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Management buddies? Liquid is a good dude, he has been promoted again and I think his job and circumstances keep him away from this forum...I am assuming. We are friends but I don't discuss this place with him. As for other senior folks, I wish I had a better answer. I am admittedly disillusioned having run in those circles and I am truly sad to say many are sycophants that could care less what you post on here because they believe alternate realities and nothing you can say (even the facts), will convince them otherwise. When you try to tell the MAJCOM/CC there is a retention train wreck coming and his response is "they will stay because they are patriots"...you reply, but sir they have done their duty over and OVER again...then he replies "fuck them, we will just make more." Some of these assholes made it worse out of pure malice...one in particular REALLY fucked some good people over and they got out. One dude had a life-long dream to fly the B-2, the now 2-star select refused on principle (our manning would have allowed it), so a Great pilot bailed. The same guy then stopped another guy from going to TPS (another life-long dream), because he was a CV-22 flight lead and we were short...so they guy got out and now flies for Delta. Much of our senior leadership is septic...the only reason they are pretending to care is because we are indeed 1920 pilots short and it is only going to get worse...MUCH worse.

Coolest thing I've seen was a dude give his to his son on retirement. His wife and daughter got the standard flowers and gifts. He said "I don't have flowers for you. But I do have this." Assuming kids are part of the equation of course.

I completely disagree.

If they do it in a hurry what are the chances they mess it up?

Interesting observation, I’ve noticed the same. Folks who left even as late as 2010 would discuss their service fondly after a few years of being out. Since about 2013, everyone I know who left has unanimously said their life is better and not a single one gives a damn about the AF. It’s been a markedly negative change.

Sorry, should have clarified. Enlisted RPA pilots would be a short term bridge that would work. However, I think they will end up having similar problems keeping drone operators as the drone industry becomes more in demand. My point is that putting a guy making 30K a year into a cockpit and expecting him to stay a day past his commitment is crazy.

Stop Loss Cometh...

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

And you have a problem with old people coming back, Junior? Show a little respect for your elders. And get off my lawn. Ram!! Get me an Ensure! And give me your lunch money.

Let me google that for you.

STOP trying to use logic.

The AF is short 1,920 pilots, which equates to a loss of $10 billion. So by my simple math, that roughly equates to $5 million per aviator. Doesn't a bonus of $100,000 a year make more sense and still allows the AF to get off at a rate of $1 million vs $5 million if qualified dudes were to accept a 10 year contract after their initial contract is up?

Ha. Looked at the Bio. Ironic that a previous duty title was Chief, Detainee Affairs and Personnel Recovery Division... So this "crisis" has been going on for some time. We passed the "predict the problem and solve it before it happens" phase. Then we got to the "let's just react to the problem" without seeing really anything as far as new effort or incentive for people to stay/return. Now it's more like "The school bus is hanging over the cliff, let's assemble a tiger team with our top people to generate a bullet background paper detailing effective lines of effort to solve this. Then we can have a follow-up meeting in 6 months with edits and comments to staff it to all agencies involved."

Good question. Hmmm... I got mine years ago... sent it to Turkey with an MC-130 friend, who got the usual mods done... and have never worn it one day the entire time I've had it. I'll keep it, though. Maybe I'll get a custom paint job on the back, and start wearing it when I fly WWII taildraggers.

Well that won't buff out.

why don't you PM them with your questions, dipshit?

The Lautenberg Amedment is grade-A bullshit. Anyone who has sworn an oath to protect and defend the Constitution should have a problem with the government having the ability to completely remove a Constitutionally-protected right to people who have not been convicted of anything. It should make your skin crawl every time you even see these forms and it reminds you of the mere existence of this law.

So, there I was. No shit. Middle of an ORE at Shaw, first of three sorties for the day turning ACT x ACT x RED. I was a brand new CMR #2, all thrust, no vector; I'm a pitbull on a fvcking leash. Brief and ground ops were uneventful, up to the point where PFL (wussy flight lead) calls Ops and tries to cancel due to isolated VCTS. Fvcking FAIPs. Ops recommended he grow a pair so we took off and headed west. After precisely 69% of the vul covered, with a clean picture and most of my missiles expended, the SOF calls on AUX - mushroom cloud overhead; we need to divert to WRB. PFL quibbles, something about it being his turn to cook dinner that night. Those of you who know MatMac are aware: this is no joke. Anyway, Georgia is a state where (up to that point) I had yet to slay so I tactically declared BINGO and reached back with my right hand to make sure my helmet bag contained my trusty mark-1 divert kit: deodorant, toothbrush and a box of rubbers. On vectors to WRB I've got snowplow called up and I wisely aimed for every rainshower I could... On the ground, we talk to TA about turning our jets. Well, I talked to TA. PFL was on the horn with his wife and then PF Chang's ordering food so he didn't get in trouble. Turns out TA will take 3 hrs to turn the 8 jets so we go to the bowling alley to get lunch. This is where the fun starts. It's summertime, so school is out. I spy a group of four lovely ladies (who were looking for heroes) on lanes 6-9. I give PFL a 5-spot and directions to order a burger, then I go anchor by the ladies. Turns out the outgoing blonde is the wing king's daughter and the others are her friends from the nursing program who happen to be visiting during the summer. Shitty food is consumed. Numbers are exchanged. I depart for Base Ops with digits and the hope of a road trip some upcoming weekend. I proceeded to do the most thorough pre-flight inspection of my life. Low and behold, I find an EMS bit ball had popped after landing! Sure, if I had noticed it on my post-flight then maybe they would have had time to send dudes from Shaw to fix it that day. Not likely though. Now, everyone knows that flight through precip is likely to trip one without any real problems, so PFL comes over to survey the situation. He closes the panel and asks what I'm gonna do. I give my best pep talk about how happiness comes in small doses and opportunities to be true heroes are rare. His response: "I know dude, that's why I need to get home. I'm only allowed two TDYs a year, I don't want to burn one in WRB." SQ policy was to divert as two-ships but I sit idly by with a shit-eating grin on my face as 7 jets blast for home and I walk off to the Qs, helmet bag thrown over my shoulder. Aftermath: he told me the lettuce wraps were particularly good at home that night. Me, on the other hand - I got back the following afternoon and was completely spent. 4 nursing students not worth burning one of your allocated TDYs on? For me it was, and all it cost me was a phone call to my neighbors to take care of my dog. Well, that and I did have to replenish one divert kit.

Improper application of 10% rule. Go around for another attempt.

That is an animated gif not a meme you n00b.