HeloDude

Not how it worked when I had a seat at the table and nor should it work the way you describe. The #1 Major in the wing when I was the DS was a 2nd year Major (pilot), and he was pretty damn sharp, but was not an IDE select on his board. The #2 Major was the lead JAG and he was definitely a sharp officer...but also wasn't meeting his IPZ board for a couple years. I also saw 2nd year Captains getting a wing strat, and it's not because they were being discussed as a future GO. Only a very small percentage of CGOs will ever be a Wg CC and a much even smaller percentage will be a General. I'm not saying that senior leaders can't (and don't) highlight these individuals early on, but they only take a few of the top strats. Most top strats are earned by just above average officers...and a lot of it is luck/timing. Case in point, the MSG at a UPT base has a much smaller pool of officers compared to the OG, yet the MSG gets a higher/disproportionate amount of wing strats compared to the OG--I've seen this happen with my own eyes. The problem is that the OG doesn't completely want to piss off the MSG and tell him that more than half of his rated guys are better than the SFS Captain, so they "spread the wealth around" and the slighty above average SFS Captain gets a wing strat and the slighty above average pilot doesn't even get mentioned. Now all things being equal, which one eventually has a better chance at making O-5? Bingo...

The hard truth why you weren't PCSd to a job outside of the wing is that others were being pushed above you. I know that sucks to hear, but that's the truth and someone in a leadership posistion didn't have the guts to tell you. Ten years ago it might have been different and you would have maybe been able to squeak a job into a NAF or DRU (i.e. Safety Center, AFOTEC, etc), but with the rated manning the way it is, only so many non school guys are going to be sent to staff. As for the Wing job, unfortunately I'm not suprised. I was a Wing DS and sat on several wing strat meetings with the CV and all the Group CCs (I was the one fighting for the folks in the WSA). What I learned is that there were two kind of rated guys sent to the wing: One with an above average record who was being sent by the OG to expand their resume (usually a late 2nd assignment senior Capt or brand new Major)...the other kind of person was an average 3rd assignment Major that got brought up to just do a different job. And when it came to the wing strats, if I fought for a wing rated guy that the OG didn't already have as one of his top 1/3 guys, he would question and fight me why that guy should be strat'd at the wing. And here I am, an O-5, trying to fight for who I believe deserves it...but ultimately, we're all owned by the OG (yes, even the guys in coded wing safety billets). Now getting one of the WSA rated guys a decent strat who the OG knew/thought a lot of was easy...then it was just a shell game of why he should be #7 vs #8 out of all the base FGOs. After my first round of doing this, I told the Sq CCs to not believethat pushing an average O-4 in the Ops Group for a Wing job is somehow going to magically help them out...rarely it did. In closing, it sucks you didn't make it. You come across as intelligent, hard working, and passionate and I imagine you were on the cusp of making it. As others have said, the board results do not define you as an officer or WSO, and most importantly as a human being. I wish you the best and if there's any other info I can provide you offline then shoot me a PM.

The reason so many guys get passed over ABZ is that their records aren't magically going to be stronger than the IPZ year in which they were originally passed over. It typically only gets worse 2ABZ and so on. By and large the dudes who get passed over for O-5 were going to get passed over no matter what year they competed IPZ. There are definitely a small handful of guys who might have made it one year vs the next, etc but that's not the majority of the guys getting passed over IPZ. Does it suck for those guys who were on the cusp--most definitely. But had those guys had gotten picked up then some other guy on the cusp wouldn't have made it and we would be having the same discussion. If you're coming up on your O-5 IPZ and you've never been in a posistion above a wing then you're automatically at a disadvantage--hopefully you're the master at your trade at that point...but let's face it, there are only a few of those, at least on paper (and he gets the DP at the wing as a pilot). If you're not an IDE in res type guy, you're more likely to promote if your record looks like you're a pretty decent jack of all trades...and unless you've had a couple killer deployments, squadron job after squadron job with a sprinkle a one or two Group or Wing jobs probably won't cut it. Duty titles matter on a PRF. I'm not saying I like the current system (there are pros and cons) but at least for this board, this is how things are generally viewed IMO.

As bad as Schwartz was, the "everyone is a warrior" crap happened well before Schwartz.

But 382 (if memory serves) was max structurable. I definitely saw well over 300 on an area solo...but the ol' Tweet, she would never tell a soul!

You're a functional at AFPC? Cool--what branch?

Always is. Besides, if a dude can't make it through academics (which is entirely under your own control), then I don't want that dude in any other airframe. So either we need the rest of the storie or accept the fact that the AF got this one right.

This

While I totally get a dude's reason for getting out to allow his spouse to have a more stable career, I don't know what this "1950s family model" you're saying is being pushed on us? 1) CDC--don't really need much of one when you have this "1950s family model"... 2) Gay marriage...definitely not 1950s 3) The fact that the vast majority of female AD AF officers are married to another officer...again, not what I would call a 1950s family model. Active duty definitely makes it a challenge for both spouses to have a career, but that is the nature of the beast with PCSing and families desiring to stay together...if only people knew about PCSing before going on AD and then could also get out after just a few years after joining (vast majority of military aren't on commitments more than a few years). In the end, do what's best for yourself and your family, but don't blame the AF for something you voluntarily accepted.

He was asked a question, and he answered it. As someone who has been around for a while, I didn't see a problem with his response.

You should have a copy of your signed your PRF--what exactly did your push line say?

Actuall, marijuana is still illegal in the US per federal law. It's just that the main prosecutors of marijuana use is at the state level, and quite a few states now have legalized recreational marijuana use.

You can't fly 1830-1930 on weekdays in the summertime if an IP is available?

11R's only get 30K unless they sign up for an additional 10-12 years. https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1737932/air-force-announces-fiscal-year-2019-aviation-bonuses/

Correct. Didnt 'several hundred' helicopters lost in Afghanistan seem just a 'little' bit high to you? And if you don't think the Army is concerned about their pilot shortage as well then you're wrong. The Army gives a higher annual bonus to Apache pilots than some AF fixed wing pilots. https://www.military.com/defensetech/2018/09/05/army-paying-out-35000-bonuses-reduce-apache-pilot-shortage.html

Dude, did you even read your own source? You're not even close to several hundred.

Wait, what? Do you have a link to support this claim?

Never allow movers to touch your firearms. And never register a firearm.

Well this post didn't age well...

If the threat of 365s is why the take rate is so low, then the take rate would have been just as low (if not lower) 6-9 years ago when there were much more 365s. It's a perfect storm right now: Economy is doing well, airlines are hiring at higher rates than seen in the last 15+ years, the wars have not gone down to pre-9-11 rates, more queep, lack of faith in senior leadership, and on and on. This arguing about 365s wrt to the bonus/getting out is silly...all non-vol 365 requirements could go away (most have) and the vast majority of guys who are getting out would still get out.

Haha--you are the delusional one! Progressives now upset with Trump pulling troops out of Syria are the same people 1-2 years ago who said Trump will get us in a war with Syria. Saying Trump is pulling troops out of Syria to appease Russia is the equivalent of saying Obama pulled troops out of Iraq to appease Iran.

Why? I thought standards were still the same...

For what's it's worth, I personally know of an enlisted flyer whose FEB recommended keep his wings, the NAF CC non-concurred, and the MAJCOM CC concurred with the board and retained the member's wings. Again, the FEB is his chance to make his argument and defend his record...which is very fair. None of us have an inherent right to fly for the Air Force, and if we give our leaders legitimate cause to question whether we should be in this business, then there is a process to make this decision. The MAJCOM CC knows how bad the AF is hurting for pilots and if he believes the Air Force can benefit from giving someone another chance/keep them flying, then that is what he will do. But let's face it, on the rare occasion, we have all met that guy who we scratch our head and wonder how they made it through UPT/graduated X course, passed their checkrides, etc. Well, the FEB is the formal process to decide whether that person should continue or find a different job. And as for the U-28 (if this indeed in the aircraft in this situation), I'm not aware of the community having a high washout rate during initial qual (but perhaps I'm wrong?). So if the min standards are successfully achieved by 98% of their students, this unfortunately doesn't say much about the rare exception. Just food for thought.

It appears that the FTU/convening authority think your flying skills are sub-par and don't wish to pass you on to the next/3rd airframe which could also potentially be a challenge for you. I have been a reviewing/voting member (whatever that role is specifically called) on an FEB and IMO it's a pretty fair process. The board members, covening authority, and the MAJCOM CC will take this process very seriously and most likley give you the benefit of the doubt, not to mention they are also very aware of the pilot manning situation. If your record shows that you should be reinstated/keep your wings, then that is what will happen. Good luck and make sure you are taking care of yourself outside of the FEB process by going to the gym, eating well, getting adequate sleep, keeping positive relationships, etc.

The 'previous Vance CV', as in the new Laughlin Wg CC?