contraildash

We were offered SIPR laptops to work from home during the first year of COVID. I declined, didn't want to deal with it really.

I've flown three different MDSs in my career. Granted the first two occurred within the same 3 year time span and one of those was the temporary year long MC-12 gig. In any case my advice is to change early. I say this due to seeing a lot of peers come to my air frame really late, on their third or even fourth assignment, and it just never panned out for them because they couldn't upgrade before hitting the mid-late major time frame.

FIFY

Yeah, but they were there faster than these guys: https://www.hmbreview.com/news/new-records-shed-light-on-crash-death/article_fbc48230-7bda-11e4-b537-4be1307d90d4.html

threw a mask in my bag for work....totally expect a 'everyone will wear diapers' response to this...

The HQ I work in put out guidance about two months ago: "vaccinated = no mask. not vaccinated = mask." Since they legally cannot ask, it is on the honor system. I had a good laugh the first day this policy was effective, 90% of the people there were not wearing masks....to include the most anti-vac conspiracy tout'n folks I've ever met. Fast forward to this past week when the chief of staff puts out an email that says "while we cannot ask if you have had the vaccine, we do know what the vaccinated rates of the staff are. We have noticed a large discrepancy between the vaccinated rate and those not wearing masks inside the building." Oh no shit? Didn't see that coming.....

Been a year since we lost Kage. I didn't chime in last June due to being directly involved in the search operations and felt it wasn't right to talk about it then. That said, it was a long day for all involved with some really terrible weather down low. My aircrew and STS PJs performed admirably and we had some great support from some UK standby support vessels from the oil industry. Unlike the AIB mentioned, American aircrews found him, not the Royal Navy (they were not even there, so not a dig on them). I am glad we were able to help give closure to his wife, family, and squadron mates. To Kage, Nickle on the grass.

Posted in the airline thread about this, but I wonder how much money the AF spends on medical folks compared to the aviation bonus. Kinda insane the money they throw at them. https://www.myairforcebenefits.us.af.mil/Benefit-Library/Federal-Benefits/Special-Pay?serv=20

This. I'm curious how much is spent on dentists and doctors every year. I think we can safely argue that the Air Force would run just fine if it had neither. Kinda need those pilots though.....

Glad you survived. Thank you for your service.

😉

Who builds a helipad at an 'internationally renowned' hospital out of tarp and a plastic roller hockey rink?

Yeah I learned some great "CRM" in the T-1 as a student flying with an IP....usually a FAIP.... Anyone arguing that we need to keep the T-1 or have a like replacement for CRM purposes needs to get over whatever misguided notions they have regarding that air frame in UPT. For all the reasons people have already stated in this thread (Brabus said it best). While we are on the subject, spoilerons made the T-1 about as fun to fly as a cinder block with bricks for wings. If anyone should train on it, maybe it should be B-52 folks? /s

I think I read this 3 years before I went to OTS.....

I just finished the online 'supplemental' ACSC through ASU (I had already gotten my masters through the OLMP a few years back). That's my pro-tip for folks. Bang out the OLMP for free, it then counts for a significant portion of ACSC. So now that I am done, here are my impressions. It was night and day better than the AU program (also not a big surprise). Even with a two month pause during the transition from AU to ASU, plus an overseas PCS, and the holidays, I was able to finish the course in six months...with about 4.5 months of actual work. I spent more time waiting to sign up for proctored classes than I spent doing actual classes. Pros: It isn't AU run. Signing up is super easy, Registering for classes is super easy....i.e. instant compared to the 1-2 week process with AU. Online interface is far superior to the AU blackboard. Everything you need is there, you can track your progress, see what has been assigned, when things are due, ect. Notification pushes can be customized and actually work. List goes on. See Pro #1. Self-paced classes can be knocked out relatively fast, depending how you approach them. The proctored classes are typically the final class in the block, once you sign up for one, the next block of self-paced classes unlocks. Allows you to get ahead while waiting for the proctored class to start. Proctored classes aren't any different than before, but with a much more user friendly interface, they feel easier. Paper requirements were minimal and not difficult. Still the same old posting requirements as before. Online support was very responsive and fast, I believe it was also 24/7. I was able to chat with someone at ASU and solve any issues I had immediately. Some of the Joint classes referenced materials from classes I didn't have to take. ASU allows you to sign up for those classes in a special "access material" status. Upon completion, the ACSC check-in-the-box on my SURF was updated within 3 weeks without any effort on my side. Not sure what wizardry they do to get that done so fast. Cons: If you previously completed OLMP and want to do the supplemental program you have to contact student services through the ASU 'help' chat after signing up. They will then transition you into the program appropriately. It was not clear when I originally signed up, might be better now. Either way their help was fast and immediate. Sign up window for proctored classes are monthly. So if you miss a window, then you have to wait another month to sign up. The Joint 'games' are still somewhat of a shit show/joke. Googleuniveristy can help getting through certain ones.

The ASU transition...shockingly...is not clear. "click the link and follow the ASU instructions" AU wipes their hands clean. There are no instructions, just a choose your own adventure of links. On a good note....ASU online help has been more responsive than any support organization in the Air Force. They were able to knock it out in about 5 min. Update: within .69 seconds of being on the ASU system I was able to 1. sign up for my next self paced class (instant registration) 2. start next self paced class (it links you directly to the class canvas) Super clean interface. My syllabus is laid out in it's entirety to include registration dates for the facilitated courses. Looks like a linear progression though, sent email request to see if you can take more than one class at once or start the self paced classes in the next block prior to finishing the current block faciliated course. Because of the previous AU shenanigans, my next facilitated class won't be until Sept so no update there.

Yeah totally agree that it is dumb. It isn't hard, just painfully time consuming. I'm averaging a minimum of 7 days for any responses from them, and because the AU system for registering was all jacked up it meant a self-paced class that I could finish in a day or two....would take two weeks because of the broken process. Now there are no classes for the entirety of July as they transition, not even self-paced courses. I tried to sign up for my August facilitated class on 25 June, but their system said I hadn't completed the prerequisite (I had). So I put in yet another help ticket that day. The deadline for the August classes was yesterday...they emailed me today stating I had to wait and go through the ASU registration in August. So basically wasting two months of my time waiting now. Just fucking silly really.

Ever wonder what the DL 7.0 'top off' for IDE credit from your OLMP masters looks like? This took over a month to get a solid answer (unacceptable, even with COVID), hopefully the move to ASU admin of the course ware solves this or at least mitigates it. I got my masters through the OLMP and signed up in April for the ACSC DL 7.0 to 'top off' and get my IDE credit. NO WHERE do they discuss what the ACSC DL 7.0 "supplemental" program requirements are in the catalogue, student guide, ect. Furthermore, as of April you could not sign up for the supplemental program unless you contact them via help ticket. If you are looking at doing the DL 7.0 following your OLMP completion, the following is what I was told today via help ticket: Based on what the catalogue shows for the program, credit for 3 focuses studies courses eliminates that entire section/requirement. You are left with the two orientation courses, 6x self paced, and 3x facilitated courses. So far I have not been able to sign up for more than one course. July 6 ACSC DL 7.0 transitions to the ASU program....be interesting to see how that goes. Below is the 'syllabus' to top off your OLMP (ignore the black arrows, I stole this from the DL 6.0 to DL 7.0 transition)

Well either way he wasn't going to be a SQ/CC for long...unless I'm not aware of a F-35 variant that has an extra seat for NFOs.....

This part was a gem: How is that a difficulty, isn't that the whole point? Was there a cutoff for how long you had to be married to get 50% as the divorced spouse? If any judge used the above logic, the argument could and probably has been made against someone that got divorced as a Captain but made it to 20 and retired as an O-6.

Thanks for the youtube link, I'm gonna try out those stretches. My back pain has been getting worse over the past 7 years and I've taken to seeing an off base chiro/pt group to mitigate the issue. This last fall I threw it out in the plane and couldn't get out of the cockpit for about 5 minutes, then after I made it out I fell off the ramp it hurt so bad. Went through another round of DNIF, painkillers, muscle relaxers, PT....just isn't cutting it. I wrote a longer post, but deleted most of it. Here is the bottom line. Big Blue doesn't give a shit. The other services have conducted extensive health studies and aircrew surveys to try and fix the problems. The Air Force hasn't done shit. 800mg of motrin and be on your way son......

Living here is great. There will be enough gouge from your unit to help cover most of your questions. I'll throw my two cents in for a few of em. 1. Power. Don't worry about using the transformers with regards to $. They will make certain appliances like hair driers and hair clippers scream louder than a cat in heat. Not an electrician/engineer but probably something with the Hz? Anything that is dual voltage is GTG with an adapter, most TVs and computers these days are dual power. 2. When looking for a house, not all villages have cell signal. The lack of reliable cell coverage is one of the most frustrating things here in the UK. Use this site to see what is available where you live: https://www.signalchecker.co.uk/ 3A. Housing. Timing and luck! I found a 2600sq/ft place that is well inside O4 OHA on pure luck. Also, ask around for letting agencies to avoid. There are some real a-holes out there. Most people are spread between Bury St Edmonds, Redlodge/Newmarket, Cambridge, and Ely. Pros and Cons to all. Ask around your unit. Go check them out yourself to see if the drive is something you want to do. Each drive is 'unique.' When you do find a place...you are certainly not stuck in it. I've had many friends move while they are here for various reasons. Obviously it is out of your own pocket to move. 3B. If you go into TLF here heads up. The housing office gets really pushy with their policies. I.E. they only give you 30 days in TLF and then you HAVE to go into base housing (which could be at Lakenheath or Feltwell) or an off base TLF. Pro-tip...if you sign up for an off base TLF, it is essentially a rental property. Your overseas entitlements will start when you go into it. I did it...started that extra cash flow early. Folks in your squadron should help you out with this gouge. 4. We drive all over the UK in our LHD vehicle. Doesn't bother us a bit....you just learn to adapt and overcome. Sometimes it helps on narrow streets because you can get SUPER close to parked cars. We have two RHD cars as well. Beaters are fun. Our technique was to go cheap and dispose when they break. My $900 special is still going strong after a year! There are some cheap rental companies right off base that will get you through while you search for a car. Other things to think about: Banking You cannot pay rent/utility/ect with US based banks...unless you are pulling heaps of cash every month. You'll have to get a British account when you get here. This could be through Community Bank on base, through an actual British bank, or through some non-standard banking such as Transferwise & Monzo. PM me if you want more gouge on this subject. Travel Easy and cheap. Flew to/from Scotland for $30 round trip recently. Almost all of western Europe is within a 3 hour flight. Pets Are you bringing pets? There is a process. PM if so. Side notes: Once you do find a place, don't expect anything to happen quickly with utilities, cable/internet, ect. My example: I signed up on line for a cable/internet provider. Had to wait two weeks for the setup appointment. When they came, they found that some of the wiring in the phone lines was bad....despite it being this particular company's equipment...the technician was not allowed to work on the lines. So we had to make another appointment for the 'line guy' to come out...another week delay. I could not make another setup appointment until the work was done. So another week long wait. Took a damn month. Everything here has a 'scheme' which is just British for "we are going to charge you more money for no reason."

And the pendulum swings again....nothing new here.

The irony of that award was not lost upon some of us. Sure made for a good laugh. If they only knew... In other news, was stuck at the Deid for a few days last month while in transit back home. It was as if Oprah was there distributing shooter hats....you get a shooter hat....and you get a shooter hat....and you get a shooter hat... I guess that is what matters...