whis

Sent you a PM. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Standard answer... it depends. Base housing is about as convenient as it gets for your work. Most popular areas to live off base are Verrado, Litchfield Park, Surprise, Glendale (Westgate area), Buckeye, and Goodyear. Steer clear of Avondale and El Mirage... both are pretty rough. I recommend looking for a single story house and one with solar to help offset the bills... summer months are brutal on the pocketbook due to electricity cost. Normal $$ for a 2-story in June, July and August is around $300-500 per month... and if you have a pool, it will only go up from there. If you have kids in school, there are many options ranging from Luke Elementary (from what I have heard, not one of the greatest schools) to Private schools around the West Valley (Arizona will reimburse military members to basically offset the cost of private school to nearly nothing). Most popular options for schools are Trinity Lutheran, Verrado, Litchfield Park public schools are well regarded, and then there are several Charter Schools (Legacy, etc) around the area. I’ve been stationed at Luke for the past 3.5 years. And will be here for the next 2.5. PM me if you have any other questions. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

I've seen both towns (if you can call Alamogordo a town) and there really isn't comparison. 90K+ vs 30k population. International airport in Grand Forks. Just a quick scan of schools has Grand forks rated as #2 school district in ND. Alamogordo doesn't even have a ranking. North Dakota is #16 for education in the United States. NM is #48. 1.6% vs 5.8% unemployment. Medical care... (Bankrupt hospital in Alamogordo in 2012). Air quality. Crime. Boarded up buildings. The town is a complete shithole. They don't deserve to keep that base. I'd go to Grand forks in a heart beat over NM.

I also agree with Pyro that the majority of the experience lies in the ANG and AFRC, but after serving more than one assignment at units that tout TFI...(other than B-Course) I can attest that it is a failure at best. The majority of the experience lies in the TRs and most of them can't be bothered by their part time job (I.e. Flying fighters for the AFRC) to be very valuable. It is an exercise in regaining currencies and min running mission planning and debrief because Training Periods don't allow it. I also agree that a cap of O-4 won't work in the current system due to the current up or out mentality... But that is exactly what needs to change. Continuing to 20 as a major is just another thing that would need to change to make a two track system work. I don't have all the answers but I believe something needs to change... The status quo...or the waiting around to see what dollar amount they finally decided to land on for the bonus... Isn't going to work... Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I'd be really interested to hear why leadership in the AF is against a non-leadership type track... I also think the mentality that a non-leadership track would be capped at O-5 is a stretch. There are people in the AF that try to do everything they can to be on a leadership path... Yet they end their career as an O-5. IMO (and I'm sure more than one person on this forum will hate this idea) a person that volunteers to take themselves off of a leadership path should probably be capped at O-4... I just wish that this type of thing didn't feel like a far off pipe dream... The force would def benefit from keeping a better knowledge base and experience in the squadron... Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Was there from 2012-2015. Lived in Shadow Valley area of South Ogden. Loved the area. Close to Weber State University, Weber Canyon entrance to get to Snowbasin, and literally a minute jog to the trail head for Mount Ogden or the Bonneville Shoreline trail. Great hiking and mountain biking. The Ogden housing market is taking off right now. Bought my place in Dec 12 and sold in Apr 15 for $40k profit. This neighborhood in particular is a good one for real estate but not many house for sale...my yard was .48 acres...enough to make me hire a yard guy. Decent food options in this part of town but limited... Pie, Greek place (can't remember name), Hug-Hes Cafe. Downtown Ogden is regenerating. It has a lot of great areas and a few areas that need improvement. But for the most part has some great local restaurants (Slackwater, Sonora Grill, Tona, Roosters) and some cool bars too (Funk N Dive, Lighthouse, Slackwater). Farmington is a good up and coming area...but chains are there too. Mountain green is awesome. But remote. Lots a Reservist live up there...never had issues getting to work that I know of. Jealous...wish I could go back. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Copy.

I don't follow

I would guess a part of it has to do with the ridiculous war on moral that took place beginning in 2013. The camaraderie that once was in the fighter squadrons has changed (I don't believe it is dead...yet) significantly. When you can't have a picture of your family in the office taken at Disneyworld because Ariel the mermaid is too scandalous... We have gone too far. Among other things... Caveat...I believe we needed a course correction with regard to some of our shenanigans...but nothing as severe as what has taken place.

I'm not 100% sure but I think in recent years they have removed any verbiage WRT bonuses and 15 years total time... Again this is how I am interpreting the current rules. And as "one of those guys" I'm not going to question it if they will offer me $300k over 5 years causing me to serve 21 years instead of 20. Here's to hoping there is some incentive added to the last (painfully undermanned) 5 years of my career.

Thanks. I'll fix it...

Here is the prompt: Question: You have just been called in to consult with the Chief of Staff of your nation's Air Force. The chief tasks you to write a proposal regarding the future of your Air Force. Using the sum of your career experiences, what you have learned at ACSC, and any other sources of evidence you may require, answer ALL of the following questions. The chief says "strive to be creative and original in your thinking." - What are the characteristics of the Air Force in 2016? - What should characterize the Air Force in 2036? - What decisions must be made and actions taken to get us from here to there? Guidance: - This is a problem solving exercise. Think through the problem to a well-reasoned and well-supported solution and express that solution with clarity, precision, and persuasiveness. Be "creative and original in your thinking." - Ten pages in standard ACSC format - NLT COB 4 April to flight mentor - Proposals will be assessed as Exemplary, Satisfactory, and Unsatisfactory. Exemplary proposals will be forwarded to the AU/CC. Unsatisfactory proposals will be redone. Our guidance My thesis (which I haven't written completely yet) is describing what I see as the main characteristics affecting USAF rated officer corps (I.e. Retention, morale...which is pretty darn good, etc) in 2016. Where we need to go from here...and how to get there. You can tell what I think are the issues (personnel management, OPS tempo, and leadership). Long story long...I don't have my thesis written completely yet.

Reason #469... I don't have one. This is not an official survey sanctioned by the USAF. I'm doing a thesis paper, and need saw information to back my argument...if you don't have time to do it, then don't. Please, I DO NOT want to take time away from doing the primary mission. Apologies if this seemed like a mandatory survey. It is not. The funniest part of having a survey control office in the USAF...is that the entire premise is to minimize Airmen fatigue...I may be wrong, but I don't think surveys are causing fatigue.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/L972M2H Created a survey for my research paper at ACSC. If you are a rated officer Lt-Lt Col or have recently separated (past 5 years) and you have 15 spare minutes, I would appreciate all the help I could get! Thanks in advance.

https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/west-phoenix/official-f-16-from-luke-air-force-base-crashed-thursday-near-bagdad-ariz Fingers crossed.

Grandfather flew a bunch of different fighters, back in the "good ol' days" of rapidly advancing technology. P-51, F-86, and ended his career in the mighty F-100 down in Austin. Father was an Army MP. Brother and I both are Viper dudes.

Some shots of Fiend jets from Osan...

Done. Long time reader and rarely post, but this subject is one that drives me nuts on a daily basis. So here was my submission... 1). Cut Tops In Blue - estimated savings is untold (much needed Airmen in their career field, volunteer hours, hours spent at the event that most are "voluntold" to attend, etc.) 2). End of year spending - If a squadron is able to "get the job done" without using it's allocated budget they should be praised, not punished. Too many dollars spent on unnecessary flatscreen televisions. 3). Stop the unnecessary change seen year upon year of programs such as ADLS Computer Based Training. The Human Trafficking CBT has changed every year that it has been around, and to me...it is still the same as it was when it started. 4). Take a good hard look at who is deploying and why. If the deployed personnel is mission critical, then fine. But when we are spending extra money to place additional personnel in theater so that a deployed member can "have a day off" is wasteful...we are at war. Deployments are not supposed to be easy. Most flying crews are given the necessary crew/pilot rest time off, and then they are back to the grind. 5). Stop changing the physical training requirements. Start by taking the people that cannot pass the current PT Test...and send them to the civilian sector. There are standards and we are not upholding the ones that are currently in place. 6). Seriously review the performance report process. There is entirely way too much time spent "filling white spaces" on OPR/EPR's, when that person could be filling a role in a critically manned career field, creating an environment where the product the AF provides is one that strives for perfection rather than "just getting by". 7). Cut the unnecessary Aerospace Basic Course at Maxwell. It is a complete waste of time. I attended when it was only 3 or 4 weeks, and I can't imagine what they are doing for 5-6 weeks. I do not remember a thing from that course. 8). Stop unnecessarily changing aircraft basing plans. Most recently are the F-22's that were placed at Holloman AFB for about a year...and now are being moved out to make room for the F-16 B-course...and this is only the most recent.

To answer the original question of "how the BIT was going?"... I was one of or maybe even the last Viper drop Air Force wide. My drop was July 08 and I graduated Aug 08. I am three weeks into IFF. My B-Course start date is 11 September 09. Public math is 13 months Grad to B-course. Not as bad as some, but about average. IMHO, Vipers should start dropping again in Jul-Aug timeframe. But that makes sense... The BIT at Laughlin for Vipers is officially empty (as of about 3 weeks ago). There are a few Eagle (both C and E models) and A-10 dudes waiting for their IFF to begin, but most are going to be in IFF by end of July.

08-12 Track Select for XL 6 AD T-38s 2 Portuguese T-38s 3 AD T-44s 1 Guard T-44 14 AD T-1s