Blue

Former RAF member gets mugged and stabbed in Chicago. Does not take kindly to it. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-police-1-held-following-armed-robbery-near-oak-street-beach-20151025-story.html

Huh. Well that's a pretty strong statement......

The Reddit post had also been up on JQP's Facebook page. Has since been replaced by this:

Keep building hours, and working towards improving your PCSM score. I assume PCSM scores still take into account AFOQT scores? If so, you can retake the AFOQT if needed. I was picked up on a board in the early 2000's. It seemed like that a lot of the guys who were selected on that board were on their last shot before they ran into limits on total amount of commissioned service, or age. It gave me some hope that the powers that be took an extra look at the guys who were on their last shot. That said, that attitude may have been limited to that board, so who knows.

This can't be right, can it? He must have had more (much more) than 82 hours from his initial qual on the F-16?

1984 Bachelor of Science degree in administrative management, Clemson University, S.C. BS in Administrative Management? That's a thing?

Interesting....... Wing Exec gets hooked up with good deal?

Dang. One of the best things about the interwebs is the anonymity. Are folks getting identifed by-name on AW or something?

Had heard that the AF presence on the Utah Test and Training Range was a CONUS remote back in the day, but has since changed.

I think the "underwhelming" part is that the best contractor-provided red air I'd going to be an A-4 with a few gee-whiz upgrades.

tinfoil hat on......... I foresee a future where the AF still can't keep up with the demand for drone operators. Eventually, Lockheed Martin/Boeing/General Atomics all step in to fulfil the demand for CAPs with contract pilots.

Don't want to speak for Hindsight, but here's my take: Most people think the Pentagon has one overarching mission: Provide for the security of the US on the world stage. I'd argue, the Pentagon has two missions: 1.) Provide Security 2.) Provide Jobs In addition to it's mission of providing security for the US of A, the military also has the mission of being one great big 'ol jobs program. It's arguable which mission the Pentagon has more focus on at any one time. If you look at how the Pentagon spends money (inefficient, wasteful, etc), you'd think they're not getting their money's worth, assuming you think the military's only focus is providing security. However, once you realize that the military's mission is also to be a jobs program, then it looks like the Pentagon is actually spending money in a pretty smart fashion. The more wasteful and inefficient you are, the more jobs that are created.

This.

I'm no expert, and my time in ROTC was long ago. But here's the way I remember things working. If you get picked up by an ANG or Reserve unit while still in ROTC, then it's up to ROTC as to whether or not they want to let you go. If you get picked up by an ANG or Reserve unit after commissioning, then it's up to AFPC if they'll let you go. The process to get interviewed and hired in the ANG and Reserve is kinda lengthy. If you're an AS400, then I'm guessing you have somewhere between 6-18 months before you commission (depending on if you're going to do a 5th year or not). 6 months might be kinda tight, but do able, if you start now and the interview dates line up. Back in the early 2000's, Active Duty was hard-up for people, and they weren't allowing anyone out to pursue ANG or AFR opportunities. Now a days, it seems like they're more willing to let people go. Probably something you could schedule an appointment with your Colonel and ask about.

Wait, what? Lots of difference between DG at an FTU and DG at SOS. One shows you have skills in your primary duty. The other one shows.......

From that WP article, emphasis mine: Starting to think I got into the wrong field. Being a vendor for Federal IT work seems to be where it's at. Lots of money, with an incredibly low bar for success.

Full NTSB Report here. Hadn't seen this before. A tough read. https://www.ntsb.gov/aviationquery/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20120307X13644&ntsbno=DCA12PA049&akey=1

Damn.

This thread is awesome.

Tuesday. Not sure which Tuesday, but definitely Tuesday.

Linked at the bottom of that article was this article, from about a week prior. Sounds like they're maybe sorta on the right course. But then it also contains this gem:

Really? Do tell...

I think that photo was at Lockheed's facility in Ft Worth, so the pic is accurate. Jet is exhausting copious money onto Lockheed, as designed.

Alright, lets get Cold War II started!