busdriver

I'm sick and fvcking tired of this "woe is me" bullsh*t. It goes both ways buddy. We all know you're bummed at the prospect of the dreamed for fighter slipping away, you guys tell us about it over and over and over. Go have a beer instead of moping, you'll feel better.

The latest AFTimes has an article about the new "ABS-G." Looks like the whole kit will also include AF specific body armor instead of the interceptor set up currently used. Overall it looks decent, if you ignore the stupid camo pattern used.

The common thread to the quoted section above is a strong implication that sporting uses are the only appropriate use of firearms.

The morse code connection is currently competing with the long entrenched semaphore community.

The Comet based design of the Nimrod has some problems, like bursting into flames after air refueling and breaking up in flight.

I think what Bender was getting at is that flying a modern aircraft is pretty easy. It's the tactical employment that's hard.

M2, I still fail to see how being able to run a marathon automatically means she must be lying about PTSD. I am NOT saying she's telling the truth, I think she's full of shit. I know plenty of runners, I was one in high school. I can totally see how returning to the things you loved before a traumatic event and re-attacking them would be a step in recovery. If you're attacking the 100% disability aspect, I agree, but to claim she's obviously lying since she ran a marathon, well I disagree.

In the case of a rescue squadron, your beer light should be a set of green feet, period dot.

If you really like running, and PTSD is what caused your retirement, wouldn't running a marathon be therapeutic in a way? That said, I think she's a liar. I just don't see the connection to the marathon.

I gotta say, the service digs idea sounds dumb. That said, I'm obviously wearing blues on Mondays here at SOS, and frankly it's a non issue. I bought a new set in preparation and they're not really uncomfortable, I just wish the uniform store had leather shoes in my size. These plastic things aren't very comfortable.

What DI said, just press through the UPT program as offered to you. Do whatever you want after work. If running 7 miles a day helps you maintain focus, then it's probably a good thing to keep up, just do it whenever you can. The biggest trick to use whatever time you have as best you can. If you're stuck in the flight room all day, then use that time to study. That way you can afford to spend a couple hours working out after.

I think CLIMB, CLIMB, CLIMB works better. Pick the fucking collective up is a bit too descriptive.

Agree, I really want a flight worthy 2 piece setup, that would allow us to have a combat shirt type thing to wear with body armor when flying. For you fighter guys, imagine if your cockpit was 10 to 20 degrees C hotter than ambient with poor air circulation and you have to wear body armor, and you'll see why the current setup sucks. I have no shit burned my hand touching a metal surface in the cockpit while deployed.

I would imagine the Nomex ABU will only be for people you mentioned. Cops are currently allowed to wear the two piece Army flight suit when outside the wire. Likewise, our PJs are wearing Army ACUs when overseas due to the need for the better pocket arrangement. If the AF treats this new get up like the ACU/2 piece flight suit issue, you won't see finance people wearing it. Hell if they treat it exactly the same, the helo world is going to have trouble convincing them to let us wear it.

MIL physicals will count towards FAA? AWESOME, I haven't flown GA since IFT since I haven't felt like forking over the cash to get yet another physical. This is great.

I thought occurred to me (usually this is a bad sign) that for this to be of any real use, their source has to be willing to go on the record, right? An anonymous source claiming Metzger had an abortion while deployed to Manas is only barely above conjecture right?

The rumor I've heard about that combat only ABU, is that it's nomex, has shoulder pockets like the ACU, the pockets on the chest are slanted and the neck actually has a closure system. It basically sounds like the ACU pattern, made of nomex and in the AF color scheme. One of my E's said he talked with a big wig Chief (I don't remember who it was, ACC chief, AF chief, beats me) who was wearing it around to ask people's opinions. Sounds like an actual good product versus the piece of crap ABU. Hopefully we can get it approved for flight.

the helos on the helmet had me thinking, oh well.

This seemed like the best place to post my question. If I have say an air medal with 4 oak leaf clusters, do I wear 5 air medals with mess dress? I looked in 36-29chow my hog, but didn't get a good answer. I'm only asking since I have to re-build my blues due to SOS, and saw my mess dress sitting there, naked and lonely on its hanger.

I very little about the Navy, however the WSOs in the backseat of the hornets tended to be the mission commanders when I was at fallon for desert rescue. In other words the pilots flew and defended the aircraft, the WSO worried about the bigger picture. As to what CSOs will do in the U-28 world: they originally had it set up that two pilots could do everything. My guess is that due to very short manning, they realized they can increase their pool of bodies by opening the non-pilot duties to other capable bodies, ie navs. If you know what the U-28 actually does, I think you know what I'm talking about.

The whole rank thing is mostly a tradition game to me. For whatever reason I played the salute side of the game as I mentioned. As to the Sir thing, well I first met one guy as a captain, me an LT. I called him by his first name for a couple years till he made major, suddenly he railed me for not calling him Major XXXX. Another guy I met as a major, but everyone called him by his first name, the same as mine. Obviously two guys named Bob had a running joke that went something like: Him in a manner of greeting: "Bob" Me: "Bob" I got chewed out by a different officer about calling a major Bob, while I was an LT. After the ass chewing, he talked to me and said something to the effect of, don't worry about it, I'm cool with everyone calling me Bob, you guys do what I tell you, jump when I say jump, so what you call me doesn't matter. I learned some important things from all that. Respect someone's leadership position above rank. Know your audience. When you're the higher ranking SOB, don't take shit so damn seriously, Sir/Ma'am doesn't equal respect and if you're a good leader you'll recognize when your people are following versus appeasing you. I also learned through some other interactions that it's a slippery slope. If you get lax with some people who are good shit, it makes the shit heads think they can take the same liberties. Use your relaxation with caution, it may come back to bite you in the ass.

Disregard everything I said before, this is gay.

My personal take is that if leadership wants people to go back to wearing blues as the default, then if you're a line dog assigned to a flying squadron, you wear a flight suit, from the commander on down. If you're staff, be it wing, group or majcom you wear a flight suit when you know you're going to fly. Then again I don't think blues are all that bad. Sure they look stupid with the powder blue up get we currently have, but ultimately we should be acting as a professional force. I don't really have a problem with our representatives dressing like professional students of warfare.

Come on people, it's obvious this is something that Gen Schwartz had in mind before ever taking this job. I imagine the "discussion" about this topic lasted all of 30 seconds and went something like: Gen Schwartz: BDUs being the normal uniform is crap, if you're not flying or getting dirty you should be in blues. Someone else: But sir we're supporting blah blah blah Gen Schwartz: Fine one day a week then, it's done. Someone else: Yes sir

I had a problem with sirs and ma'ams for a long time, maybe still do. But never saluting. In my mind a salute is just the way military members recognize and respect each other, we just have some goofy rules as so who initiates the process. So while the airman may have to salute me first, I have to salute back, it's a two way street.