Carpetbagger

I think this link has been posted here before, but it provides an interesting interactive tool for looking at some Electoral College options for both the 2016 and 2012 elections. Take a close look at the drop down that shows "optimal Republican" and "optimal Democrat"... very interesting outcomes. It would be interesting to see these multiple options run with the "Wyoming Plan" factored in as well. https://www.270towin.com/alternative-electoral-college-allocation-methods/

Those who opt in... Will the matching TSP not start for 4 additional years of service or will those members be "grandfathered in" based on having at least 4 years of service already behind them? Anyone have any intel on that part of the deal?

Anybody have any new info on when they will open the gates for AFRC/ANG guys? I called Beale and AFPC and we are still not able to apply without a valid exception to policy letter in hand. AFPC said to keep waiting as the tides "may change" but nothing definitive.

Any idea when the Aviation Jobs site will be back up? Unable to access via Safari.

Posted this exact plan 2 years ago Great plan that uses an existing structure that is acceptable. Gives the beneficiary both the pension and the 401k. The other workable part of this is the Tricare for life issue. Considerable cost to the government that can probably be remedied by a modified TAMP program of 3 years benefit, followed by subsidized access to a Tricare Reserve Select type plan. ALCON, Send these good suggestions up through your congressional reps and senators and prevent bad solutions by presenting acceptable ones. Go back and read the defense business board report if you think they won't completely ruin the military retirement system without touching the civil service system already in place for ATC, firefighters, law enforcement... and congress.

Anyone else with a Mac getting a malware warning when trying to access the Baseops.net jobs page at www.guardreservejobs.com?

Any ARC Pred folks out there getting the pilot bonus? What is the latest word on the bonus for RPA operators?

:beer: :beer:

U-2 Application Any visibility on whether the Air Staff is going to lift the moratorium on ANG/AFRC applications?

Nice assumption. You obviously missed my point. PM me if you want to discuss it further. No sense flaming out over this one - my popcorn machine is broken.

Nope. But I do own property near an airport that I'm trying to persuade to move somewhere else... How can I build a house there with all that airplane noise...[/sarcasm]

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Our country has rapidly moved from a "Freedom OF..." country to a "Freedom FROM..." country. The one "right" people seldom talk about is their "right" to leave, walk away, move, turn the channel, etc. These arguments are often started by the same type of folks who buy a house next to an airport, then ask the airport to move because they don't like airplane noise... Humanism and Atheism are "religions" unto themselves.

Any folks moving into the AFRC jobs over at 22 AF/Det1? What is the timeline and plan for that transition?

Agreed. Well said. Agree. It is the "intentional" part that should be hammered. Stupid mistakes happen, and accidents happen, but stupid accidents are often a result of poor leadership and accountability. Most folks don't aileron roll a non-aerobatic aircraft unintentionally. Spatial D is one thing, "hey, ya'll watch this" is another situation entirely. BLUF, it comes down to asking the right questions: Poor leadership and accountability = what if I get caught, what will this do to my career, etc... Good leadership and accountability = does this help the mission, does this save lives, does this set a good example of professionalism, etc... I had an instructor one time tell me a story from his Vietnam days. The story involved a non-standard, combat situation and the conversation went like this: Pilot: "Open up the NATOPS manual to page xx, and sit on it." CP: "What?" Pilot: "Look, we are in a bad spot here, and what I'm about to do isn't in the manual, but if this doesn't work out, I at least want the crash investigators to know that we referenced the book the best we could, and your seat cushion will probably be the only thing that survives the crash..." Instructor to me: "Sometimes things happen that aren't in the book, and that is when you have to leverage your experience and judgement to get the job done, save lives, and bring your crew home." Dumb, dangerous, or different. We've all be in situations where we have to push it up, think outside the box, and take some additional risks to save lives and get the mission done - and not everything is in the Dash-1 or NATOPS. That is why we've been entrusted with the job and rely on good judgement and experience to bridge the gaps. Taking those same risks when NOTHING is on the line but "showing off" is unacceptable.

Agree with you on the safety part and the lowest level part... However... Taking someone's wings for a SLOJ may be EXACTLY what prevents a mishap. A LOT of folks have lost their wings and jobs (civilian) for making "honest" mistakes (i.e. landing at the wrong airport) that in and of themselves were not a breach of the "public trust" that accompanies flight discipline. As was stated by others, there are a LOT of dead people out there who are dead because of the second, third, fourth, etc. breaches of flight discipline by particular individuals. Not taking the appropriate action (there is room for objectivity here) the FIRST time SLOJ and breaches of flight discipline occur is EXACTLY what gets the leadership and any other responsible parties fired after the funerals ceremonies and investigations are completed. A lot of occupations have "one really stupid mistake" clauses that bring about the termination of employment. All of us that have signed on the dotted line to fly these machines should know exactly where we stand and what will and will not be tolerated. I had a former commander show us a video detailing in his words, a specific pilot's "last flight in a military aircraft" for a "seemingly innocent" breach of flight discipline that didn't hurt anyone or anything. It was this person's first, and by default as they no longer fly military aircraft, only offense. There was absolutely no question in anyone's mind who attended that briefing where the boss stood on flight discipline and professionalism in the cockpit.