Vetter

I was one of the guys who finished 2nd in my class and got FAIPed. I am still pissed and here's why. Our class was not the best of classes and we ended up washing back a few dudes who got behind the timeline for one reason or another (not weather). What didn't get washed back with those dudes were the FAIP slots. So, we get to assignment night and have 4 active duty assignments and 2 FAIP slots to fill. Hmmm, I knew I wasn't first and I knew I wasn't last, so what was I going to get? Plus, the week before I went in and had a 30 minute conversation with my flight commander how I wanted to go to TPS. I have the grades from college and the engineering degree...he just looked at me and nodded, knowing that I already had my FAIP assignment. He didn't even try to change it. Who knows how many fighters are going to be left in 3 years for the FAIPs. With the budget drawdowns and UAVs, I can see the "FAIP Other" drop coming our way full of heavies. Sure, being disgruntled isn't a reason to not do my job...but it is a reason to get out when the 10 year point comes around. As it has been said, "I love the f^cking Air Force, and the Ar Force loves f^cking me!"

Chuck, you're wrong. If a guy doesn't have the maturity, SA, or skills enough to be a freakin co-pilot, the last place you want him is teaching others those same basics in AETC. I got FAIPed...sure. But who else can say they led a 4-ship full of 05s and above as a 2LT. Also, it was pretty cool telling a certain Ops group commander he owed everyone in the flight a beer because his cell phone went off in this lowly 2LTs brief. That said...I'd give my right testicle to be at IFF right now.

And if gouge becomes off limits, there are going to be a bunch of Sr Officer types in AETC that get grounded because they can't pass tests...

Response #6 from the MAFIA here... Cheating is memorizing only the letter answers to the questions in sequential order. Using gouge is looking at the question and being able to pick out the answer if the test is given in a different order. We had the "gouge" (ie, every test question to every EPQ in order) during Phase 2 and 3, but usually there were 3 or 4 wrong answers in the gouge. Each Sunday night, we'd go through and look up every answer to the questions we had in front of us. The IPs knew we did this and even expected it, but to make sure we weren't just memorizing the questions and answers, they would make us point out where some of the answers were in the regs. When the facts come out about this incident at CBM, I suspect that a hell of a lot more was going on than just people "cheating".

Why would a person be a dipshit if they get pissed when a person who did worse in Phase 2 than them are flying the aircraft they wanted to fly since they were small children? By the way, I am not one in the group that you are talking about. One of my best friends is a guard A-10 dude that squeeked into -38's by the skin of his teeth. I don't hate him. He could handle the -38...but I know of at least three gaurd guys who didn't do well enough in -38's to get recommended for IFF, or worse, washed out of IFF. I am not arguing with you on where your guard slots are coming from. Hell, I admit that I am kicking myself for not applying for that guard slot. But what do I know? I am just one of those bitter FAIPs that got my fighter taken away from me. Shortbus, what do you fly?

Shortbus, why do you think all active duty guys think that guard guys take slots? The vast majority of people understand that guard dudes have no effect on the number of -38 slots. The ones that are bothered are the ones that weren't good enough to get a -38. That being said...if I had just missed a -38 while the guard dude who finished 12th got to go to fighters...I would have been pissed, then I would have promply gotten over it. Also, if a guard guy isn't good enough to get his -38 slot, that particular slot will go to an AD person. The guard will get an AD slot later down the road as a trade.