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Pilots succeed at things because that’s how they became pilots in the first place. Take the top 40% of USAFA guys, the top 20% of ROTC/OTS, keep stratifying them through track select and drop night, re-flow the FTU washouts, give the remaining top 6.9% millions of dollars of high speed decision making skills, knowledge, and experience and then spend more millions to upgrade the best ones of those to IP and Patch…and then let them separate and fill their old staff positions with the aforementioned bottom 60-80% guys. The Air Force spends $20M each to produce guys that have survived 12 years of stratified tiers and is willing to let them walk away because they think they can replace them with non-pilots. Incompetence at best.

It could be the quality of recruits, but I could also see it heavily being the non-rated world discourages free thinking/critical thought while encouraging binary thinking and zero mission ownership. This is not a problem in at least portions of other services. Hell, the USMC officers I’ve worked with from the “shoe clerk” MOS have more mission-focused/get it done attitudes than the entire non-rated AF combined.

Term limits would make a hugely positive impact. It’ll never happen.

Many of these people are military officers and squadron commanders. I was shocked and disgusted by the majority of my peers during COVID.

Biff”s got the big picture view. Sometimes I think it’s ironic that we see heated arguments (on this forum & in society in general) about the merits of voting for one party or another. The irony is that they want us at each other’s throats. I recently had a conversation with someone who has spent a lot of time in DC lobbying (for a pilot union). This individual rather quickly became jaded (as is the way in Washington), and one of the things they told me stuck: the politicians yelling the loudest about hot button issues don’t want to solve said issues. In fact, they work very hard to make sure the stalemate continues. Why? Their very generous donors go away when the issue gets “solved”. This is universal regardless of party affiliation. Think about that the next time you want to demonize your fellow regular Joe, who may disagree with you on a particular issue. “They” want you screaming at each other because it energizes & makes their donors’ fundraising jobs easier. One of the reasons all of us should fight one another a lot less, and fight for campaign finance reform & term limits a lot more.

No retribution at all. My commander was completely on board and supported me the whole time. No one attempted to talk me into staying. Not one person said anything negative. A few people that got picked up for major in my group were mad they didn't do the same, especially when I separated a month or so after they pinned on. My commander also told me that when he was at a meeting with the wing commander before the second board's results came out for those already passed over, a lot of other commanders were saying that their guys were going to off themselves if they didn't make it. My commander said to the group that "his guy" (me) was going to throw a f-ing party. There is no fight with AFPC. It is a federal law. Twice passed over officers must be separated (if they do not elect to continue) within six months of notification of 2nd non-selection. No one in the Air Force has the power to stop that. I highly recommend anyone thinking of getting out gets passed over twice and saves more than a year of their life.

It’s almost like the super rich and powerful don’t really care about us common folk (dems and repubs, doesn’t matter). This sounds strangely familiar? Has this ever happened before in human history? I’ll give us all a big hint, yes. I’m not going to source every single time this happened because it is littered everywhere throughout the human story. I’d rather be alive today in the US than any other part of the globe or history, but we too have corrupt humans in charge. It’s the problem with having some sort of power hierarchy with humans behind the wheel . The dirtbags always find their way to the top. The best human society needs to be a compromise of capitalism, socialism (we gotta pay for roads and shit, universal healthcare seems like a human thing to do) with an elected body of government, chosen by the people. Sounds familiar. We have a really good system in place here in the US. The reason it’s not working: Turds (our leaders, regardless if it’s a political one or a CEO of a company) seem to float to the top of the power structure. Greed is rewarded instead of being a good human. Also, the rich and powerful have better means to take control of the law making process and stay in charge. But Biff, what about the people in Mississippi or North Dakota who don’t agree with the beliefs of those living in the looney bin also know as California? States rights. The Federal government needs to realize this. Not everyone agrees with the same laws. That’s why I can smoke a giant doobie in CA but not in AL. The US has the unique problem of having ethnicities from every part of the globe (maybe even the universe with Lizard People and Aliens lol). We will not make everyone happy. We all need to realize this and learn how to compromise. I don’t care for abortions, but the majority of voters here (CA) do so it’s legal here. There are more people of puritan heritage in the Deep South, so they vote against it. The majority of the people are happy. If you live in the Deep South, you’ll probably have to compromise your abortion rights. We almost have it figured out. We just need to learn to live with our differences and compromise. Edit: And somehow we need to get rid of the dirtbag mentality of the wealthy. Basically, the "fuck you, I got mine" attitude needs to go.

I mean, Taiwan doesn't explicitly support Taiwan's independence. If there's one lesson we should take away from our involvement in Afghanistan and Ukraine, it's that we should only commit to helping people who are willing to die for their cause.

An update: My plan worked to perfection. Separated with 120+ days of leave, took ~90 terminal, paid the rest. Got hired by a legacy airline and started with ~60 days left on terminal. The airline asked zero questions about any Air Force promotion stuff. Got the plane and domicile I wanted straight out of training. I'm already a line holder. Holy crap the airline life quality of life is a million times better than the Air Force. Zero queep. Zero outside work work. Zero mission planning. Zero paperwork. Brief and debrief? Maybe a total of five minutes combined per day of flying. I am so glad I got passed over and wrote a letter for the second board. I was told I am a legend in my old squadron and tales are being told of how I played by their rules and won. Do it. The letter is due in November. It is completely different if you are selected for major and then decline. You must not get selected, and a letter is a good way to do that. Here's something like the memo I wrote: MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD FROM: Capt Cool Dude SUBJECT: Non-Consideration For Promotion to Major 1. I do not wish to be considered for promotion to the rank of Major for board ABCDEFG123. 2. I fully understand the consequences described in AFI36-3207 and AFI36-2501 that will result from not being selected for promotion to Major a second time. 3. For questions regarding this memorandum, please feel free to contact my Executive Officers at DSN 123-4566 or lameGuys@us.af.mil. Signature block Ping me if you have questions. Tell your friends and anyone else that wants out early. I have zero regrets. We could have a recession tomorrow and I could get furloughed. Zero regrets would still exist.

Jesus dude. No, they don’t. Please keep your kids out of public schools.

Wow! It's been a while. While doing a bit of Google searching, I came across this thread and realized I was the OP. It's strange to revisit this thread six years later. It's funny how an internet forum can serve as a journal of your life in some ways. Anyways, quick update - I actually decided to go into finance after college. This isn't the coolest or most endearing story to tell - but I optimized for the most amount of money that I could make coming out of college. My family didn't have much financially growing up (I was a pell grant recipient in college) - so when I got into an top school I felt like I needed to try to maximize my earning potential and set up my current + future family for success. I actually then transitioned to the tech industry recently in a finance-related role. I'm happy with where I am at now. But obviously (since I'm here right now!) there's a part of me that wonders "what if?"

You’re wrong that this is “common.” You or I would be in prison for over a decade doing what he is on video doing. Standard Democrat two tier justice system in action. ————————————————————————— Former U.S. Attorney Brett L. Tolman has slammed the plea deal offered to Hunter Biden by Democrat President Joe Biden’s the Department of Justice (DOJ). Tolman said: “DOJ is violating its own internal policies on this case. “The Ashcroft Memo requires they charge the ‘highest provable offense’ and seek consistent sentences with other cases brought by DOJ. “This prosecution is an absolute laughable joke. “Thousands have been sent to prison for long terms for the same charges. They are ignoring decades of policy and precedent to seek felonies not misdemeanors and seek sentences within the guideline range. “The diversion agreement on the felony is offensive to everyone not politically connected who sought diversions and were literally laughed at by DOJ. “Thousands of people have been prosecuted under Project Safe Neighborhoods by DOJ. “They brag about getting nearly 5 years of prison time on average for their gun cases. “If they followed policy, Hunter would be looking at a minimum of 5 years in federal prison. “But he’s a Biden. “Take a look at 18 USC 924(c) charges. “Easy to prove given Hunter was distributed/dealing drugs with a firearm in his possession. “Such charges were brought against thousands in inner cities across the country for last 20 years. “Mandatory minimum sentences for all. Except Hunter. “Since Hunter “brandished” his firearm during the commission of a drug crime, he would be looking at a mand min of 7 years in fed prison. “DOJ could also add on top and min possession of child pornography if any of the girls were underage, plus on top of that years for tax evasion. “If DOJ treated Hunter Biden like the thousands of no-names who get prosecuted he would be looking at decades in federal prison.

Now wait just a damned minute! 🤣

So Chris Wray (appointed by Trump) and Davis Weiss (appointed by Trump) are in a deep-state conspiracy to protect Hunter Biden? Ok…that is a take I guess. If there are other appropriate and legal ways to investigate or charge Hunter, be my guest. Whistleblow to your heart’s content, let the truth be known and the corrupt among the powerful be held accountable.* *if there is a case to be made and truth to allegations Also from what I understand Hunter got a year probation for the gun charge, and after serving that it would essentially go away. I’m not a sentencing expert but that doesn’t seem out of the ballpark, it’s not like he used the gun to shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue! If you want a more rigorous and strict federally-led enforcement regime for gun-related crimes, I am all in favor of that.

There is an FBI whistleblower testifying to congress that the DOJ has been taking action to limit and protect the son of the President, but you’re happy so I guess he’s wrong. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The fact you can look at those charges and refer to that as “not protection” shows how in the bag you are for “it’s ok and I’ll pretend I didn’t see it when my party does it.” Again, between this or Clinton deliberately destroying her server hardware to deny investigation immediate access and somehow that isn’t obstruction… Right bro. Totally on the level. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Go buy a gun illegally and not pay millions in taxes and see how many misdemeanors and dropped charges you get? He pled guilty to basically nothing. The gun charge doesn’t require a plea, and under the diversion now he can’t be charged with anything pertinent to the case because that would be double jeopardy. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

"NEW - U.S. military unit monitors social media for mean posts about current and former high-ranking ..." Mean? The Generals are upset that people are being mean on the internet. The military still turns targets into hair, teeth and eyeballs right? People in charge of a profession based on killing are upset that words hurt lol. Some of our "leaders" are as frail as a bunch of toddlers.

The memes in that Twitter thread.... OMG. LOL

Imagine being the poor bastard having to explain to a four star that not only has he been ratioed and then dragged on Twitter, but that he has become a meme on a subreddit. Then imagine trying to be that poor bastard's supervisor trying to turn that nonsense into an OPR bullet.

For democracy and constitution, right?

Not entirely gone 👑

I'm just beginning to listen to RFK Jr as he's become popular of late. It's a bit of a chore, but so far it's interesting to be able to listen to someone from the other side and not immediately feel put off. Not that he could without being shot, but I'd like to see someone with his demeanor and common sense take on DC.

Can this internal review help shrink the Air Force’s pilot shortage? “Do all the pilot positions we have on staff actually require a pilot, or does it require someone with operational expertise?” Brown said. Slife the non-combat knife now doing extreme damage to the Air Force Writ large instead of just AFSOC. I know most pilots don't want to go to a staff job, sitting at a desk especially in the five sided wind tunnel can be pure drudgery. HOWEVER, if we don't put pilots, especially seasoned experts who know what it is like in those key staff positions, then the REMFs will make decisions about the equipment you get and how you operate. It is always good to look at resource allocation--especially the expensive ones--but airmanship and the ability to speak like an operational airmen does not come easily. It takes years to develop. The Air Force has evaluated where they needed pilots/operators in the past, and it has been to its severe detriment. Here are some examples: 1. ALOs--We first removed fighter pilots/WSOs from the ASOS communities, then pretended we could advise Army leadership on the best use of Airpower. The result has been an Air Liaison community with no tactical airborne experience, no real weaponeering ability, and an Army that dismisses their advice even more than before. 2. Staffs-- Air Force first used retired pilot/WSO contractors to fill positions, but is now even using engineers, program managers, and others who, while probably competent on many levels, have no business speaking about Airpower capabilities, selling Airpower capabilities, and funding the same. Many decisions are now made by Airmen who have only learned about Airpower through schooling and relative proximity. 3. Inexpensive yet relevant platforms--when we killed all of the Tactical Air Support Squadrons with their OV-10s/O-2, we killed a great pilot absorption capability, a great way to season aviators for pennies. The aircraft's tactical relevance diminished by the day, but their operational/strategic value was immense. Yes, we cut the pilot requirement down, but hurt even more the pilot creation capability. and the overall Airmanship of the Air Force. There is a reason why pilots run the Air Force, why WSOs/CSOs exercise a great operational influence over the direction of the Air Force. Not because of the universal management badge of wings, but because IT IS WHAT THE AIR FORCE DOES. Many have been the companies that have lost their ways as they turned the reigns over to CFOs and Program Managers...Just ask Boeing. Again, I know most of you clowns don't want to do a staff job, it is a necessary evil. If we don't put people who know what it is like to fling themselves into the air in a metal frame full of fuel and munitions and take said crate into combat, then the contracting officer who was CGO of the year for leading the savings bond drive is going to determine your future.

I wish a picture existed of a KA-3 getting gas from a 135 and giving gas to a F-8. Refueling version of a human centipede.

I was having a rough time in 2021. I wasn't feeling 100% healthy in the mind. During this time, my mom let me know that she found a news clipping that my Grandfather wanted her to read to me over 30 years ago. It fell out if a book randomly. He's the one who got me into aviation. The universe does some weird shit sometimes.

Have you ever really had commanders like that? I’ve had a bunch of commanders and not one that would go out of their way to punish you if you stood up for what’s right. I’ve had some great ones and some real turds, but nobody truly vindictive. No shit there I was…when I was teaching at the WIC we had a commander who had never been a black border previously and made a big deal about getting the real experience of earning a black border and not just pencil whipping it. He was a previous DO and had a notorious rep as an asshole. He gave a brief that wasn’t up to the standard to the cadre (who was grading him) and asked for feedback. One by one the cadre told him how good it was and gave him glowing reviews on the grade sheet. It gets to me and I told him how that wasn’t up to standard and I hooked him. I said that if a student did that, he absolutely would have hooked and that’s not passable as an instructor at the WIC. There was a gasp in the room because he had a reputation as a hard ass. Fast forward to the standard one on ones with squadron members and he asked me why I did that. I told him my job is to produce the best Patches that I can for the combat squadrons and uphold the standard. He said thank you and ended up making me the #1 guy in the squadron as a brand new Major. Nothing bad happened at all and it helped the cadre realize that “selection is every day”. I don’t tell that story because I’m so great but I truly think if you do the right thing for the right reasons, you’ll be fine. And if you truly do have someone punishing you for doing the right thing, go to the IG. Sorry for the thread detail.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/live-updates/hunter-biden-charges/?id=98765518 Health & wellness check on everyone saying, “Oh you could never charge the President’s son!” Well he was charged, pled guilty, and reached a deal with the (Trump-appointed) US Attorney from Delaware David Weiss.