-21.

the situation already happened to someone, so asking as ammo, but thanks mom.

I know-- that's why it sucks for me! I've got my SP with his head in his ass, my jumpseat with his head in his ass, and the T-38 student with his head in his ass. That's 3-1 against me, a more advantageous paint job would be nice!

Or you could accept the fact that not everyone hated it as much as you. Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I know there's a segment of the Buff community that does not feel the same way. Some say it looks like Big Blue has no SA and that they tagged an aircraft with the same callsign as a jet that crashed and took the lives of six men with it.