HeyEng

All the shoe clerks running around ensuring we had our reflective belts on and our PT T-shirts tucked in, all the BS deployments in-theater for the sake of being deployed, all the GO number 1 rules rigidly enforced, and for what! I hope there is a lot of soul searching in our senior leadership, but I doubt it will ever happen.

I retired back in 2014 so I have not visited this site in quite a while, but the pullout in Afghanistan reawakened some old memories and raised some questions in me. Most of the airlift missions I did revolved flying into Bagram and other airfields. Being in the Reserves spared me the requirement of being deployed (for the sake of deployment) as a requirement of your career development, but never-the-less I still witnessed the queep and endless shoe-clerks running around making sure you were wearing your PT gear and reflective belt when you walked 5 yards to the latrine at 0400 from your hooch. So I guess my question is what happens now to the Air force and the Airlift Mission? Are deployments no longer a requirement if you are going to make a career of the AF? What happens to Ramstein, Rota, and other of our large overseas airlift bases? It is not that easy to back that train up and I wonder what planning or changes (if any) any of you have heard or seen. What is everybody's thoughts on the future of the AF, will it get better? or will it resemble something like Goya's painting of "Saturn Devouring his Son"?

After I retired from the AF, I worked briefly as an Operations Agent at a major airline. I was surprised to learn that the ramp guys (usually the supervisor) rode brakes when they towed the aircraft to remote parking for the night. They had to operate the APU’s, radios, fuel pumps, electric hydraulic pumps, etc. all without an A&P or any other certification or license. I wonder if this guy did the same thing.

Way back in 2014 I got an AD retirement after I accumulated 7200 points, I spent most of my time the Reserves but the last two years were in the Guard. The freckled faced SRA who man MPF at most bases these days was not really up on AD retirements and could not answer a lot of questions I and others had on getting an AD retirement. It was at the height of the DTS and Roll-Back fiascos so I was just happy to get a check every month and be on my merry way. A few days ago I got a call from an squadron mate who is still in and will also get an AD retirement, he asked me if he would also get the Reserve retirement after reaching age 60 (or the Roll-Back age). I vaguely remember something about that but in all honestly I deleted all those files from memory along with limitations, PT test times to pass, etc. Also I never completed the Roll-Back process, the system became so gummed up in the 2013-14 time frame I simply stopped trying after I realized I would be getting an AD retirement but at the time I uploaded enough orders to be rolled back four years. Does anybody have up to date information that I can pass along?

The KC-46 can only haul six pallets? Or is someone engaging in hyperbole since the 767 freighter hauls much more. Some of the FedEx guys chime in here. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Most units start making you signing sanctuary waivers at the 16 year point just so you don't actually go into sanctuary (I never understood the logic either) you can only declare sanctuary while mobilized, to declare otherwise is considered "inappropriate declaration of sanctuary" according to the regs. If you are declare sanctuary when you are mobilized and have two years left you can be assigned to an AD unit instead of your Reserve/Guard unit. This rarely happens but they try to scare you into not declaring sanctuary saying Big Blue might shanghai you into going to some hell - hole for your last two years. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Big Blue needs you to present a PowerPoint to a deployed location, even if you are needed at your current unit: https://www.jqpublicblog.com/leaked-memo-shows-depth-of-air-force-manpower-crisis/ Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Yea you could keep the same mold lines but build it just like the original with traditional aluminum and rivets, little or no carbon fiber (except for armor plate). Subcontract major components to companies like Cessna (who has experience making parts for Boeing). If you stick to the original specs and don't try to gold plate it (a difficult task for Big Blue) it should be very cost effective. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

By 2020 we will be fighting killer cyborgs from Skynet! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I think we are all pining for our generations Billy Mitchell who is willing to stand up against the rot of what has become of the Air Force no matter what the costs. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I remember seeing the computer recreation of this accident with the CVR recordings of their voices. You could tell how tired they were. Even after they "crashed" the PF voice barely raised an octave he was so exhausted. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I worked briefly on the C-5M project management at WP. The C-5 AMP can do RNP down to .3 NM however all the C-5 really does is enroute RNP. One of the issues with doing those nice RNP arrivals and departures is those waypoints in space are AIRINC waypoints and the Military of course uses DAFIF waypoints which is managed by the NGA. At the time I was working it they had no way to do a machine-to-machine conversion between AIRINC and DAFIF except to do it manually. It's a shame too since this is one way to save a lot on fuel costs vs. monitoring how much the APU burns while on the ground.

Even the U.S. Army handbook on retirement (good luck finding the AF one) advises against it. See pp. 12 https://www.bamc.amedd.army.mil/wtb/docs/us-military-retired-handbook.pdf

Lt. General Sam Cox says you guys (I'm already out) shouldn't be online getting information from blogs and forums but instead be using your local personal office or AFPC for VSP guidance and sites such as this are nothing but a bunch of outside agitators. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Isn't there supposed to be a movie with Seth Rogan and James Franco where they try to assassinate Kim Jong-un? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

I knew a guy who was an instructor for these for the Afghans and said these were really G.222 and all the parts supply dried up and were in really bad shape. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

The Streamlight Night Com is sold in clothing sales and has three lights built in. A zeon, high and low LED. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

This is a good article on what happened to all those Dornier's that used to fly for the regionals: https://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/check-out-the-us-department-of-state-air-wings-shadowy-1634123990

That's always been a bone of contention with the E's in many reserve flying squadrons, more Ltcol. than you can shake a stick at, but when it comes time to promote an E they act like it's going to break the bank. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

If memory serves me, the Convairs were some of the fastest pax jets prior to the Concord. They had special fairings on the wings to deal with compression issues at high mach numbers since they could not "area rule" the fuselage. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Convair 880? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Also the kid might have crawled up in the wheelwell when the aircraft was waiting on the taxiway before TO. Alot of those airports in Africa have people running all over the runways and taxiways. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Even though it might be mandated by Congress it might not be FUNDED by Guard and Reserve units. The only time our folks get the TAP and Boots to Business classes is if we have been on orders for more than 180 days. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

And I thought they were going to close Ramstein after KMCC sinks into the sand that it was built on! Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk

Meanwhile in Sweden: https://m.foreignaffairs.com/articles/141437/ivar-ekman/stockholm-syndrome Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk