ClearedHot

Thanks, glad I got my point across.

In my opinion, a completely false argument to say “experience” is the issue, if that were the case how would a new UPT grad ever be successful going through Fighter RTU? Truth. One of the more important lessons I learned in UPT, just like life, the Air Force is not fair. The order in which people finished is VERY subjective and in my personal experience corrupt. Ultimately it was straight up flight commander rating (25%), not flight performance, that determined who finished in what order. It was not until after graduation that I found out just how bad it was in my class. Example #1. A female in my class slept with her check pilot the night before her contact checkride. Example #2. The Academy grads in my class had all of the academic tests (and answers), ahead of time and they did not share with the rest of the class (perhaps I was naïve, but I never thought about cheating in UPT). Example #3. I busted zero rides in T-38's, had a no downgrade “O” on my form check, a two downgrade “E” on my contact check, a two downgrade “E” on my Instrument check, and a one down grade “E” on my Nav Check. Our class leader (prior Nav), was on a hard crew with our flight commander and their wives were best friends(the class did not know). The class leader had multiple down grades on his contact check, six down grades on his Form check, I don't remember the Nav check scores, but he busted his Inst check with 17 downgrades...and he finished #1 in our class. I am sure I sound like a disgruntled dude, I am not, I LOVE what I do...or did...it was what I was meant to do...but the current system is FAR from perfect. How about we get over our fixation on fifth generation and use less than 1% of that money to buy a metric shit ton of light attack aircraft and fly 120,000 hours a year for the equivalent of what it costs to fly 6,000 hours in one F-35 squadron. We could afford to surge a group into light attack, fly the crap out of them for three or four years to season and weed out the weak swimmers, and build a cadre of “fighter-minded” and semi-experienced dudes/dudettes. We need out of the box solutions that will help us absorb more single seat folks without breaking the FTUs...it won't happen because ACC does not think props are sexy, but for the love of god, for a small investment we could move the ball a lot further down the field. To be fair, I was not talking to you, in general I avoid talking to rotorheads all together, it seems to confuse them. You might want to hold your replies until you catch up to the fight, which at your current airspeed of 69 knots, should be about four days from now. Before you brag about fixing your little pop guns forward and get all manly doing HH60 strafe, maybe you should actually do a real CSAR mission instead of making AFSOC do it for you. I will pass some props to you, just like Army Slick 60's, you guys make one hell of a dustoff platform.

In other words...its not your fault you are not as good as us...Christ.

France Surrenders to Russia

Hiding under their kitchen tables.

So we are going to boycott the paraolympics...that will teach those nasty Rooskies. You gotta admit, Putin has a set of balls...without a second thought he is saying F You to America and everyone else...some much for the reset.

Do not agree, publicly he is saying he wants to protect Russian Citizens who live there. Yes we said for strategic reasons (keep the Canal open) but we left after things settled down, Putin wants to rebuild his buffer from the west and rebuild the "Soviet Union", he won't be leaving Ukraine any time soon. Kicked out of the G8 and monetary sanctions against some of Russia's elite wealthy.

Putin would love to rebuild the iron curtain...There are a lot of very nervous former proxy states watching this very closely.

Latest update from AFPC

Reply editted to reflect full understanding of Spoo Sarcasm and my failed imbedded humor response.

What could possibly go wrong...seriously you have to trust the government...when has the government ever done medical research or testing on the troops/civilians? 1931 Dr. Cornelius Rhoads, under the auspices of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Investigations, infects human subjects with cancer cells. He later goes on to establish the U.S. Army Biological Warfare facilities in Maryland, Utah, and Panama, and is named to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission. While there, he begins a series of radiation exposure experiments on American soldiers and civilian hospital patients. 1932 The Tuskegee Syphilis Study begins. 200 black men diagnosed with syphilis are never told of their illness, are denied treatment, and instead are used as human guinea pigs in order to follow the progression and symptoms of the disease. They all subsequently die from syphilis, their families never told that they could have been treated. 1935 The Pellagra Incident. After millions of individuals die from Pellagra over a span of two decades, the U.S. Public Health Service finally acts to stem the disease. The director of the agency admits it had known for at least 20 years that Pellagra is caused by a niacin deficiency but failed to act since most of the deaths occured within poverty-striken black populations. 1940 Four hundred prisoners in Chicago are infected with Malaria in order to study the effects of new and experimental drugs to combat the disease. Nazi doctors later on trial at Nuremberg cite this American study to defend their own actions during the Holocaust. 1942 Chemical Warfare Services begins mustard gas experiments on approximately 4,000 servicemen. The experiments continue until 1945 and made use of Seventh Day Adventists who chose to become human guinea pigs rather than serve on active duty. 1943 In response to Japan's full-scale germ warfare program, the U.S. begins research on biological weapons at Fort Detrick, MD. 1944 U.S. Navy uses human subjects to test gas masks and clothing. Individuals were locked in a gas chamber and exposed to mustard gas and lewisite. 1945 Project Paperclip is initiated. The U.S. State Department, Army intelligence, and the CIA recruit Nazi scientists and offer them immunity and secret identities in exchange for work on top secret government projects in the United States. 1945 "Program F" is implemented by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). This is the most extensive U.S. study of the health effects of fluoride, which was the key chemical component in atomic bomb production. One of the most toxic chemicals known to man, fluoride, it is found, causes marked adverse effects to the central nervous system but much of the information is squelched in the name of national security because of fear that lawsuits would undermine full-scale production of atomic bombs. 1946 Patients in VA hospitals are used as guinea pigs for medical experiments. In order to allay suspicions, the order is given to change the word "experiments" to "investigations" or "observations" whenever reporting a medical study performed in one of the nation's veteran's hospitals. 1947 Colonel E.E. Kirkpatrick of the U.S. Atomic Energy Comission issues a secret document (Document 07075001, January 8, 1947) stating that the agency will begin administering intravenous doses of radioactive substances to human subjects. 1947 The CIA begins its study of LSD as a potential weapon for use by American intelligence. Human subjects (both civilian and military) are used with and without their knowledge. 1950 Department of Defense begins plans to detonate nuclear weapons in desert areas and monitor downwind residents for medical problems and mortality rates. 1950 I n an experiment to determine how susceptible an American city would be to biological attack, the U.S. Navy sprays a cloud of bacteria from ships over San Franciso. Monitoring devices are situated throughout the city in order to test the extent of infection. Many residents become ill with pneumonia-like symptoms. 1951 Department of Defense begins open air tests using disease-producing bacteria and viruses. Tests last through 1969 and there is concern that people in the surrounding areas have been exposed. 1953 U.S. military releases clouds of zinc cadmium sulfide gas over Winnipeg, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Fort Wayne, the Monocacy River Valley in Maryland, and Leesburg, Virginia. Their intent is to determine how efficiently they could disperse chemical agents. 1953 Joint Army-Navy-CIA experiments are conducted in which tens of thousands of people in New York and San Francisco are exposed to the airborne germs Serratia marcescens and Bacillus glogigii. 1953 CIA initiates Project MKULTRA. This is an eleven year research program designed to produce and test drugs and biological agents that would be used for mind control and behavior modification. Six of the subprojects involved testing the agents on unwitting human beings. 1955 The CIA, in an experiment to test its ability to infect human populations with biological agents, releases a bacteria withdrawn from the Army's biological warfare arsenal over Tampa Bay, Fl. 1955 Army Chemical Corps continues LSD research, studying its potential use as a chemical incapacitating agent. More than 1,000 Americans participate in the tests, which continue until 1958. 1956 U.S. military releases mosquitoes infected with Yellow Fever over Savannah, Ga and Avon Park, Fl. Following each test, Army agents posing as public health officials test victims for effects. 1958 LSD is tested on 95 volunteers at the Army's Chemical Warfare Laboratories for its effect on intelligence. 1960 The Army Assistant Chief-of-Staff for Intelligence (ACSI) authorizes field testing of LSD in Europe and the Far East. Testing of the european population is code named Project THIRD CHANCE; testing of the Asian population is code named Project DERBY HAT. 1965 Project CIA and Department of Defense begin Project MKSEARCH, a program to develop a capability to manipulate human behavior through the use of mind-altering drugs. 1965 Prisoners at the Holmesburg State Prison in Philadelphia are subjected to dioxin, the highly toxic chemical component of Agent Orange used in Viet Nam. The men are later studied for development of cancer, which indicates that Agent Orange had been a suspected carcinogen all along. 1966 CIA initiates Project MKOFTEN, a program to test the toxicological effects of certain drugs on humans and animals. 1966 U.S. Army dispenses Bacillus subtilis variant niger throughout the New York City subway system. More than a million civilians are exposed when army scientists drop lightbulbs filled with the bacteria onto ventilation grates. 1967 CIA and Department of Defense implement Project MKNAOMI, successor to MKULTRA and designed to maintain, stockpile and test biological and chemical weapons. 1968 CIA experiments with the possibility of poisoning drinking water by injecting chemicals into the water supply of the FDA in Washington, D.C. 1969 Dr. Robert MacMahan of the Department of Defense requests from congress $10 million to develop, within 5 to 10 years, a synthetic biological agent to which no natural immunity exists. 1970 Funding for the synthetic biological agent is obtained under H.R. 15090. The project, under the supervision of the CIA, is carried out by the Special Operations Division at Fort Detrick, the army's top secret biological weapons facility. Speculation is raised that molecular biology techniques are used to produce AIDS-like retroviruses. 1970 United States intensifies its development of "ethnic weapons" (Military Review, Nov., 1970), designed to selectively target and eliminate specific ethnic groups who are susceptible due to genetic differences and variations in DNA. 1975 The virus section of Fort Detrick's Center for Biological Warfare Research is renamed the Fredrick Cancer Research Facilities and placed under the supervision of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) . It is here that a special virus cancer program is initiated by the U.S. Navy, purportedly to develop cancer-causing viruses. It is also here that retrovirologists isolate a virus to which no immunity exists. It is later named HTLV (Human T-cell Leukemia Virus). 1977 Senate hearings on Health and Scientific Research confirm that 239 populated areas had been contaminated with biological agents between 1949 and 1969. Some of the areas included San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Key West, Panama City, Minneapolis, and St. Louis. 1978 Experimental Hepatitis B vaccine trials, conducted by the CDC, begin in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Ads for research subjects specifically ask for promiscuous homosexual men. 1981 First cases of AIDS are confirmed in homosexual men in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, triggering speculation that AIDS may have been introduced via the Hepatitis B vaccine 1985 According to the journal Science (227:173-177), HTLV and VISNA, a fatal sheep virus, are very similar, indicating a close taxonomic and evolutionary relationship. 1986 According to the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (83:4007-4011), HIV and VISNA are highly similar and share all structural elements, except for a small segment which is nearly identical to HTLV. This leads to speculation that HTLV and VISNA may have been linked to produce a new retrovirus to which no natural immunity exists. 1986 A report to Congress reveals that the U.S. Government's current generation of biological agents includes: modified viruses, naturally occurring toxins, and agents that are altered through genetic engineering to change immunological character and prevent treatment by all existing vaccines. 1987 Department of Defense admits that, despite a treaty banning research and development of biological agents, it continues to operate research facilities at 127 facilities and universities around the nation. 1990 More than 1500 six-month old black and hispanic babies in Los Angeles are given an "experimental" measles vaccine that had never been licensed for use in the United States. CDC later admits that parents were never informed that the vaccine being injected to their children was experimental. 1994 With a technique called "gene tracking," Dr. Garth Nicolson at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX discovers that many returning Desert Storm veterans are infected with an altered strain of Mycoplasma incognitus, a microbe commonly used in the production of biological weapons. Incorporated into its molecular structure is 40 percent of the HIV protein coat, indicating that it had been man-made. 1994 Senator John D. Rockefeller issues a report revealing that for at least 50 years the Department of Defense has used hundreds of thousands of military personnel in human experiments and for intentional exposure to dangerous substances. Materials included mustard and nerve gas, ionizing radiation, psychochemicals, hallucinogens, and drugs used during the Gulf War . 1995 U.S. Government admits that it had offered Japanese war criminals and scientists who had performed human medical experiments salaries and immunity from prosecution in exchange for data on biological warfare research. 1995 Dr. Garth Nicolson, uncovers evidence that the biological agents used during the Gulf War had been manufactured in Houston, TX and Boca Raton, Fl and tested on prisoners in the Texas Department of Corrections. 1996 Department of Defense admits that Desert Storm soldiers were exposed to chemical agents. 1997 Eighty-eight members of Congress sign a letter demanding an investigation into bioweapons use & Gulf War Syndrome.

Brother, I will not argue that your view depends on where you sit and I know your community has been rode hard and put away wet, but the bitterness will not matter to anyone but you. We all face disappointment, trust me, I recently faced a big Air Force disappointment of my own and there was a simple choice, mope around or shake it off and lean into it. The Air Force is not fair...period dot...sometimes shitty people succeed, but the same can be said in the civilian sector. The Air Force is facing challenges, our shit is tired and broke, but there are still good people fighting to make a difference and we still bring an advantage to the fight that trumps anyone else on the planet. You have to control what is within your reach and if that takes you to a point where you want to get out, then I thank you for your service, you've done more than 99% of the American public and I am humbled that people like you step forward to serve. Let me offer some simple advice, do your best, accomplish the mission to the best of your ability, fight tooth and nail to take care of your people, and leave with your head held high. This chapter is almost complete for me and I want to look in the mirror when it is over with my family, my honor and dignity intact, and knowing I did my absolute best...I truly wish the same for you. PM me if you want to talk again.

Look at the Developmental Engineer career field...they are getting destroyed.

Incorrect dude. it is called "High 3", not "Last 3". You retirement computation will be based on your highest three years of pay. The only real impact is what it says on your DD214 and your ID card.

Two DC tours...recommend Springfield/Burke/Fairfax Station area. Housing is more affordable and you will have multiple commute options. SLUGing worked great for me, 35 minutes from my door to my desk. If you live within a five miles of the Sydenstryker lot you will have lots of housing options nearby by and you will be able to SLUG, take an express bus, or drive five minutes to the Springfield Metro stop on the Blue line.

What a Douche Nozzle

Very detailed article with many pictures. Him Him Her Her

Could be but the article says he does not pay anything towards mortgage...still sound odd.

The guys story does not add up...a 30 Year O-6 makes a LOT more than $40K per year...a lot more. A high thee O-6 retiring this year @ 24 years of service makes $72,000. Understood the job front is difficult given current situation, but this is the first O-6 I've heard of that can't find a job.

I'm late 40's, planning to hit the eject button in 2015 which will give me about $75K per year in retirement just for being alive, not bad for a mouth breathing neanderthal . Married (wife 1.0), 1 kid (1st Grade), transferred GI bill four years ago (fully vested), 529 currently has $138,000, will hit the $235K limit well before 18. No debt other than one mortgage (30 year 3.5%, with $275,000 to go) and a car payment (1.4% on a remaining balance of $25,000) Owned first house since 1991, bought another in 1997, and current one since 2006. Never carried any credit card debt, have a libor loan pledged from my porfolio for large purchases that is basically a large line of credit @ 1%. Net worth = Doing ok 1.6M in taxable brokerage account (Current distro = .01% cash, 9.83% in MMF and BDP, 72% in Stocks/Options ,18.16% in Mutual Funds) 180,000 TSP 360,000 Roth IRA 300,000 Wife's Roth 187,000 Traditional IRA 120,000 Wife's Traditional IRA 138,000 529 college savings plan 50,000 Cash Savings Checking, Savings, MM, and a CD) 250,000 equity in Rental Property #1 (No mortgage) - Generates $1500 @ month in income. 175,000 equity in Rental Property #2 (No mortgage) - Generates $1300 @ month in income. 75,000 equity in Rental Property #3 (30 year 3.5%, with $275,000 to go) break even each month, win overall based on tax deductions. 50,000 equity in land (No mortgage) - Sitting idle and have to pay Prop tax and HOA fee, want to sell it. 500,000 equity in another piece of land (Inherited from grandparents - No mortgage - lease to a farmer for agricultural tax exemption) I max out my Roth IRAs and TSP every year. As a Capt who flew mostly at night, I spent some time as a daytrader...did very well AND very bad, lost $35K one day, made $40K on another. Got very nervous at one point when I realized I had over $100K on margin, so I quit. Luckily on the advice of a friend I got in early on SanDisk and held it long through a couple splits, made a LOT of $ when I sold it, paid off two houses, paid a metric shit ton in taxes (my tax liability that year was more than my entire AF salary), and gave the rest to a professional wealth manger who has since tripled what I gave him.

(New?) Army rules for TA usage. 1. Service members may not use the entitlement until one year after completing basic training and initial qualification course. From the way it was phrased I am assuming that means until completion of first tech school? 2. Members who use TA to complete a Bachelors Degree must wait ten years to use the entitlement to complete a Masters Degree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIUAGomCzK0

I get the high wing, but engines on the bottom? Not an A-10 Groupie (obviously we all know the AC-130 is the worlds best CAS platform), but a lot of survivability thought went into the Hawg, engines located high on the tail, exhaust partially obstructed by the tail. This thing looks fragile.