Toasty

We're using H3 TOLD and fuel numbers to be conservative, then logging results as the new engines blow away the numbers. So that side is straightforward. Tac, however...the pen-d, slowdown, and power settings are totally jacked now, as it carries more power at idle.

We've got a single 3.5, currently deployed for MAFFS. I haven't flown it yet, but the crews are raving. 330-340kts, ceilings into the mid-30's. Hundred less TIT and a thousand less PPH. We're basically the flight test guinea pig squadron- there isn't a single publication on this engine, but sure as hell we're flying missions with it. We're also slated to get the avionics upgrade (who knows when). We've seen a picture of the new cockpit, that's it. Nav and FE keep their seats. I expect we'll get the NP2000 props before the avionics make their way here.

I went in-residence in 2015 a year before my Maj board (no correspondence), and it was very low threat. Classes were discussion based, there were no tests, the only writing assignment was to create your AF bio, and the final project was the war game. I think we had 2 PT days, also low threat. The course does have value as a CGO course, but the execution always needs work.

This is the answer...I have never, ever heard of someone blocking a flight control in my ten years of flying the Herk. This was the outlier. It was also a young crew, and I absolutely understand a 2-man cockpit making mistakes in the desert at night. This one just bit harder. Herks do a LOT of stops each mission, often times only 20-30min apart with 5-10min on the ground. Very easy to overlook things, and I'm always grateful we have an FE in the H to keep us honest.

Sigh. Can't hate.

The less aircraft we have at the Deid, the better. I say we all move to bases in Oman and flip the bird on the way out.

First thought: Hey, fuck you. Second thought: I've had some downright terrible nav CC's...

It hasn't hit our unit yet, but rumor is it will on our next deployment cycle. I'm a former IN from active duty that hasn't been cert'd with the unit, and just a traditional with 10 years and coming up on 2,000hrs. I'm one of the youngest in the unit, but since I came from AD, I have some of the most time combat time overseas. Pretty sure my balls are about an inch from this bandsaw. And being a nav, I have no cushy airline industry to fall back on. We're sweating it. That's a bro, right there. Imagine it from his perspective- if he picks one of his to go and die at the hands of the ANA, how would he feel? You nailed it- we were trained to fly/fight/win with Americans, for Americans. This is none of the above. They should be paying contractors 4x what they pay us to do that job.

My bet is the Springs gets C-17's. We've got Herks up the street at the WYANG for the Herk/MAFFS mission, and the Springs has the political power to do it. Personally, I'm not sure how the ARC operates C-17 ops tempo. My experience with AD guys say the plane is *always* on the road, and should never be sitting still in order to fully utilize it (like an airline does). Not sure how an ARC unit meets that kind of manning requirement. Also no idea how a state would justify the reach/ability of a C-17 for state-support missions. Colorado needs an air-refueling, long range strat asset? Ok.

I also did the Bradley Morris thing for a while. I thought the resume/interview prep stuff was definitely worth it, as well as seeing where you fall among your peers. That being said, unless you've got a background in nukes/EE or want a job in sales...I didn't think anything they were offering was that interesting.

Interesting to hear everyone else's side of things. We're still sitting on 1 deployment every 2 years, still voluntary (0, 60, or 120 days). Almost everything additional is stuff that current ops picks up for us to bid on. Pretty sure if they shortened our dwell or began non-vol'ing, the unit would become a burning ship with rats jumping for shore. Our guys are extremely proud of our traditional base and the State mission, and would riot if they were threatened with full active duty suck. Reserves, unfortunately, don't have that nice State flag shield to hide behind. It's always going to be death by a thousand pin-pricks, though.

Heard about it, but we had bailed from the o-club early. We've only been here for 5 days, so I'm sure there were some previously established tensions brewing. I'll bet $3.50 that it's a dude was banging a dude's wife while he was deployed on last assignment.

I've heard C-Springs is pushing to get C-17's. They probably have some political might in that area, and the WYANG has H3's up the street that also do MAFFS.

Did I "meet" her in St. John's?

Believe it or not, a 61x told me that flyers shouldn't be officers...because we don't (typically) do EPR's. I wanted to punch a baby.

Wait, *command post* is asking those questions? "Unable." If it's a problem to the point of affecting choices or creating workload in the air, I'd talk the SQ/CC for some top-cover to knock that shit off.

Right, how dare we allow a public vote and an electoral congress to select an educated American Christian to the Presidency. There's no way he represents anyone important.

Manning the border with physical resources is a waste of time/money. Buy some preds, put some guys on rotations in a trailer, and have a helicopter "QRF" on alert to respond to whatever the predators find. You'd only need a handful of staging bases in TX/AZ/NM/CA. Doesn't even need to be a military operation- just a "collect and deport" role. Hell, gather enough intel, and you might actual catch the coyotes and ring leaders and slow the pipelines. Stop putting Boomhower and Kletus behind the wheel of a GMC, expecting border security.

Is that for the -J or the -H?

God I love Duffel Blog.

Depends on how much you want to fly, and if you deploy. Deployed, Herk guys typically do a bit over 300hrs in 120 days. Home station, on the low side you'll do 100-200hrs a year, up to 400-500 if you're busy and volunteering for missions. Just up to you. If you're time building, you could fly 2-3 a week, plus a trip or two a month no problem.

Everything I wrote 2 years ago still applies. Bumming on 1Lt pay with a family will be difficult- we have one guy doing that, but he was enlisted for a bunch of years. Each double day you do (ie flying) will be about $200 take-home. Trips are only single pay days, but you make per diem. Day availability will be unit dependent- we have a lot of weekend duties (Sunday ops desk for a double, drills, weekend Guard lifts) that make balancing with a civilian job easier, and a ton of flying throughout the week that the unit will help you out with if you need more man days. You can do the math yourself- you get 12 UTA (all-purpose) man days per quarter, plus 12 AFTP (ie flying/training) days per quarter, plus 30 (unit dependent) squadron funded days each year. Any time you do on Title 10/32 is bonus, and doesn't count towards your allotment. So theoretically, if you use all of your days, you'll get 96 (UTA/AFTP) + 30 (Sq funded) + x (active duty days). It's up to you to make it work. Here's what I've done so far this year (4 year Captain): 16 UTA periods (4 makeup), 7 AFTPs, 4 Active duty days, 8 Squadron days. 35 total days. My take home has been about $6000, which is exactly what one month of pay would net me on active duty as a Captain. I'm expecting to do somewhere in the neighborhood of $15-25k this year, as a true part-timer who flies about twice a month plus drills and the occasional Sunday desk duty. But I have a full time civilian job. If you have more time available, you can fly a lot more. I think $60k as a 1Lt is a big stretch (you'll be flying/on duty nearly as much as an active duty guy). Expecting $30-40k take home is more realistic if you're working your butt off. None of these calculations include deployments, because they're so infrequent. I've been in the Guard for 3 years, and haven't deployed yet.

I vote for installing the bubbles and putting solar panels up there.

You must have been at Dyess at the same time I was.

Maybe they found the perfect 7-day opt recipe, so they won't have to pay VSP...