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Best typo in the history of Twitter 🤣

But but but but but…the airlines don’t do it this way, the FAA says we can’t, and I need someone to tell me how to properly report lasing accidents while I fly around lights on in Meg!

Probably all the tools that got left in other jets and not replaced to save money mean there aren’t any screwdrivers left to work on them.

I don't think the 30mm API can be sold/given due to nuclear non-proliferation agreements and you aren't punching many holes in a T-80 with TP ammo. I'm not sure of the threat environment but flying the Hawg without SEAD assets would definitely not be something I would want to do. Knock the radar threats back and you might be able to put a workable plan together.

How gunship guys eat popsicles...

My guess is some Capt WO had this as an idea for a deployment situation and wanted to try it now instead of when shit kicks off. Instead of just killing it, Mini said well let’s try this out of the box thinking and see if it’s feasible. I also assume they went into it knowing the answer may end up being no. However instead of just killing the idea he empowered the people to try it in a controlled environment, the stuff most of us want. But the memo leaked and we lost our minds because we all made assumptions about why the memo was created, the long term intent, and the classic “that’s not how we’ve always done it”. People read way too much into this. Maybe I’m just looking at this with my glass half full.

I think the biggest WTF in that article is that AI is supposed to be incorporated into the cockpit. Probably worth a thread for discussion but AI is a big Snake Oil pitch, IMHO. At least General AI. Watching a Strike dude eating that popsicle in a manner that would make Harvey Milk blush is as surprising as a sunrise.

Plenty of people on here seemed to believe they would work. Many are those who also believed the forced covid lockdowns were a good idea. Emotional decisions don’t usually work out too well in the end… “Germany worries about gas rationing as supply from Russia halted” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/19/germany-worries-about-gas-rationing-as-supply-from-russia-halted

That you're not really being honest in your positions. You'll call for civil discourse in one breath and call someone a whiney little bitch in the next if you think it will score a point in a debate. And then you pretend be unable to recognize your own hypocrisy when it put in front of your face and obvious to everyone else. If it's intentional, you're dishonest. If it's unintentional, you're not very bright. I can't say for sure which it is.

Valid...I am biased. Know them both and I know how hard Welsh tried and what he was up against. I think I've posted the story before but I recall a conversation with Boomer about an ongoing ugly AF issue, he took a sip of his drink and replied "you would be surprised how little power the CSAF actually has." As per the design of our Constitution civilians get the final say and those "appointed" to be service secretaries often have other political agendas. I've known Mini for 28 years but have not spoken with him in a few years. As a captain/IP he was a great pilot and a solid bro who took care of folks, I never saw a single act of careerism. When he was the Wing/CC at Andrews I reached out for helping hiring one of my former Flight Engineers and Mini went to great lengths to help the guy who was eventually hired. Others may have other data points but my observation so far is he is trying to break some of the dogmatic thinking. Also, interesting Welsh and Minihan were at Moody at the same time (Welsh was the OG, Mini was an IP). We shall see...at least it's not CZ or Rat.

Mudhens living up to the stereotype. Navy had Top Gun 1&2 and we get this...

The C-130J has a 1980s com/nav suite, datalink (Block 6) that’s utter thrash and TOLD that’s not even accurate…but sure let’s jump straight to single pilot operations. Me thinks the speed of staff / acquisitions makes this a long ways off regardless of whether or not the technology is there. The C-130 doesn’t just fly straight and level at FL390, low levels, formation, assault, NVG ops, a lot going on to simply automate.

Headlights on and mouth open - rarely looked better.

Dogmatic thinking...It takes leadership. If USAF senior leaders can go to the mat for new programs and weapons, do the same for your Fing people. Having worked on the hill I know what you are saying and trust me I understand the NDAA, go FIGHT for your people.

I may know why that FCIF dropped..... So there I was, walking into caddy shack to fly my daily suckfest sortie out of the Deid. Looked at my flight orders and saw I had one Col Patrick Rhatigan flying with me on that fine day. Didn't know the dude, so whatever. Everything was going fine until he noticed I was wearing my Alma Mater's ball cap during my preflight. He asked me if I was going to take it off before we departed. Getting the hint, I said yessir. He then asked me "if you didn't take off your cap, how would you quick don your oxygen?" I thought to myself "The same way I don it every time I test it during the preflight..." Fast forward a a few minutes, and then he asked me if I was going to unroll my flight suit sleeves. Because "what if we caught on fire and your arms got burned?" I figured if we were on fire, and my arms were at risk, we had much bigger problems. Don't remember much of the sortie, probably because no one did much talking, as we didn't want the Colonel to chime in. After we landed, I was on my way into MX debrief, and for some reason he followed along. Once we entered the outer door, he asked me why I didn't call the area to attention. I wish I remember how I responded. I probably just stared back at him with a confused look on my face. The next day....... So there I was, walking into caddy shack to fly my daily suckfest sortie out of the Deid. As I was scrolling through my seemingly endless FCIFs, I noticed one labeled "Approved Headgear." From Col Rat basically stating that ball caps were not authorized, and then went on to list all of the headgear that IS authorized. That FCIF was because of me. I was so proud of it.

Well done, Comrade. Seven social credits have been added to your account.

You're a joke.

Do the Strike Eagle guys fly missions with a single pilot? B-1? BUFF? Bone? C-17? C-40? Of course they don’t. Just like the KC-46, they were designed to be operated and employed by multiple crewmembers. On the AMC side of things, the vast majority of pilots have been taught “crew concept” and CRM from very early on in their careers. As a guy with a fairly extensive tanker training background, I don’t think asking our pilots and instructors to make this shift is anything short of a monumental sea change. It’s a far more complex problem than just asking if one guy could, in fact, operate the airplane solo. This might get a bit long, so settle in. First, let’s tackle the simplest question: Can a 767 be flown single pilot? The answer is yes. I’ve practiced scenarios in the sim where the other pilot was considered incapacitated and removed from the seat. The airplane flies the same with one pilot at the controls as it does with two. The real question is: Is it safe and effective to do it routinely? Transport category airplanes are currently designed to be operated by two pilots. From a human factors standpoint, unlike the controls of a single seat tactical aircraft, the controls of an airliner are not necessarily designed to fall easily to hand. They don’t have to be. The operating concept has always been one pilot flies the aircraft, while the other handles navigation, radios, systems, the flight management computer, checklists, and any other task not directly related to pointing the airplane in the desired direction (although the PNF still shares responsibility with the PF in ensuring it does indeed go where intended). These are complex machines from a systems standpoint and when nonstandard things happen, the extra hands and brain cells are invaluable. IMO, in order to even begin thinking about making single pilot ops in these types of airplanes routine, you’d need to START with a total, ground up redesign of the flight deck with emphasis on 100 percent reliable heavy automation that can do things like respond to voice commands to shut down engines, pull fire handles, close fuel and air valves, etc, etc. Also, if you are coming from a tactical background, how often do you fly single ship? Most of the time there is some sort of mutual support, usually in the form of a wingman, yes? Well, mutual support in big airplanes means a guy or gal sitting next to you. I’m not sure I’ve EVER had a flight in a crew aircraft where at least one error wasn’t caught by the other crew member. Single pilot ops will GREATLY reduce the mutual support concept, even if all the advanced flight following and enhanced automation concepts are implemented and work perfectly. Second, and perhaps the most important question: Can you effectively employ a large tanker aircraft with a single pilot? I really don’t see how unless you not only massively revamp the aircraft, but also revamp everything from the training to command and control to receiver procedures, etc. While the mission is pretty chill most of the time (takeoff, turn left, find clouds to drag receivers through), there are times where mission management can become complex. Managing multiple receiver taskings, extra fragged fuel requests, multiple radios, a tactical environment, fuel offload plans (that will affect cg and w&b), rendezvous procedures, ATC and airspace considerations, weather considerations, and any number of other variables can and do cause helmet fires with a full crew compliment of two competent pilots and an experienced boom. Asking a single pilot to take this on without some serious upgrades to the equipment and the system will be an absolute. Fucking. Disaster. We haven’t even talked about fatigue yet. Missions were long enough in the KC-135 with a basic (two pilots & a boom) crew to the point they were probably dangerous at times. The 46 is receiver capable. So now you want to ask a guy who’s been flying the airplane by himself for eight or nine hours to take a console (consolidation: take on fuel from another tanker) and extend his day to truly dangerous proportions? Again, asking for disaster. I really thought this was a joke when I first heard it. If it’s really the AMC/CC pushing this, I hope his leadership sends him to a psych eval. If he has any experience at all flying big airplanes, he should know this is a complete non-starter given the current technology. Now, I’ve been out for a while and I realize that tech and capabilities are a moving target and things have probably changed in the last decade. But I’m very, very skeptical that we have put the pieces in place to even start thinking seriously about a concept like this and the people with the most to lose will be the ones tasked with trying to undertake this I’ll fated clusterfuck. Here’s an idea: how about the four star goes back to flying the line, by his own single pilot ass self for a few months in all the kinds of shitty conditions he’s talking about exposing his crews to? He wants this? He can validate the concept himself.

I'm going to take a wild guess and say a lot of folks on here are too young to remember these guys.

I'm actually a bit disappointed our discussion digressed into name calming, as it so frequently does. Anyway, feel free to carry on the discussion. Edit: for torque.