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Can’t us tanker guys stick together and go back to the age-old practice of ripping C-17 drivers for landing gear up?

I just got picked up to fly that 1958 model thank you very much! Thought of this when I read the last couple posts: https://www.duffelblog.com/2017/02/fighter-pilot-shortage-results-in-recruitment-of-average-looking-uncool-people/amp/

And there you go, no longer based on merit but the whim of the current political climate, sound familiar?

When we briefed for a sortie at IP school he looked at me dead ass serious and said, “Hey man, if you see any ducks we need to aim for ‘em. I’m serious, I’m gonna kill every one of them fcukers.” He was one of the best pilots I ever had the pleasure and privilege of flying with and learning from. His intelligence and flying skills were only trumped by his personality...he was one hell of a great dude and aviator. Prayers to him and his family. Tailwinds to you brother. -Herk

What’s a CSO?

Address the letter to Lieutenant Colonel <Jones>. But then it'd be Dear Colonel <Jones>. Abbreviated it is officially Lt Col for Air Force officers and LtCol for Marine Corps officers. The great thing about the military is you will no longer worry about what to do in any situation, because someone has already written a manual or regulation telling you how or what to do. In this case it's AFH 33-337 The Tongue and Quill. The other great part of the military is that 95% of the people don't read or don't care about the manuals so you are good to go. "A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine." -unnamed Russian/German Officer from World War II

I'm with Linda. Our Ops squadron is an FTU and burning precious hours (GT and flight) covering the basics. It's systemic, and from what I read around here only going to get worse...

Again... really? If you worked as hard at anything as diligent as you create fake accounts and post your crappy scores you would be able to move out of your mom’s basement and actually get a job. Next time come up with a better story.

Fcukin' incompetent Administration: - GDP only 4.2% growth last quarter - Canada agreed to sign on the renegotiated US/Mexico/Canada trade deal that is replacing NAFTA Simply UFB.

Or the _____ award winner.

So I spoke with an AFPC functional today. Apparently AFPC is pretty stunned with how abysmal take rates were this last FY. He said take rates of 11X initial eligibiles for most communities was in the teens. Some bases had less than ten percent takers. The actual number will be higher (just under 30%). But that number is inflated due to 12x takers and guys who renegotiated their bonus. Reality is much worse than that. McCain is gone. Time for Congress to pass a real bonus.

Should fit in perfectly with the Eagle community!

You should apply to Buckley. I feel like I'm asking a woman if she is pregnant because I hope to god this is a troll.

If you're serious about joining any squadron/airframe you should always go visit, it only increases your chances so why wouldn't you! I visited in September, and it seemed like several of the pilots within the unit were from all across the country. I also spoke with the POC several weeks ago, and he told me the last two people hired to go through UPT pipeline were civilians. So it would seem that they do not just hire from within. Hope that helps!

If the offer was good, I'd do it. The retired officer voluntary recall thing looked good... until I crunched the numbers. Mrs Huggy would slit my throat while I sleep if I took a pay cut that significant.

I turned 29 earlier this year and most of my board applications were while I was 27 and 28. Thank you! But I'm actually calling it quits on the boards. Life has some other cool stuff in store for me which is also aviation-related.

One of the best herk drivers I have flown with. He embodied the community and what it means to be a tac airlifter. I too will have a can of Copenhagen straight for you sir. Godspeed.

Since probably 90% of Baseops wasn't born yet/then,...humor me....I actually look forward to seeing "First Man", despite the Hollywood spin. I vividly recall watching the landing as a Cadet. The Vietnam war was pretty much in full s..t, and we were all looking forward to getting into the game. Little did we know back then...but that's another story...However, we were beating the DRPCBs to the moon. I have had the honor of meeting both Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Once as a cadet, and later flying Neil and his wife to Athens in a MD-11. Anyway, sadly we are again in a s..t show, but it was far worse in the late 60s and early 70s and we will get through this.

I just planted a pear, curious to see how this turns out. If it somehow Jack’s magic beans turns into a functioning copilot I’m gonna write the CSAF with a solution to our pilot production problem.

Absolute badass and one of the best ambassadors to his airframe I’ve come across. I feel for his wife and kids and his extended family at the 189th. Tomorrow I will show up late to the bus and eat a can of Copenhagen for you sir!

Yes they are. One of his favorite lines: "Duck Sausage! How about you duck down and get you some sausage"! Reagan was hands down the greatest pilot, aircraft commander and officer I have ever known. He was in a league of his own. He was also a devout christian, a boxer at the Zoo, married to his high school sweetheart, master diver, foster parent, scout leader, duck hunter extraordinaire who took wounded warriors on hunts, and a weapons officer. The Herk community truly did lose one of it's finest. I will miss him. Some clarification on the news article. He was a current member of the Arkansas Guard.

That’s reserved for eagle drivers and the crew chiefs

While I like magazines laden with scantily clad women, if there was a publication to convince my wife to smoke a doobie and chill the f*** out once in awhile, I'd approve of that, too.

Have you been to any of the meet and greets? I was picked up by an A-10 unit with probably the lowest scores at the interview. I also hear that a few people with better scores were left out of the interview process all together because I got one. Long story short, they bumped me into the interviews because they already knew me. They hired me because they liked me, not for the scores. Get to know the guys at the units before you ever get to the interviews. You’ll interview a whole lot better and since they will already know you, you’ll have a leg up on the guys that they meet just the one day. Feel free to PM me for more details.

Why would they? It might be happening but, just to remind everyone here, it's the exception, not the rule. So, unless your application is really awesome, most unit's probably aren't going to pursue one. Scores really aren't enough on their own, either. When we get 100 applications, I would say at least half of them have really good scores. So now I need to find another way to pick 12 or so people to invite to an interview. So I read through maybe the top 20 or so based on scores, GPA, maybe some other factors, and really try to figure out what kind of person you are by reading your cover letter, your letters of recommendation, and seeing what you have accomplished over the years. Then, we'll narrow it down to a dozen people or so and send out invites. My best advice is to try and find a way to make your application stand out and grab my attention. I honestly dont care how it's prepared but it should be neat and orderly, but no need to spend much money on it. It sucks when reading through the top 20 applications and they all read the same. Good scores, good GPA, and guess what? All letters of recommendation sound the same. When reading your cover letter, I honestly don't care what you type about why you want to fly with us. It could all just be bullshit that you just researched online the night before. I think it'd be awesome to see a cover letter, in bullet format, telling me about all the cool things you have done, the stuff the doesn't have a place on a resume. The stories you would tell your bros over a beer. And don't be a douche. These are all random thoughts after having a few beers. I encourage everyone to keep applying, no matter the odds. Age waivers are not common and I wouldn't expect a Squadron to be willing to work one, but you never know. You're application is really going to have to stand out and even then it's still a long shot. Use this information to make the best decision you can if you want to get in this business. Maybe the UPT ship has sailed, but there are other options out there that can still be pretty cool.

A RAND study the AF commissioned said $72k/yr was required to retain what the AF wants. The AF asked for $60k/yr in 2016. House gave $48k/yr. McCain and cronies cut it to $35k/yr and won’t budge. I was at a briefing by a General from HAF/A3 where he gave all this info.

1 of 8 can provide the correct WX required to deal with the crap WX at KCVS today and successfully land. Thanks to the FAIP Mafia for providing the CHAFF for filing requirements to KCVS... Grow a pear (!?)... CPs,, CSOs,.... even MPs... W. T. F.!? You're lost. How do you get to your first base!?

I bought both the packet review and the interview prep package - very satisfied with my experience and thought it was definitely worth the money.

Any updates on the 104th FS in Baltimore? I heard from a friend that New Jersey interview notification emails were sent the other day.

No offense but how did you get an interview and not me?

@Ultimate Fighter Pilot I heard from a friend that results went out for who got picked up - but I personally don't know who was selected.

@Sopwith Camel FWIW I have a friend who got picked up as an alternate at a fighter unit with around the same scores and just a PPL. He eventually got moved up as a primary after someone dropped months later and is now going to UPT. I will echo what has been said on these forums many times by applicants and pilots alike who've gone through this process - go and visit, be a good dude, have a good attitude! I haven't been selected myself but I've been applying for about a year - if you have any questions I'll do my best to help - feel free to DM. Best of luck!

@Ultimate Fighter Pilot a bunch of fighter boards coming up soon this winter though! Cheers

anyone else going out to Tusla for the meet and greet?

@JGreenbaum I work at a flight school and I'd say on average a career minded student *training full-time* takes about a 1-1.5 years from 0 flight time to CFI and then 1-1.5 years after that to build to 1,500 hours. I live up north and we get a lot of weather cancellations. I've heard some CFI's in Florida getting to 1,500hrs within a year after they get their CFI rating. Keep in mind this timeline may be a different timeline than what a specific aviation college (Embry Riddle, BSU, UND) would have for you.

someone is salty. @Seadogs