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Not that I necessarily disagree, but has there ever been a time in history when an older generation has not thought less of a younger one? That they were lacking in some intangible, immeasurably quality that the older generation exudes and that the younger generation has utterly failed to demonstrate? I think not. Put me in the camp of believing that the kids are alright and will grow up to shit on the next generation after them as reliably as we shit on them now.

The attitude is easy to fix - they get kicked in the balls with increasing force until they change or are forced out of the community, whichever comes first. The intangible flying experience only comes with air time, so they’ll continue to be shitty/dangerous in those realms until they learn enough lessons through experience; that timeline will be individual-based. All of us will shoulder the risk. A real lose-lose situation.

Talking about irony...

Sad to hear how much of UPT has eroded. I can understand the immediate logic behind cutting sorties for T-1 students but the reality is the AF always made better pilots slightly above the cut of the civil sector because we focused on building good airman (in the occupational sense of the word) first. You may never do a loop in your RC-135 but the concepts behind energy management and visual ques translated over every platform in a multitude of other skill sets. More than that, you instilled fierce confidence that graduates were able to take airplanes and fly them at their performance envelopes. Simply put, there was a time where the Air Force cared about making great pilots first, and then finding a weapon system for them. Now the emphasis seems to be getting them to a weapon system, and we'll worry about the pilot stuff later.

It's about damn time North Korea had a strong minority female leader. I hope she destroys the patriarchy. ...she also gives off a total praying mantis vibe.

Anyone have any insider info on this event, I know it has been pushed back to September. Generally wondering if it will be worth the trip to DC, possible best viewing locations,etc.. It sounds like a once in a lifetime type event, Oshkosh on steroids https://ww2flyover.org

I agree with you in general terms. Older generations tend to think they had it harder, uphill both ways, new kids just don't get it etc... But many of us have personally observed UPT get watered down in very measurable ways in the last 3-4 years. We're not talking long-term generational bias here. I saw the syllabi get noticeably shorter and less rigorous over the duration of one assignment. Just some T-6 examples since that's what I know: No more ELPs No more formation landings No more advanced aero for T-1 bound students Lower check ride MIF on a multitude of maneuvers 30% fewer sorties overall 50% fewer checkrides 50% fewer solos Now we can debate the pros and cons of each, but I think it's undeniable we are plainly doing less total training time and events. I've always said that if you get enough ADOs in a room who are worried about timeline, they could come up with a reason to waive any sortie in the syllabus. "What's one sortie after all?!" "Is the pattern-only solo really that important?" "Does this T-1 bound kid really need to form solo? Lets just waive it." This thought process is insidious and has resulted in a gradual whittling down of our core training. And it happens in all of the perfectly well-intentioned syllabus rewrite conferences too. Everyone is looking to "improve efficiency" because there isn't an OPR bullet for holding the line and keeping quality training the same. VR training was never intended (by the people developing it) to replace regular UPT events. Or speed up the pipeline. Or fix the pilot shortage. It was intended to improve training by providing an additional resource that was more accessible than standard sims. Having been involved with it from the very beginning, it's incredibly frustrating to watch the air force twist a good thing and pitch it as their silver bullet solution for problems they created.. But I suspect I am very much preaching to the choir. \endrant

Sorta correct - a few more variables than you make it sound, but its a plan. For starters, the $5k/yr $125,000 "double dip" theory isn't free. You do have to buy back the FERS time you missed to get retirement monies for it (currently at a rate of 3% mil earnings). It accrues interest if not paid back within 3 yrs/ - of course many already know you cannot collect a AD ret (7200 pnts) and combine that time with a FERS retirement - so, there is an ART (no pun intended) to maximizing the govt checks...but when done correctly, you can safely retire well above 6 figures. bcuziknow….;)

WHY IS THERE NO CORN

Your mil pension time builds whether 32 or 10, with some minor caveats when talking AD 20 yr retirement vs. ANG/AFRES 20 yr retirement (main difference is when you start collecting). What makes you think your fed service time won’t accrue when on orders? Why do you think it matters whether ANG or AFRES? I was only in FERS for a little over a year, but I continued to accrue fed service time while on 32 orders during that time period.

Thanks torqued! I looked into this a few years ago and was just wondering if ARPC was able to "automate" this as it pertains to uploading orders etc. (which i knew to be a big ass pain). Obviously we're not there yet! I'll start working on this (should be able to get it down to age 56 for retirement!) Thanks for the tip about "renaming" the orders! To add: since FY15/16, you can push/pull days from the previous year etc to get your 90 day aggregate required for the 3 month reduction (ie if you have 120 days from year 1 and 60 from year 2, you can pull the extra 30 from the 120 year and add to the 60. Training/schools count; AT/UTA etc do not count. Can be reduced to no lower than age 50 as well.

To be fair, this has been corrected in the AFI. There is definitely a nuance to the report language however. Here’s the guidelines I’ve been given (from an O-9) and what I’ve been using ever since: 1. NEVER strat anyone “top 10% of xxx” - put a number on it. 2. Typically strat only the top 10-15% of your folks. 3. Dont strat as FGOs or CGOs - strats rate folks against groups of Peer rank (xx of xx LtCols, Captains), Peer Job (x of xx Flt/CCs), Peer specialty (x of xx IPs) - in that tiered order of preference. 4. Exception: If you don’t get stratted against the other Sq/CCs when you’re a Sq/CC - you’re not in the running. Put another way: if you have a report as a Sq/CC that strats you as a LtCol instead of a Sq/CC... especially in your second year of command... then you’re not in the top - even if you’re the #1 LtCol as a 2nd year Sq/CC, that’s a second tier strat and it sends a message. 5. Push lines - they include Job, School, Staff/Command (whichever is next). You cannot push Sq/CCs as Wing/CCs - but you can push them as Vice/Group CCs (i.e. the next step). 6. Other than a top strat, Ownership - as in “personal-note on the OPR-style-wording” is the best possible message relayed on an OPR. If your senior rater says “My x/xx Captains” that’s good. If they rewrite a top or bottom line to say: “Read carefully: the most talent, maturity, and leadership I’ve seen in a Major in 28 years: a must for Sq/CC, then JS & SDE” - that draws attention. 7. GOs know when there’s speeding on OPRs or PRFs. If they see it, they’ll call the speeder out on it - or they will disregard the records that individual pushed to the board. I’ve seen both happen (epic asschewing!) and it doesn’t work out well. So you if you know what to look for, you‘ll know where you stand. Some dudes have flat out amazing records - theyve DGd everything, did the WIC, always been number 1, went to IDE, etc etc. Theyre unicorns. The vast majority have records that build... You get to a base, turn a few heads, the next year you upgrade, get a strat, maybe get a group job, then get a wing strat, etc etc. Almost nobody shows up and starts pulling #1s out the gate. They instead build a record of performance and a reliable reputation. Guess which cohort the vast majority of the GOs come from? Unicorns burn out; they rarely stay. The service is run by high performing dudes who were always in the running but not quite preordained as the next CSAF. Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t seen their records. YMMV, but there’s a method to the madness. Chuck

I don't know. Kind of got the hot in a "have dogs set upon you before blasting you with a ZSU" look

True... and I feel bad for China if that happens.

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.

If it makes you feel any better, all pilot union forums are more or less the same across airlines and time periods. Management sucks. Scheduling sucks. Hotels suck. Dispatchers suck. etc. They all said similar things prior to the current crisis, and always will in the future. Everyone talks a big game on the forum, but everyone still shows up to drive the bus for a company they think they could run better. Pay your dues. Vote. Know the contract. When it comes time to picket, go show your face. Want me to wear a special union lanyard? Fine. Whatever happens in the industry is going to happen independent of what is said on the forums. I occasionally go months without checking the forum. When I do, I might glean a tiny fraction of usable information, but the rest is noise.