Milchstrasse

I've also been wondering about this, still getting the warning as of today.

God forbid we be curious, have ambition, and want some information.

This is what bothered me the most, especially seeing how the passenger compartment was consumed by flames after everyone evacuated. Unless you have a small child in your bag, nothing in that bag is worth keeping anyone else inside that tin can of a time bomb a second longer than necessary.

You know what's great about two men boning one another? No one gets pregnant. You know what's great about no one getting pregnant? One less person dependent on our dwindling resources, and another given a chance to be raised by loving parents through adoption. But perhaps this is just a case for adoption. Either way, loving parents willing to raise an unwanted child deserve every federal benefit that any other married parents would receive. https://en.wikipedia...._overpopulation Humans are animals -- humans can become extinct, too.

With all the fatal incidents happening this year, it's a relief to see these guys are fine and that it cratered an empty field and not a home.

Watching that video was tough. They showed the crash three times and slowed it down, giving you plenty of time to think about how much time they had to think about their fate. Just a note, it's not as much a simulation as it is an animation of the flight path based on the video (using perspective techniques).

The guy I'm looking at for instruction is a retired (as of this week) pilot for a police department, both fixed and rotor. I figured he'd be a good choice for the discipline and the attitude, and is less likely to have a grudge against the military. However, I will speak to him prior to make sure this is the case. Also, thanks for fighting through my (now fixed) typos.

Not a combat/aviation book, but I think it fits here all the same. Between Silk and Cynaide - A Code Maker's War 1941-1945 by Leo Marks It's written by a rather young officer working inside Britian's code section that received, decrypted/encrypted, and sent important messages to men and women operating clandestinely in Nazi occupied parts of Europe. It's a bit of a long book, but it's a good read and well written. If you're into clandestine operations, you'll enjoy it.

I'll be going for my PPL this summer and am thinking a LOR from my flight instructor would be valuable and will add some diversity to my package that is otherwise largely academic. I am hoping to finish in no more than 45 hours (21 hours currently), so I'd probably have 20-25 hours with this guy. My question is: Is it appropriate to let him know on day one my intentions and, more specifically, that I may request a recommendation from him if all goes well? My line of reasoning is that such a preamble would allow for specific anecdotal information to be more readily committed to memory for use in a possible recommendation. Then again, maybe this is completely inappropriate. Thoughts?

I should clarify that I have never thought seriously about the astronaut option until very recently. I just didn't think it was even an option to be seriously considered. I've been dead-set on military aviation for a long time now. It was a childhood dream for me that I gave up because of some false information (need 20/20, need to go through the academy, etc). Then I found out about OTS some 6 years ago. The PhD was something I couldn't turn down and decided to incorporate it into my plans with the Air Force. Ideally I'd like to talk to active test pilots to know exactly what they do on a day-to-day or flight-to-flight basis.From what I do know though -- and from years of doing academic research -- think I'd be just fine with the tedium involved in thorough testing. Apparently some 6,300+ applicants applied to the most recent astronaut board (2012), which is the most that have applied since 8,000 in 1978. With historical selection rates of < 1%, I'm not banking on becoming an astronaut. However, I can say with a high degree of confidence that I'd be thrilled with whatever I am doing along the way.

A technical type, yes, but with a dream to fly still. I feel I'd be more competitive as a military pilot (if I'm any good!) with a PhD than as a civilian with a PhD. From the AF99-107 it states that civilians may apply with 2 years of test and evaluation (T&E) experience. One issue here is that my degree is in Chemical Engineering, and I may have a difficult time selling myself as a strong candidate as an FTE if I am up against mechanical, electrical, and aero types. I suppose one thing I could do is find a position with a defense contractor (or related) that would give me T&E experience more appropriate to aviation. Could anyone elaborate on how the training of an FTE differs from the pilot types? How competitive are these TPS slots compared to other TPS slots, or is it pretty much the same?

Scobee was a great american indeed. I'm actually reading Riding Rockets (by Mike Mullane) that covers that era of NASA's history and would highly recommend it to anyone remotely interested in the shuttle program. NASA (or whomever is launching Americans into space a decade from now) is indeed my ultimate goal, but I am acutely aware of the minuscule chances of becoming an astronaut. I'd have to be extremely lucky, and timing would have to be perfect. But it's worth a try, especially since the path there involves flying some great machines. I'd be more than happy with a career in the Air Force. I digress. This thread is a wealth of information -- thank you. I am finishing my PhD now. Not aerospace, not electrical, not mechanical, or anything remotely aeronautical, but rather chemical engineering. My undergrad grades are good, my grad school grades are just ok. I assume at the PhD level this isn't so important. I am trusting that this engineering background is highly adaptable (with some training and education) to a variety of aircraft related systems. If I am fortunate enough to attend UPT I'll just do my best, aim for the airframe I think I'd be happiest flying. I've considered many "dream" aircraft over the years, and the F-16 would probably remain my number one out of UPT, but I'd go for anything really. If it track toners, I'd hope for C-130s or C-17s. If I track UH-1s, then HH-60s would be my first choice. I don't know what "MDS" stands for (but I assume it's not myelodysplastic syndromes, as google would have me believe) but I would certainly try to take advantage of any testing opportunities on whatever my current MWS happens to be.

Bit of a revival. I have a few questions that I don't think have been directly addressed thus far. 1. Given a long term goal to someday attend TPS, should I be planning my airframe choices starting now to maximize my annual flying hours? If going the guard route, I imagine this becomes more of an issue as flying time is reduced. Do most guard pilots accumulate the required hours before the 9 year 6 month limit? I've only read a few reports of annual hours... something like 100-200/yr traditional guard, 400/yr for a bum. 2. Would engineering work for a defense contractor, NASA, or other government affiliated industry be of any benefit in the application process if done concurrently with said guard position? 3. Do prestigious fellowships/scholarships awarded during academic studies carry any weight in the application process? What about quantity/quality of publications? I somehow can't imagine someone on the board giving diddly squat about some obscure work done in a highly specific corner of the scientific community. Thanks.

I must have missed several pages, my apologies for wasting space. Edit: And for future people who may have the same question and missed the page with the answer:

What are the long term prospects for the U-2 in this ever changing economic and technological climate? As someone who dreams of flying this aircraft, but hasn't even entered UPT, how likely is it that she'll still be around by the time I've completed the training and acquired the experience to be competitive? Perhaps no one has the answer to this question, as it seems they keep changing the retirement date.

If I'm lucky.

Good info brabus. TPS is one of those things that has always been a distant objective of mine if and when I get my commission and wings. All the same, I'm sure I'll get a question or two about my degree in my interview.

Instead of starting a new thread, I am going to post my question here as I believe it is the most appropriate place for it, and a quick search of the topic isn't revealing a good answer to my question. I am currently about a year and a half shy of obtaining my PhD in an engineering field, from a good school. I was wondering if having a PhD would hurt me in the pilot selection process? I will be turning 27 when I finish my studies. Related: as a pilot in the Air Force, what advantages does having a PhD afford me down the road, if any? Guard is another option as it could give me an opportunity to utilize directly those 9 years of education. In fact, I applied to several guard units as well as an OTS board back when I started my PhD, but wasn't picked up for a pilot slot and gave the guard slots I did receive to other candidates in favor of finishing my PhD first.