Leaderboard

Jackson administered me the Comissioning oath when I graduated ROTC back in 1995. Been trying to find the photos of it for the last day or two, but no luck. He, along with fellow AF MoH awardee Leo Thorsness, were somewhat frequent guests at my ROTC unit at the U of Washington as they both lived in the area. An unbelievable honor to listen and learn from those two over the years. Blue skies and tailwinds to a true hero.

To him. We have too few heroes in this world that deserve looking up to. He was one. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/01/14/air-force-legend-medal-of-honor-recipient-joe-jackson-dies-at-95/

Just got an email with my rip from FSS, rnlt 10 July, going to Vance

This is a question I get asked often, so instead of re-typing on every PM I'll just post it here. Obviously this is my opinion at current time, YMMV with other units and when I'm no longer the CC the sight picture could change again in our unit. I'm speaking from our experience in New Orleans. I'm sure other units have different stories, etc, etc. Internet advice: it's worth what you paid for it. What the guys above have said is accurate - the unit has to like you enough to take a chance on you. More than that, if the paperwork to get an ETP is 1 measure of a$$ pain, they have to like you at least 1 a$$ pain more than a similarly qualified guy that doesn't need an ETP. If you are 1 of 75 guys rushing for 3 open slots, the odds are not in your favor to get an ETP. Every wing will have a different take on it. Obviously the less applicants a unit gets, the less picky they can afford to be. Why is being older even a big deal? It's a subject that everyone who needs a waiver suddenly thinks they are an expert on. Arguments can be made of course and there are always exceptions to the rule. However, in our case we've sought ETPs for age before; it's actually worked out exactly like guys who we've allowed to join that are pilots but not from a fighter background. They've all ended the same way - in failure. There are lots of studies about how we learn. .69 seconds of google-fu shows me this article: https://www.fastcompany.com/3045424/what-it-takes-to-change-your-brains-patterns-after-age-25 I gave it a quick glance and that's about what we've seen. Younger people just learn better. Learning to be a fighter pilot is a major shift from the way most adults think. Breaking down those barriers when they've had time to form is very difficult; and frankly it's hard enough without having to smash through those additional roadblocks to success. UPT is where the basis of learning this life starts. If the 2 year pipeline is akin to watching a child learn to walk, employing in combat is more like going to the Olympics. There's a lot of learning to do between learning to walk and putting that gold medal around your neck. And the road never ends - I've been flying the same jet for over 17 years in a row (bragging). I still learn new things. Less often than in times past but it still happens; it's harder for me now that I'm an old guy. I can't imagine trying to learn this stuff at 30+ with a family or other life choices hanging over me. I was right out of college, 23 years old and not a care in the world. It was still very difficult (not UPT - that was easy), learning the life. Someone was on the board recently whining about how it's not fair that everyone doesn't get an interview. I actually LOL'd at that one. If you are seeking an ETP, don't be the guy whining about why no one is giving out ETPs or being upset if a unit tells you they aren't entertaining ETPs. That will result in guys like me LOL'ing at you and immediately jettisoning your resume and face from the collective memory of the hiring board. Be humble, understand that they have to take a chance on you and that the odds are not stacked in your favor. The board or unit didn't cause the circumstances that made you late in life to apply for this opportunity, you did; own it.

For the U-2 guys: Col Jackson was Solo #42. That's just 13 numbers before Tony B and 4 months before Tony. I just spoke to Tony this morning about their time together at "The Ranch" (Groom Lake) in '56-'57 for their U-2 checkout. Like a lot of those guys, he came out of F-84's at Turner AFB. If any of y'all attended the past 4080th Reunions at Laughlin AFB, you probably met Joe. Hail Dragons. https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/01/14/air-force-medal-honor-recipient-joe-jackson-dies-95.html?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR27FcRUwZPS4-RU4n0tINrYqnH5hmUAWiLaHw1MKP5GpdwORlH9LWstAlQ#Echobox=1547498512

FedEx doesn’t use strict calendar months for their monthly schedules. We have 8 four week months (exactly 28 days) and 4 five week months (35 days) each year. They all start on a Monday and end on a Sunday. Our latest contract allows for a 6-week month but they’ve never used one in the three years it’s been a option. This Feb is a good example: it’s a five week month and goes from 28 Jan to 3 Mar. Now I can answer the question. Captains get their schedules at noon central time, 20 days prior to the start of the next month. FOs get theirs exactly one day later. This 24 hour delay is used in lieu of a “no-fly list”, “negative pilot” list or whatever other airlines call it. That allows FOs the option to avoid a particular Captain without FedEx having to accept whatever legal baggage comes with actually having a percentage of their pilots create a written record of their problem children every month. 😁

UPT PCS orders and start date came to my CSS this morning

Same, don’t know my UPT date yet though. I don’t know why I thought you could preference which UPT base you could go to. I’m still waiting for the surprise.

I'll be in your ift class

I got IFT 30 May - 1 July RNLTD of 20 Oct to Vance Anyone else?

SWA bidding closes at 1200 central on the 9th. We can see the awarded line a few hours later.

One might be MFS and the other IFT. SV8AS is IFT

Whatever airline you're talking about that is using line bidding, builds all the individual trips first. Who participates in building the trips and then building the subsequent schedules with those trips may vary from airline to airline. At FedEx, the company builds the trips. A scheduling committee made up of pilots from each fleet, "scrubs" all the trips first looking for contract compliance, fatigue issues and problems in general. Once those issues have been addressed, those same pilots takes that giant "pot" of trips and assemble them into individual monthly schedules for each seat and aircraft (i.e. lines). Those are then published for the pilot group who submit bids for each individual schedule they want in the particular order they desire. The bid is processed according to seniority and that's that. #1 in each seat/aircraft gets the line he wants, then #2, #3... and so on.

My opinion - Don't go enlisted when you're college complete / near to it. You know what you want and time is currently on your side. Enlisting for MAYBE a minimal increase in hiring preference is not worth the couple years you just set yourself back. It makes more sense for someone heading to college/early in college who also wants help paying for school. I think most units will hire off the street for the right guy...some put more weight on in-house interviewees, but it's not a guarantee they'll be hired or an off-the-street guy won't be hired. Apply everywhere, regardless of what rumors you've heard about off the street hiring, etc. For Stearman's question - if you're young and dead set on chasing fighters, then skip applying to heavies for now. When you're starting to get closer to the age limit, throw heavies into the app mix. If you apply for both right now and just want to go to UPT ASAP, then I'd take the first job offer and don't look back. I wouldn't apply yet to heavies if you already know in your heart you're going to ditch their job offer in favor of a FS offering a similarly timed job. Technique only.

Totally agree

02 Dec 2017: Interview 03 Dec 2017: Hired 06 May 2018: DD Form 368 signed by State J1 in April and submitted to NGB 24 July 2018: Transfer Packet kicked back from NGB for wording and resubmitted 06-07 Aug 2018: Flight Physical Completed 10-14 Sep 2018: Flight Physical Results returned week of I was also informed that NGB changed their accessions process to require ETPs to be completed and approved before swearing in.....fortunately I already had my flight physical done so I could push that up as soon as the policy dropped. Transfer packet at NGB paused New policy came with change in ETP checklist and shortened timeline (approx 30 days) 21 Sep 2018: ETP pushed up 25 Oct 2018: Age Waiver Approved at NGB (34 day turn around) 19 Nov 2018: I was notified that the squadron needed to initiate a TS Clearance before I could swear in. The unit security manager sent me a link to fill out the SF86 digitally. After that it went up to OPM to begin the investigation process. Once the investigation was "open" and reflected that status is JPAS, the unit could send a specific memo to NGB to let me swear in 14 Dec 2018: TS Investigation opens and memo sent to NGB 17 Dec 2018: NGB sends the temporary Fed Rec that allows me to swear in 28 Dec 2018: Fini Flight in the Blackhawk, and swear in with the my new ANG squadron. Separation orders are cut by the Army Guard to release me 5/6 Jan 2019: First official drill weekend with squadron, gaining process begins, and I begin working on my ARB packet More to follow

He's a dishonest huckster because you believe you've found a semantical flaw in the phrase "cultural Marxism" that he uses in a few of his arguments? He repeatedly admits he is open to the idea that there could be errors in his logic, and seeks to find intellectually honest debates to find "truth". You're simply dismissing the entirety of the man's ideas because you disagree with the way he placed two words together, yet you're providing no original alternatives to any of them... and it took you 4 paragraphs to do it, which reeks more of pseudo-intellectualism than anything he has said.

I'm dense? This from the guy who's pretending like he's listened to the work of the guy he's criticizing? Here's a great talk about the differences between Marxists and post modernists. Be careful though, he's a huckster... Come back when you have a PhD, since that's the apparent prerequisite for having an opinion according to your self-eliminating metric for credibility.

Personal responsibility is a great subject to be pissed off about??!? Read his book and report back.

I just wanted to share my path to give others in similar positions hope: 31 years old Almost 10 years prior service AD as an officer / ground guy (Special Ops) and not in the air force I was able to get hired by an ANG fighter squadron by showing the unit it is worth their time to do the extra paperwork. There is a waiver for just about anything. My advice is to be humble and hungry to start over as a new guy and be the best team mate possible regardless of age/rank. If you are in a similar situation mine, just work hard to quickly build a strong package and no doubt you will have a shot.

Testing the lines for a new method of EAM dissemination.

I was referring to his moonlighting beyond the scope of his field to opine about scary sounding things like "Cultural Marxism" (which, btw, is not a thing). I'm not scoffing his actual academic work in his field (Chomsky was a great linguist, but also a terrible historian and political theorist—that's my point), or the substance of "12 Rules." But at the same time there are scores of people and books you could go to for good life advice that aren't also hucksters selling fear for profit.

Jesus you're dense. His Ph.D. is in clinical psychology. All his refereed publications are in psychology. To the extent any of them touch on politics, it's on the personality traits of liberals and conservatives. He has no peer-reviewed publications in history, economics, or political theory. To the extent he has any formal education in those subjects it's a B.A. in Political Science... So did my high school soccer coach. His own statements show he is hardly "exceptionally educated" about those subjects, or Marxist thought in particular. Of course there are Marxists in academia. There are also postmodernists/poststructuralists in academia, which is his real bête noire and what he means when he says "cultural Marxism." The two groups do not overlap. They believe very different things about basic epistemology. Saying "cultural Marxist" is like saying "Malthusian infertility medicine"; you're conflating two schools of thought or fields of study that not only don't overlap, but are actually fundamentally contradictory. Marx made specific claims about economics, politics, and history (claims that were severely wrong by the way) based on an underlying belief in epistemological realism—that is, that objective reality exists. Post-modern critical social theorists (like the gender extremists that hold gender is entirely socially constructed) believe the opposite. The targets of Peterson's ire disagree with Marx on epistemology, and they also don't care much about economics either. But "cultural Marxism" sounds scary and taps into people's concerns about contemporary academia. Ultimately it's a meaningless pejorative like Neo-Conservative (which the Left stripped of its domestic policy meanings to use only to refer to a particular subset of foreign policy thought on the Right, because it conveniently sounds like Neo-Nazi), Neo-Liberal (which once had a particular meaning in international economics, but socialists have co-opted to attack liberals), or "Globalist." It appeals to people whose knowledge of political theory comes from owning but not actually reading/understanding Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism." Dishonest oversimplification and claiming to speak as an expert about subjects outside your field is not what academics do. It's what hucksters do.