Kuma

Cheers to DASH. He was a great squadron mate.

Stanley Gorenc was our wing commander a decade ago. His bio says that he immigrated from Brezovica, Slovenia in 1962 and graduated from the USAFA in 1975. Frank must be his little brother. They don't look anything alike BTW. Kuma

I'm just guessing here, but I think those two silhouettes are the Pred and the Rapier since neither the U-2 nor the Global-piece-of-crap-Hawk have Weapons School attendees. Why is it that we support the Weapons School, but we don't have Weapons Graduate U-2 pilots? Kuma

I definitely think that this is a sweet deal. If you want to come here, you should be in it for the long haul. Traditionally, the FAIPs have done very well here because they have plenty of time to learn the jet and still keep up with the expected career enhancing assignments. With that being said, I've known guys to leave the U-2 for AETC tours, AFSOC tours or back to their original MWS. I've also known a C-21 guy that flew U-2s for a few years go to F-16s. He spent a while flying F-16s AD then spent a few years flying F-16s for the reserves then came back on AD to fly U-2s again (where I met him). He flew with us a while, but then landed a job flying F-16 aggressors down at Weapons School. My point here is that you need to join the U-2 program because you want to be a U-2 pilot. Period. Huggy and I are part of the hiring process (as are all of the U-2 pilots) and if we smell that you are using the U-2 as a stepping stone to another aircraft or program, you won't make it past the interview. But, once you are here, if you find it does not meet your expectations, or you are unwilling to do the job, there have been plenty of pilots who have found other flying jobs. This is not a "dead end" job. There have been a few long term DNIF pilots in the program recently. I don't know why, how, or when their problems manifested themselves, but they are well taken care of. We have found flying jobs or career enhancing staff jobs for all of them. We are a brother/sisterhood; we take care of our own. In answer to Razorback's question we are 11R and we have the same flesh peddler as the other platforms, but we have never been limited to sending a guy to RJ, RC, AWACs, or the global hawk. If you are curious, take a look at www.beale.af.mil and the U-2 pilot application on the right hand side. Give a call to our chief of recruiting, Maj Merten, and get the ball rolling.

I would like to echo what Huggy is saying. Our mission asks a lot from our bodies; we fly at very high ambient pressures for a very long time. Some people's bodies can handle it, some can't. We have not significantly changed our flight times or TDY rates in the last 7 years. For every severe DCS event, we have had countless flawless missions. The guys getting "bent" are flying with the same equipment, inspected by the same people, and at the same physiological extremes as the all the pilots at the det. We are not being exposed to rapid decompressions or equipment failures. Pulling guys off of flight status is definitely not a normal event. With that being said, the U-2 is not a normal airplane. She has extreme landing characteristics and flys literally at the edge of the flight envelope on every mission. She requires a pilot who can focus 100% on flying the mission 100% of the time. Not every pilot can do this. Not every pilot wants to do this. If you want to fly a unique airplane on a unique mission, then you need to apply. I did it 7 years ago and have never regretted my decision. Kuma

If you are going to work the numbers, then go Army...100% of army initial training is helos. In my day, 70% of Marine pilots went helo, about 50% Navy went helo and about 5% AF went helo. The only way to "guarantee" a helo slot is to to go army. For the other services, you are at the whim of the head honchos. Like everyone else said, your flight commander should be able to get you a helo slot if you want it, but sometimes, it is beyond his control. You will love the aircraft that you fly. There is no doubt. If you want to trade later, then that will be available to you also. Good luck to you. Kuma

I fly a couple of times a month with the county sheriff. My deal is only volunteer, so no money changes hands. The only paperwork I had to do was a "High Risk Activity Worksheet" for my boss where I explain that what I do (flying) has risks but that I have the training to mitigate the risks. So...no issues. I am told by my military lawyer friend that it is acceptable to receive compensation as well, as long as my military career does not suffer. He stated multiple examples of professionals working on the civilian side and making a fairly good living. He cited examples with lawyers, dentists, pharmacists and doctors. You will also find CFIs making money on the side. There is another piece of paperwork to push through your boss (up to the wing commander I think). In layman's terms, your side job must not reflect badly on the military. So, if your side job is "prostitute" you may not be given the green light. If your job helps the nation, the expect the rubber stamp. I recommend that you talk with your local JAG, to find out what is acceptable and what paperwork you need to do to make it legal with the military.