mjk5401

I'm pretty sure this is false. We went up memorial weekend 5 years ago. Rented 2 little two man swamp boats from base and went fishing all day and camped in a camper at night. If I recall, there is no alcohol inside the refuge. One of our guys got busted and got a hefty fine. Make sure you don't leave beer boxes or any evidence of alcohol in the back of your truck. I got some great pictures and caught some decent size fish. If you don't bring your own big screen tv, you can always rent one if you get a space a slip and rent an apartment. Enjoy!

We'll see this Fall. Several TAMI guys will hopefully go back, otherwise I'm sure quite a few will be punching! NO! But the Guard/Reserve force as a whole, have a shit ton more morale then Active Duty. I know Col's in their 40s who still fly fighters. But I do agree, most shouldn't & or don't want to by that point. Hemroids are a killer. I was referring more to Heavies. There's no reason we can't have disciplined & experienced long term pilots. Millions would be saved.

The big thing at Nellis for 16s were 365 to SW Asia. After multiple people 7 day opted, the CC got smart and started finding people who were close, but couldn't opt out. Talk about a shitty way to thin the forces. It is mind blowing that we spend millions in training and right when we have "experts" in their respective field, we run them out. Creech does the same thing. The OG/CC has a board of everyone's ADSC / TOS / and calculates who can and can't opt out. As Porkchop said, it's all about building the machine. AF Leadership needs to get their heads out of their asses and look at the Guard / Reserve model. AND / OR create two tracks for aircrew. One in which you grow Generals and the other where you grow Aircrew Experts. Exempt all aircrew from bullshit queep like school via correspondence followed by in-residence all while being gone 200+ days a year. Oh and checking a stupid box for a worthless Masters. If we want our Generals to be smart, then send them to AFIT and other prominent schools. Not a shit hole school formally known as Toro / TUI / Trident. If we respect our Aircrew Experts, they'll want to stay in and serve longer. Theres no reason we shouldn't be getting 30 years of great service out of Aircrew. Pay and treat them well and we would save Billions in training cost alone. Not to mention, be able to kick anyones ass in the world. I wouldn't mind capping at Major or Lt Col if I was justly compensated for time in service. I would love to fly the line / be a work horse for 30 yrs. Just let me do my job and be a Pilot.

Active Duty MQ9 - Creech (blue), Holloman (orange), Cannon, and Ellsworth just got their first CAP yesterday MQ1 - Creech (blue), Holloman (orange), Cannon, Whitman Reserve/Guard MQ9 - Creech (blue), Holloman (orange), Syracuse NY, Houston TX, Fargo ND MQ1 - Creech (blue), Holloman (orange), March CA, Davis Monthan AZ, Hurlburt FL

Yes and No! They were seriously considering having 24hr CAPs over NYC and DC post 9/11. Why spend millions on a CONUS CAP when you can spend a few thousand and get the same effect? 6.9 times out of 7, its dumb asses who forget to check the NOTAMs when the POTUS is in town and they end up flying through restricted areas. F16s haven't shoot down a Cessna 172 (or other LFW) yet and probably won't ever due to CIVCAS. Not to mention, 16s are to fast to get up close and personal. Its a $$$ issue. There still would be Guard alert duties for quick response, but thats more cost effective than burning a shit ton of JP8.

Ya...they're obsolete for the most part. If I'm not mistaken, they have one on a stick at Holloman. They did have them on display at the Bone yard for awhile, but since moved them to a more secure area (too many foreign tourist probably). Yes, I know your (Steve Davies) post was 2.5 yrs old, but not much has changed since then. Well, minus the US giving up two of its biggest stealth secrets this year.

Why / how would this be a bad thing? It's not like we would conduct initial operations w/ a AT6. It would be used more as civil patrol stateside. Rather than using F16s on CAPs for a POTUS fundraiser, put up a AT6. It costs a hell of a lot less to operate, not to mention, no need for an airborne tanker. For ops internationally, it would be used only once air superiority took place anyway. Throw a pod on it w/ some other good shit and you're good to go. You eliminate gas guzzlers and the need for tankers! The other option to the light attack airplane is, throw a couple of AGM114s on the MC12s. Do ISR and CAS at the same time.

A10s need to become more special like the 130s (AC/MC) and then maybe.

Giving a bullshit tail# is beyond dick! Boom operators then have to spend 6.9 extra minutes tracking your F'ing tail # down after a 6.9 hr mission. And yes, they have to and will get the tail number. Sometimes they have to call the receiving units to find out what tails were airborne. There are ways to find out, but bottom line, you're wasting a lot of peoples time by getting your jollies off from giving false TNs. The Navy is the worse! I swear they don't know what their TNs are half the time. So for the love of God, please give accurate info until the regs and ass pain changes... This will never happen because the paperless AF likes paper to much.

I'm amazed at the number of people who didn't know this! This isn't a new policy. I've gotten briefings / emails on it by SSOs, security managers, MPF, etc, at least once every year. In fact I just got an email from my SSO last week about photocopying. The biggest issue I've seen is doctors office's wanting to photocopy for insurance. I believe this implies for spouses IDs too. I know Guam is a U.S. territory, but I wouldn't give them my CAC. My license yes, but not my CAC.

There is no official budget passed for 2012 because we have an incompetent government! But yes, for 2011 calendar year, there is AIP - $350 a month unless you've been there for 3+ years, then it's $750. There is a 99.9% chance that it's all going away as of 1 Jan 2012. AIP was introduced because of the lack of resources at Creech. When it was conceptualized, there was no gas station, DFAC, or gym. However, there is now a gas pump (only pumps 87 though), a decent DFAC (24hr grab and go but limited Hot food times) , and a small gym w/ an outdoor track (in my opinion, out of regulation). Gas / travel time to and from Las Vegas wasn't a factor. HOWEVER, with the current administration, gas prices have risen by over $1.50 a gallon and the bus has been terminated w/ the exception of airman from the Nellis Dorms. On average, its an 80 mile round trip so roughly $12-15 per trip. If you're on a 6/2 schedule it could cost you $4,500 a year in gas if you're not car pooling. AIP has helped offset fuel cost for a lot of airman. It's unfortunate that there is a lack of transportation options w/ the rising fuel cost and now AIP being eliminated. In my opinion, it will hit younger airman harder then what leadership is planning for. No...no plans for Cannon. You have everything you need there...minus HOT women sun tanning on a beautiful sandy beach, but Congress isn't going to compensate you for that. I still say Del Rio (w/ the border being closed) is worse than Cannon. Throw Altus and Minot into the mix and you have your top 5 worse bases to be stationed at.

Speaking of booze and tobacco, if I recall, my Grandpa use to tell me back in WWII he was rationed both booze and tobacco. Yes the military gave the HEROES of America FREE booze and tobacco. Now we can't even buy it while deployed all because, "we're trying to be respectful to our host's customs". They're going to stab us in the back in 10 years anyway...just like Iran did, Afghanistan did, and now Iraq is....but I digress. Anyway, I know the Vol 3 says "no smoking in the aircraft, unless approved by Gen.....",but I think I would allow my Loadmaster or Boom Operator to take a few hits so they can keep their nerves at ease while they perform the mission. I don't smoke, but making people quit cold turkey while being deployed is borderline dangerous in my opinion. I'm kind of curious on how many cigarette boxes will be found behind the insulation (on Mobility Aircraft)...Its always fun finding some porn left behind from a previous crew. ahhh...morale, where have you gone?

2 But mine took 69 minutes because I'm a slow typer when drinking biers!

Ours was 3 per year and 1 set of boots. Most people only got 1 and 1 though. It depends if you need a new one because it's old or if its worn. There is an AFE reg that states you are not authorized to make adjustments to them. I had a large hole in a pocket and wanted to sew it up, they said they couldn't and that I needed to get a new flight suit. I personally like the look and feel of an older flight suit. Lets be honest, is it really going to save your life?

Syracuse, Texas (Ellington Field), Holloman, ND, and Creech so far. Several more on the way.

You didn't get issued any of this? If you didn't, make sure you write it off on your taxes! If your losing unit refuses to pay for / issue it, I recommend you ask your gaining unit. It won't hurt, because, you'll have to get it eventually if you're aircrew (unless you're stationed Hawaii and don't deploy). My 2 cents is, it's 5 days of life long lessons, suck it up and have fun. I just did all my retraining (SS02, SS03, SS07) and minus the briefs, its the most fun training we do in the AF minus small arms.

Per the Vol 1 - You are allowed 45 days to in-process prior to starting MCT. Once in MCT, you are allowed 90 days. Most people finish way ahead of that. Deployments depend on the squadron Co-Pilot strength. I've seen as early as 2.5 months to as late as 6 or 7 months from arrival. Housing is nice for the money. There are a lot of young guys living downtown. With the DUI rate lately, it's not a bad idea if you're a drinker. I'm surprised more people aren't rooming up more. Being gone 200 days out of the yr, you might as well make some money by splitting the cost. I'm selling a 2500 sq ft, 5 bed, 3 bath, 3 car, brick front, granite countertops, stainless steel apps, hardwood floors, and larger yard for 235k., just to give you an idea.

According to Air Force Times article: "Ellsworth will be home to about 280 airmen and civilians flying five patrols per day, said Sen. John Thune, R-S.D. The squadron should be in place by January 2012. Whiteman will get a similarly sized squadron, expected to be fully operational by February 2011, Missouri senators said." So does "in place" mean initial cadre, but not fully operational? Has anyone been asked to help stand the Ellsworth SQ up yet?