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The AF can't incentivize the folks who will command if they stay, that's how fucked they are.

Takes approximately 7-8 years post-bachelors to make a WIC grad, so really it's about the same time to create a patch compared to a MD/surgeon. Probably have spent $20M+ on that guy too by the end of WIC (encompassing his entire flying career thus far). The AF is beyond retarded and will summarily dismiss the recent RAND study because it doesn't support what the AF wants to hear.

That was underwhelming. The AF is just going through the motions of pretending they want things to improve, while giving lame ass excuses as to why they aren’t actually fixing anything. I’m sick of things like this (AMA, surveys, etc.). They fucking know what’s wrong. They just don’t give a shit. The generals got where they are playing the current game and without the improvements we are advocating for. So they aren’t the one that can fix this. They don’t want to fix it. McCain is gone. We need go VFR direct to Congress and force the GOs hands. Congress as a whole is a vile incompetent dumpster fire, but there are some good Reps our there. We need some top cover.

Yeah, we’ll, that’s because we spent a lot of time teaching stuff that dudes had to be proficient in at UPT but never really need in real life. Number of times I’ve needed to do a formation landing in 3,500 hours of mil flying....ZERO. Granted, it’s all good stuff to have experience with but a lot of it is low likelihood contingency items, great to be familiar/safely able, not necessary to be masterful. This goes beyond UPT. Call me full of sh-t if you like but go visit the AOR, it’s PGMs and BOC 99% of the time. I can get a wingman to a CR level in 2019 much quicker than I could in 2005 and the reason is technology. I fully support updating the training syllabus and technique. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

If only a member of Congress read a forum like this...

I think the dudes preparing for Folda Gap 🤔 2.0 are going to be really surprised if the balloon goes up............but that’s not important.

The general seems to be waking up early every day to think about this. ..but Neither flight pay nor the bonus will increase. (Blame Congress, except for the flight pay--Big AF apparently needs to make it look like we are trying to save money even though Congress allowed us money to help this very problem!) Those QoL improvements are still mostly unspecified Manning in all the cited communities looks decent on the spreadsheets The complaints about feeling valued via promotion, recognition, support, etc mostly went unanswered

Problem is that the initial PTN trainees were heavily screened, accepting something like 10/200 - only the best candidates. Let’s see what happens when the average stud goes through the program before we talk about it cranking out a better product. IFF, as originally intended, is dead. The writing on the wall is that, should PTN go full-scale, IFF goes away. The washout rate is way down and we at the FTUs have had to drop the hammer where they have failed. We’ve washed out several punks over the past few years that simply didn’t belong in a fighter FTU. We called back to the 435th about the last one and got a canned “he met the course requirements” answer. IFF is simply under the thumb of AD leadership and their “graduate more” mandate. Rant sw - off

And you expected something different from the people who manage only HPOs?

Agreed that’s a CF, but not the RC of the retention problem. HPOs are leaving in droves as well.

Nah, they’ll just further obfuscate who’s in the top 10% like they’ve done by not identifying school selects at the O-4 board. The longer the machine can make people think they’re in the top tier the longer people will try to be in the top tier.

This is the point I was trying to make in the bonus thread. After 13 YOS, you are in your mid 30s, prime of your working life, and your civilian counterparts are at the apex of their development. The AF though cannot offer a meaningful answer to how they will incentivize the 90% of folks who won't command and since the bonus is flat rate, you are pretty much leveling off as soon as you pin on Lt Col. I think the AF should honestly look at a stair stepping bonus that starts at maybe 25K for 2 years but cam then be renewed in 2 year increments for 10K more each time, netting you 55-65 you last 2 years depending when you were elligible. If they don't solve this though (and it's a combination of a development and a pay issue) then I don't see retention getting better because as I continue to find out how marketable I am outside the AF the appeal to stay in an organization that decides it's pretty much done with me is gone.

I know 2 people who punted within the last month. One walked away from a guaranteed AGR from now till retirement and the other left a full time tech position. First guy was happy to pay back the AGR pilot bonus he recently received.

Thought I'd bump this back to the top. Got more than just a rumor that they may be starting to non-vol 11Fs from the ANG here soon. Should be interesting to see how this pans out. If this happens it will be interesting to see if there is a spike in papers being dropped like supposedly happened with the reserve KC-135s going to 120-day deployments.

https://cajunsaviationdream.org/

The multi lesbian rolling scissor is my favorite.

No, that was on 30 May 1995 when Major Donald Lowry of the 53FS/52FW, was killed when his F-15C (79‑0068) crashed immediately after taking off from Spangdahlem AB in Germany. Investigation showed that during routine maintenance, mechanics had crossed and mis-connected the control rods. Two mechanics were charged with negligent homicide. One took his own life during his military trial. After the amazing revelation that over-zealous prosecution had cost another life, the charges against the other mechanic were dropped (Source) Jackson's story goes like this... On March 9, 1987, Gene "Tornado" Jackson was taking off in F-15A, sn 77-075, when a rudder malfunction caused an uncommanded roll. It is believed one of the Aileron-Rudder Interconnect hydro-mechanical units failed. Reportedly he was told to eject on several occasions, but refused, stating the aircraft was too unstable and every time he released the controls, the aircraft started rolling towards base housing. He fought the aircraft until it was no longer a threat to anyone, but was unable to eject in time to save his own life. Twenty three years later the following was published in the Lufkin Daily News, on November 11, 2010; An unexpected letter reminded a former Lufkin man of the impact his brother's military death made more than 20 years ago. Refusing to eject out of a doomed fighter jet, Air Force Lt. Col. Gene Jackson protected the lives of others on the ground at the price of his own. When Jackie Jackson came home to see a letter addressed to his mother who died 12 years ago, he thought there must be some sort of mistake. It sat untouched for more than a month before Jackson and his father, Joe, of Lufkin, opened it. The letter sent by a man named James Maddox from Palmyra, N.Y., read: Jackie Jackson said he and his father were truly touched by the letter. While they have long since came to terms with Gene's death, they were touched someone would be thoughtful enough to thank the family of someone who gave everything. Gene left behind a wife and three small children... (Source)

After they faked the moon landing I wouldn’t put anything past them.