Leaderboard

Not a firing but it sounds like the military lost a good one this time around. Col. Bode of 959th Med Ops Squadron, JBSA resigns the day before change of command stating in an official letter "leaders throughout the chain of command were aware and did nothing to stop illegal, immoral and unethical actions."

FedEx v UPS Unless you find someone who has worked at both, realize you are going to get a biased perspective for each job. This is just one pilot's perspective, YMMV. I agree with the assertion that Memphis is an absolute warzone, unfit for raising a family, much less safely getting to work. 100% no-go for in-domicile living; it's just a place I endure until training is over. When I'm turning through Memphis, I'm staying at the hub in a sleep room for a few hours. I've heard from both company and union that 70% of FedEx pilots are commuters. The reasons for that are not only the horrific daily violence in Memphis, but it's the trip construction that allows ease of commuting. The 777 on one end is the extreme international-only option, usually one large trip, meaning one commute to work per month. On the other end is the 757, with potential for many small day-long trips, multiple blocks of off time, requiring multiple commutes to domicile. The MD/76/Bus are somewhere in the middle. Commuting into either FDX/UPS is a totally different animal than the pax world. At FedEx, there is no seniority booking of jumpseats (JS). The jumpseat is YOURS if you book it. When I attempt to select a JS that is full, I have no idea whether it's filled with JetBlue pilots or FedEx pilots. It honestly doesn't matter...those pilots have been guaranteed a ride to work/home. The mitigation: FedEx pilots are able to book the JS 3 weeks out; all offline JSers only get the week prior. So we have the opportunity to book anything we want before it fills up. It's location dependent, but generally speaking, FDX JSs are not that difficult to book on a regular basis. There are a few hot spots, like Seattle, Denver, South Florida (where rich airline Capts live) that are more difficult, but certainly not impossible. I also agree with Prozac WRT to UPS weekend JSs. After the last sort on Saturday morning, there is a huge deadzone for jumpseats until the Mon night sort. So the opportunity to weekend commute in jeans/tennis shoes on FDX is near zero depending on location. But that is only one way to commute to work. We also have a travel bank system for deadheads (DH). To clarify, a DH is a positioning/depositioning leg on another airline (wearing business casual v jeans/tennis shoes). A jumpseat is when I book myself on FDX to travel. There have been some exceptions to this during COVID, but let's not digress into irrelevancies. So hypothetically, I'm MEM-based, but I live in random city XYZ. On paper for pay, all my trips must begin/end in domicile. It's entirely possible that the revenue legs for my trip are cities (ABC-DEF-MEM-DEF-GHI). But the trip on paper will look like (MEM-all the cities with rev legs-MEM). So commuters "deviate" each end of that trip. Meaning I'm not going to MEM simply to take Delta from MEM to city ABC where my trip starts. Published in the pairing (pairing=trip) is the actual cost of that Delta ticket, paid by FedEx. If I deviate that leg, telling FedEx that I'm not going to be on that Delta flight, the cost of that ticket is deposited in my travel bank. This money was real when FedEx was going to pay Delta, but it will never be paid to me outright. I can use this money to book air or ground transportation from any city to get to city ABC where my trip starts. You can book on any airline you choose, or even a limo service to have a Cadillac show up in your driveway to take you to work if your travel bank allows it. Once some seniority is realized, a pilot can potentially bid hometown lines...living in city XYZ, and bidding trips that operate XYZ-ABC-DEF-XYZ. This pilot will be at home in XYZ, being paid for the layover on each end of the trip. I know this sounds confusing, but once you're living it, it makes a lot of sense. It's a highly flexible position for the pilot. There are some rules on when you can spend the travel bank (within 3 days of a trip), and the money can expire too. Here's one to really bake your noodle. Let's say I've saved up $10k in my travel bank, and my wife and I are going to Paris. As long as I have a FedEx trip within 3 days of my personal travel to Paris, I can spend that $10k on PERSONAL TRAVEL that is not affiliated with the FedEx trip at all. So I can spend my airline miles to get her into business class, and I can outright buy my business class ticket with FedEx money. All perfectly legal. That's another thing I forgot to mention, airline status. When FedEx is buying all these tickets on Delta/American/United/Foreign carriers/etc, my personal frequent flyer number is automatically linked to that ticket purchase. Any intl leg over 2.5h block must be in business/first, and 5h block sequence domestically must be booked in first. So to the airline, it looks like I'm the big spender, accruing points at a fantastic rate. Because I am. 🙂 PreF, I gather you're going to live in the southern half of Indiana...that makes the domicile choice between FDX IND and UPS SDF a literal coin flip. You can drive to either of them. I wouldn't consider that a variable. IND is FedEx's #2 domestic hub, where every airplane is represented with IND DHs. After about the first year, you'll be off reserve and able to bid a fair amount (if not all) IND DHs. So you'd be MEM on paper but actually driving to/from IND as I described above with city XYZ. That's a quick primer on commuting at FedEx. WRT to your other concern, Fred Smith vs Raj, everything I know about Raj so far--he's a fireplug who isn't waiting for a handout. There is a reason Fred chose him to nurture his baby. Only time will tell, but I haven't heard anything about Raj that gives me pause. And when you talk about culture, FedEx had some of the worst culture in the industry in the 80s/90s--crashing airplanes because the d!ickhead Capt was king. Thankfully that culture has become more CRM-centric. There are always a few turds in every punchbowl, but that's not FedEx-specific. Nine of of ten Capts are just older versions of myself, which is terrifying enough! Go with questions.

Had an ATC hold one day passing through MEM. While waiting the CSA working my flight came down to chat and get away from the paxs at the gate. Long story short, I married her and got her the hell out of MEM.

Congrats to Stalin. I'd say she's already had a successful run these past few months as the East Coast TACDEMO pilot. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/meet-lt-amanda-stalin-lee-first-woman-blue-angels-jet-demo-pilot

Dang, I wish I had this slide for teaching my electrics class

At least it wasn't an airliner....

Stalin is a great aviator who will (continue) to do the Navy proud - she’s prior enlisted maintainer to boot! An excellent choice.

Smart move by the Blues. it's obvious she is going to have a lot of pressure on her, and media attention/scrutiny. Fortunately, she will be in El Centro which will insulate her from a lot. And yes... pilots occasionally do not make it through winter training for the Blues. However, as the first woman in the Blues' Delta, they were able to give her a de facto 6+ month interview on the Airshow circuit. She's been able to learn the ropes of the airshow circuit, including the personalities and day-to-day grind... and not having to also focus on that should help her make the transition easier. And she's a crowd favorite. Just my opinion. In any case, Stalin's a proven quality demo pilot. I'm sure she will do great. Now... time to start working her right arm to handle the 40 lbs spring...

I hope we take advantage of some lessons learned with the recent drone centric conflicts and put these folks to good use. Even if we get out of the MQ-9 business completely, turn them loose with some funding to innovate a generational leap in RPA’s for the US military.

I fly my 172 by myself all the time, never a problem

"Words are literally violence" You're an actual personification of long running stereotypes and memes depicting leftists. LOL

When the topic of "energy policy" comes up, I've defaulted to tuning it all out. There is just such an absurd amount of nonsense around climate change, electric cars/planes/trains, decarbonization, etc. Anyone who tries to ask any legitimate technical or scientific questions is shouted down as a heretic. Our current standard of living depends on burning hydrocarbons. Politicians and other talking heads can do all the hand waving they want, it doesn't change that fact.

That spot has tuned into a pilgrimage for some who go there and relive that wonderful event.

This time…. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The AF needs to subscribe to VASAVIATION on YouTube! There’s hundreds of videos of just how busy it gets when a single engine goes out and ATC is bugging you while you are trying to run checklists to get configured to land heavyweight!

You write like IBM AI trying to fit in with humans using a minimum word count parameter. I’m sure if you went back and edited all posts with APA citations humans might agree with you though, Watson.

Neither is your technique of oversharing your stream of consciousness incoherence a particularly good technique for spreading coherent ideas instead of random words, but alas here we are.

Hate to see it, but love to see it. My better half is an active duty doc. I can’t begin to describe the toxicity and malevolence that we’d repeatedly witnessed in the medical community at 4 locations over 15 years…it’s stuff I wouldn’t have believed could be possible in the military if I didn’t see it myself. There was even a point in time she tried the IG avenue…with the same results as this Col Bode evidently got. On the plus side, it actually made me appreciate being in the OG, even with all our own warts.

Learning about the racism part rather quickly in Germany. I also find it funny that they have stricter abortion laws across Europe than most places in America (Texas, Alabama). Good lord, anti American hippies can be so damn ignorant.

So... AFPC is going through this huge effort... changing the culture of the instructor pilot cadre... and creating 2nd and 3rd order effects that may not be desirable... to get 7 candidates? For how many actual selections? Well... I'm sure this will quickly solve our UPT issues. Just curious. Do some of you see this as a good idea? I'm probably just an out of touch ol' gummer.

The way RPAs are kicking Russia's ass, i really hope leadership is paying attention. You're right it doesn't have to be a -9 but these are dudes with highly developed tactical minds that can problem solve quite effectively.

Kerry's trying to cutback, though. https://nypost.com/2022/07/19/climate-buster-biden-green-czar-john-kerrys-jet-unleashes-tons-of-co2/

But the guy said she was “really hot” How an Unqualified Sex Worker Allegedly Infiltrated a Top Air Force Lab

The fact that single pilot KC-46 pilot operations was even suggested and staffed up to Mini demonstrates just how broken the USAF is. There are only two possible reasons to allow this moronic idea to see the light of day. The first option is they know the big-wing tankers are gonna get whacked in a fight with China, so lets keep the body count low. After showing a ray of hope with the KC-Y discussion, they quickly defaulted to dogma and signaled intent to buy more of the same...Fing brilliant...not. The second option is they know the pilot shortage is worse (and accelerating), than they are saying in public. Sadly, this option is a solvable problem. If they want to try out of the box solutions then give up one freaking KC-46 and dump that $170M into pilot retention. Figure out what the actual number is to get a pilot to stay until 20 and PAY them. Seriously, we spend a $1M to put an ejection seat in a jets to save pilots, why not spend a million dollars to keep them on active duty. I know not everyone wants to stay for 20 years and the nonsensical queep of the past 15 years has made it even less desirable but money speaks and so does messaging. Congress gave authority to pay more bonus but the shoes chase the curve rather than lead turn it with a long-term view. If USAF never uses the full allocation, what message does that send to the force. COVID saved this clown show...but that little respite is over and it is time to get serious. I am using old numbers but as I recall USAF makes approximately 1000 pilot a year and needs an approximate retention rate of 60% at end of initial commitment to break even. In recent years that number has fallen to the around 37-39%. I wonder how the calculus would change if they swallowed their pride and put real money on the table. Realistically they need 200-250 pilots to stay each year...offer each one $1M and see if your retention rate changes. Pay it lump sum, pay a portion each year, pay it however the pilots want to receive it and you will see a difference. $250M is decimal dust to the Air Force and if it solved one of the toughest problems it would be money well spent.

Not sure I really care. I'm not a UK or German citizen and their fascist speech practices, which have been known to send people for prison for shit as stupid as saying Angela Merkel is fat, is not something I really want in the US. You might think Europe is a utopia of liberal ideology but I'd encourage you to live here for a bit. Because it is overtly one of the most racist, xenophobic and misogynists' societies I've ever experienced.

By describing the landlord and Cara using gender binary pronouns of "him" and "her," respectively, the Brits are reinforcing the patriarchy wherein the male holds the power of property ownership and the female is relegated to the role of subservient, dependent tenant. Furthermore, they are reinforcing the heteronormative, chauvinist worldview by establishing the toxic male as the aggressor upon the female. A gender nonconforming example would have been much more appropriate.

Well, that’s never stopped them before…why start now?

For both you and tac airlifter, I’m all for innovation. Accelerate change or lose, right? However the air refueling enterprise as a whole must ensure we can safely and effectively be on time, as fragged with the go go juice to project and sustain combat airpower over the duration of a conflict as that is priority #1 for a tanker aircraft. Any innovations/tactics/ideas we implement must enhance and not detract from priority #1. You hit my point on your last line…Just because we can doesn’t always mean we should.

It’s really not, it’s harassment. This guy is a prick who would get free facial reconstructive surgery if he talked like that in a setting where the subjects could respond appropriately. Life pro-tip: don’t make your job filming videos of yourself harassing other people! Work a shift, buy a house, raise a family, die peacefully of old age with a reputation for being a good person. Brain worms indeed.

I don't think "deploying somewhere shitty" is really the problem. It's "deploying somewhere shitty for a lost cause no one believes in."

https://lmgtfy.app/?q=paul+collier