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Patrick also has a history of being impatient with the schoolhouse (as does Alaska). If you get hired by either of these two units and then see delays at KIKR, expect to get pulled back to your unit to finish the initial qual. TOML, how's the 701C mod going so far? When I left they were supposed to start the first bird in Oct...

and there was much rejoicing in the CSAR community.... https://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/sto...rement%20Change way to go AFSOC. Glad we're back in ACC now, and here's hoping the IG investigation comes to fruition. I'm perfectly willing to fly the HH-60 a little while longer as long as it gets us the right platform for our mission in the end (which is NOT the shithook).

Unfortunately for the helicopter community, all BFE (was BHFE for us) got consolidated at Altus this past year. Feedback from our IFs (Instructor Flight Engineers) both home station and at Kirtland is that this has made a lot more work for them having to retrain all the studs in the helo stuff before they hit the flightline. Has made the course longer, etc etc. Nobody in our community likes it.

I was just at KIRK for upgrade, and the Transition Course (for those who are coming over from Hueys, 53s, and Navy/Army) is approx 5 months long. There were 2 former Navy dudes, both qualified in the SH-60, who were doing this course. One was going to stay AD and be an IP at KIKR, and the other was hired by the 301st (Patrick - Reserves). He was going through as a 60 -1 IP, then once he gets mission experience he'll get Tac IP. Which unit is hiring you?

eh, MX can just keep throwing more metal up there to beef up those pesky 308 beam cracks... we can use the $$ for things like a better AHHS, a 3rd KY-58, a color HDD (supposedly the Reserves are testing that one right now), or even the 701D upgrade would be nice, maybe a wide-chord blade or two. Or maybe SADL, or the short-barrel .50 cal.

well at least there's some good info about sustaining our current fleet: https://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/sto...channel=defense

Well, that one there isn't really followed in our community. With the exception of DM and KIKR, every rescue (read HH-60) unit I've flown with uses the same callsign. And I know I've only used the VCSL twice for cross countries in the 3 years I've been here. Oops. I know we've made up callsigns on the fly before (we were Ivan flight when we hurevac'd for Ivan, for example, and Hooah on the way home....flight lead was a Former Army Guy).

I have this version and the tan version.

we had a guy with a ######ed up back go fly the Pred for a tour, and now I'm hearing rumors he's had surgery and trying to get back into the community.

first of all, it's IMPAC. Secondly, if a helo squadron (that rarely leaves a 3-state area) can get ALL the sectionals and TACs and keep them up to date, that's saying a lot (or a little) about your squadron. Thirdly, we just grab what we need from base ops if it comes down to it, since they stock everything, too (the occasional GP or AP-1, etc).

have you looked at using the Excel2FV2 program to see if it exports files into usable formats for you to code into your Google Earth thing? https://www.mission-planning.com/ to download the program. Among other things, it's EXCELLENT at merging multiple drawing files.

assuming you're talking about the Instrument test, and not the IRC, which is NOT a prerequisite for taking the test. The IRC can be taken with 5 hrs of CBT and 1 hr of instruction with an AIS graduate. The Instrument test, as others have mentioned, is open book, and it's HIGHLY recommended that you take ePubs in there with you and utilize the SEARCH function in Adobe to avoid much pain.

from reading the track select/assignment night thread, I can already see there have been at least 2 CV-22s drop out of Rucker recently. Congrats on helos, you'll have a blast at Rucker. Live in Enterprise. Syllabus has changed a lot since I was there so I don't have much more useful info to add in that regard. Not sure when the first TH-1H comes online, but it'll have a glass cockpit. Guessing you'll still be flying the mighty UH-1H in all its Vietnam glory and bullet hole patches.

You're a poser! Everyone know's it's Keep It Simple, Stupid. Geez... ;)

Agreed on the Silencer. I have the Asphalt frame (almost-black color) and I got the Reflex lenses for when I'm home, but the grey ones (non-polarized so legal in a uni) work great. Amazingly clear as stated above, and definitely cut down on the glare in the Desert. I don't wear them flying (we have a nice big tinted visor on our cool Darth Vader helmets) but they are indispensible walking around with the high albedo.

the few peeps we've sent from Moody to AIS recently learned a lot, but it seems, based on the products they were provided with and then regurgitated to us, that the course spends little (if any at all) time on helicopters and instruments. One guy spent a week going through all the presentations and changing the answers to the correct ones for RW so that he could give us a decent IRC class. One would think AIS would be able, since their sole mission in life is to make us all better instrument pilots, to provide products to helo drivers for use back at home station with the correct helo-related infomation contained within, since -GASP- the AF flies helos, too, because a lot of our regulations governing instrument flying are different than FW. Helicopter pilots are people, too! [/rant]

don't forget the 820th SFG (the contingency response bubbas, though I hear they're going to break off the wing and be a tenant again). Not flying, but definitely ops-types. about as close as you can get to being SOF without being SOF. and the 563rd has an OL-A at Nellis for the 66th RQS (60s) and 58 RQS (PJs).

FYI, in case everyone didn't already know, Cingular/AT&T gives military a 39% discount on phones, 25% discount on accessories, and a 19% service plan discount. Go to the business solutions link, then Fed Govt, and fill our your .mil e-mail addy and you'll get a link to the webpage with all the discounts. I'm not sure if the iPhone is there or not, since I don't have access to my .mil acct right now, but it's probably worth it to check out. And you can suspend your service when you deploy and have your phone number still waiting for you when you return, free.

You have to earn a certain number of points (300) to get an Air Medal. You get 15 points per combat mission (and mission rehearsal sorties in the combat zone -- more for the CSAR folks who wouldn't fly much if we didn't do mission rehearsals to keep our skills sharp), which means 20 missions. You have to fly at least a 0.7 hr sortie for it to count as a mission, or if it's shorter, it has to be an actual alert scramble (aka a real mission). Maintainance test flights don't count toward this total. Clear as mud?

Since we just had the change of command in May (prev WG/CC was a 60 driver, too), and the A-10s are rolling in around Aug, then yeah. I think the Vice is going to be a Hawg driver. And then I heard they're going to up it to a BG slot, since it's a monster wing (only bigger one is the 57th at Nellis, I'm told). So then there will be BG WG/CCs at Moody, some of them 60 drivers, some of them A-10 drivers, some of them King drivers, I'm sure. Our WG/CC 2 people ago was a 130 NAV (Heithold and he's been picked up for BG since then).

don't forget Folkerts! https://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=5436 And Planert https://www.af.mil/bios/bio.asp?bioID=6774 Lots of helo O-6s around, too. The 58 SOW/CC is a 60 driver, the 23 WG/CC is a 60 driver, the 563 RQG/CC is a 60 driver, there are some other 60 driver O-6s who aren't currently in ops assignments, our next 347 RQG/CC is going to be a 60 driver (though that's 9 months down the road). I'm sure there are plenty of 53 O-6s as well. Ignore those who say you have no opportunity for promotion in you go helos. Our wing (347 RQW now the 23 WG) has had one of the best promotion selection rates in the ops community in recent years . Also, not all helos are AFSOC. 60s were AFSOC for 2 years and then went back to ACC. Yes we deploy a lot because we're LDHD, but it's nothing like the length of Army deployments. We were doing 60 on, 120 off, but then our community got tasked for more than just CSAR so now it's more like 120 on, 120 off. Busy, but rewarding. Getting your first save is the best feeling in the world.

Here's a toast...

they turned off the NPS pipeline for helo FEs, but it's still there for gunners. Supposedly, as Craino alluded to, the "Gungineer" merger will be announced within the next 6 months or so. Doesn't really change anything for FEs, but Gunners will get trained up to FE knowledge/application standards.

sorry, but look at the missions of those airframes. The littler A/C are the most offensive platforms, going into the hottest areas, so of course they're getting shot down more! Although the HH-47 will never be an offensive platform, it will be used going into higher-threat areas and will be a big friggin target. **edit** that should be "big friggin, least maneuverable of the 3 options, target" **edit**

I have 35 gigs of music on my iPod. Currently really digging: "Starlight" by Muse ""Open Your Eyes" by Snow Patrol "The Black Parade (whole album)" by My Chemical Romance Some of my other faves include: REK (Robert Earl Keen for those not in the know) Charlie Robison U2 Ben Folds Butch Walker (and by proxy The Marvelous 3) Tom Petty