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Lots of good advice here, so I dont feel the need to add anything (except the stare at the VSI 90% of the time...dont do that). Just wanted to say that I was probably on CAP more than I wasn't throughout all of UPT. I tell people "I graduated in the top 10% of the bottom 20% of my class." But, I went on to be an instructor in three different airframes. Currently in the Reserves and a captain at FedEx. Bottom line, dont sweat it, keep giving 100% and dont give up.

I can’t believe we are on another iteration of this. My first black leather boots were broken in (in basic training) and worn forever. Super comfortable and awesome. Now after another decade my green boots are getting broken in and we have to change again?! Can someone please cite the last steel toe injury that came from an aircraft egress? They keep good records at AFSC. I would bet $100 there has never been one for the last 20 years. If we get in a shooting war, I am grabbing my black boots.

From my perspective from sitting in more than a few OG staff meetings where CAPster slides are briefed.... Attitude is (almost) everything. If you can keep your mind open to learning, study efficiently, and learn from your mistakes most IPs will do their best to make sure you have every opportunity possible to make it. CAP is not punitive. It's an awareness program and is designed to get you past your current difficulty so that you can successfully complete UPT. I hooked a bunch of rides in the Tweet. It sucks every time. I went on to DG two follow-on AF training programs and fly all over the world with some pretty awesome pilots on some pretty amazing missions. Keep your eye on the prize though and try not to get discouraged. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Good luck. Also, yeah....don't stare at the VVI.

I can't wait for the regret sales to start. Rogue Fitness 260lb set (more than I'd ever need), retails for $595, listed for $1200. https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/spo/d/washington-rogue-fitness-new-bumper/7141548830.html

Glad I never sold my equipment even after 3 moves. Since The Rona hit, my House of Gainz has remained open for business. I do miss the SCIF gym at the squadron though...nothing like getting a quick workout in while I’m on shift. Supposedly that’s opening back up soon 🤷‍♂️ Carport + tarps + horse stall mats + rogue bar + Wright Equipment bumper plates + adjustable squat rack and bench from Amazon + various smaller pieces. I also have a C2 rower that I keep inside...one day I’ll build out the carport into a real garage so I can row out there too. Only thing missing is a pull-up bar, but I’m finally installing one this week in the rafters after Rogue got the one I wanted back in stock. BL: after about 9 years of slowly buying things, I can do almost every workout I’d care to do without leaving home. #winning

This may be the stupidest thing I've read all day. No one cares where you live, in fact in my whole class (nearly 30 people) only 1 person lived in the dorms. Plus the dorms are tiny and suck. So don't live in the dorm. Go get an apartment or a house off base (or on base if you want).

Look outside. Listen to the engine. Keep the ball in the middle until you can feel yaw in the seat. Trim until you can control with minute inputs. Be deliberate but smooth. Learn all the intellectual stuff the IPs say. Most of all, fly the airplane first. You'll be fine.

Thanks all you guys for the advice on the orders. It became pretty clear after a few days of thinking on it that if I'm really committed to finding a slot then the right move is to decline them. Plus 4 more years of my stupid Comm job is more than I can stand.

I absolutely will not contradict the "stop talking while flying" advice. But when chairflying, I found it helped me to verbalize every detail of what I was doing at each phase of flight. Doing so forced me to recognize where my knowledge of pitch/power settings, local pattern rules, etc was lacking. Example: once I hit 1300' I will turn left to Wizard. (bad.) Better: At 1300' or 1.3 DME, whichever is first, I will turn left to 160 to intercept the KDLF R-170. I will maintain 10 deg NH and 100% power until 2250' - I will start my power reduction and level off at 2250' to have 0 deg NH and 55% power set, 200 KIAS at 2500'. Etc. If it doesn't sound good to you, forget it. I found that if I could remember (and visualize!) doing all that at groundspeed zero that my muscle memory and habit patterns would help compensate for my helmet fire in the plane. Any yeah, keep looking outside, because in the long run that will be the least brain cells way to maintain altitude, airspeed and heading.

April 2021

This is one of the most horrible things I’ve ever read. ~Bendy Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network mobile app

I’m still waiting for the person in AFPC that deals with common sense...if anyone knows someone or has a contact let me know...

Chair fly with a classmate acting as instructor/atc/distractions/other planes in the pattern where they make conflicts- like they normally occur. Keep practicing/chairflying, but not at your own pace- have a classmate check/push you around. Wash, rinse, repeat. Distractions and performance challenges happen- you have to recocognize and accomodate without losing a step.

Nice! This thread went full tilt. To finalize and further perpetuate the lifestyle. When things get better/great again (anyone’s guess), there is no PME, no OPRs, no multiple sideline requirements, responsibilities unrelated extra duty unless you actually volunteer for them like FAA certified Designated Examiner, Line Check Airman, Sim Check Airman, Sim Instructor/Operator, Ground School Instructor which lets be honest - these sound like opportunities that actually pertain to your chosen profession with increased monetary benefit for most. Even when given the opportunity for Captain, it’s your choice to proceed for more clams - it’s just waiting your turn based on seniority. Even Quarterly CBTs requirements gets you paid for most groups. Wow, paid extra to do your CBTs what a crazy idea. When your off duty, your off duty and I never think about my work just home work, errands, home life, extracurricular activities, family time, whatever it is your into. If/when they call you it’s not for deployment - it’s to get them out of a jam and they compensate you with a big chunk of clams more for your time, but that’s only if you choose to accept it or answer your phone which I don’t. More senior the better of course, but you all understand it based on previous information given. It’s a pretty good deal and nothing’s perfect. Prior to COVID19 most airlines increase your pay by 60K, 70K, 80K and several over a 100K when you jump from FO to Capt. While you see the outright pay scales - many times it’s the soft pay behind the scenes that can benefit you even more dependent upon the carrier. Lifestyle vs pay is a constant choice/crossroad/conundrum you will meet and many stay FO for better schedules, time off, control of their life and there are varied opportunities as a senior FO picking up open time (overtime) at many carriers to close the Captain pay gap. Here’s a personal example: Many Captains rib me about electing to stay FO for several years now and giving up 65K or more. Unless he’s one of the Senior Original Gangstas I simply reply - Whenever have you been #1 at your base Good Sir??? They all understand at that point. Top 10% at any base is usually pretty good and others have it even better depending on the base schedules. It’s all how you want to live your life. If I needed more clams I could spring for it but enjoy my time off personally and haven’t missed a Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years or any other holiday, birthday or anniversary I have chosen for many years. While in the military I can’t remember how many times all the holidays or special days took place on another date due to being on another continent. Yes I am quite senior at my outfit, but an FO I flew in today with who has been with us for 4 years now said the same. It varies everywhere/situation dependent. To be honest I speak from a different perspective having a mil retirement, etc. which helps me exceed our particular Capt pay, but once again it’s pressure free and I am very fortunate no doubt. If you can attain a full retirement or other consistent means of financial backup I urge you to do it. Definitely not a life for everyone and it’s still challenging at times being away, but my wife sees that I am nearly stress free and enjoy showing up to work and never talk about work when at home. Heck, I get more sleep at work lately (home upgrades, immense amount of landscaping/chopping trees down = not smart I know) and she’s stuck with it all like most of you know all too well. If/when I pull the plug, or my outfit were to collapse, be bought out, etc., at least the retirement provides a softer landing... Here near Sydney Australia today by the beach for 55hrs. By product of COVID19 = Ocean view suites available for us til 31 Aug. It’s pretty much cake normally, but it’s the icing at times that makes things easier. Traveling around now vs after projected retirement when my body isn’t quite up to par is priceless. It’s not as challenging/rewarding as flying during my military career, but I was so bored last night and wanted to brush up on what little skills I had that I hand flew the departure out of Hawaii all the way up to cruise altitude (100 Kilos shy of Max weight) squirrelly sucker at our weight passing FL250, then droned on for the next 9.5 hours to basically Winter in Sydney. 19C or about 66F. I like Winter here and then off to mid 90s in Thailand next. Wonder if they’ll take my temp there too?

Can't speak too much about Eagle B-Course but for the Viper side in my year-ish at Holloman I saw 2 people wash out and 1 DOR over 4 or so classes. So not every class has one, but it's not that uncommon. As for why, it typically revolved around SA and decision making. The IP's expect you to not be good at the mission but to be able to handle small things like staying visual and making a relatively informed decision when something goes wrong in your jet. That being said the learning curve is pretty steep, 5 flights then your checkride, each phase after that is only 3-4 flights for you to gain a basic level of proficiency and understanding before the next phase which builds off the previous. Again, the expectation is not that you are a hyper lethal guy ready for WIC, but that you can be decently lethal while doing the basics correctly. Best words you can hear in the debrief are "nothing for ground ops, departure, recovery, admin in the airspace, and no TR's observed." I have heard Eagle B-Course has a higher washout rate but that's purely rumor only. If you're trying to decide which to pursue based on difficulty I recommend you don't do that. One, that's just weak. Two, they are different aircraft with different missions, pick a mission that you believe in and pursue that no matter how tough. Three, fly the Viper.

I got a set of powerblock dumbbells from 5-90lbs off craigslist when things first kicked off. That along with an adjustable bench covers 90% of it as long as you aren't going for huge gains. Highly recommend the dumbbells though, take up little room but gives you quite a range of weight.

Takeoff out of Missouri, sit in cruise for 14 hours, press a button, sit in cruise for 14 hours, land.

C-130H at Yokota Take all this with a caveat since the C-130H is going away and being replaced with the J (same mission, just no engineer, navigator and much more advanced systems.) Also, I'm at Yokota which is one of the best flying assignments in the Air Force, so what I say will not necessarily mirror Little Rock or Dyess. Maybe Ramstein.. 1. Ops Tempo/Deployment: We don't deploy anymore but the ops tempo is absolutely crazy. This is cool if you like to fly like me, not so cool if you value family life. That being said most families love Yokota/Japan. Tight knit community here and the Japanese are absolutely wonderful people (although robot like.) We fly about 30 local lines a week, and about 20 off station missions a month as a squadron. Not to mention, exercises (to awesome places like Thailand, Guam, Philippines.) Life is busy. Young guys can expect to fly their asses off and I'm sure that will continue with the J transition. Captain-Major types, still expected to fly the line often (which is great,) but also manage a flight, 18 additional duties, MC for an exercise and be in-charge of the air-show. One thing that sucks about the H is that it breaks ALL the time. Very frustrating to go try to fly the line and the plane has a 3 hour ETIC thus your line cancelled. Your 2 day off station can turn into a 30 day real quick. Not too bad if you are single and like being on the road but very unstable. 2. Lifestyle/ Family Stability: As a young guy it is awesome. I've been to 80% of the countries in Asia in the C-130. While we don't deploy, we go to some very challenging, remote airfields that really put your PIC skills to test. We go to Nepal often and as a bro of mine would say: "there is no way to legally take off out of that place." Mt Everest is 29,000 feet and we can't even climb that high. As I mentioned, most families love Yokota, all families live on base and single dudes/dudettes live off base. 3. Community morale: The base sucks, plain and simple. Worst support service I've ever seen. Not knocking on any one individual, I know many great dudes in comm/finance/etc. but as an organization the base is horrendous. People care more about keeping track of resiliency training/SAPR/w/e than launching planes. 4. Advancements & Future of the airframe: Future? Guard/Reserves or go J. Most H guys are going J so that's cool. Advancements? We get a lot of opportunities here that you won't get elsewhere. Young captain as mission commander of a combined/joint exercise with Philippine/Korean/Japanse/Aussie C-130s flying together in formation? Hauling cargo and people into third world countries? Dropping Cambodian paratroopers out of an American C-130 and planning the whole thing? A lot of advancement. 5. Preferred PCS locations : Yokota or Ramstein. Dude, at the end of the day, I love the C-130. We get to travel the world like our C-17/C-5 brothers but yank and bank like our fighter bros, 300 feet of the ground, in formation, to an assault landing or throw shit out the back like our bomber bros. It truly is the best of all worlds.

More bad news. The search is on. Here's hoping. 2020 sucks. https://news.sky.com/story/us-f-15-fighter-jet-crashes-into-north-sea-off-yorkshire-coast-as-major-operation-underway-12007159