Leaderboard

While nice at first thought, dual qual is not as easy as some of you think. I have flown with a lot great dudes who are dual qual, and these dudes happen to be some extremely high functioning human beings - as in way smarter than the rest of us bottom 99%...and capable pilots as well who do fly tactical missions in each type. There's about two of them I would even remotely consider capable of going to combat in one of their MDS in their current state (i.e. without picking an MDS and spending 3+ months getting spun up on how to employ well). Now just imagine asking an average dude to know two separate sets of TTP, different mission sets, etc. (who cares about the motherhood/systems GK...don't care, that's easy). Bottom line, you will predominantly end up with below average MQ-9 guy who moonlights as a below average OA-X guy. Not because he's necessarily terrible as an individual pilot, but because he can't execute two different MDS well; he can execute one at an average capability level. I know some of you can likely point to a guy you know who could probably hack it alright, but it's not about that one guy, it's about the idea of an entire squadron executing in such a manner, and by the way, that entire squadron is not made up of well above average pilots. This may not have been an issue 30 years ago, but shit is complicated now (for everyone), so there's a reason flying multiple types of aircraft as a CMR CGO/young FGO doesn't happen anymore.

You may need to go back to acronym school brother...

Not trying to take this off on a whole other tangent, but anyone else feel like this bureaucratic construct we're operating (in both OIR and OFS, albeit under a much tighter leash in OFS) under was a giant counterdoctrinal mindfuck by the land component to take over not only CAS, but interdiction as well? e.g. Back when I was a hardened nuclear warrior who only did "CAS" in imaginationland, I'd hear stuff like "They have CAS on a tight leash out there because can't have CIVCAS and 'no one target will win this war' and dangers of relying on indigenous forces for targeting" etc. And then I get out here and what I see is: (1) deliberate targets developed well outside the 72 hour ATO cycle tasked by the land component via 9-Line as "CAS" with little/no visibility by the CAOC, (2) clearly offensive targets (i.e. interdiction masquerading as CAS) assigned under defensive ROE in order to circumvent CAF TTPs for avoiding CIVCAS, (3) JTACs who want me to ignore what my sensor is telling me and be a BOC machine because some Army 1-star standing over their shoulder staring at an FMV feed (pushed by a contractor whose idea of a far scan is to go WFOV) must have more SA than I do, and (4) occasionally actual CAS. Oh yeah, (5) Laser JDAMs and SDBs for terrain denial. Watching what the Army mentality has done to both our strikers and ISR makes me both more convinced than ever about the foundational need for airpower to be controlled by airmen... and also more SMH than ever at our so-called leaders that over a decade later still haven't learned how to say "No" to terrible ideas from the land component.

This is interesting but to throw in an additional derail...the VAST majority of RPA ops now are not CAS. You may use the CAS 9-Lines and such, but it isn't actual CAS. I love the RPA community and have killed a lot of bad guys with them, but there's a big difference between true CAS and current ops.

Makes sense now that the Saudis have ramped up their fight against VEOs. I know the Taco Gilberts of the world think AT-6 or A-29 is the best option because there is already a maintenance backbone, but the Scorpion jet is a growth platform with a huge advantage in speed and range. The speed advantage alone not only reduces the time to respond to a TIC but also reduces the number of aircraft required to cover an area using the lily pad concept. Add in dual sensors and a HUGE internal payload bay and it is truly a game changer in this arena.

From AFPC site: "Officers are positioned for promotion sequence based on the following criteria, applied in the order listed: -Current Grade Date of Rank -Previous grade date of rank, if applicable -Total Active Federal Commissioned Service -Total Federal Commissioned Service -Regular officers will precede Reserve officers. Regular officers will rank among themselves based on date of Presidential nomination for appointment as a Regular officer -Regular Air Force acceptance date; based on the date of the Air Force Form 133, Oath of Office -Graduates of Service academies, appointed as Regular officers and assigned the same date of rank, on the active duty list in order of their graduation class standing -Date of birth, with the earliest date taking precedence -Reverse social security number, with the lowest number taking precedence" From the looks of other Major selects TAFCS seemed to play the biggest part putting all the pilot types towards the end thanks to our six month "vacation". Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

The Army is using 3-09.3 procedures to conduct "interdiction-like", offensive targeting WELL clear of friendlies. Despite the lack of a true FSCL, this is an abortion of doctrinal application and devoid of tactical common sense. Disco is right on, the Army's stupidity is a massive supporting case for why the AF is its own service, but unfortunately we allow them to have ultimate control. Why the army is the supported command in OIR defies logic, it's a fucking nearly 100% air war from the US perspective. The AFshould at min have the reins in OIR, OFS is different. I understand your point, but regardless of reasons for its creation or its execution manner, I still think if dual ops came to RPA/Light attack, you would be very underwhelmed by the average performance level of dudes in either MWS. Everyone is not as good as you think and I feel very confident in saying only your above average pilots would fair OK. Essentially take a dudes performance level (SL abv avg, avg, etc) and subtract two. That's what you'll get in each MWS.

I 100% feel you brother. If it wasn't for an awesome Commander? I would have been in the cubicle beside you. I saw first hand how fvcked up the AF filling of the RPAs were. Let me know if I can help. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I definitely wasn't bottom of my class and didn't suck in the MAF either. Just got pulled into the giant manpower sinkhole that was RPAs in 2012 with terrible timing. If we had bought and fielded a light attack aircraft years ago, I'd stick around to fly that. Now I'll be long gone before that ever happens. Sorry for the epic thread derail. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm drunk and only understood every other word but I completely agree. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Valid point(s) but I wonder if the problem is not the concept of dual qual but the current execution / concept of it. We (the USAF) have always executed it as an afterthought or in response to a manning crisis / operational need instead of anticipating it or planning to make it part of our strategy to deliver a Core Function / Mission Set. Flight deck commonality, synchronized and reciprocative training, tactics coordination, etc... these and other factors could be planned in advance to execute dual qual way better than the concept now of marriage to a faithful wife and having a girlfriend on the side... one is suspicious and the other only wants more, there has to be a better way of doing this.

Understandable and applicable. Any chance your staff office is the place to lodge the concern that continuing to decrease the general airmanship and tactical exposure/experience/training prior to getting to the ops unit is a failing path?

Many moons ago I posted on here asking for advice about juggling my small business while going through UPT. I got a variety of comments and direct messages ranging from "hire a manager" to "I can't see how it would work" to "a friend of a friend did something like that". I ended up hiring a manager to run the place while I was gone and gave up a big chunk of my salary to do it. But I trusted him, and with my wife's help running admin stuff from behind the scenes I was able to keep and actually grow my business. I just pinned on pilot wings a couple of days ago and wanted to come back here to thank everyone for the encouragement and advice. I also am back here to encourage others to do press with their dreams no matter how complicate their situation is. Presumably the core psychographic on the Guard/Res forum is someone who either has a job or plans on going back to one while flying for the military concurrently. UPT is incredibly challenging but it's not impossible while juggling stuff from back home. I had a full-time business that services over 1200 clients a year, have 6 staff that I had to manage and additionally had a wife and daughter that I brought with me to UPT that I had to play husband/father roles for. It was challenging but there are ways to get it done. Some things that worked for me: Compartmentalizing - Being good at this skill is essential whether you are a bachelor right out of college with no commitments or someone like me. I saw a dude break up with his fiancee, a bro's wife cheated on him with another officer in the squadron, another guy in my class who was a fellow business owner lost a partner while writing a PhD thesis...all of these things happened in the throes of UPT. Every single one of these guys shared the ability to switch hats quickly and prioritize and press. Being able to focus on the mission, put out the fire that's immediately in front of you and then go on to the next thing is an essential quality of being a USAF pilot in my opinion, and UPT seems to have a way of weeding people out who can't do it. Delegating - Being able to rely on my wife was the deal maker for this to work. She was incredible. Running the household, taking care of our daughter, running my business admin and ALSO working her job at a software company that she stayed on with when we moved for UPT (they let her work remotely) AND packing the house for multiple moves (4 military moves shipping 11,000lbs of household goods in the past 18 months)...she did it all. She was a champion and having someone that you can rely on is huge whether it be a parent, spouse, best friend, whatever. Know when to ask for help, people in your life will step up and you can't do it all on your own. Setting Expectations - When training my manager at the outset I made it very clear that he was going to have to be self-reliant. There were many days where I just wouldn't be able to pick up the phone and help him put out fires. Often he would forward angry customer emails that I wouldn't see until 3 days after he had already figured out how to deal with it. He had to learn a lot on his own or with delayed responses but it wasn't impossibly frustrating for him because he knew it was going to go down this way. Letting people in your life know (family, friends, colleagues) that you will be out of pocket is an important part of building the space you need to get things done and focus during UPT. Knowing your limits - I carried ORM points on basically every other ride. I didn't care what people thought although I got the sense it's taboo or some bullshit to admit weakness (especially during T6's). I wanted to be honest with myself and the crew in the back of my helicopter or other crews in our flight. I even found that my IPs became more honest and carried their own points when I added mine when they may not have otherwise. Having an honest conversation about the stressors in your life automatically helps make things safer because you can move on and compartmentalize. I also said "no" to rides. I was pressured by IPs to go when I felt I would be dangerous and I said no. It wasn't popular but I finished the syllabus on time and did well enough (#2 out of 8 for daily rides #3 for academics). I think being aware of your limits ultimately creates a culture of collaboration. Within my class, my stud bros and sis became more aware of everyone's inherent limitations and advantages which made us all work better together. We knew what we'd have to do when paired up with certain stick buddies or meshing with other crews on a ride. "Cooperate to graduate" can't happen if you don't know how to cooperate. Again, I am eternally grateful to all the advice I've been given and mentorship by those who've come before me, and guidance from the folks who held my hand at the squadron and had my back...including those who were willing to step up and take ownership when bad things happened (like when I came off orders in the middle of UPT). Thanks to all and hopefully this helps someone who is in a similar situation or someone who is considering going Guard but are worried they won't be able to reconcile all the forces in their lives asking for attention.

See, it really is a secret.

The data on the mig's is incorrect. The fighter OG's don't want somebody past 5 years, the syllabus says TX-2 is 7 years, so I'm saying there's a chance……. Is that 2 movie quotes in 1 post, shame on myself. And if there was going to be a "first" dual qual Wing, I'm guessing Tucson would be it.

Fixed wing opportunities > Helicopter opportunities RPA opportunities > Helicopter opportunities It simply boils down to economics/available choices. It's not at all complicated. Right now we're watching people bail who are being paid $100K+ to do a job (RPA): you can observe that fact. It's happening right now. Nor will "moral" fix it. The suggestion that paying someone ~$60K to do that same job because of "moral" ignores another fact that you can also observe right now: fighter pilots are bailing faster than they can be replaced. "Moral" will only keep you around so long. What I feel like people should be discussing, is why the AF insists upon placing a job that can literally be accomplished anywhere, in some of the worst real-estate the AF has. Want to keep people around? Let them live in Hawaii, Guam, Japan, England, Florida, California, Colorado - don't shovel them off to Creech, Holloman, Shaw, etc.

It would require a major culture shift in the RPA communities. Most sensors wouldn't mind being pilots for pilot pay and rank. Most I've talked to wouldn't want to be enlisted pilot with the current pay scale. To much responsibility for to little money. Im a huge advocate for pairing up RPA squadrons with light attack and dual qual for the 11s. I would never leave if I could kill a terrorist or two every once in awhile in the box and go tear up the skies in a AT-6/A-29/scorpion or whatever we might buy. More than likely RPAs and light attack are going to intergrate regularly on the battlefield and it's helps the RPA manning keeping 11s in the community. Hell, you could dual qual sensors to sit in the back seat.

It's a specific disorder that's swept this part of the world recently, while still in the research phase, neurological experts have given it the name : TDS Trump Derangement Syndrome Said experts warn of its contagious effects. It is highly advised not to attempt to treat said individuals with common sense and logic, you may be labeled a bigot, racist, white privileged patriarch. edit: returned from acronym school, thanks nsplyr; point still stands though.

Not funny, try again. The civil air patrol is calling you…..

Benelli seems to be the 3gun standard. Stoeger is owned by them and uses the same inertia action. Check out the M3K, it comes mostly ready to go.

It is a pod-mounted gun and it's a requirement for the LAE to demo a gun. The one I've seen is a .50 cal; haven't seen the 20mm personally. I fully agree that if I'm giving up a hardpoint or 2 for small caliber guns on a fast moving fixed wing, I'd much rather not and have more gas/laser-guided rockets/bombs/hellfire/etc. Edit to add: LAE = light attack expirament, the new acrynom du jour rather than OA-X.

Hopefully they were tears of joy...that's an awesome assignment both for the location and the mission. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I'm talking about your paid 3 month European vacation…..and Bendy and Evil can suck it for liking your post. Living down the street from me is a gift, I expect worship. Now how do I like my own post.

Doesn't really matter. Fly a great jet and don't pass up an opportunity to shut up. Encourage your classmates to do the same.

Kill it with fire!