Leaderboard

I hear you. This is a constant struggle. However, we are always going to have a steady stream of copilots whose GK is trash..but at a certain point, we aren’t going to be able to use that as an excuse. When shit hits the fan, these guys better know the basics and then some, a lot more than that. Speaking for tac airlift here but the next conflict will demand that they are masters of their craft but are also able to understand integration, datalink, degraded ops, you name it, 6-9 months after they show up to the squadron all while getting the goods to our brethren on the ground. Want to know why the MAF is so far behind the CAF? Why we rightfully get all the ATIS jokes? It’s because our copilots struggle through something as simple as TOLD or comms while their peers are putting warheads down range. Got it, different mission sets..but I firmly believe we don’t challenge our copilots enough. Many of them will rise to the challenge, and those who don’t will be left behind.

The U-2 interview they put you in a spacesuit and lock you in a closet for 8 hours to see if you’ll go nuts. The B-2 interview they put you in a closet with the OG for 48 hours straight and make you audition (jokes, stories, limericks, etc). At least that’s what I heard.

This is it right here. As a Lt, I went to red flag and saw fellow Lts flying fighters be more or less get locked in the vault for 12 hours, my intro to 130s was the sq/cc asking if I had completed my masters yet, and then scolding me because I hadn’t even started it.

If I had to live in CA, i'd opt for an Fightlite ARES SCR lower with your choice AR upper. Any Remington 1100 stock will fit. Been thinking of getting one just because I have a few refinished 1100 stocks in my garage and I think it looks pretty f'n cool for a CA compliant AR. Made in USA. (at the Orlando-Melbourne, FL international airport to be exact). Fly in and check em out. https://fightlite.com/

Having worked with both companies and flown the AC-208 for a while this is pretty interesting. Lack of pressurization is a factor depending on where you operate. I would say 8x -114s or 28x APKWS would be extreme, would cut way into fuel. We were putting 14x unguided on with three guys and could only do about 1400 lbs of gas, still about 3 hours play time but APKWS are about 10 lbs heavier. Mission system would need a complete overhaul too, it’s killing people with DOS. If they take a multi platform approach I could definitely see a -208 at the low end. Cheap, simple and flexible. Problem with APKWS is lack of hard target Cape unless you throw a penetrator on there (Never used it but willing to try!). Will be interesting to see where this goes. Cooter

Reminds me of the time I let my copilot fly the ILS in IMC into Gimhae, only for him to try to take a sucker hole when we still had clouds in front of us and were inside the final approach fix. I got his attention refocused on the instruments and we landed safely. Turns out that was his first ever ILS in IMC conditions, ever. He was a former Apache driver, and IMC/IFR is an emergency procedure for them. This was after I had to declare an emergency to force the controller to let us land. Which is a whole nuther story best told over beers.

Because we don’t have an FMS. Flying with IPADs is pretty new, so it’s only recently foreflight became an option to search for points (that you still then have to hand jam into your system). So a SID/STAR with a bunch of points you have to hand jam while clipping away at .85m sucks, for us and ATC.

4x10s is the way to go!

All of that. But it’s not a straight apples to apples argument here. Our job is to put cargo where it’s needed, and if you dodge all the SAMs and then put her into the side of a mountain on the instrument approach in shitty weather you still failed. No kidding minimum length heavy weight TOLD can be a pretty complex discussion, especially when you add in combat factors. I’m pretty sure most fighters don’t get hung up on TOLD and climb out performance because it’s not something they ever need to worry about to the same degree. They also don’t have to talk on the radios to 10 different countries in one flight with shitty radios and different accents and procedures and not all of them necessarily friendly with us on a routine basis. Just like I don’t worry as much about taking down a complex IADS with enemy fighters in play even though it’s way cooler and more exciting because I’m a side show during that if I’m even in the air. It’s just life. agree to disagree. I think the MAF is behind the CAF because the MAF refuses to take a risk, and has extra time on its hands not studying in a vault and uses it worrying about how to make general instead of be a good pilot. Back to the original topic, I think a herk pilot could come from either of our current training platforms and do fine, but depending what you take out of the heavy track syllabus I think it could put a real strain on the tac training at the school house. edit to add: The starting point was a group of copilots straight out of the school house that are ignoring half the GK they need to succeed, and my theory was because they were all 38 studs coming in together, nothing more. If you knew my background you’d know I’m for being tactically proficient.

Full-size - M&P 9. Mine is in 9mm (17 + 1 capacity) but they have .40 and .45. I went with 9 so wife could handle it (sts). Concealed carry - switched from Springfield (US company, Croatia manufacture) XDS in .45 to S&W Shield in 9mm, again to match what wife carries and the fact that the .45 XDS is a snappy sumbitch and I'm not getting any younger. After a box of 50 at the range, I was done with it for the day. Whereas with a 9mm, it's 200 + per session.

Holy shit, I almost forgot about this thread. This was a recent acquisition while under quarantine (which I broke to get it!)... And before anyone gets excited, that M1 Carbine is a non-firing replica from Modelgun Company (MGC) and allegedly used in the TV series Walker: Texas Ranger although the guy I got them (I have a second one) from had no provenance to support that claim.

We have what is an otherwise good gun safe similar to both of these manufacturers with one major weakness. The electronic lock. It always fails, is difficult to reprogram/change the batteries and it an leave you locked out for hours or days if its behaving weird. Would recommend the old school mechanical lock as they never fail and can't be bypassed without deep knowledge of how the safe works.

Made an account to make a shameless plug. Here's an IP Fundamentals doc for a T-6 squadron made in the spirit of the same IP fundamentals class from PIT but also referencing a few classic and widely-referenced weapon school papers on how to brief and debrief. It was a labor of love and totally open source, free to use/modify/throw spears as anyone sees fit. 434 IP Guide.docx 434 IP Guide.pdf

Can we quote you in 30 years? "Man," said the F-69 pilot, "those Viper dinosaurs get on my nerves..."

You really don’t think that’s a skill you should have? Especially as an A-10 guy? The odds of anyone getting BDA and losing radios and/or Nav equipment and needing a formation letdown through the weather would be higher in your community than any other I would think. And by your logic, why are you practicing BFM? I’m sure you’ve never done any no kidding BFM in combat. I bet you’ve strafed, maybe marked a few targets, and dropped PGM. However, I’m sure you’ve applied “BFM concepts” to a bunch of things. That is why I think form approaches are a good thing. Thoughts?

About 7 more engines! <cue drums>

Best of luck. My gripe is that the AF want experience in different programs but then penalizes 2nd MWS or 2nd/3rd tour dudes as being too old.

Looks like Mag Aerospace and Orbital ATK are now in the mix... https://www.foxnews.com/tech/us-special-operations-arms-surveillance-aircraft-for-precision-attack

They were grounded for a couple months but they're back in training

Boo-YA! https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/ap-exclusive-justice-dept-dropping-flynns-criminal-case/ The Justice Department said it had concluded that Flynn’s interview by the FBI was “untethered to, and unjustified by, the FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into Mr. Flynn” and that the interview on January 24, 2017 was “conducted without any legitimate investigative basis.”