brabus

On that fanatic thing...I was watching the t-birds perform about 2 yrs ago in CO. This guy just started talking to me out of nowhere about how #5 couldn't fly b/c he's DNIF from a cold and how (insert first name of T-bird pilot) is a good dude b/c blah blah. It was really weird, but I kind of shrugged off thinking he was a buddy of one of the pilots or something. Come to find out he was a prior-E in the 80s and had NO connection to the t-birds or anyone linked to the T-birds, EVER. And this whole time the guys talking to me like he's personal friends w/ all of them. It was fvcking weird...I just left. This shit is hilarious guys, keep it coming!

The company is some online mattress place owned by a pakistani who is anti troops in Iraq. Wonder if his profits go anywhere besides the family table.

1. Suck it up. How bad do you want to fly in the AF? What are you willing to do to achieve that dream? Think about that, seriously. 2. That being said...how far off from affording the transfer are you? Student loans ARE NOT a bad deal and in this case, maybe well worth it. You can pay them off pretty decently with O pay, so personally, I wouldn't worry too much about that. Also, see if you can work something out to do PT at your school (how many are at your school? Even 4 or 5 dudes working out twice a week can make for some "ROTC-approved" PT). Third, find a cadre member you get along with and who isn't a douche shoe (hopefully that exists in your Det) and talk to them about this. They should be there to help you.

Blanket...I just remembered I do have an extra copy of the cockpit poster(the one issued to us at Vance). If you want it, PM me and I'll mail it to you.

I'd be worried too if I were you. Sounds to me like he told you not to dive b/c of having to valsalva (or yawn, whatever you do to equalize pressure in your sinuses). Guess what, you'll be doing the exact same equalizing in the chamber, while flying, etc. But on the same page, it's not like you can go through life never equalizing your sinuses. This is definitely serious enough that you need to get checked out by a flight doc. If you can't chamber, you can't fly...sorry. But, it'd be better to find out now then to find out 4 days into UPT. Good luck, and if you want any hope of still being able to fly, stop boxing. Getting knocked unconscious is a 99% DQ (and don't say it'll never happen, b/c there's ALWAYS a high enough chance in boxing that it's not worth the risk).

You don't need it before hand...really. You get so much of that crap shoved down you're throat in the first 2 weeks, you'll practically know it like the back of your hand (as well as a stud can anyways) before you hit the flight line. Relax or do some bold face, nothing more.

Bellancas are like that too...I would think it would be weird as hell, but my buddy who has one says it actually feels great and he prefers it to the standard yoke. Maybe just different strokes for different folks.

Pure gold bender...how could you lose! :D

Nope...there's just a parking lot outside. If you use two spots, who gives a shit. As far as bikes (Mun), Vance has some shelters you can park them under, but don't know if I would completely count on it (depends on how many people have bikes and if you'll have to fight for a space or not). I don't know about the other bases. I would say theft is very little on base, and pretty much non-existent when it comes to auto.

You can have as many as you want...w/in reason (i.e. what you can park in your driveway, etc.)

Totally true man. And if you have your private license before starting w/ the Navy, they'll guarantee you fighters (because they don't have to waste time with teaching you easy stuff like how to manipulate flight controls and what it means to fly without running out of gas...that sort of stuff). Of course you can still choose to fly helos, but anyone with a license before Navy flight training would just be wasting their skillz. [ 03. January 2007, 20:16: Message edited by: brabus ]

I doubt they would say anything here whether it was them or someone they knew. Not a good idea to publicize the guy anymore than already has been done....man, what happened to the good days when everyone would just laugh at what he wrote and move on.

I'd bet it already has. I'm pretty sure everyone he ever works with is going to shun him the second they find out who he is...and after this, I doubt it'll be very hard to figure it out. What a douche bag.

Well, I wouldn't expect someone to slap a full mag into their 1911 as they walked out of the BX. No one's wanting to carry on base, I just figure it wouldn't be a big deal to transport the firearm in your car off base, as some brought up earlier. And I do know every base is different...apparently some bases you can't even keep your own guns in your on-base house. Screw that...those bastards at the armory are never going to touch my guns...ever.

Whoa...someone has that Col by the balls with this one. Hopefully this cadet gets one "special" ride (sts).

The Army/MC have a greater need b/c not only do they have shit tons of people in country, but how many people are willing to do 3+ tours in Iraq as a dude walking the streets? Not many, thus they leave after 1 or 2. So, the Army/MC are constantly having to replace those who leave after 1 or 2...it's a neverending cycle to keep the ranks full. The AF doesn't have that problem.

Apparently once you retire/separate, you lose your security clearance and have to redo the whole thing if you end up getting a job needing one. At least this happened to my old neighbor when he retired a couple years ago (23 year Col). He lost all security clearances and now can't accept a very good job b/c of not having one.

At Vance anyways, I drive on/off base all the time with my gun(s) in the car...many times plainly in view from the outside (in their cases obviously). I've never had a single thing said to me. If this is a general case at other bases, then I wouldn't think transporting the firearm from the BX would be a big deal at all. Plus, you're not going to get stopped going off base (unless some cop fag decides to nail you (sts) for 1 over), so no big deal.

FAM rides are a sweet deal for cadets...why not take advantage? But, that's some shit you getting bumped out for them...I don't agree w/ that one. In fact, I'm kinda surprised. Was there any reasoning why he had priority over you? As far as I know, ROTC cadets looking for FAM rides are literally last in priority. Weird.

Good to hear from Rage that it is in fact after 12. That's just weird then about a couple people's cases I knew...but, guess there was some other circumstances. JS - As far as I can tell from what Rage and P27 have said, he would be DQ'd from flying (unless he could get a waiver), but would still be able to commission (i.e. non-flying job). Is that correct Rage, P27?

Weird. My experience at Tyndall...I got a FAM ride in a 1v1 HABFM. All of it took place over the Gulf...I do not have water survival (however, maybe it was illegal and the Top 3 et al just didn't realize). My other experience was at Luke...they were also FAM rides and I was merely thrown in an empty back seat, i.e. defintely not an incentive ride set up just for me. How we did it was just call down to the OSS, get some paperwork from them, our cc had to sign a permissive TDY, and that was it. From there, we just walked around to the various sq's, talked w/ their schedulers and see if there were any back seats available...if there were, they'd throw us in. That was it. The only INCENTIVE I got was JETO at FT. So for ROTC/casuals, usually you'll have to set it up something like we did, thus being a FAM ride. The only incentive flights you will ever get will be on a ROTC PDT, or maybe if your casual at a FS and they're really cool to set up a flight just for you, but more likely you'll just sandbag (which is completely awesome anyways). Toro...a guy I know who just got here was casual at SJ, and it sounded like all of his rides were just sandbags. He said none of them were flown "just for him"...so wouldn't all those be FAM rides? You might as well man...it will at the very least save you some ass pain. The times I've gone, EVERY time we would have been turned away w/o alt cards. You don't want to make a trip to a base just to get shut down for not having an alt card. And if you can get it relatively easily, you might as well. [ 04. December 2006, 10:02: Message edited by: brabus ]

FAM is the more restrictive...I was told incentive is a ride solely for you...i.e. Amn of the year gets a ride. FAM is a mission profile that was being flown anyways and just happened to have a back seat open. Obviously they're not going to change the mission profile just b/c Lt joe blow doesn't have an alt card. Basically, if you don't have an alt card, you cannot hop in any back seat for a FAM ride that goes above 18k. I would say the majority of profiles in 15s/16s involve altitudes greater that 18k; thus anyone w/o an alt card will just have to sit and wait for a profile that can/is going to be flown under 18k the whole time...not that great of a chance (especially if you're hitting a base for 3 days or so hoping for FAM rides). Every ride I've gotten, the OSS and the SQ had to have copies of a couple forms AND my chamber card...it was definitely a no-go w/o one (this was at Luke and Tyndall). Just my experience.

Depends completely on base, wing king, etc. Last I talked to casual dudes at Luke, they were getting 2-3 rides a week if they wanted it. Dudes casual at the PIT squadrons at Randolph were doing the same. But if you're at Vance, it's an unfair advantage (riiighhttt). So, it just comes down to where you go casual. If you go to a FS, good chance you'll get at least a couple rides. If you go to a FTU, PIT, IFF squadron, there's a good chance you'll get more than that.

Really, the only rides you're going to be able to put together are FAM rides. Incentives just aren't going to happen. Thus, as Evil said, you're pretty much SOL w/o an alt card...unless you get lucky and get a FAM ride like Hoser was talking about. Your options are much wider w/ one than w/o...plus, where are you planning to go to get rides? It might just depend on which a/c, base.

As long as you do a univ sanctioned program AND run it by cadre first, then there will probably be minimal security effect. Your original plan of just throwing together some 1 year sabbatical/take a few classes was much sketchier than a semester long, univ program. The latter will most likely be fine. If you still really want to fly, be absolutely sure this WILL NOT hamper your future flying career. It would be ideal to do a semester program the Fall semester of your senior year...that way you'll be done w/ pilot selection (hopefully), can get brooks out of the way, etc. all before you leave. Shoot for that and you'll be good to go.