Leaderboard

The National interest is not having aggressor countries walking into another one just because they feel like their empire was aggrieved thirty years ago. You know, the whole national sovereignty thing we’ve mostly held down since 1945.

Very different situations. We are now looking at a developed country that is democratizing and courting the free world that has been straight up invaded and is asking for help. This is worlds away from an I’ll advised war against an already shaky dictatorship or popping into someone else’s civil war hoping you can prevent more bloodshed. I agree that in all honesty, we probably don’t care all that much about Ukraine per-se. But we do care about the idea of sovereignty. Very much in fact. We also care about Eastern Europe and Europe as a whole. If you don’t think this is Putin’s litmus test for Poland, Lithuania, Romania, etc, you’re being naive. And while we’re being honest, yes, this is a chance to affect Russia’s abilities to threaten its neighbors and hold Europe hostage over energy, which have been major concerns of ours for years now. To recap, our interests in the region are: the survival of a democratic nation and its people, protecting the very idea of sovereignty, hardening the NATO alliance (and finally getting Europe to pay its fair share & take defense seriously), weaning Europe off Russian energy, and sending the Russians something with a little more kick than the strongly worded letters they’ve been receiving from the UN the last several years. And the icing on the cake is that our strategy does not involve any direct military confrontation with Russia. Sure there are pundits out there who argue we should act more aggressively, but I have not heard one voice from the current administration make that argument. The Russians say we risk nuclear escalation by supplying weapons and support to Ukraine because of course they do. What other cards do they hold? None. Their conventional forces were apparently worse off than we thought and have been severely degraded from there. They’re quickly losing their biggest bargaining chip in Europe, energy, and it’ll likely be gone permanently. They thought they were good at information warfare, and maybe they were but they’re losing this one (at least abroad). So the one card they have left is waiving around their nukes. But Putin likes living. He likes his mansions and his boats and his girls. While he’s no 4D chess player, he’s smart enough to know that all turns to glass if he actually pulls the trigger.

This decision is a confluence... 1. There's a need. 2. There's a need for something relatively/comparatively quick/cheap. 3. There's a CSAF that had plenty of time/experience in RAAF Wedgetails when he was the PACAF/CC. 4. There's a COMACC who sees it the same as the CSAF. This is the directed COA, because anything else will take too long to PPBE/AOA/Acquire/Build/Test. It's not cosmic. It's not nefarious. It's the only choice we really have when considering the other Clydesdales in the stable sucking up all the funding at the same time... B-21, NGAD, GBSD, KC-46/F-35... to say nothing of the fact that we have zero C-5M/C-17 replacement airlifters in the development process, so it'll be another 30 years before the Galaxy/Globemaster replacements hit the ramp... Considering the whole picture, getting the Wedgetail is a win. Chuck

Funny point on the stop gap platforms because that's literally the situation global strike finds itself in with the b-1 and b-2. Both intended to replace the buff, both will be long retired before the buff, and both purchased in shamefully small numbers. Don't worry though the B-21 is gonna be different. We're gonna buy so many and it's totally on time, despite no one having seen one only a few years out from projected IOC dates at OPS BASES. Absolute clown show.

Can't speak for everyone, but here's one data point for you. Recently started terminal after ten years of flying the line on the C-17. Good resume but absolutely nothing special/unique/better than your average guy. Applied to AA, UAL, DAL, and SWA and was offered interviews at each almost instantly. Never heard from FDX/UPS because I already had a job at my #1 pick before I could finish their apps. Started class a couple weeks ago, life is good. Couldn't agree more!

Democrats learned the wrong lesson from 2020; they think their agenda won, when really Trump lost. Rather than assessing their weaknesses, they've been emphasizing them. Not that Republicans have done a ton to present a more coherent and logical message, but at least they have a couple potential candidates on the right side of 70.

IMG_1069.mov The most accurate depiction of AF decision making

A bit more specific? Installing what tablet? Installing the tablet where? I have tried several Ipads starting with an Ipad Pro thinking bigger was better but it was difficult to mount and bulky in the cockpit. For the past three years I've been using an a bigger IPad Air which worked well but honestly was still a bit big. A few months ago I moved to the new IPad Mini 6 and it is perfect for me. I have a new airplane with full glass but use the IPad to send the flight plan and clearance changes wirelessly to my panel, really cuts down on button pushing. I can mount the Mini or put it on my leg, very versatile. My panel is backwards compatabile so I get ADS-B info in addition to what is displayed on the Garmin.

Let's be honest, you have no mandate or idea what the average Russian does or doesn't think.

The average russian likely doesn’t give two shits about Ukraine. You’re way hyping up the importance to anyone not named Putin.

Bro, you have a CJO from a legacy that’s fantastic!

Yeah man, it was a great visit, but maybe this is a hint that I may need to think on how I present/interact at them; gotta learn and grow! And I'm also a few years past the 33 year-old mark with a PPL in progress, but not done yet (should be done next month--just need to wrap my solo XC hours next week and then schedule my check ride!), but still--those are two big knocks on me right out of the gate. But, two of those things noted above are fixable, and while the age may not be, I know from personal experience there are units willing to bring on old dawgs like myself! So, just trying to stay positive, visiting everywhere I can, applying everywhere I can, and I've got faith that the good Lord will place me where I'm supposed to be... ...and I believe the same for y'all, too! Hang in there--hope we can all share some good news here soon!

In what is perhaps the most dystopian thing Biden and his extremists have ever proposed it appears we will now have a Disinformation Czar that falls under the Department of Homeland Security. Department of Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that his agency is creating a “Disinformation Governance Board.” Is anyone paying attention? Does anyone care? If you swore an oath to the Constitution you should be appalled and shocked. The proposal gives this board the ability to regulate free speech, to take down websites, to control what the press reports. For the record, previous organizations like this only existed in Russia, Nazi Germany, Iran and North Korea. The board will be led by Nina Jankowicz – a disinformation expert who has been criticized for repeatedly casting doubt on The Post’s reporting about Hunter Biden’s laptop.In October 2020, after The New York Post exposed damning emails and other information in Hunter Biden's laptop, Jankowicz scoffed and said “We should view it as a Trump campaign product.” If she held this position two years ago not only would the laptop story have been crushed on Twitter and Facebook, she would have shut down the NY Post and Foxnews. If this succeeds the Constitution is dead. Please enjoy the Tik Tok this lunatic made! Czar.mp4

iPad mini I think is the ideal form factor for an aviation tablet. Using them as EFBs on active duty was great and mine did double-duty when I would fly -172s and similar. The standard iPad size I always found too big like you said. It also blows my mind that armed with nothing more than steam gauges + an iPad mini with a sentry ADS-B box and foreflight, I can have orders of magnitude more SA in a little Cessna than in my multi-million dollar military aircraft that unfortunately is saddled with BS software & poor systems integration 🙄 That civilian setup literally costs like $1,200 plus a $240 per year subscription…for that price I could probably get one (1) military grade 2” stainless steel screw to go screw myself with haha

A bud if mine sent this pic of his aviation display! 🤣🤣🤣

"We find this belief to be disinformation. We shall be monitoring your communications, both incoming and outgoing, to ensure that you do not attempt to spread such disinformation." a note from your friendly Ministry of Truth... And given the support for such, even on this thread, it's likely to happen. And I can assure you, it's a GREAT gig to get if you can be the one that decides what is and isn't disinformation. Just ask any of the 50 former IC officials who signed the letter assuring us that the Hunter laptop was classic Russian disinformation. What could possibly go wrong?

Not true. Everyone should care about sovereignty. That’s what makes trade possible. Ask most of the auto manufacturers on the planet. A large percentage of automotive wiring harnesses are/were produced in Ukraine. I guarantee you Volkswagen, Ford, and Toyota care a whole lot about sovereignty right now. Same goes for anyone who produces anything with a microchip in it. They’re anxiously watching Taiwan ATM. What do you think would’ve happened if Russia’s invasion was met with no resistance from NATO? There is a very good chance Putin would’ve come to the conclusion that NATO was ineffectual and obsolete and his next move would likely have been the Baltics. He has been testing NATO resolve there for years & if he thought for a minute NATO would not defend that territory, he’d be there in a hot second.

im glad you recognize this as a first world problem. you could have separated in 2020 during a pandemic...when no one was hiring...

If anyone has any questions about getting passed over, writing a letter to the board to get passed over again, and getting passed over again -- I'm your guy. No one has signed and turned in the continuation denial paperwork faster than I just did. One simple trick just gave me a year of freedom and seniority. Life is good.

We don't really care about sovereignty. We care about maintaining our influence on the world, and one good way to do that is to ensure foreign governments are friendly toward our interests (and not Russian or Chinese interests). This includes supporting/working with authoritarian governments, so long as they continue to act in our interests (sure, we'll encourage democracy and human rights etc, but that comes second after maintaining our national interests/influence in the region). There's no way that Ukraine is a litmus test for Poland: one is a NATO member and one is not, and the reaction is (appropriately) different. The one good thing in all this is it's woken many NATO states up to the fact that Russia is still in fact a threat to their existence, and that they need to find their defense.

Why are you moving the wife and kids when they call? Maybe you want to move eventually, but changing airline jobs doesn't mandate a move right away and maybe not ever.

I saw the most recent list of selectees for the AFRC board. There are ALOT of ETPs (they mark each person with an age limit waiver with asterisk) and I even saw one for a fighter squadron. They are rare but do happen if you have good rapport with the squadron.

com'on CH man, you know dems can't be totalitarian.... relax it's no big deal.

AAL's 2022 Hiring Stats so far.

Shameful, those around him and in the cabinet have a DUTY to step forward and say something. Dude is cognitively impaired, we all see it. I don't want Harris as a President but this is getting scary.

Inserting into a conflict? No. Supporting the country that has been invaded is different.

Oh how short our memories are. A few months ago there was near universal lamenting on this very forum about how we entered Afghanistan without a clear justification, plan, or end state. And surprise! It ended in complete disaster. But don't worry we'll pin that squarely on Biden as if trump or literally anyone else had a more coherent exit strategy. A few short months later and people are chomping at the bit to insert themselves into a near peer potential nuclear confrontation over a country they just found on a map and just realized the blue and yellow flankers weren't also Russian ones. But I bet you understand decades of russian bitterness and resentment and have a perfect grasp of exactly how citizens of a totalitarian dictatorship are being brainwashed by their government. So let's go ahead and get super involved in the only place on earth that's a more reliable quagmire shitshow than the Middle East..

Daily.

And I bet you'll hear from a couple more about 2-3 months before your availability date

^ Man you really buy into that Russo-centric Manifest Destiny horseshit, don't you?

Start to open versus fully open is a big difference, especially when Blue State economies fully opened later and they have a big impact on our economy as a whole. Not sure which Blue State you live in, assuming Washington or Oregon? To see the damage look at New York which at Biden's urging kept mandates and closures in place the longest. I am not 100% but weren't they the last to allow indoor dinning. I know they were the last to end vaccine mandates to eat inside and that was this past February. To see how the Blue States performed and their impact on the rest of the economy take a peek at this article by CNN Business (hardly a right wing source). The punchline is policies in New York took their economy from #3 in the country to #47 and it hurt our nation as a whole. Keep in mind New York contributes 8% to the U.S. GDP. Deblasio and Cuomo combined to form a new a new lunacy that saw impacts beyond the city/state...it helped drag down our overall U.S. GDP. How bad is the Empire State compared to the other 49 states? In 2019, before Covid hit, New York had the third-strongest economy among US states, lagging only Texas and California. The state's gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic activity — was nearly $1.8 trillion, on par with the GDP of Italy. More than $1 trillion of that came from economic activity in New York City. The state contributed more than 8% to America's overall GDP that year. New York's GDP contracted by 5.9% last year, a bigger decline than the total US GDP suffered, putting it at No. 47 out of all 50 states for economic growth. Why New York lags behind more severe lockdown protocols than in many other parts of the country. And the challenges don't end there: One of the components of the Back-to-Normal Index that holds New York back the most is the shortage of restaurant-goers, according to Colyar. The state is still 40% below its pre-pandemic, eat-in diner volume, while the nation as a whole is down only 13%.

When 20% of my squadron gets hired within the last 6 months, I'd say the shortage is here. Almost all of them received invites within days of hitting submit. The only ones that didn't get multiple invites/CJOs were the ones that only applied to DAL. One has been at AAL for two years and got interview invites at DAL/FDX/UPS, and is now at DAL after turning down the FDX/UPS invites...that shit is bonkers. My a squadron is now 65% airline guys and I think we have 4 more who are looking to hit submit in the next few months. I suspect they'll get invites quickly after submitting. That would put us at 76% airline...less than a decade ago, we were maybe at 25%. We're living in crazy times.

While I don't lay all of the blame for our current situation at the feet of the Biden Administration, I think four big factors would have been very different had Trump won the election. Energy costs - Whatever you think about pipelines and the actual utility of the Keystone Pipeline, the Biden administration launched multiple executive orders at the energy industry which have most certainly impacted the price and availability of oil. The narratives are all over the place but when you attack pipelines, refineries and drilling, you are going to impact the price of oil. The administration is attempting to spin many of these issues like the 9,000 unused leases on federal land without admitting they are holding up many of those leases through lawsuits. Both sides are guilty and there are other factors like Putin going into Ukraine but ultimately Biden's policy has caused the price of oil to nearly doubled since he took office and most of that run up occurred well before Russia launched their attack. Continuing stimulus - Obviously we needed stimulus and support during a pandemic, but Biden continued to dump gasoline on what most knew was a raging fire. $1.9T in relief and payments kept people out of the workforce WAY longer than was needed. All that extra cash without workers available to produce goods caused a huge bubble of demand to surge through the economy. While the supply chain issues are not entirely Biden's fault, some of that blame does fall on the DNC and their unions, just look at the situation at the Long Beach Port. Crane operators making $250,000 a year refusing to work overtime in an emergency, refusing to allow non-union workers to help in an emergency and refusing to surge the port to 24 hour a day operations. I honestly think Trump would have federalized that operation, at least temporarily. I hope we learned our lesson on this one. COVID Lockdown Policy - Biden and his Uber left folks kept things closed WAY too long. The implications have had second and third order effects all across the economy. Fed Policy - While the Fed is meant to be an independent body they do seem to follow the lead of the President. They certainly did under Trump. The Fed COMPLETELY missed the boat on interest rates. They should have been slowly raising rates a year ago but they waited on perception of Biden and partially in response surging energy prices. Now that they are late to the game they are trying to fix everything all at once. When you signal four consecutive 50 basis point raises, the possibility of a 75 point basis raise, openly say interest rates should equal or exceed inflation and out right say the interest rate raises should be "front loaded", you again crush the economy. Most people don't realize the impact of increasing interest rates. Look at the report released today showing 1.4% GDP contraction, if you dig into the numbers you will see a decrease in home sales of over 1.5%. That will further crush the economy as fewer people buy appliances, building materials and other home upgrades. As my wealth advisor put it yesterday, they are going from creating inflation to completely putting out any fire related to the economy. As a frame of reference the U.S. Economy went from 6.9% in Q4 2021 to -1.4% in Q1 2022.

U.S. GDP SHRINKS 1.4% U.S. Inflation 8.5% from March 2021 - March 2022 No worries as long as we don't have bad tweets from the orange man.

Short of a meeting with the OG or WG/CC I will blow off literally anything early in the morning if I debriefed until 0230 the night before, including a sim. You aren't getting training value out of a sim on 4 hours of sleep and if you aren't calling uncle on that to your scheduling shop/DO you're part of the problem. This is exhibit a why people get burned out and leave the Air Force. During normal home station ops there is absolutely no reason you shouldn't get 12 hrs at home at an absolute minimum every night. Pilot training schedulers somehow manage it every day because it's mandated in the syllabus, and I guarantee they have more flights and sims to schedule than anyone else.

Nickname.... The Wedgie.

A classmate of mine is on the SWA hiring team. Lots of things SWA can be doing better, but hiring criteria has generally been on point. Haven’t flown with a douche during my (almost) 5 years here. The hiring guys attribute that to 2 main factors: an overarching philosophy of “who would you want to fly a four day trip with?” and ultimate pilot control of who gets hired in the form of a decision board of chief pilots and line pilot inputs. Anyways, according to my buddy the number of qualified applicants dropped over 20% between hiring windows earlier this year. The team had to adjust their philosophy to “who COULD you fly a four day trip with?” Also the extra time it takes to hold a decision board means even more candidates are bailing after getting their on-the-spot CJOs from OALs. Add to that the perpetual uphill battle of only offering unsexy flying in an unsexy airplane and suffice to say my buddy’s extremely pessimistic about the candidate pool by the end of the year. Side note: for any of you non-douches reading, do I have a job opportunity for you!

You are completely blinded by bias.

My rule of thumb: if I cannot drink the tap water in a country, I won't fly on their national airline.

The chuckle at the end really finishes this one up for me:

Let’s be honest, you don’t.

Nah my man just calling a spade a spade. we have zero national interest to get involved in a regional war that has historical ties that go back into the 20th century at the earliest.

We don’t agree lol but nice try vietnam to the Americans does not equal Ukraine to the Russians. It’s not even close my man.

1.) We aren't proponents of sovereignty because we also violate it routinely without justification. Panama.... Iraq 2..... Syria...... So your point is simply an opinion. 2.) Believe it or not there's a vast population of people in the US that don't care about other wars people get involved in. It may be an interest to you but there are a lot of Americans that would question why their sons or daughters should have to bleed for another country. And if they bleed for another country, who is left to bleed for us when our security is threatened. If American citizens lives or freedoms are jeapordized (civilians) defending a foreign power, the US did not practice good stewardship of defending those lives or freedoms.

Something has to be done to combat disinformation, which is deliberately deceptive information made by unreliable sources like Russian and Chinese troll farms. There are too many dumb people in this world who live in their disinformation echo chamber. There are limited exceptions to the First Amendment, and fraud is one of them. While all disinformation couldn't fall under the fraud exception to the First Amendment, there is a subset of disinformation that could. See https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3860211 for a better argument than I can give since I am not a lawyer. Your response is extremely emotional, especially with saying something like "the Constitution is Dead." Take a step back and put on an analytical lens. Not everything Biden does is an extremist "end of the Constitution action," and the same held true for Trump during his Presidency.