Carpetbagger

Elk City, Idaho Visual approach... with nosewheel steering...

RO and a Nav https://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=115 Try that link. It explains the whole shooting match except the STAR stuff. The T1 used to be the primary platform for clandestine STAR using the Fulton Surface to Air Recovery System (STAR). Some modified Papas used it as well. It is not used anymore.

Everything the Talon II does, with a 25 year older airplane and 2 additional crewmembers. The 2 and the 1 both have their strengths and weaknesses, but are capable of 99% of the same stuff, depending on the training of the specific crews.

The USN C-130's are part of "VR" squadrons, or "fleet replenishment" units. They are basically airland general purpose trash haulers. I don't think there are any on active duty anymore. All of the units I'm familiar with are USN Reserve and do detachments abroad to support the Navy. I believe they do all of their initial and upgrade training at Simuflite in Atlanta. They do not go through LR. The units fly the C-130T, which is a later model C-130H (most were built around 1990-1995).

Autotrader. Remember you are in Mississippi (my old stompin' grounds). Autotrader will let you run the ad indefinitely (until it sells) for 39 bucks. You can't beat that. Lemon lot is a good place too, but it isn't accessible to everyone in the local area like the Autotrader is. Ebay will cost you over 40 bucks for every time you run the ad. Done that before and lost. Sold every car I've ever parted with via Autotrader or lemon lot and gotten near full price for them.

Very few scholarships out there, but you can get "school loans" for flight training from Sallie Mae (SLM). You can get your PPL done over a summer while you work part time. Takes a little while to pay off the loan, but it is definitely worth it if you are strapped for cash like I was. The 3 or 4 thousand $$ loan is well worth it when that Guard or Reserve unit says "we would love to have you come fly with us." I took out a small loan and got a paper route during the last year of college to help pay for flight training and pay back the loan. Worth every penny.

Two. Don't most mercs get 6-figure salaries...? Just pondering. Not gonna turn in the bag just yet. Try organizing a bunch of mercs into a corps or division sized asset...that would be interesting to see. That being said, with cost as the main factor overriding mission requirements and common sense, we may get those 6-figures yet.

Yeah, definitely uncomfortable. Seeing as how most herk dudes will actually get to use their defensive systems at some point in their career (and really EARN hostile fire pay), let's table this discussion for a secure environment. :rolleyes: "Where are your troops and may I count them" or "where are your herks and how many of them have ____ installed?" Same thing.

Two.

All CSAR assets are AFSOC gained now, except for PACAF units.

Original question? Klutz, go to the military pay calculator on the baseops homepage and figure up what you have to make as a bum. An Active Duty 1Lt out of UPT, with dependent, will make close to 55K (dependent on BAH location, of course). If you factor in 14 days of annual tour, 48 FTPs, 48 UTAs, you will make 11-12K, for working the bare minimums (figure about 75 days worth of actual work, you'll understand this later). Throw in about $125-175 per day for a manday (dependent on any number of factors) and it is easy to see that you can fly 250-500 hrs per year, have 180 days off, and STILL make more than you would in a regional job. This doesn't take into account any tax free deployments you add in. As a 1Lt bum in a herk unit, if you make yourself available, you should have no trouble bringing in 30K or more per year. As to the regional/corporate mumbo jumbo arguments listed, listen to the folks with experience. Remember, most of the hour requirements listed in previous posts are MINIMUMS. The regionals typically hire more folks with minimum hours, but many other companies do not, because of steep insurance premiums for lower time folks. The faster you upgrade to A/C, then IP, the better off you will be during any airline interview. That being said, as Rainman mentioned, have a plan for putting food on the table BEFORE you spend 2 years of your life in UPT. [ 13. July 2005, 22:14: Message edited by: PilotoftheCaribbean ]

AFSOC aircraft have minimum hour requirements in the right seat (or left for you helo bubbas) just like everyone else. Slightly more hours for some airframes (mission complexity is a definite issue), but there are waivers for many things. It really boils down to this: your squadron will prep and send you to AC upgrade WHEN YOU ARE READY. Not everyone is ready to upgrade to AC when the hands of the clock point in the appropriate direction. Some folks need a little extra time in the right seat before going to AC school. There are some copilots that fly well enough, and have the decision making ability to be AC's with only a few hundred hours, and others that, well... not so much. Any good squadron is not going to send a weak candidate to AC school that will stand a chance of busting rides and getting sent home. So, get through training, be the best, start logging PIC time, and things will happen in a logical order. [That being said, you are wise to ask these questions. Know thy regulations and take charge of your own training. If you fall through the cracks, it's your own fault.]

Sorry for the misunderstanding Apollo, thought you meant blanket CFI, not specifics. Bottom line = CFI requirement of IR is dependent on several factors (read if's and or's), some of which were not discussed in this forum. That is why there is a reg. As PAB mentioned, it is the responsibility of us all to read it for ourselves. [ 17. May 2005, 22:34: Message edited by: PilotoftheCaribbean ]

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but we have to be careful about posting bogus information. If you're going to post something, examine the source document (regs or whatever) first, please. You don't need an instrument rating to be a CFI (61.195) or commercially rated pilot (61.133.) Why you wouldn't want one, I don't know. Originally posted by Apollo FAR 61.195 1) A pilot certificate and flight instructor certificate with the applicable category and class rating; and (2) If appropriate, a type rating. © Instrument Rating. A flight instructor **who provides instrument flight training for the issuance of an instrument rating or a type rating not limited to VFR** must hold an instrument rating on his or her flight instructor certificate and pilot certificate that is appropriate to the category and class of aircraft in which instrument training is being provided. www.faa.gov

Originally posted by Slye FAR 61.129 Aeronautical experience. (for commercial pilot rating) (a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (i) (hot air balloon) of this section, a person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot... [same for multi] Part 141 is a structured approved school program that has no total specific hour requirement per se, but it comes out to be about 185 total hours (35 ppl, 30 ins, 120 comm) not counting checkrides and additional solo or instructional time required, if you do the math for all the minimum sub-requirements. There is no total time requirement for CFI, just pass the tests, get signed off, and take the checkride.

Amen Huey! There is a reason why they call it "tactical grey." It is much harder for the human eye to distinguish shades of gray against a sky back ground. These higher ups trying to get promoted by painting pretty aircraft have obviously never been beak to beak with a VFR bugsmasher flying on an IFR altitude. "Let's make our student pilots with 50 hours of cessna time disappear into the sky with our multi-million dollar airplane, while we dress our force is some ridiculous blue outfit with absolutely no tactical capability. Can I have my star now?"

https://secureapp2.hqda.pentagon.mil/perdiem/faqdla.html Try this link. This is the FAQ for DLA. If you are a reservist, and moving dependents (even on your first PCS, in the fine print), with orders longer than 20 weeks, and authorized PCS entitlements (very key phrase that should appear on your orders), you should get DLA. I got DLA 3 times in 18 months. Once to UPT, once to Corpus, and once back to my reserve unit. My PLEAD (place entered active duty) and HOR were not co-located with my squadron, however, and that may have had something to do with it. As Bergman said, the key is in the intent. It is to reduce the costs of moving your family around with a PCS. If you are entitled, sometimes you have to fight for it, because no one is looking out for you, but you.

Clancy's non-fiction book about the carriers has a lot to say about command structure. He says that an officer usually goes from a carrier squadron command to an air group command (CAG) or to a fleet ship like an oil tanker or underway replenishment vessel to re-learn how to drive a ship for a couple of years, then back to an aircraft carrier command. Both the CAG and CO are aviators (0-6). CAG being like a wing CO and the boat CO being similar to a base commander. FWIW.

C17W. No, there is one "new" category. And it has been around for several years, just not available to your average ATP. https://www.boeing.com/news/releases/1997/n...se_970821a.html Here is the link that talks about the first official Powered Lift rating. For additional info, look up FAR 61.163. FAR 61.63 sets up some standards for additional ratings and does get specific about "turbojet" or "turbopropeller" type ratings, but this only applies to fixed wing aircraft, not powered lift aircraft, which is a different "pilot certificate category," as HP mentioned, as opposed to a specific type. As for the type rating stuff, I was merely stating the regs which specify what aircraft demand a type rating for PIC. As it stands by the current regs, I believe the BA609 will not require a type rating because it will not be over 12,500, and not be purely "turbojet" powered. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't waded this deep into the FAR mire in a while.

Fuse, The tiltrotor is going to become a new classification of aircraft, much like an airship or gyrocopter is different from a fixed wing or rotor aicraft. You can go to the FAA website and look for any additional info. When the civilian BA609 hits the market, a type rating will probably be needed to fly commercially. This will depend on the weight, but also whether the FAA classifies this aircraft as a "jet" or a "turboprop."

Like you said, flying whole career in 3G or less environment, or flying a little, then never. I had a friend who was a T-38 IP (FAIP) and eventually lost his fighter at IFF because of a similar back injury that occurred years earlier. He is enjoying the Herk lifestyle now, and happy to be flying. Don't lean so far forward that you fall on your face. Plenty of action to be had in other airframes (just ask some of the OIF/OEF types). Good luck in your pursuit

To answer a few of your questions Beerman (AirGuardian, correct me if I'm wrong, I'll defer to your experience): 1. Guard in-state tuition = 100% on a first come first serve basis (up to a limit and only until the money runs out) varies between some states 2. AFRC, AD, and Guard have Tuition Assistance, or TA, can be used for any college or vocational credit up to and including graduate work (at 100% or 75% payout depending on the type of program 3. GI Bill = different pot of money, AD pays into the GI Bill and gets more total money, AFRC and ANG get 36 months worth at a set amount (can't remember the exact amount but it is near $10,000). Can be used for any vocational or college program designed to prepare you for any job (yes, this covers aviation ratings beyond an initial private pilot license) Basically, an individual can use all three types of education money to achieve different goals. The only one you have to pay money for is the Active Duty GI Bill, the others pay 100, 75, or 60% depending on the type of program. Other big question = yes, there are some rare individuals that will go to UPT with one squadron and then jump ship for another one. All UPT graduates owe 10 years of service to a USAF component, not a particular squadron. It is not difficult to transfer units within ANG or AFRC and not too difficult to transfer from ANG TO AFRC or vice-versa. However, a unit will evaluate you for hire based on what you can do for THAT UNIT. They realize that your job or family situation may transfer you to another area, happens all the time, but don't make a habbit of switching units. That stigma WILL follow a person (The Reserve components are a relatively tight knit community, and everybody knows somebody everywhere.) By the way, I second the advice to get a non-aviation degree in something you enjoy. Most of the folks I know coming off of active duty who are, or at least were, getting aviation related jobs, got those jobs because of degrees and experience in safety, operations, and business management, not because of a B.S. in Aeronautical Science. Good luck in your quest Piper.

This post assumes you are a rated OFFICER, not a Warrant Officer. If you are already sponsored by an ANG unit, the transition will likely include going through the USAF fixed wing qual program. I am not familiar with the specifics, but you will basically progress through the T-37 or T-6, and T-1 or T-44 (unit dependent) to get your USAF fixed wing qualification. It is sort of like UPT but more of a proceed at your own pace program. The 2 Army guys I know who went through were both Majors, who spent about 8-10 months going through the fixed wing course (they were proficiency completed and advanced according to their respective skills) and then another few months going through mission qual for the Herc. There are several people on this board a little closer to the hiring and qual scheduling side than me, namely CAVOK and AirGuardian, who may have some more experience with this question. Good luck!

Done it with the 180 version (2002 172SP). I had to burn about 30 minutes worth of gas off of the full tanks before the weight and balance numbers worked out to allow 3 extra pax (400 total in the front seats and 250 total in the back with nothing in the baggage compartment). Remember to make sure that your CG for landing is within limits after you have burned off your enroute gas.

AFRC and ANG get essentially the same number of UTA's (48) and FTP's (48), aka 96 days of pay a year plus the 2 weeks of annual tour. C5 is correct in saying that your airframe as well as availability of funds determines any "45-90 day seasoning" you get at your unit after becoming qualified in the airplane. Not really a guard versus reserve issue though. Both AFRC and ANG units have AGR and ART (civilian in uniform) positions in similar numbers. The "one weekend a month, two weeks a year" doesn't apply to any flying position that I know of. I have served in both the Guard and Reserve, and the differences are minor. 0-6 and 0-7 positions in both groups often require moving to obtain a command (I've seen both). This is due to the limited number of positions at that level. After one has decided to fly for either reserve force, the real questions one needs to ask are: 1) am I looking for a full time position, 2) do I have a desire to fly a particular type of aircraft, 3) where do I want to live, 4) do I want ease of transferability because of my civilian job. Few units give AGR or ART positions to new pilots. There are a few developmental positions called "baby ART" jobs that are hard to come by, but great if you get one. Getting paid is a big question. I'm sure that C5 and other heavy drivers have an abundance of man-days and activation opportunities to keep bums paid (the AFRC C-17s, C-5s, and KC-10s aren't suffering from lack of paychecks right now). Other units, such as fighters, may not have many additional paydays available. As far as transferability, I found that it is a little easier to transfer within a major command like AFRC, but my transition from Guard to Reserve went pretty smooth as well, so not really a limiting factor. Good luck in your choice. PM if you have any other questions.