LockheedFix

Ok, call me crazy, but what the hell is T-ODP? Your dream sheet you fill out for your next assignment?

"Single C-17 breaks airdrop record" https://www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?storyID=123017752 by Staff Sgt. Melissa Koskovich U.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs 3/20/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- A single Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airdropped 32,400 pounds of humanitarian aid within 40 minutes to four locations in central and eastern Afghanistan March 16. This feat marked the most cargo airdropped to this many drop-zones in the shortest amount of time from a single aircraft in the history of U.S. airdrop operations, said Lt. Col. Charles Ciuzio, chief of the Air Mobility Division at the Combined Air Operations Center here. The C-17 and accompanying aircrew are deployed to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing from McChord Air Force Base, Wash. The mission delivered 24 bundles of supplies to Afghans in need. The supplies included winter survival gear, tools, school supplies, food and blankets. This relief adds to the more than 2.2 million pounds of humanitarian aid provided for the people of Afghanistan since October 2004. “This mission definitely proves the flexibility of our airpower,” said Maj. Gabriel Greiss, chief of Air Mobility Division tactics at the CAOC. “By getting so much done so quickly, we are undoubtedly optimizing the use of our air assets to help as much as we can.” According to White House reports, 6 million people in Afghanistan and 1.5 million Afghan refugees depend on international relief programs for survival. Is this our next DFC-winning crew?

Personally, I think this "getting to your unit and not knowing how to be a CP" talk is a bunch of crap. I don't know if anybody has noticed, but a copilot doesn't really do all that much. It takes about 1/2 a tac ride (if that) at your new squadron to pick up on all these "traditional CP duties." I still have yet to figure out exactly what they did not teach us MPD guys that they used to teach traditional Co's. Gear up: check (learned it in UPT) Talk to ATC: check (learned it in UPT) Run the checklists: N/A Being a CP = not that hard [ 18. March 2006, 00:37: Message edited by: herk28 ]

You're right about draining the extra juice. That stuff stinks up the whole squadron. Another little way to add some zing is to add some Tabasco sauce and/or chili powder to the whole oil concoction. This can make it a little smoky too if you put in too much, but it's another trial-and-error thing to find the proper stinky-squadron to kick-ass-popcorn ratio.

Is TSP more of a retirement account or can you take money out of it when you need it? I'm looking for a more liquid account where I can store some cash and get it out when I need it but make more than the 2% or whatever it is that my savings account makes. Somebody told me recently that you could do that with TSP, but I had never heard that before.

I can't believe no one has mentioned "Return with Honor" by Capt. Scott O'Grady. Note: This message was typed with an a**load of sarcasm.

You mean FL310-350?

Is an AFSOC Group/Wing job like pretty much anywhere else (i.e. flying 3-4 times a month, not deploying with a crew, etc.)?

So I've heard the discussion about going from slick 130s to AFSOC, but what about after that? Do guys ever do slicks then AFSOC then a white jet/instructor tour as a third tour like you might do if you stayed slicks, or do they want you to do 2 tours as an AC in AFSOC (or 1.5, or whatever the case may be) if you come from slicks? Just curious about the typical career progression for guys that go AFSOC after slicks, so any info would be appreciated. [ 14. January 2006, 11:52: Message edited by: herk28 ]

Most Herk guys I've noticed actually do wear them. I've seen a lot of Navs do the aforementioned under-the-collar-and-into-the-zipper move as well. They must not want it to get in the way of their scarves (which they ALL wear.)

We had guys flying the pattern at Columbus in a 172 on Saturdays when the tower and airfield were shut down. They just had to stay above 1000' AGL.

I know they used to footprint everybody at Columbus. And I'm sure anybody who went through CBM at least from 04-01 through 05-15 classes remember exactly WHO footprinted them. Some remember that person a little TOO well. [ 24. December 2005, 21:13: Message edited by: herk28 ]

Yeah, never heard of anyone NOT getting to keep it, even if you only wore it for 6 months in Tweets and then went to heavies. Little Rock even issues guys coming out of Corpus NEW helmets for some reason. My theory is that somewhere along the line somebody showed up that had done the Whiting Field - Corpus route and thus never had an AF helmet, so without asking any questions they just said "Looks like all guys from Corpus don't have helmets, let's give them a new $800 one without even asking if they have one." Works out well for me, I have a souvenir in my office and one to fly in.

I have yet to see a Japanese beach, but we do end up on the beach on a lot of the trips we take.

A dude in my UPT class was horrified of flying. Flying at 2000' in a Cessna was supposedly OK, but at 18000' in a Tweet apparently made him want to wet himself. He DOR'd.

Any C-5 dudes wanna weigh in? I bet that's mind boggling.

I remember Super ROTC Nerds saying "AIRP" at least 6 years ago, and I hung my head in shame every time they said it.

Unless you consider having to be an infantry officer for 6 months before you ever have anything to do with flying "absolutely no difference". And it depends on what you're flying. If you fly choppers, you'll do the whole Navy thing of living on a boat for 6 months at a time. That's kind of a difference. Plus you do all your flight training with the Navy, which is WAY different. Also, in the Corps, aviation is not the priority, so all the money goes to the ground pounders. This means absolutely NO 60" plasma screen TVs in the squadron, which to me is a deal breaker. [ 25. October 2005, 15:49: Message edited by: herk28 ]

From the guys I've talked to, most of the guy who are CPs at Yokota end up going to AC school somewhere around the 2.5 year point. Some come back for a couple of months then PCS out (at the end of their 36 months for married dudes), some do AC school enroute to their next assignment, and some of the guys that are here for 2 years (single guys) leave before they go to AC school. That being said, we are deploying a lot more these days and we're getting new planes and to some extent taking over Elmendorf's role as they switch from Herks to C-17s. So word is that new CPs should get more time in the future than they have in the past.

Those go to Elmendorf. They are not embassy jobs, they are more like a regular AF C-21 assignment, I believe. However, you're right, only guys from VT-35 (TC-12 squadron) can get them, not VT-31 (T-44s), which is really stupid if you ask me. It would take maybe a week to learn to fly the C-12 after flying a T-44. [ 29. August 2005, 14:22: Message edited by: herk28 ]

Anybody heard anything on whether or not they are still going to move all the Herks to LRF? I like the idea of not having a chance to go to Dyess or Pope, but like ENJJPT said, putting all your C-130s (or any plane for that matter) in one place may not be the best idea. Kind of like having the entire Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor.

Neither. You can't get them out of UPT. You have to do an MWS tour first. I'm pretty sure it counts as your white jet tour (meaning it takes the place of an instructor tour.)

Wait, are these C-21 guys who were going to C-130s and 17s but hadn't actually been there yet? So we're taking advice from airline pilots? I don't think the guy that started the post was looking for info from a guy heard something from some other guys who heard some other guys opinion. [ 19. August 2005, 09:18: Message edited by: herk28 ]

The NATOPS and the -1 are not regulations that tell you what you can or can not do. They are the flight manuals that tell about the systems of the plane, etc. The Navy's regulations about what they can and cannot do come from the FAR/AIM and the Air Force has the 11-217 vols 1 and 2, 11-202 vol 3, 11X-###, etc and many, many more regulations. It may seem cool to have less regulations and less people looking over your shoulder when you go fly until you have any IP who wants to go fly a low level VFR beneath 500' ceilings and then continue said low level in the weather at 500' out of reception of any NAVAIDs or any controlling agency and without a map.

My favorite version is the one that says "Hey, Liberals, you shut the f*** up."