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NASCAR is dumb, but the “boring” that brick talks about is a legit critique because F1 has the potential for much more strategy implications if they a) forced the teams to use softer tires so that two stop was a more probable thing (like this weekend where you get an unlikely bold strategy to work), or b) had different rules with respect to the aerodynamics so the wake wasn’t so huge that it’s a nearly static sport because no one can get close enough to pass (or afford to research the car to compete). Even F1 has figured out they need changes because they’re too static during races and have one team who has won everything for like 8 years; that’s the whole force behind the rule changes. It’s sometimes brilliant right now, but it has the potential to be much better. Or you could get on the thread just to nay-say whatever brick says, which is as boring as NASCAR.

AUAB to Maxwell to staff. Man what an adventure. 😳

I was a maintainer for a year at Osan, 77-78, weapons loader. Work hard, play harder. If you fucked up by the time the OIC saw you they saw a bloody and bruised mess. The NCOs had taken care of bidness. No paperwork, just bandages and extra shit duties. That type of thing straightened out many an airman. The MX commander probably never heard of 90% of the shit that happened. Okay the bloody, bruised and bandage part was obviously exaggerated but you get the picture.

The AF finds new ways to screw me! Thanks Obama!

They’re probably deciding on a new, lower promote rate due to COVID. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Another kick in the Jimmy for morale, lovely. Because who doesn’t want more unaccompanied 365s! With Afghanistan finally wound down and other wartime commitments waning there was about to be an acute shortage of shitty deals to hand out.

You're not alone, no one could rationally explain that position.

I cannot explain the why, but motorcycle racing has no draw for me despite the time I will take to watch F1.

CGOs? Shit man I'm a Major and I still get concerned with any confrontation with a SMSgt or above. But you are right, we do put SNCOs on inappropriate pedestals. The whole base will stop for a MAJCOM or NAF command chief to come visit, its insane to me. But I did become a heavy proponent fo her advice on taking the classic "listen to your SNCOs" with a grain of salt and it is now apart of every feedback/mentoring session I do. "Hear what they have to say but make the decision you think is right. Ask other sources as well, including your peers and your predecessors." One problem as well with the whole SNCO mentality is it alleviates other officers, especially the commander, of their major responsibility to be involved and mentor young Os. You should be getting your most sage advice from those that have been in your shoes, not someone on a completely different career path who isn't privy to the adversities you are facing.

I’ve been in the Air Force now for a year, so still fairly ‘new’. The ops/Mx split has been the toughest to get used to. At one point in my time in the Navy, as a normal flying pilot, I was previously in charge of the entire squadron maintenance department involving 15 aircraft and roughly 200 people. At other times, even when I wasn’t working directly in Mx, I’d still interact with the maintainers daily because they were in the same halls, their shops were right next to mine. It helped to bridge the gap. Now, I’ve found it extremely difficult to get a maintainer to open up and talk other than ‘yes sir, no sir’ in the current AF construct. My takeaway is that the split hurts by-in by the maintainers. All they see are flyers when they come to brief/debrief, or at the bottle brief. When maintainers have to pull 12 hour shifts it can really help morale when they understand what the mission is, or when they actually know the aircrew more than just as another dude in a green bag. Pilots aren’t some mythical creatures, but we do think and approach situations a lot differently than maintenance officers do, and I think that variability and more frequent interaction would help morale. Combining ops/Mx wouldn’t cure all of the issues (here’s looking at you, OPSEC CBTs...) but it would help.

I do. Some of my good friends are Mx Os. MX is a tough career field, and they tend to eat their own. At Yokota, multiple suicides in the AMXS that got MAJCOM level attention. Here at Dyess, the MX morale can’t be better nor can the OPS/MX relationship, but that may be a product of having a Wing with only OPS and MX. I think part of the problem was separating MX from the flying squadrons into its own Group. When MX was part of the flying squadron, there was more of a sense of belonging and pride in the mission. Also, I can see a flying squadron commander applying the “debrief culture” to maintainers...ie, it’s okay to make mistakes. That is how we learn, instead of crushing a dude for a minor mistake which is a cultural issue in many MX groups. Anyways, I always try to converse with my maintainers on locals and loop them into the mission, and I treat my flying crew chiefs as part of the crew. Most of the maintainers I know love their jobs. They love turning wrenches and get great pleasure out of seeing the mission happen. Seeing the 33 ship (largest C-130J formation) takeoff out of Dyess last month put a smile on every maintainer’s face. Totally worth the weeks of planning we put into it.

Yep. I thought we had kinda gotten better about this in the last few years, and then I watched a person in our wing who is tactically dangerous and useless, who prioritizes qweep above flying at all junctures, and essentially needs as much flying oversight as a CGO that you give to senior officers get pushed for tons of awards and receive a top push line.

You would rather have Schwartz? Hope you’re wearing your blues right now, it is Monday after all.

https://ktar.com/story/2244099/martha-mcsally-says-shed-vote-to-confirm-brett-kavanaugh/ “We also need fairness where individuals can’t just have one person without any corroboration impact such an important decision,” she said.

So, she's a diehard supporter of the "grab-em-by-the-pussy boss, to include voting for Brett Kavenaugh, because you know, that crazy bitch obviously made it all up. 😒 But now she's a victim that deserves to be believed because it really did happen to her? Unlike Kavenaugh's accuser, with her seat in Congress, she won't have to hide, move and deal with death threats. What a total piece of shit. Unless she names the person, I don't believe a word that comes out of her mouth.