Leaderboard

Trigger Warning: Unpopular old-guy opinion ahead. 😁 Our ORM sheet is the last remaining untechnologified step in the administrivia process before we head out the door to the aircraft. 5 people can pick up a pencil and scribble a completely subjective number in about 30 seconds without requiring 5 individual logins with certificate-less CACs, computers attempting to connect, and a slow, if not stopped, network. Please don't take that from us.

Cool, interested to hear. On a sidebar issue and idea: So they wanna shorten the time in SUPT to produce pilots faster then why not begin training pilots sooner once selected for pilot and deemed medically qualified? That is at the Academy or ROTC, once selected for Pilot and passed an initial medical screening, start flight training sooner (prior to commissioning) to get training started so that either IFS is now skipped or is just a quick quality check prior to reporting to SUPT? IIRC, we were selected for Pilot/Nav at the end of Junior year and depending on your school's academic calendar, initial flight training could start the summer following Jr year, intensive 2.5 months to get PPL + some hours then Sr. year, you would work towards instrument certification. IFS is a quality check and off you go to SUPT with around 100 hours. This would involve the AF having to risk some money as some cadets would not either complete initial flight training, medically disqualifie or choose not to continue but I think they would be a manageable number. SUPT graduates arrive more prepared, more likely to succeed in an abbreviated SUPT syllabus (would argue for replacement of those flight hours but that is another fight) and the cost/risk is very affordable. For OTS cadets, a separate program for the approximately 100 hours unless they already have flight time.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/rep-adam-kinzinger-air-force-veteran-trump-turnberry-resort Check out that brilliantly written oped.

Thirded. In a world where the computers work reliably and serious back end analysis will be followed through with, I like this idea. But unfortunately that is not the world we live in.

Nothing with PEX works well. Took them 9 months to import new Form8s Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

When I went through T-6's 16 some odd years ago, my class had 5 dudes with CPL/IFR/CFII ratings with 400-1,000 hours of flight time (to include myself) and we were ranked 1 thru 5 in the class. Coincidence? Definitely not, BUT, and this is a big BUT, we were all willing to forget a lot of what life was like in an a GA aircraft flying under FAR's and use our seasoned basic airmanship to our advantage (and not have a chip on the shoulder acting like we knew it all). Being able to free up brain cells from having to worry about flying straight and level allowed us to learn new things more quickly. By the time some of the less experienced dudes started to "get it", it was too late. I felt I had a huge advantage when it came to the instrument phase, because most of that phase contained the same principles as instrument flying in a 172, but things just happened much faster. The playing field starts to even out once you get to the T-1 or T-38. Overall, dudes/dudets with more flight time, in theory, should be more confident in any new airplane. I used my CFII experience to my advantage outside the airplane and took one of my bros in the class having a hard time during instruments to the cockpit trainer a few times to help him with basic course intercepts, holding patterns and approaches. My advice to anyone with any extensive flying experience going to UPT is 1. Never pass up the opportunity to keep your mouth shut even if you know something from your prior experience (don't act like a know-it-all). 2. Don't be an individual with your experience and help your bro's. 3. Don't get cocky, because the margin of getting into a humbling experience is probably a bit tighter than you are use to.

Pending further investigations, the problem here almost certainly isn't what anyone in the Air Force did, it's that the President has not divested his personal financial stake in and control of numerous businesses. While serving as President, he personally benefits from these businesses that both create the perception of corruption as well as break what I think is pretty clear language in the constitution & subsequent court cases and DOJ guidelines about the President taking money/gifts/etc. from foreign powers (i.e. emoluments). Jimmy Carter put his family peanut farm in a blind trust when he was elected, and DJT should have done the same with his businesses. The fact that the President has made millions off of stays and events at his hotels that very likely would not have taken place were he not President is the issue - this stuff with the USAF is another (small) straw on this particular camel's back. A couple dozen airmen staying at Turnberry pales in comparison to what takes place at the President's DC hotel on a weekly basis.

Lots of variables that go into rates but in general you're looking at 3.125-3.25% on 30yrs VAs with a 45 day lock and no points on a non-jumbo. Rates have been moving back up with the 10yr treasury bond off the bottom we hit at 2.875% a couple weeks ago. These are Trident pricing not the national average. Also know that the mortgage market is constantly changing on Wall Street so this post could be completely irrelevant tomorrow. Best thing is just to call me to get a real time quote. Hope that helps get you in the ball park though. Jon 850-377-1114 jk@mythl.com

A Nightmare’s Prayer: A Marine Harrier Pilot’s War in Afghanistan was a pretty good read. https://www.amazon.com/Nightmares-Prayer-Marine-Harrier-Afghanistan/dp/1451608071/ref=nodl_

https://youtu.be/6p-lDYPR2P8 I found a YouTube link that describes exactly your problem set. Pretty easy step by step instructions

Shut up and color. Take your lumps and learn. If you quibble, and it is quibbling, you may win the battle...but you may also lose the war. And of course, the obvious answer, don’t fuck up the pattern and you won’t face this issue.

You are like every other UPT student who has walked the halls of a UPT squadron before you, and I guarantee an “I know what I’m doing” attitude is the fastest way to get to the bottom of your FLT/CC ranking, despite your “performance.” Let me give you some sage advise : “Never pass up an opportunity to STFU.” UPT can be a blast but it can also be very painful if the IPs sense a chip on your shoulder.

I don't really buy that argument. There are a million altitude restrictions all over Laughlin's departure, recovery, and pattern procedures, and a student breaking one isn't necessarily a failing of their survival instinct. This is where we get into the root cause. Did they bust it because they didn't know it? Did they bust it because they knew it but were task saturated with other things? Did they bust it because they tried to level off and still just suck at leveling off? Did they bust it because they knew it and just willfully disregarded it? This is what I'm getting at. We can ask so many questions about a simple altitude restriction, meanwhile there are so many rules to learn that IPs have a hard time keeping track of them all, let alone a student. I heard about what caused the little ops tempo stand down day a while back. IP allowing a final turn breakout (not a thing) into a formation fini flight coming up initial? Sounds sporty.

Former IP here as well and I am with you on a lot of these points. I was being a little hyperbolic saying it's all a waste of time. It isn't. There is real value in the RSU pattern and you hit the nail on the head. It is fantastic for ensuring the safety of solos, and it is great for reps. But you and I also know sometimes it's horrible for reps. With 8+ people in the pattern, no one is getting anything productive done except a sh!t ton of clearing and some practice with saturated radios. And if you're the IP who lets their student ask for a straight in.. lord have mercy on your soul at the next roll call. My point was that there is this thing that happens at UPT bases where people get overly focused on localisms to the detriment of big picture aviation training. I totally agree that it's valuable for students to learn how to operate aircraft in an area with local restrictions. But when you have 5 different statuses and associated procedures for each runway direction at your base and aux field, we are getting into the realm of the absurd. We're talking 30+ inflight guide pages! It is not an exaggeration to say that some THE most complicated local pattern, departure, and recovery procedures in the entire Air Force exist at pilot training bases. UPT is a year long (for now) and if we're serious about still producing a good product, IPs need to stop wasting time hammering their students over a mountain of localisms, and start taking them off station as much as possible. Which leads me to my next point: my comment was absolutely meant to be an indictment of *some* of the current IP force. Of course some IPs are out there doing great work, but PIT syllabi are being gutted just like UPT. New IPs have very little idea of what to do from a teaching standpoint, and they have to spend time learning the local procedures just like a student does. But remember, IPs have a lot more time and reps to get good at a local area than the students do. I've noticed as IPs get better at their local area, some of them tend to place more emphasis on it and hold students to an unrealistic standard of knowledge about its intricacies. This is where I'm arguing that time and emphasis is better spent elsewhere.

The ones who have routinely put me into Mildenhall when no billeting or contract billeting exists? The ones that planned me back there 24 hours later when the winds were out of limits and then gave us an alternate that wouldn’t accept us? The ones that think taking off at 0001z and flying backside of the clock to an island destination is safe? I wouldn’t feel too bad for them.

God bless Texas! Best Country on the planet!

I’ve seen guys like you come thru UPT. Usually they have problems. Chip on shoulder, holier than thou, “real world experience”. Good luck kid. Youre in ROTC so focus on graduating. And I’m sure you’ll type some snarky reply back that you’d never dare to say to my face in a UPT flight room. That’s fine. Get it out while you can young man.

Gotta hand it to British Tabloids, they often have an excellent sense of humor.

Let my start by saying it depends, every unit is different. We all have different expectations for our part time guys and those expectations likely change due to manning, deployments, natural disasters, sickness, health, blah, blah, blah. There are other options besides AGR for full time employment including Technicians and ADOS (if the squadron sits alert). All these answers are for my F-15C squadron, so take that for what it's worth. How many times a month will you fly? You need to make RAP (Ready Aircrew Program) - for our inexperienced pilots that is 8 sorties per month. Sometimes you can get two sorties in one day with a tanker or by double turning, but that's not the best training and can't count on that necessarily. We also ask our DSG's to sit a minimum of one 24 hour alert tour each month. When we are deployed or gone on a two week trip we ask our DSG's to either go with us or sit more alert at home since that mission never stops. All commuting is on your dime. I wouldn't say we let you pick and choose which days you work per say but we do work together to get the types of sorties that our DSG's need and try to get them in town when there's more flying so they get more for their trip as well as work around other life events and jobs. It's mutually beneficial to work together on the schedule. If you are an out of town commuter the unit will pay for a hotel for your drill weekends (or makeup) as well as AT (annual training) days. All AFTPs are on your own. If you are on an alert day you'll be sleeping at the alert facility so no hotel then. You only get paid for days you are on "a status" aka on orders. Your travel day is not included in that other than in some circumstances - but it's few and far between. Each airline handles things a bit differently as well. I'm a Delta guy so my answers are from that point of view (also I've been on mil leave since the fall of '15 so I don't have the most current info). Anyway, it behooves the pilot and the unit to not totally piss in the Cheerios of every airline out there because we don't want you to be the last person from our unit to get hired at Delta/FedEx/United, wherever. Most of the major airlines only count your mil leave against your 5 year USERRA limit if your orders are more than 30 days. In theory you could drop mil leave on 7 or 8 days per month and only work the remainder but in actuality that would be hard to swing. Particularly as a young guy (you are asking about right after UPT right?) you'll be working a lot of weekends at the airline. Other than drill weekend (or alert) most ANG guys aren't working weekends. You'll also be working a lot of holidays - federal employees don't work those (other than alert). When I flew the line you could drop one day in the middle of a 3 or 4 day trip and it would drop the whole trip. Not always the case anymore; I've heard of guys dropping a day of mil leave in the middle of a trip and the airline expecting them to be there to fly the other days of the trip. Not a place you want to find yourself. Also airlines are busiest when you want to be home with your family (Holidays, etc) if you drop mil leave over a long holiday (Christmas, Superbowl Sunday, Labor Day, July 4th, etc) they are going to call your commander and make sure you are actually working those days in the ANG. As a commander, I'm not going to put you on orders unless you are actually doing work for the squadron so those days likely won't line up as much either. Like I said, in theory it's possible but not likely that it'll work that way. If you drop any mil leave some chief pilots will be pissed. There's no magic number. Hope this helps.

Not sure why you're so riled up about this. I'm just saying I'm not just a kid who just came out of high school. See you at Sheppard