BFM this

Check your vol 1. Nowhere does it say that a guy coming back via tx is MQTd as a wingman. That's the commanders discretion, and I've seen plenty MQT right back to IP. I've also seen the "kids table" approach, and I think it's a shitty way to treat returning experience. And, oh yeah, fuck my career, I'm flying (though I've been lucky that circumstance has blunted the consequences of my poor choices)

You're right; if that myopic mindset prevails over the next 3-5 years, then the enterprise has no hope of recovery or establishing the objective 11/18 ratio, or a sustained leadership production rate. To some degree, that's the canned message that every porch roadshow has pitched in the 10 years that I've been paying attention, actual results may vary.

Done properly, it should be no different than a white jet or ALO tour, MWS credibility wise. I saw a former FWIC IP come back from school and MQT as a 2FL--its community/commander specific. If the Viper world is getting their retreads back and putting them at the kids table, that's the choice the community/commander is making. I've seen 11F's find a lot of success post RPA, either tx back and IPUG in about a year, AGR at either reserve or Guard units, or go on to some niche assignments like aggressor exchanges. When it came time to make my desires known to my RPA commander, I and most of my peers weren't mewling over "being behind our peers" or, FFS, our airline potential; we just wanted to get back to our first love. We were lucky: being 11F's, big blue listened. And it appears that 11M's are starting to get some love as well, from what I'm hearing. On that note and the "kids table" mentality, I had a good friend go back to Altus as an IP from Creech--different communities treat their retreads differently.

This is the opposite of what I heard on the last VML webinar I listened to (spring 2015). The gouge then was some, definitely not all, might go back "2018ish". With the ramp-up and the impending 18Xodus, I find it difficult to believe they'll let anyone go in the next few years. Where is this new info coming from? The Tell would be an auto recat with the assignment (remember the recat board in 2010 with something like 75% "volunteers"...of course you do). Instead, 11-functionals still own the pilots. That's not to say that the functionals aren't using those pilots to fill another RPA bill (HMN)--hopefully that will continue to taper off. Of the many long term metastatic problems that this 20+ year community is dealing with is a lack of development among the core talent group. Recycling 11's and kicking the 18x can down the road has been causal, among other things. But it's all good, there's plenty of shiny pennies to pluck from outside sources (Fighter Squadrons), and that will not continue to be a cyst on the ass of the enterprise...

Sensing some confusion. 11's are all expected to go back to fly, unless they recat by request or some other specific circumstance (WIC); this includes UPT directs. HAF seems to have fully embraced this policy, recognizing the lesson learned and toxicity of former policies--I haven't heard any of the one-way-door bullshit recently (with the ramp-up, we will see if they keep their money where there mouth is). Since I've been in/around the enterprise, I hadn't heard of 12's going back to their former communities, either by request or needs of their functional. 18's, (which 12's sometimes get lumped into for discussion purposes), would never be expected to go back to any former job, anymore than you would expect a late rated pilot to go back to CE or MX at some point.

Yep; forgot about that, thanks!

-111

Didn't see any other changes from last year. Early enrollment still offered, $25k/yr for either 5 years or up to 9 to get 20. Just getting the email (as I'm prior E) threw me off.

If I'm reading the FY16 implementation message right, the requirement for less than 16YAS is gone. ...and still, no.

Guard.

One wing? I'm not sure that's going to fix it, boss. I'm imagining three additional wings plus a half dozen TFI associate squadrons at guard bases. That might get us to the point where this fusion reactor keeps itself lit.

Haven't been an intel type, so take this fwiw: go 18X, unless you have some other opportunity to be a pilot in the works. With 18x, I doubt you'll ever worry about where the next paycheck will come from, in your lifetime. Plenty of opportunity in the world for intel types, but I think advantage goes to RPA.

meh...I'll bet my pogs against that, expecting even money that I'd be wrong. While RPA is in the spotlight, the 11F manning problem hasn't gone away, and all efforts on that front have only shallowed the cinderblock glidepath. But of course, I was in the camp that thought restarting UPT-direct was going full-retard, so what do I know?

Trying to figure out what's worse: -that I can now relate to most if not all of the list -that after laughing my way through the full list, I find that I had been the first reply to the OP (and apparently found it funny then also). Zero recollection.

While a lot of your contributions are salient and well thought out, at other times you're clearly out of your element.

Are you loath to make a decision? We value your indecisiveness. Here, here's another $10k/yr to help you feel good about undervaluing your life choices.

Soupe du jour

True: without a rewrite of the bonus, I don't think anyone would be eligible.

Are you saying that there is zero merit to their arguments? Military-Industrial Complex, my friend. Lessons should have been learned after Comanche was cancelled and the Raptor line was shuttered. Lessons were learned, but not the ones that serve national security interests. Instead, the MIC and those with shared interests learned to leverage ideas like "too big to fail", having involvement in as many and as important congressional districts as possible, and Foreign Military Sales partners who we just can't leave in the lurch (though they are all too willing to walk away from our Wizard of Oz prize project). F-35 is going to yield a treasure trove of technological spin-offs. It has been a splendid (albeit expensive) research project, but the final thesis should be obvious: yes, you can drive nails with a torque wrench, but it's not cost-effective to do so. Otherwise it's another F-111 with far better marketing and lobby efforts.

Scroll back 5 years and say that.

Valid. My viewpoint is limited to the steel-mill business models of Holloman and Creech. This is probably the most achievable course of action. But even before this option is considered, I can't for the life of me fathom why the Air Force has allowed the ACs to wither on the vine in the first place. We are the AIR FORCE, FFS! ACs allowed Amn Snuffy to wander in and try flying in a safe, cost competitive environment. I imagine that said Amn, during the course of training, might learn that his CFI worked at one of the Ops Squadrons (an interaction that never would have otherwise taken place). Pre-solo Amn would have at some point taxiied out to the runway alongside the local MWSs, another experience that is non-existent otherwise. Giving these experiences to the masses serves a much broader strategic purpose, extending to the veteran voters later on--advocacy of airpower. But instead ACs were cut; the myopia of the stance in a broader strategic sense is staggering. To your original point, sure: a monthly funded allocation of four hours per pilot plus annual stan-eval requirements, fly more at your own expense and on your own time. Never gonna happen, but it's fun to spitball ideas.

Even if the RPA community reaches manpower nirvana of 13 per cap, there will never be enough bodies to clear someone off a few times a month for CT flying. Never gonna happen. My guess is that we get to around 11 per, leadership gets distracted by some other squirrel, and suddenly CAP expansion drives back down to 9.5. Again, no room on the schedule to not sit in the seat for 6+ hours, 5(6)on, 3(2)off.

Well, yeah: financial infidelity counts both ways. Sure, the training did a shitty job of reflecting that reality, but it was never about pickup trucks regardless.

https://www.facebook.com/InternationalChemtrail/info?tab=page_info While the page itself is high production value, the comments are pure internet gold.

5 years from now, you will either look back on this "dilemma" and wonder how you got stumped on the easiest question of your life, or you will literally want to punch yourself in the nuts. You are holding a winning powerball ticket in your hands, and asking if it's worth all the hassle of cashing it in.