Leaderboard

Is there any rage bait you don't fall for?

Quote of the Day... "Imagine thinking Iran should be allowed to have nuclear weapons, but that your own people shouldn’t be able to own a gun." Carry on.

Did anyone see the events around the King Air that crashed (ditched), 80 miles offshore? Sounds like a movie in the making as they ditched and all 11 people on board survived and were rescued by the Coast Guard and the 920th. Everyone surviving a ditching then being rescued...Well done

Buddy my job is literally to travel around the country and stay in different cities. Just because it happens sometimes in other cities doesn't mean there's a comparison. California has been orders of magnitude worse since the pandemic. And it's not even close.

So 19AF can now solely focus on continuing to gut the UPT enterprise

He is OFF THE CHART, that be no man's land:

Last week I had what I can only describe as a "pure" ending to a flight, I live for those moments. Unfortunately as a ham-fisted pilot I don't get to realize them as often as I would like. The flight started off with weather that was not forecasted. Taxiing out there was a literal wall of fog approaching the field obscuring the trees. I hustled up and got airborne just before the field went below mins. I did not see the ground for the next 300 miles. I had extra gas and was now questioning the TAF at my destination, already planning divert options when 40 miles from home the sky opened up and I could see the coast. At 35 miles I could see the field and asked for lower. Surprisingly they cleared me the visual from 35 miles out. I did some quick pilot math and pulled the throttle back to just above idle and started down. I never touch the throttle again until I touched down. Blind squirrel found a nut, divine intervention or pure luck...It just felt good.

Selling my 1979 A185F if anyone is looking for a great performer with the IO-550 and 88” Prop. STOL kit, Wing Extensions, VGs, etc.

I'm glad they didn't have a radar gun on the Destin bridge 40ish years ago.

Nope. Do it. What's the magic number? 4? Because I've been to 4 different CA cities and witnessed the horror show with my own eyes. None were SF.

Look at the picture again. Dude shit in the street, not on the sidewalk. It's the little things....

Hopefully someone kicked some rudder because lead got lucky with having enough space to eject. Since everyone made it and are OK: Rejoin to the piggyback position? Is that a new Ace and Gary maneuver?

Two has some spalining to do...parroting other holy cow lucky they all got out and didn't get tangled up. I thought it was AI at first...they were stuck together after first contact.

Sure thing, as long as you quit sending all your idiots to Texas, especially Austin! And I don't have to say Texas is great, everyone knows it is except for all the Californians moving here!

Another fundamental disagreement. You believe that there is such a thing as a state of peace. I believe that's a fantasy of well-meaning but historically ignorant people. We may create different enemies and different problems. But there was never the possibility, much less the reality, of doing things perfectly such that we have no enemies. Go back a hundred or more years and see that there was never a desire for peace, and that the people complaining now about being displaced from their lands were the displacers not very long ago... They weren't holding hands as peaceful Pearl Farmers before the United States started meddling in the Middle East. They just slaughtered each other. Similar to the many myths told about the noble native Americans before the evil Europeans arrived. Again, and I'm not pointing this specifically at you though you do seem to fall into the category, I just find it childish to have this view where the United States is constantly framed as actually not always the good guy or objectively wrong or all the other ways in which people do gymnastics to avoid the reality that there has never been a country as powerful as we are that has shown the Goodwill or restraint that we have. And many of the countries that are today viewed as paragons of global morality and cooperation (Nordic countries especially) are just the powerless husks of once-ruthless imperialists, fed and watered by the global power of the United States post WWII. The conversation always falls apart when the idealists are forced to identify some country that's better. They can't, because the ideology requires all things to be compared to a hypothetical. Again, everything is short-term with this argument. The jcpoa only afforded 10 years of reduced enrichment. They were allowed to build and maintain all of the facilities required to enrich to weapons grade, and the second that we pulled out the agreement, they did. And it's largely irrelevant because you've already conceded that they want a nuclear bomb. So there's really not much else to talk about. They want it, they can't have it. Everything they've done has justified our refusal, up to and including October 7th. You think it would be better for the US to allow that to happen. I don't. And I think all the hand-wringing about Trump is over-complicating his position, which is basically mine: Iran can't have nukes, and we won't trade terror funding for temporary compliance. The end. Good convo.

For the record: I was banned from the forum by Helodude for responding to personal attacks after multiple users refused to engage with sourced arguments. I'd invite anyone reading to scroll back and judge whether the tone of my posts was meaningfully different from what CH, LR, brabus, M2, and others post regularly without consequence. M2 liking DFRESH's reminder to the forum is a nice touch, given that personal attacks, or unsourced, baseless statements are a regular feature of his contributions here. M2, name one politician or member of this forum, any person that matters that ever said Iran should have nuclear weapons? Not "criticized the strategy," not "questioned the outcomes," not "doubted the rationale." Said Iran should have nukes. I'll wait. What people are actually frustrated with is an administration that can't keep its story straight. In June 2025, the program was "completely and totally obliterated." By November, the White House's own document downgraded that to "significantly degraded." In February, Witkoff said Iran was "a week away from industrial-grade bomb-making material." Days later, Trump said Iran could "soon" hit the American homeland with missiles, when the DIA's own assessment says 2035 at the earliest. Then we launched Operation Epic Fury, and Gabbard told the Senate the program had been obliterated again, while refusing to confirm it had been an imminent threat. The Director of the National Counterterrorism Center resigned over it. That's not one position. That's five, in twelve months, depending on what needed justifying that day. Pointing that out isn't advocating for a nuclear Iran. It's asking the administration to pick a story and stick to it. But sure, use an internet meme and stick to a strawman, false equivalence, and false dilemma with the 2A.

*AFRC may be different, but this is from the perspective of a career ANG DSG who lived in base for both gigs. My old boss is the current 4-star Chief of the NGB, a member of the joint chiefs of staff, and he did ACSC and AWC by correspondence (SOS in-res). A squadron mate just put on a Star to work at the state level (via indispensability...woof) and I don't think he did in-residence for anything. We've had multiple pilots on various staff gigs in Hawaii, Europe and NGB and none of them did ACSC or AWC in residence. In the 20+ years I was in my ANG wing, I can't think of anyone who has been leadership in my wing, who did ACSC or AWC in-residence. The sky is the limit and in-residence likely won't change that. About the only thing I can think that in-res is good for, is that I believe it doesn't count toward your 5-years of USERRA time. So many questions that need answered to provide anything meaningful. Do you live in base for your airline gig, your mil gig or both? How far away from your 20? How old are you? How much pain are you willing to suffer just to get that 20 year pension (I say suffer because I did not enjoy full time work in the military...too much desk time)? Will your airline allow you to sneak past the 5 year point, will you be in a job that can be given a USERRA waiver? Also, best case scenario, if you can even sneak past the 5 year USERRA to get your AGR retirement, what age would you draw that vs a DSG retirement (I'm getting my DSG retirement at 57, I know others getting it at 55)? Is the lost pay at the airline worth that to you? Does momma want to be drug along to more moves while you chase these assignments? Kids? It sounds like momma wants to get settled into a forever home. For me, that would be priority #1 because if she ain't happy, it's likely you won't be either. From that viewpoint is where I'd make all future decisions. I'm a big proponent of just going DSG and flying full time at the airline. Maybe take the occasional set staff orders to Hawaii/Europe on times of your own choosing if Momma is onboard. Then again, I was always much happier as a DSG and insanely happier now that I'm out and have more free time than I know what to do with...good problem to have.

It’s at his own golf course. If you buy your own golf course, you can put up a statue of yourself as well…Fuckin calm your tits.

We had a rental van in Germany year ago. We were flying down the autobahn when the dude in the passenger's seat rolled down the window....the combination of speed, airlfow and age on the van was just enough to tear the headliner loose.....BOOM....we were all suddenly sitting there covered in a cloud of insulation, it looked like a scene out of a movie, all we could do was laugh. Took us a while to get all the insulation out of our hair, teeth and flightsuits. The next day one of the guys super-glued the headliner back into place. We turned the van in a few days later and never heard a word.

There are always USAFE AND PACAF jobs popping up that don’t require SDE or IDE in res. If you’re after multiple years of adventure OCONUS (and adding to your TAFMS), no need to do school to make that happen. Also, only have had one guard wg/cc who did in res school, the rest did SDE in correspondence.

I’ve returned a car OCONUS missing a door. Said “have a nice day” and left. Never heard about it ever again. Seen many GTC rentals returned all kinds of screwed up over my career, never seen or heard of anyone getting screwed (questioned by the CC is a different story).

In a just world, lawyers wouldn't exist, and they certainly wouldn't be involved in combat. Combat is supposed to be brutal beyond the pale to the point that anywhere a combatant hides is a valid target until there are no more targets or until the enemy gives up. America seemed to have forgotten that fact somewhere right around 1946. Somewhere along the line we decided to be "nice" when we use military force, which is how you end up with a military doing 'nation building'...the complete opposite of it's function.

Shifting back to a more tactical discussion it appears the Saudis and UAE are VERY upset by the latest attacks from Iran. Pakistan has now joined the Saudis and there is talk of a ground incursion into Iraq to target the threat vector directed at the Kingdom. Saudi has recalled 50,000 reservists. Pakistan has deployed a squadron of fighters and thousands of troops to the Kingdom...next few days are going to be interesting.

Blancolirio said their airshow flying was an additional duty. Well, that should just about take care of the airshow demos in the Growler. Glad they all got out, but why a colossal waste of money and not a good look for Naval Aviation.

Timing and spacing was good. Two, your PLF was a little off. I saw feet, butt, head. Remember to roll on your side next time.

I can’t explain that, because I don’t know. What I do know is as follows: 1) We have an artificially higher gas tax, by a significant amount. I don’t know why because our roads are terrible and they’re turning them into bike lanes. 2) My electricity rates are increased at a rate that is greater than the advertised rate of inflation (but are likely what actual inflation rates are.) 3) Trash fees, which were previously apart of property tax, just became an additional fee of $600/year. 4) $19,000 a year in state income tax at roughly $300k a year. 5) 1% property tax on a $1m home (median) is a lot. Plus community taxes. 6) We’ve created the fastest high speed rail… That doesn’t exist. 7) Probably lots of “Learing” Centers.

Another good question is going to be why do we have Growlers flying air show profiles? Did you really need an LDHD two ship to do a routine that would probably look exactly the same in slick hornets?

I love California and hate who/how the state is run. I have a beautiful home in San Diego that overlooks the airport, bay, and North Island... And we've had my wife's car broken into once and a homeless man come onto my patio, steal her shoes and a weightlifting belt I had on my squat rack. We also have a really nice property six hours North of San Francisco where the only things you run into are deer, black bears, and mountain lions. I agree that California is probably the most diversely beautiful state. I just wish that it wasn't controlled by the Bay Area and LA populace. I'm hopeful that people are waking up. Spencer Pratt's Mayoral campaign seems to be going quite well. Can he win? I don't know, but I hope that he does.

At least he missed the sidewalk.

“the service said the major command’s operational experience will improve readiness for the training pipeline for fighter and remotely piloted aircraft units.” Obviously those IPs wearing AETC patches who’ve had 1+ operational assignments do not have operational experience like if they’d come to work tomorrow wearing ACC patches. Duh.

The Air Force decision process is much like the pendulum on a clock but without the ability to remember what the pendulums location used to be or predict the future location. So, the AF just repeats history thinking it has found something new and unique.

Not to worry, I won't.

Apples and oranges... While North Korea has been a threat since 1953, tell me how many Americans have been killed as a result of that regime since? Now, how many Americans have been killed as the direct result of Iranian-sponsored terrorism since 1979? If you think Iran is less likely to use nukes (if they get them) than North Korea, please elaborate why. Yeah, North Korea is somewhat unpredictable; but I feel they are far likely to go full on stupid unless they feel the regime is threatened versus Iran who would use them (especially against Israel) for far less justifiable reasons. Iran’s leadership blends religious ideology with state strategy, which could make its decision-making less purely deterrence-based than a typical state. North Korea’s primary goal is widely viewed as regime survival above all else. Iran has a long track record of using proxies (Hezbollah, militias, etc.) that creates a scenario where escalation could occur indirectly or ambiguously. Iran operates in a densely contested region (Middle East) with multiple adversaries, frequent conflict and short missile flight times which increases the chance of miscalculation, rapid escalation and pressure to act quickly in crisis. This recent conflict with the US, and the fact that several Middle East countries are siding with the US on it, has clarified who are their allies and who are their adversaries. Overall, Iran's ideology, proxy conflict and regional instability far more increase the risk!

I know sourced arguments are a rarity and have very limited effect around here, but here goes nothing. It is a fact that they were in compliance for the duration of and slightly after Trump tore up the deal. https://www.armscontrol.org/blog/2018-06-08/iaea-report-confirms-irans-compliance-jcpoa Here’s a report from our own congress on the JCPOA: https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R40094#_Toc205812494 “Until July 2019, all official reports and statements from the United Nations, European Union, the IAEA, and the non-U.S. participating governments indicated that Iran had fulfilled its JCPOA and related Resolution 2231 requirements.” And another one CIPAssessing The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Iran Dea...The JCPOA must be properly understood as working before we can attempt to understand why the Trump administration left the deal.“The record shows that Iran complied with the terms of the JCPOA.”

Yeah, just another moderate Democrat sprinting to grab the flag of moderation on a bunch of issues only after they have been settled in the court of public opinion. Where was he 2 years ago when the trans issue was burning brightly and parents were mobbing school board meetings to stamp out the ideology from their schools? Where was he when the teachers unions were keeping schools closed during covid, resulting in those math and reading scores? Where was he when Latinx wasn't the punch line of a joke but another crazy attempt to cram fake racism into every corporate budget? If he has a recent interview talking about the evils of Hamas or how the Whitehouse Ballroom project isn't fascism, maybe he's the guy. But as far as I know the only prominent Democrat in the entire country that isn't blowing in the wind of progressive ideology is Fetterman. I definitely would have lost the bet if you told me that the most rational consistent politician in Washington would be the guy recovering from a stroke. 🤣😂 I'm waiting for after Trump's presidency ends, for Democrats to suddenly realize the value of overturning Roe v Wade. Anyone notice how absent abortion is from the national discourse since that ruling?

That's pretty much everything we need to know about your position. This is exactly the Obama/Mandami/Sanders position. Call it power-guilt or whatever, but it takes an absolutely tortured view of morality, statecraft, and human nature to find the Iranian regime (both the old Mullah-led regime and the current IRGC-led regime) somehow deserving of nukes because of the most unintelligent interpretation of US and Israeli histories. It's been fascinating to watch conspiracy-susceptible (and attention whoring) conservatives like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens fall into this rabbit hole and become indistinguishable from the progressive politicians they became famous by attacking.

Same thing I said to Pooter. Argue the content and don't degrade the person.

Funny how progressives always go to states like MA to show how great Dems are, but conveniently leave out NM lol. Kind of like how they love to look at states like LA, but never mention UT or ID. Boston is a pretty nice layover btw, one of my favorites. The best indicator of likelihood of high vs low crime: Demographics

Agreed, TN blows, don’t move there. It’s the worse state in the union by far and everyone needs to quit moving there since it’s so terrible. I would never even consider moving there, especially if I had blue hair, was a trannie, a liberal, or otherwise wanted to ruin this great nation by fixing all the “right wingers”. Let that place stew in its own misery. PS: MS can have Memphis and thereby reduce crime by about 85%.

I can see that. Two reasons: The media at large wants to paint anything Trump does as a failure. So, every American is bombarded with bullshit, half truths, and the legit info is typically suppressed significantly - it takes real effort to find it. For example, here’s a good example of clearly defined objectives (at unclass level): https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/trumps-4-objectives-in-iran-explained-1.500461406 Bottom line, the objectives have been pretty clear and not nebulous, but they also have been severely suppressed and therefore it makes sense that they seem non-existent/nebulous to a large portion of the population. Trump says all kinds of wild comments coming from left field that may or may not be true/fully accurate. He does this on purpose a lot - debatable how much it helps vs hurts his goals. So he is certainly a PCF to making it all seem nebulous at times when, in fact, it’s not nebulous at all. Bottom line, the admin could do better at clearer messaging, but it’s also hard to get clear messaging out when the “middle man” is doing everything possible to suppress or misconstrue that messaging.

Pretty sure we're all big boys and girls here

If you were banned, you wouldn’t be able to post…you’re being moderated for your recent past behavior on the forum. Feel free to PM me, CH, and M2 about it if you want to discuss further.

This seems very very pedantic but sure I’ll use your terms in the spirit of friendly debate. I have googled it and traffic through the strait has been reduced by 95% plus. In any other context a 95% degradation of something would be considered kaput. Your car’s gas tank is 95% empty.. that’s empty. Your home air conditioning is pumping out 5% of the cold air it normally does.. your AC is broke. Your son only mows 5% of the yard.. hey buddy you didn’t mow the yard like I told you to. To the rest of your comment I noticed you used the word “nebulous” a lot. And I actually think it’s a perfect description of what’s going on. Maybe the reason we can’t agree on basic facts isn’t a problem of either of us but it’s because the war goals have been so nebulous no one is even sure what the desired end state is supposed to be. We have Trump proclaiming the war is over a few days back and then Bibi goes on the news and says the work isn’t done and we still have to get the nuclear material, more missile sites etc… And since our support for Israel is clearly limitless I’ll defer to the guy who I think is actually calling the shots (Bibi) and will assume this thing is far from over

It took just under a month for mine. My buddy who needed a waiver had to wait around 6 weeks, ironically though his start dates are before mine.

Ugly truth, and neither side seems terribly interested in solving it.

California Mayor will Plead Guilty to Working as Agent of China

There are shit holes all over the United States, not just in California. Some of the worst places I ever visited were in the American South. Montgomery has parts of town that rival Compton. Edit: There is plenty to hate about California but there's also a lot to like. I stay here because it's not that bad. The governor sucks, a lot of the people suck as well but that's also been my experience in most of the places I lived outside of California while on active duty.

…who has no nazi tattoos. “Match,” I don’t think that word means what you think it means.

Are what ifs open? What if you weren’t such a politically-charged hack that you could be honest instead of purposely curating/cherrypicking to make your political opponents look bad in a false way (guess you have a great future career in the MSM). What if you weren’t so retarded as to compare Trump to Mao. I mean, you have to be pretty stupid/brainwashed to make that comparison. You’re embarrassing yourself, recommend stop.