FourFans

Tyler, scoobs, Chang, and hatedont just might be related.

Life ain't fair. Any arguments based on "fairness" are invalid. It's the Air Force. Walk into any organization (that's not the AF) and you will find people in charge at every level who have an intimate understanding of what the organization's primary function, mission, and purpose are. (Does the CEO of Ford understand cars?) Pilots see parts of all the support, decision makes, and execution functions of the USAF simply by the merit of their job. Pilots can and should lead the Air Force at all levels. Competition selects quality. Simply by going through the selection process of pilot training, higher quality raw material is selected. Ever hear about the guy that washed out of finance tech school and used UPT as his backup? Not a knock on personal value, but not everyone has what it takes to do certain jobs. That doesn't mean that all pilots are good leaders or even good people. It simply means that pilots come from a pool that is stress-inoculated, studious, and highly adaptable. Those are known qualities that can contribute to the growth of a good leader. But that person has to be properly mentored. Properly taught humility. Properly taught how to lead by example. Properly given the chance to failure in an environment where mistakes can be made and learned from. (for another post, but this is exactly why the service academies exist) A generation ago, they understood the value of doing difficult things for the positive impact it a makes on one's character. A smart man once pointed out that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Instead of a society pursuing character and hope, we now live in an instant-gratification-every-thought-and-emotion-I-have-deserves-an-audience-and-it's-your-fault-my-life-is-so-unfair society. The Air Force is simply reflecting that. Promoting self-servers and a lack of mission focus are just a couple symptoms of that fact. I argue that the collapse in the Air Force is due to moral decay. You can't swing a dead cat these days without hitting an O-6 convicted of sexual harassment or conduct unbecoming. With moral fiber like that, is there any doubt why the AF is failing? No amount of promotion process fixes can correct a lack of moral conscience. Until individuals start holding themselves to a higher standard, learning what sacrificial servant leadership is about, and learning how to pursue character, we will continue to see the fallout of moral collapse. FF

Gunna leave this right here. https://www.skiesmag.com/news/canadian-pilot-shortage-real-says-industry-consultant/?utm_source=skies-daily-news-top-story&utm_campaign=skies-daily-news&utm_medium=email&utm_term=top-story&utm_content=V1

Ouch! Well done hanging tough through that!

Fair point.

Azimuth, you everyone beer for posting that picture. Good riddance! You might as well have posted a picture of this guy. (DISCLAIMER: If you were in the 41 AS in the 2008-2009 time frame, don't click that link, you already know who it is.) FF

brick? Hell, he was drinking scotch somewhere...probably Redbreast 12...

...by having a P

P. IDE (correspondence, but that's not supposed to matter says AF leadership...we all know the truth though). No negatives.

I second your notion, but let's be clear. There is a significant difference between a "qualified individual wanting to fly" and a combat effective pilot who maintains a skill level actually needed to compete with peer adversaries. The former is a FAIP. The latter is already endangered in today's Air Force. The USAF is digging a new hole inside one that it's already been digging for years. We're at the point that simply having someone willing to fly, regardless of actual skill level, is considered a win.

Data point: 11M, patch, 11 years in ops squadrons, 1000+ combat hours, clean record, highly effective instructor, NATO staff.....not selected. Any doubts on what the USAF values?

IPZ. Guess I'll just wait a year. Thanks.

Aren't you forgetting Iron Eagle?

I'm chilling out in a NATO black hole, but I got a phone call saying I didn't O-5. No information on continuation offered or available when I asked. Am I supposed to get a letter offering or denying continuation?

USAF Medals. Noted.

I just threw up a little. Champ already said it, but it bears repeating. I like the active duty less and less each day.

Boots are boots. If Belleville goes through all sorts of hoops to make them comfortable and effective, I'm all for it. For the first time in a LONG time, we MIGHT have an effective lowest bidder. Yesterday was the first time in 4 years of owning belleville green boots (and executing no maintenance on them) that I felt moisture inside my boots (thanks to the Korean monsoon). That's use every five-six out of seven days a week for four years. Time for new ones. I'll call that a good track record. Dear Belleville: Beat that! FF

Not that there's anything wrong with that... But if Masshole says it, is it really gay?

Are you kids done crying about uniforms? It's the CSAF change of command. Of course it's going to look different. Who cares?

Baronhazel: Latest news from the C-130 world, expect 6 months on, 12 months off. More to follow as that pans out with all the 10 year commitments coming due. AC, HC, and MC all depend on events as they transpire worldwide. From what I've witnessed friends go through (I'm not in AFSOC) there is no such thing as a "stable" ops tempo for AFSOC. They do try to make it somewhat consistant (60 on 60 off is what I've heard recently)...but they're employment tends to be much more dynamic than AMC and ACC. FF Edit: grammer, and yes, you read that right. 6 on, 12 off.

"...but they are expected to make everyone else better." That's the end goal. Never forget that. It's all about making our squadrons better without worrying about who gets the credit. Not very many people are, at their core, truly ok with improving something without getting some form of credit for the part the played. Be the best you can. See where God leads you. If it's towards the WIC, talk to your WO. FF

God Speed Chief!

135s airdrop?

Simply brilliant. The last 2000 years that've seen the Bible as the single best surviving and most accurately translated book in the world were simply a fluk. The Quran isn't all that young either. Yeah, that time was clearly confused and chaotic, the next 500 years will show us what's up. I think what you meant to say was that in 500 years people will look at men like Anwar Al-Awlaki and wonder how they managed to mess it up so bad. I hope he's enjoying his 72 virgin dudes. FF