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A very holier than thou view you have there. I don’t know this guy personally, but you have quite the bias. I’m not saying he did no wrong, but you act like this is some easy black and white situation. There’s a lot of blame all around for him, the girl, and OSI/the military judicial system. 1. That’s not how possession charges work in the civilian world, and he’s not guilty until proven innocent in the a real court. A psycho bringing shit into your house (especially if you don’t know) does not make you responsible for said psycho. 2. You must’ve never had significant family issues go on, because most people will choose to cling to a turbulent family situation over the military who is also ing you every day (in a bad way) I’ve chosen relationship situations that weren’t necessarily the best course of action over the military plenty of times, and I wouldn’t expect others to act differently with the blinders people have for loved ones. 3. You bring up weapons employment. Have you ever been directly responsible for someone’s death? Ever listened to guys in a TIC begging for help get killed? I don’t know what he was going through, but I haven’t met many people that aren’t heavily impacted by death. They may cover it up with the joking around, but when you have a real heart to heart with the bros it’s acknowledged. I think you would be surprised at the coping mechanisms many people in the military who have those experiences develop. They have no other help that won’t destroy their lives as they know it in their eyes. I couldn’t imagine sitting in a box for 8 hours, killing some people, watching Americans you can’t help die, and then just going home to my family that night like it’s nothing. Especially when there’s family issues at home. The Air Force pretends that they are there for you, but will gladly take your job if you actually seek mental health help for combat experiences. We have plenty of example of it. And there’s plenty of data acknowledging how crippling it can be for veterans. The useless morons in OSI who entrap and crave convicting anyone for anything have plenty of blame in his death. They have no real job, and far too much power. They try to coerce false accusations and entrap people as much as possible. They even sit around at Nellis trying to get people to talk about classified info so they can get you for they. If they were real cops that found her drugs in his house, she would’ve been charged with it, not him for owning the house.

Had a similar situation when I was a commander in Maintenance. Troop had a batshit crazy wife. Went off of her meds. Possessed marijuana in base housing and smoked it to deal with her anxiety to include around some children. We did have to take action on it but neither me, nor the first sergeant or anyone else at the time were about to prefer charges that the drugs were his. Nevertheless I supported NJP and took a stripe for allowing the situation to continue. I would like to think that was the proper course of action. But y’all can judge me accordingly. Hard to judge the situation mentioned without all of the facts but I would like to think that there would have been something to prove that the drugs were his. Say what you want to say but OSI cannot force a commander to prefer charges.

Maybe we should assume they're innocent until there is enough evidence to prove they're guilty? You know, do our due diligence to gather all the facts before making decisions?

I feel like we’ve only begun to see the onslaught of PTSD for those individuals whose who operates weaponized RPA’s. It would be surreal to routinely track and ultimately kill someone during a sortie, then have to drive home but “hey don’t forget milk and bread” for the family. That type of dynamic could absolutely mess with an individuals psyche. I hope the Air Force can provide something, besides lip service, for them

It is what happens when you press DIR on your FMS...

The Air Guard, MAFFS, and Herk communities (and world) lost three great heroes on Jan 23, 2020. Captain Ian McBeth (Lt Col, MT ANG), First Officer Paul Hudson ((Lt Col (Ret) Marine Corps)), and Flight Engineer Rick DeMorgan, Jr. (18 year USAF FE vet) perished while fighting the fires in Australia. Personally, I was a Navigator in the Montana ANG with Ian for three years and I can't think of any pilot who I'd rather go into combat with. Please, do not speculate on this thread as to the cause of the crash. I just want this thread to be a memorial for those who knew any of these three aviators. We will find out about the details of the crash in due time. https://www.coulsonaviationusa.com/newsmedia

Now imagine your OSI shop and your jury are filled with mindsets like Pawnman... Don't say a word and get the best lawyer you can afford (or maybe not even afford). Guilty until proven innocent is alive and well.

Ridiculous. Next you will tell me that they aren’t teaching fix-to-fix in UPT anymore. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

TDY enroute with dependents on your orders is the best option. Talk to your UPT SQ/CC and you’ll also have to work it through MPF. It will likely take CC interaction with MPF to make it happen, as MPF’s standard answer will be no. If you only have a matter of days between the two courses, that sounds like a solid reason to go this route. If that all works, the AF will have to provide you lodging that covers your whole family. If no TLFs available, its on you to find something off base. Ha e you looked into long term air bnb in the local area?

Go on the OFP facebook page and they'll tell you about the time they were out flying CT in their hun and lost their one radio, then lost their nav equipment, then clouds rolled in and everywhere for 1000 miles was down to PAR mins. They only made it home that day because of a form approach. They'll also concoct these "what ifs" like and entire base with hundreds of fighters needed to get airborne asap and how form takeoffs will speed up the process. I'd actually argue that they'd slow it down but whatever. In practical use, I haven't done a form to/lnd in over 7 years. In my decade and half of mil flying/SOFing, I haven't experienced a situation that would have required one. I actually liked doing them, but I really don't see the need for them. While I think it can be done safely, there is always an element of danger with doing them. Right now, I don't see the the benefits outweighing the dangers. I learned fix-to-fix in tweets but by the time I made it to 38s, it was no longer a checkride item. I've only actually done it once in the Viper and that was more just to see if I could still do it. I think it may help with understanding bullseye, but I also think it could be dropped and people would still quickly figure it out. There is nothing dangerous about doing them, so I don't see a problem with teaching it in UPT.

The Human Performance Team (HPT) in the MQ-9 enterprise is a great support mechanism for the Pilots, SOs, and Intel. It's modeled similar to Medics and Psychs in the SOF world. The mental and spiritual pros are have the same clearances as the operators and make regular walk-thrus during ops for site visits. You can see the visible change in someone when they realize that it's ok to talk to someone, that they can find a room in the SCIF and just really open up about the stress to someone.

I was never more ashamed of being a member of the Air Force than the day I heard that news. As for Flash’s case, I’m wondering what was done to help him while all of this craziness was going on with his wife. He was at Creech for an extremely long time, maybe PCS orders and some one-on-one counseling about the benefits of leaving said stripper behind in Vegas could have helped. The best thing to do for all involved would be to learn from it and better heed the warning signs in the future. It’s just plain sad. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

All true re: Delta. In Delta’s defense, they have strong work rules in regards to manning their widebody international flying. Routes that require 4 pilots are done with 2 CAs and 2 FOs, whereas it’s done with 1 CA and 3 FOs at others. Creates more widebody captain positions than you’d otherwise expect from the relative lack of widebody aircraft. Delta (management) hates this. Management tried to include a provision in the last contract allowing it to paint the 49% owned JVs in Delta colors, with a tiny “operated by AeroMexico /Virgin /Dmitri’sVodkaAir/ etc” on the side. If Delta could get away with it, it would outsource everything and just be a holding company and an online ticket broker. Everything is cyclical. Go to an airline that lets you drive to work and hope for the best.

"The best" fluctuates as contracts change. Also part of what is considered "the best" is where your seniority will be for the duration of your expected career, and in what base/equipment/seat. There is no perfect contract at any airline. A contract governs everything from pay, work rules, profit sharing, sick, vacation, trip construction, medical, insurance, scope, hotels, and just about everything else that can affect your pay/QOL/time off. Regarding seniority, movement is dependent on 2 things: growth and retirements. Only one of those is certain: retirements. Growth can be halted overnight (or be negative if planes are parked overnight if say a 9/11, recession, or fuel price spike happens). Airlines are a for profit company...when planes get parked overnight, pilots are on the street (furloughed). So financial health of a company also matters in that equation, to some degree. Delta has hired around 5k pilots since 2014. A lot of those are younger guys, and you'll never be senior to them if you are getting in now. UA has hired less than that, and AA has hired even less. Also, AA has hired a lot of Envoy flows who waited 15-18 years to flow, and they will age out sooner than many off the street hires. In other words, a lot of their hires have been older than the guys Delta has hired. The result of that is AA has the most retirements over the next 10-15 years, so movement there will be the most rapid. United is close behind them with retirements. Then comes Delta, then the rest (I think FDX, then UPS). SWA/JB/the others all have a lot fewer retirements. This means slower movement...although likely more growth at JB/Spirit/Frontier which kind of makes up for the lack of retirements, assuming the growth isn't interrupted. Also of note, Delta JVs out a lot of their wide body flying, so AA/UA have a lot more own metal wide body flying, thus more widebodies, thus more lucrative WB jobs in both seats, which will affect relative seniority, even on the NB side. A lot of guys will choose WB FO over NB CA. Overall, I'd say Delta's contract is the best, followed by United, then AA. But each has strengths and weaknesses. Delta's profit sharing is insane (16.6% for 2019...extra 2 months of pay). Their sick accrual is also leaps and bounds above everyone else. United has airport reserve (fk that). AA has lots of weak points. But all 3 are in negotiations, and those things are all on the table and could shift. Right now Doug Parker at AA told the pilots they have $150mil to make whatever improvements they want...that's chump change for 15,500 pilots given how far behind their contract is. United has Scott Kirby at the helm hellbent on more/larger RJs. Delta mgmt just filed for mediation, seemingly far apart with DALPA's asks. Right now, the financials of Delta support the most gains (or at least keeping the best contract), followed by UAL, followed by YUGELY debt-ridden AA. Doug says he will pay all that debt down. I'll believe it when I see it...but I doubt he gives AA pilots a contract anywhere near Delta's. But their seniority movement and bases may work better for people who live in say Dallas Charlotte or Miami. All 3 have fairly quick upgrades (albeit in less desirable bases), unheard of seniority movement/hiring/retirements, and are all likely going to trade off who "the best" is over the next 10/20/30 years. None has ever stayed "the best" forever. Southwest and JB have never furloughed, never gone through a bankruptcy, and have always remained profitable, even when the legacies hemorrhaged money, furloughed, went through BK, and all came out of BK with garbage concessionary contracts. The pecking order is this: go to who calls first. If 2 or 3 call, go to whichever one has a domicile you want to live at. If you live in a domicile of another airline you want to work at, keep applying there. Commuting to the airline with the best contract is worse than driving to work under the worst contract. For anyone considering entering the airline industry, or anyone who is in the airline industry and hasn't read it, I urge you to read "Hard Landing." It gives a nice history of the industry, all the players, and how all the airlines came to be. It gives a good history of who the biggest and best airline has been throughout history. In closing, there is a pecking order, but it changes. You won't know where you will end up in that pecking order until you retire. In 20-30 years from now when you retire from the airlines, the landscape will have changed tremendously, as will the pecking order. Best advice: make the best decision for you and your family now, sock money away and live like an FO even when you upgrade, hold on, and enjoy the ride. The only constant in the airlines is change. A lot of the bros getting into the industry in the last 5ish years only know the good times. It will not be good forever. When it isn't good, the pecking order of which airlines are the best tends to change. Delta is printing money right now with unprecedented profitability. But if you got hired there in the early 90s you got furloughed, went through a bankruptcy, lost a pension, took a few pay cuts, and likely never saw the left seat. But if you were hired there 5 years ago, you would be a NB Captain or WB FO today. TL;DR: Best contracts: Delta, United, American Best movement ahead: American, United, Delta Best financial health: Delta, United, American

Wow, this was a shock and very saddening, I had to re-read the OP a few times to make sure it wasn't a joke. I didn't know matmac personally but safe to say he seemed like a great guy/officer and well respected both on and off this forum. I remember years ago back when I was still an rotc cadet him and rainman shutting me down on a regular basis for saying standard ignorant cadet things but usually with a constructive tone (but not always... sometimes pure ownage at my expense). We exchanged a couple DM's later before I was med DQ'd and again he seemed like the real deal. Mat was one of the posters who kept me coming back to this forum over a decade after I discovered it and this news is a real tragedy. RIP, him him

My favorite exchange, helped shape my UPT dream sheet. 🥃

“If we go back in with this punishment, the Wing Commander will be pissed” overheard at a CM I sat through once... 🤦🏻‍♂️ Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

They found drugs in his house. Seems pretty open and shut to me.

Look, I'm sympathetic to the guy's plight. But there were drugs, in a house he owned, and even if he wasn't dealing, he let the person who owned the drugs stay in the house, and bring the drugs in. It sucks that he decided suicide was the way out. It sucks that his girl was a crazy psycho. But this whole case shows a real lack of decision making ability on his part. I wasn't part of the jury, none of us were, so none of us has all the info. However, if I were sitting in the jury for a court-martial where they found drugs in the home of an active duty member, especially one making life-and-death decisions like weapons employment...I'd vote for conviction in a heartbeat. I really don't see how this would have gone any other way once they found drugs in a house that he owned and was living in. Anything after that would just sound like a guilty person concocting a story to avoid punishment.

I don't know if you're aware of this...but having illegal drugs in your house means legally, you're in possession of illegal drugs. Even if you aren't the one who bought them.