Smokin

What they said about the dorms is true, except the same is true if you got an apartment. Plus you don't have to worry about traffic at the gate, which can suck if they shut down all the gates because someone shoplifted a can of coke at the BX. However, if you do find some roommates and they let you live off base, you could make some money. A friend of mine at Vance is making a couple hundred a month off his extra BAH. Either splitting an apartment or a house nearby wouldn't take up too much more time and you'd have a built in study group. If you're trying to find possible roommates from your class, try calling the 80th OSS/DOT, they're the guys who are incharge of your inprocessing and everything not related to flying. I think it's 940-676-5055.

Ditto on the IRA first thing. I'm just using the TSP as an investment that I can forget about and go towards a house when I retire. However, about the C fund thing, the C fund (S&P 500) is already as diversified as most people are looking for. Just look at the major index groups to see for yourself: https://www.tsp.gov/rates/fundsheet-cfund.pdf

I was working construction the summer before I graduated college and there was some guy there that claimed he was a special forces in the red horse division. He talked about how he was operating bulldozers one minute and fighting back the commies with his M-16 the next. I found this rather funny considering that if he really had been a heavy equipment operator, he would have been sitting in the crane above us getting paid 4x as much as we were. Instead, he was working next to a 20 yr old knee deep in mud swinging a sledgehammer all day. If that weren't enough, I asked him where he was stationed and he instantly changed topics after he'd been bragging for the last 10 minutes.

Amazing, the power of google: https://usmilitary.about.com/od/housingallowance/a/05bah.htm

A state concealed carry license does not apply on base. If you live in on base housing (at most bases anyway) you can keep them in the house. If you live in the dorms, they must be stored at the armory. That is a pain in the rear because anytime you want to get them, you have to give them 24 hrs notice (at least here at Sheppard). When I PCS'd here, I had them in the trunk of my car instead of the moving van so I could take them straight to the armory, first stop. Just tell the guard at the gate you're PCSing and you have some firearms to take to the armory. Walk into the armory first and tell them you have guns to register, then go back out and get them. Unfortonuatly, they cannot be kept in cases in the armory, so if you have expensive guns you're worried about, be careful. They'll give you a registration sheet with the guns and the serial numbers that your commander signs. At that point, if you live in base housing, you can pick them up and keep them in your house. I think some bases require that you show them that you have trigger locks for each gun.

The perfect example of this is the first few rides in formation. The MIF is either a Fair (IP intervention was only needed a few times to not kill yourself) and sometimes even an Unsat. If you get a fair on everything in your first few rides, you will probably get a Good or Excellent grade overall, because you're at the level they expect you to be.

For single officers (which if you're talking about the dorms, I guess you are) finances are rarely a problem. The single guys in my flight generally have nicer cars , probably since they don't have time to spend their money on much else down here. As far as the investments, I try to do the Roth and the TSP. The Roth is just my retirement plan. The TSP is nice cuz they take it directly out of your paycheck, if you never see it you never miss it, right? Anyway, I plan on using it for a house when my 20-30 years is up.

If you want a true beer drinking machine, get a CO2 tank to pressurize the line, get a 20' hose and coil it up through a 5 gal bucket of ice. no matter how fast you drink the beer, even on a new from the store keg, it's always cold. Smaller, cheaper, and works better than a kegerator.

For officers (at least the Surface Warfare Officers), they are assinged a certain ship, not really a particular job. During their career they move around to similar, but different jobs so they when they eventually (hopefully) command a ship, they know just about everything about everything on the ship. Not sure how it works differently for rated guys, but I'll bet that they are assigned a ship as well just like we're assigned a base. [ 26. February 2005, 15:43: Message edited by: Stud@ENJJPT ]

Yup, the math formula was what I was looking for. We still TLAR it, but it'll be nice to have a rough idea of what I'm looking for before I step for my checkride. An IP suggested spinning the winds for a heading on final and I figured since we already have a spreadsheet that does timings, why not have it do a heading also? Thanks for the help.

Anyone know the formula they use to get wind drift on the wiz wheel? I'm trying to make a spread sheet to calculate the wind drift on final for some approaches we shoot a lot. I already have one that can work the timing, just want to add headings too.

Most AD studs are glad to have guard guys in their class. One more guy they don't have to worry about competing with.

I've done it, just make sure you've got a long runway with no 50' power lines (two guys and two girls, so not four offensive linemen). Once you're in the air and away from the runway, no prob, just watch the takeoff.

I just got issued the combat edge a few weeks ago. Went to the chamber and it hurt so bad I couldn't even listen to the instructors talking. Afterwards, went to life support and found the oldest, crustiest guy there. He figured out my mask was a size too small, got me a new one and it fits great. Nose is still a little red when I finish, but amazingly better.

Dirty Dick's is a good place to eat (if you don't mind being hassled or ignored by the staff). Unless you have too much money, just grab some nachos there and one or two drinks and move on. The nachos are easily a meal by themselves (lots of food no matter what you order) but the drinks are expensive. If you're AD, you can't get a car on your orders, just wait and see if some guys bring one, some will if they live close. Also, don't take the shuttle from the airport to Brooks, it takes forever, just take a cab.

Having JUST finished all that stuff a last week, it will take the full time to check in. I would even follow IGB's advice and show up early if you can. My RNLTD gave me one work week to get everything done and I didn't have time to finish everything. Had I shown up a day or two earlier, it would have helped out a lot. Since you're probably casual right now, your CC will probably let you go early. Also, I think it will help to know that stuff.

Isn't the point of a message board to be able to interact with people who may know more than you do about something you enjoy hearing about? Just a few years ago I was one of those ROTC kids who knew very little about flying. Now I'm on my way to flight school, but you can be sure that I'm going to at least try to turn around and help those ROTC kids whenever I can just like some of you have helped me. I agree that everyone posting their PCSM score is dumb, but lets not discount all other topics because they are not strictly about flying.

If you are contracted, you are allowed. all you need is a military ID and a paper from your Det that says you're "on leave". Of course you don't get leave, but it's just a paper you need. You will be the lowest priority for getting seats, but the same catagory as the majority of passangers. There are a few good books out there you should get before trying it, it can be a little tricky sometimes (also some good websites- just do a google search). I did it twice as a cadet, it was a blast both times, just make sure you have some extra money (and time) in case you get stuck somewhere. [ 02. September 2004, 22:46: Message edited by: ENJJPT2B ]

You should check with your wing staff, I only had cadets wear their uniform when they're on campus between 0800-1700, unless they were in their dorm room, had a job, or a PE class or something. You shouldn't have to wear it at the airport just because it's LLAB day.

Not really a joke, but I always liked "zipper-suited sun god"

Little off topic, but why would they name a chopper "hoplite"? It dosen't make too much sense to name a light, flying machine after a heavily armored acient greek infantryman.

There'll be lots of both (lazy fat***'s and 5 minute jocks), I agree that the morning is the best time to work out. If you don't make time at the start of the day, it's too easy to skip a work out to do something less productive (like study for a test).

There ya go, forgot about all those little icons.

So when do we get these dog tags anyway? First thing I'm doing is taking my motorcycle out and playing sand volleyball ... just kiddding. [ 27. July 2004, 11:01: Message edited by: ENJJPT2B ]

As my username suggests, I'll be there this fall, really looking forward to seeing the short bus. Maybe I'll can race it with my 99 saturn!