Leaderboard

Agreed, we should wait for medical professionals to let us know when it’s safe to resume the constitution. Until then, let’s put our faith in constantly changing projections/recommendations and continue arresting church goers. Safety first, whatever the cost! Sarcasm BTW. If this is a crisis, declare Marshall law; then you can drag worshippers out of synagogues and arrest people solo on the beach with at least an appearance of legality. But we don’t live in a country where “professionals” make guesses and governors enforce mandates which trample the Bill of Rights.... although clearly some of you want to live under that tyranny. The bad guys never realize they’re the bad guys.

No, on everything you said. Government can tell us what to do after it is passed into LAW, that is if that law isn’t shut down by the courts for violating the constitution. That is how our republic works. Checks and balances. If that fails, then people have the right to protest. Governors like that tyrant in Michigan can not arbitrarily step outside constitutional authority in the name of safety. The precedent that sets is 10x worse than the effects of this virus. We are the greatest country on earth, not because we are the safest or the healthiest, but because of the freedoms and rights that we have; that many of us swore an oath to defend. I’ll take that any day!

Given that Harvard helped facilitate grant money for viral research in Wuhan, please forgive me if I’m unconvinced at their authority and judgement on this subject. Were these the experts who said wearing a mask was useless, or the ones who recommended criminal penalties for not wearing one? Out of curiosity, am I more likely to catch the rona at a mosque or standing in line to buy rum tonight? Because one is allowed but the other isn’t, and the logical inconsistency is confusing. And just to go full Godwins Law... Expert medical advice in 1939 was that Jews should be herded into ghettos for “public health.” But let’s all laugh at history and play funny videos of retreaded internet preachers, we’ve evolved past government abuses nowadays!

Did you fly in the U-2 that's on the stick?

Assembling to protest is far from outdated. With the ability of governments to silence and track digital communication, some argue it is more relevant than ever.

Wow you really pissed off the "imaginary guy in the sky" crowd! Have my upvote. It's true though...you can't claim to be a shepherd for you folks if you are herding them towards danger. Don't worry, this dude has us all covered. I ain't skeered. To all the people pearl clutching about government overreach of the constitution...where have you been the last few years? It's like with the quarantine they finally were able to read past the second half of the second amendment. Welcome to the party.

That sure is a nice Constitution and Bill of Rights ya got there. Sure would be a shame if, cough..cough, something were to happen to it. If non-elected or even elected officials can deny some of our inherent rights, do I get to have a say? I'm pretty sure I do and will. If some here want to wave away some of my rights because they don't use/care about particular ones, do I get to wave away the ones I don't think you need? Pretty sure it doesn't work that way.

no it's not "The logic goes something like this: any and all measures we take to prevent community transmission are justifiable because they will prevent infections and therefore prevent deaths among these vulnerable groups. In a medical sense this is irrefutable, but the underlying assumption of this logic is that the onus on the individual to protect themselves should be almost totally removed in favor of controlling the behavior of everyone, no matter how susceptible they may be. Some unsavory individuals [POOTER] prefer to make it personal and equate any resistance to an indefinite period of social isolation as wishing death upon those who are least likely to be able to fight the virus." BINGO! https://spectator.us/coronavirus-lockdowns-cowardice/

because that wasn't the deal that was sold for american constitutional rights to get violated

There's a lot to be said for living in the Midwest where we don't live on top of each other or have to depend on a subway or other mass transit (and the pathogens they can harbor) to get to work.

Martial.

Submit a support ticket to my private message box and in 3 days I'll consider fixing it. Or I might give you some ambiguous advice that won't fix it. Either way, I just gave a half a shit more than the AF did about their PME programs.

Ruh Roh

If a potential Harvard conflict of interest or lack of credibility is worrying you, I can find other sources on whether gathering in large groups indoors during a pandemic is a good idea. Want to take a guess at what they say? The mosque. Or church. Or synagogue. Hands down.. unless people at your local liquor store spontaneously break into song in close proximity to one another, dunk each other into pools of water, and then share the same snack with hundreds of their closest friends. If you want to talk about history, it is absolutely full of the church being at odds with science.. and ending up wrong. We certainly haven't evolved past government abuses, but apparently we've also not evolved past religions' blatant disregard for medical advice.

Cool Hand Luke is easily my #1 movie! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Are you a "Scaredy-Cat?" https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-coronavirus-is-breaking-down-along-familiar-political-lines-11586001600?mod=searchresults&page=6&pos=18

I will say the company definitely focuses on their business as these planes have never been cleaner since their production. We also have some $ compensation regarding the hot zones if you will. With restaurants and other food venues out of play they were covering $50 on top of per diem during hotel layovers for room service or outside delivery, etc. They took that away and just bumped up our perdiem which is nice and easier for them and us when doing our finance reports, granted it still saved them a little cash if you were in hotels for long periods. Nearly $100 a day isn’t bad, but I had a good time with $129 a day back at Ramstein. Like I said before, we’ll always find something to complain about. Business is good for now and we’ve been pulling planes back out of storage to meet demands vs parking them. Everything is cyclic so we pray everyone gets back out there. It has been very quiet flying around, especially over CPDLC coverage areas. I routinely do radio check-ins just to remain vigilant and the controllers are bored, want to talk anyway and happy to be employed as I am. Overall, it seems we have pulled together somewhat and keeping those “Air Bridge” missions going is our focus as it should be.

https://othjournal.com/2020/04/16/beyond-advice-operationalizing-the-light-attack-aircraft/

I think we all knew more news would continue to be unearthed the longer time went on, but this was an interesting facet: The email from Capt. Brett Crozier was sent to three admirals and copied to seven other captains, according to a copy obtained by the Post, contradicting former acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly’s assertion it was sent to “20 or 30” people. https://thehill.com/policy/defense/493192-fired-captain-sent-memo-to-fewer-people-than-former-navy-head-alleged-report

So there is no intent under the baby leave rules that specifies it is for staying at home and taking care of the small human. I would say using it to go see family, especially if you are OCONUS, is a very valid reason to take leave. Probably more valid than our 3 week trip around SE Asia. I would write an ETP and send it up. Worst they can do is say no. Then use the Heather Wilson rule. If they dont respond in 60 days, assume it's approved. I never heard Barrett say that rule didn't apply anymore.

The hard part is coordinating enough of the masses to not do it. Reality is a lot of people know this is bullshit, but it’s not the hill they’re going to die on. Admittedly I’m in that group, but I also did 100% of it on work time...I refused to let 1 min of my own time be wasted on it. Highly recommend taking that approach to anyone who is doing correspondence ballwash. If a bob cries about something not being done, you can remind him the AF is making you do this (not your choice) and you’re not sacrificing home life for it. If he doesn’t like that, well that is a hill I will die on.

You haven’t. Neither have I. I honestly believe the only way to move away from this junk being considered is to JUST STOP DOING IT.

Voice to text disagrees!😬 spear taken.

Only for FY20. But if you somehow have 120 by the end of FY20 (or more realistically 90), you can carry a max of 120 through to FY23 before your max goes back down to 60.

It does. Here’s a serious suggestion: shit can all of our standard PME and either send people to civilian schools (more so than the current, limited slots) / have them do one of those schools online. Or make AF PME have some utility, but I think the former option is a much higher probability of success. I don’t think I’ve met a single person who thought anything worthwhile happened/was taken from ASBC, SOS, ACSC, AWC.

Terminal

Makes me wonder where people will find the time to burn that leave when it already gets denied due to manning.

Masters degree helps with your airline apps as well .... just sayin

Lol got it thanks message sent. And my bad I really thought it was a rocket ship shooting lasers. I'm gonna have a talk with this eye surgeon.

Stop sending dick pics. Lol jk jk jk Check your mailbox. 😂😂😂

Interesting you say that. 30-50% of patients tested at the Chicago Roseland hospital already have the antibody. https://chicagocitywire.com/stories/530092711-roseland-hospital-phlebotomist-30-of-those-tested-have-coronavirus-antibody

Not scared, but extremely concerned with their capes, yes.

Yup, good to get a job rolling during these times and nothing is “immune” as said before but we’re doing well. We’re being flooded right now so it doesn’t bode well for a significant contract upgrade, but I am happy to be employed so no complaints whatsoever (not that I think it’s really bad as I have family across oceans on both sides, continent hopping and food still interests me), 73 side seems to be cutting back but the rest of our iron is steadfast at this point. 777s put into place for our DHL contracts dumping some 74s, but these are being contracted out to others so the demand is still high. Your buddy will get better experience than most and be that much more marketable when hiring comes around. I don’t have a yacht, Maserati, and 2nd, 3rd mortgage, (We have our fair share of pilots with 2nd/3rd X wives), but it definitely pays the bills and the flying in the commercial sector least boring of all long haul. Heck he may like it as much as I do and if not he’ll be set up for that shiny penny operation with hats and expensive cigars! I myself enjoy the 74, no bunks but 2 rooms dozing for a $ (unless converted Freighter/Pax Bird then bunks), mostly very nice hotels, catered food some good, some not so good but meals nevertheless, some phenomenal locations and others just OK, coming onto the flight deck taking your tie off and throwing on your pajamas with a baseball hat before departure - priceless. Cheap Cigars in Miami where we train so that’s something. All the Union/Management throw down mentioned before is right on the money and we have our issues as well. We definitely need pay parity, but I truly believe our pilots are very upset because it would be hands down the place to work if pay, retirement, overall contract compensation were even just near Big 3 or the 2 dominant cargo outfits. Even 10% below would sway many as long as we kept our no jumpseat gateway open. Pilots will always find some issue. 17 Days is the kicker though let’s not fool anybody it is a long stretch. I am senior enough to snag 14-16 day trips and have more than 2 months off a year, but 10-14 days trips once a month would be more my style. Our schedules change often, no cookie cutter flying, nothing you can count on, but as long as I leave and come back on schedule it’s nothing but an adventure to me. I still really enjoy going to work 95% of the time so I am lucky no doubt. *For those retiring now I have laid down a basic representation of what we’re about and we are hiring if you haven’t had a bite as of late. With your retirement it makes it very easy; therefore, I speak from a different survival perspective. Jump ship when your “dreamboat” floats by and get the most worldwide experience in the mean time. No one goes everywhere we go and I can substantiate that. It’s very USAFish but with some really good support in many cases and you’re already acclimated to change.

DC update: 2020 UPT Board update: Aspiring Fighter Pilots, first off thank you to the 121+1 of you who applied, we understand the time requirement and take each application very seriously. Current events have changed the timeline. Applications will be reviewed by May and candidates who advance to the next events should be notified in June. We know this create challenges for some of you and we did not consider the modification lightly. Thank you again to all who applied. I hope to see you on my wing soon. GP! Correct MD is on schedule just no meet and greet. Also correct they have all previously submitted apps on file. Stay safe ya’ll!

The quantity and damage of fire spreading can be seen and objectively measured by all. This isn’t as easy to measure, and some government numbers are looking more like trash daily. So yea, your example does illustrate the root disagreement here: you are taking as Gospel truth worst case assumptions (many of which have already proven false). I’m growing more and more uneasy about limiting my freedoms based on assumptions. If people are actually spreading fire, I’m ok with declaring Marshall law to stop the conflagration before society is consumed. But, are we really there yet? If not (hint, Marshall law not in effect) then expect a healthy hesitancy prior to degrading the bedrock principals of our society.

It sounds as if you're saying visiting the local park or Harris Teeter for groceries is tantamount to murder. That's why I say I don't like the direction this has taken.

No it doesn’t. But I’m also not saying you’re wrong about what’s going on in DC, I’m not there and you are. However, the majority of what people are talking about is state power. The federal government has far less control in stuff like this than people think, welcome to a federalist system. It makes a lot of sense that governors should make these types of decisions for their states, because as you highlighted, situations vary drastically between areas. Also, New Yorkers actually have liberty too, as much as that bums out some Americans (not saying you’re one of them).

NY is on pause. As for Patrick 60s we might run our board this May. (Things can change) expect a video interview if anything.

Since "latest" movie isn't really a thing, thought I'd throw a few out there for our various quarantines. Just watched "The Highwaymen." A loosely based true story of two retired Texas Rangers saddling up for one last time to track down Bonnie and Clyde. Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson do a good job of it. For you youngsters, if you haven't ever seen "Cool Hand Luke," I highly encourage it. Top 5 on my all time list.

Many North African countries such as Nigeria, Tunisia, Kenya, Bakino Faso, Mauritania, etc. are receiving a light attack aircraft variant via Foreign Military Sales or a direct purchase to either replace their aging fighter aircraft (F-5, Alpha Jet) or to obtain the new capability. The plan is to train, advise, and assist these countries and not bring our own militaries aircraft to support them but use theirs. Armed Overwatch (not the 2x A-29s) is a plan to directly support the U.S. OADs in these third world countries where there are no 4th and 5th gen fighters and where we as the U.S. are presently requiring the support of other countries (such as France in Niger).

Certainly seems like Advisory forces are the future, but I just don't see how getting extra A-29s helps the OADs' missions. Sure, the 2 they have right now will be used for training the CAAs, but unless we start exporting Tucanos to Niger and other PNs that don't already have an Air Force, we won't be able to use them in support of any Advisory mission. The whole idea is to assist existing military forces, not bring our own military in under the pretense of advising, like we did in Viet Nam. I mean, Army SF can get away with operating in PNs, but it's a lot harder to hide what you're doing when you've got your roundel on a gray aircraft. The A-29 is for the 6th SOS. Currently, there are fourteen Air Forces that use the A-29. Considering how the 6th is doubling in size, and how they have acquired the aircraft that at least 6 friendly Air Forces currently operate, and PNs are literally asking for help with the A-29, it's blatantly obvious that there's ALREADY 'mass customer demand' for Tucanos.

It’s not AFSOC purchasing these aircraft, I’ve mentioned that 6-9 times already! It’s SOCOM purchasing them and mostly being flown by AFSOC. SOCOM doesn’t want another Niger incident and the OADs operating in Africa want and need more support.

Hate it to break it to you but there are other AORs that SOCOM and AFSOC have been working in and concentrating on other than Afghanistan that Big Blue hasn’t even really cared about (I.e, AFRICOM)...

He will at least deserve a worthy citation - Napoleon Tanerite distinguished himself for exceptionally valorous action in the face of overwhelming self delusion and rambling as the baseops designated footage recorder at the 15-69 class graduation ceremony. In the face of ultimate Queep, and surviving unbearable commentary, Tanerite overcame insurmountable odds - filming 6.9 minutes of wasted breath. His remarkable performance and selfless commitment to his Brothers-in-Arms undoubtedly ensured future generations of Air Force aviators could appreciate and ridicule the epic failure of 'he who's name will not be spoken' for eternity, thus preserving Air Force honor. His performance reflects the highest tradition of Air Force Pilot standards and reflects great credit upon himself, baseops.net, and your mother.

If banning church services (even ones following health guidance) even makes it to a judge, we have a F'd up situation. The fact that numerous civil servants thought it was a good idea AND did not reconsider when first called out demonstrates that these concerns are not simply academic hyperbole.

Funny thing is I honestly have no idea why I'm doing it. For me it's really hard to close the door on something though. Also, I don't like this AF culture bullshit of once they get wind that you have thoughts of getting out, screw you and drop you to the bottom of the stack. So I just keep playing the game because I can't stop.

Well, they (medical professionals) don't have the authority to do much. Only advise our elected officials, who in turn can take the advice and act, or ignore it, and everything in between. I guess they can triage patients if space/supplies runs low, but that's driven by the demand for medical services. If the executives (president, governors, etc) are overstepping their bounds, the legislatures or judicial branches need to step in and intervene. A lot has changed in our society since the Constitution was written. Not saying the underlying principles necessarily need to change, but there are a lot of problems that didn't exist or weren't fully understood during the founding father's times, and it should be cause for us to reexamine as a country what we value and believe in. Germ theory was still in it's infancy when the Constitution was written, and they didn't have an understanding of what caused diseases and how they are spread like we do now. Couple that with rapid global transportation, and the ability for the average person to hop in their car and be a 1000 miles away in a day, and diseases can spread much further and faster than before. On the flip side, it's never been easier to communicate and spread ideas. Way back then, press and assembling was the only real way to spread ideas and dissenting opinions, and why I think it's codified in the bill of Rights. Now, we have the ability to organize and spread ideas digitally; what role does press and assembling play now? So how do we balance individual liberty against the liberty of others, and the needs of our society as a whole? Is access to medical care a right, and if so, where is the line drawn for what is or isn't covered, and how is it funded? We need to have this discussion as a country, to reassess what we value and what our core beliefs are, and how to implement those beliefs and values. Lots of other things as well, like the reach and oversight of our intelligence community, the role and use of our military overseas, how to build and more importantly maintain critical infrastructure (and what things fall under critical infrastructure), etc. It's not an easy task, but we need to elect leaders who will work through these core issues on behalf of their constituency. Should be an interesting election year given all the craziness so far, and hopefully we can get past partisan politics to solve these issues.

There is a very realistic possibility that this thing will go right back to exponential growth if we lift restrictions too soon. Would you like to do this dick dance shutdown all over again? Why don't we listen to our medical professionals and lift restrictions once the virus has hit R0 and penetration percentages that they deem are good enough to not cause another giant global shit storm.

Sorry but the F'd up situation is when we have churches convincing their congregations that it's safe to come in person despite all medical guidance pointing to the contrary. https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/02/texas-churches-coronavirus-stay-open/ Harvard University epidemiologist Bill Hanage ticked off examples of virus transmission in houses of worship in London, South Korea, Singapore and the state of Georgia and said exempting religious services from shelter-in-place orders is “an incredibly bad idea.” Also it has never been easier to live stream a worship service to the internet for all to see. This isn't the old days where you have to be a megachurch with tv or radio broadcast infrastructure. You need a cell phone and a youtube account.