viper154

I’ll chime in with my worthless opinion. The Air Force wants a way to cut the cost and time required to train new pilots, and I think that is the biggest downfall of PTN. There is huge potential for these devices to be awesome training tools, not just for UPT but for IQT/MQT, upgrades, CT and all the other training programs out there. I honestly think VR would make the most difference in advance training, after pilots have a foundation of airmanship, studying, chair flying etc. I’m currently in a IQT program for my 2nd MWS, I have amazed myself at how much more efficiently I can study and chair fly than back in the day going though UPT and my first IQT/MQT program, I attribute it to having a good foundation of airmanship, study habits, and just knowing what is important to study. Having a VR device I could run though profiles with on my own time would probably take me to that next level in the jet. Problem is it’s going to require a massive investment of $$ and time to make the VR of a high enough quality to provide great instruction. Money and time are exactly what the AF is trying to cut, and I don’t think the AF is smart enough to realize a major investment on the front end will pay dividends on the back end. I’m curious if we left the old UPT amount of flight hours and 12 month syllabus timeframe alone and incorporated a high quality VR program how much better quality of stud you would get on the back end, subsequently reducing 87/88/89 rides, failed IQT rides, mishaps etc.

217 v1/2/3 are now AFMAN 217. All one volume. The old guidance required you to verify the course and distance between your points for a RNAV. That verbiage was removed. NVG stuff got moved somewhere, some other minor changes. Point being, the bobs are saying “look, we eliminated a bunch of pubs and rules!” When in reality they just combined some pubs and reduced redundancies. All the rules are still there.

I’ve noticed almost 0 difference in my day to day operations/flying. Honestly the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is not confirming my RNAV headings/courses in my GPS with my plate. Maybe I was just already ignoring all the stupid shit they “got rid of”. Oh, I now have additional guidance about having to have flight gloves.

What’s been the ratio of non 11F/B that have sucked as bad as your examples compared to those that have done fine or needed just a little extra with Tac form/other 38 specific things?

It's pretty great, actually. Pays the same. Spend a lot more time with your family and are a lot less stressed to.

From what I gathered the HRT program was getting a bunch of money for its own equipment/space. Not sure what the program was called, I walked in rather late. To be clear, POTFF does a wide range of things for members and families, similar ish to the family readiness center, but their pot of money comes from SOCOM. Not sure if this aircrew program was associated with POTFF or not.

I was a flt/cc is a squadron that was half enlisted aircrew. The amount of young kids that failed PT tests was surprising. Many of them were pretty thin dudes that I would have thought wouldn’t have had issues. They just didn’t care or didn’t want to put the effort into physical training. On another note, a got a brief last week from a new program AFSOC/SOCOM is standing up later this year. It’s going to be a staff of physical trainers, physical therapists, dietitians, dedicated to only aircrew. They are suppose to have their own gym, and biometric equipment for analysis of improvements. Any aircrew on base can walk in and get help, and their services are suppose to be oriented to help aircrew better operate in their crew position. Having back issues being in the seat? Expect them to help get you on a training program to strengthen back muscles and focus on making it more comfortable. They were getting fam rides on the jets to become more familiar with our operating environment to better help us. I walked in late but it sounded pretty awesome. It’s based off what the Army/Navy have for their spec ops teams, and the money is from SOCOM, so for now it’s only going to be a AFSOC thing.

Slide says current as of 29 April. Downgrade for SA

Pretty much a one stop shop for everything. Only hard copy pub we have is the abbreviated checklist Incase of iPad failures.

Did that finally happen? Been hearing rumors now for awhile. I just can’t wait to be back from leave.............

Pretty sure some kid on here (or someone with a story of him/her) failed out of the B-1 FTU for academics and got sent to B-52s. I also remember someone in the FEB board who got booted from B-1 FTU and was being sent to scan IDs at the gate for the next 9.69 years. How lucky you feeling? Be patient, things might change, you might just have to fly that desk for awhile until things get fixed or you can get a white jet tour.

I’m surprised E-3s and E-8s have such a high take rate. I would think all that 4 engine Boeing time would make them super easy hires to make 2-3x pay for half the work/no deployments.

Flyboys makes some good stuff in different sizes and configurations. Not sure if they have exactly what you want. I have 2 of their bags, a bigger bag with multiple pockets for multiple headsets, water bottles, iPad, lunch, center was big enough for for several binders of UPT pubs back in the day. My old squadron issued me a smaller bag for alert, just big enough for a iPad, headset, small water bottle and little pocket for flashlight/pens/multi tool. I like it for locals around the flagpole or compliment a backpack with snacks and such. Good quality bags. No issues with tearing/zippers/ etc and I don’t do a good job taking care of them

Bunch of people sent me the link when I was flying today, it was rather surreal walking off the flight line watching the trailer for Top Gun 2. The original was really what made me want to be a pilot as a young kid. After a really fun flight today and seeing that trailer was a awesome feeling. I hope the movie is as awesomely cheesy and filled with sweet flying as the original, and that it inspires and sparks the dream of flight in some of today’s kids like it did me.

Possible. Sure. First focus should be on becoming the best C-17 pilot/new guy in the squadron you can be. Having a good standing with your squadron cc can go a long ways when assignment time comes around. As always, wants and needs of the air force always come first, and luck and timing is everything. If C-17 manning is good and a AFSOC airframe is hurting for guys when it’s time for your second assignment that’s your best chance. Edit to add-I’m at a AFSOC schoolhouse with quite a few prior MWS students from different airframes/backgrounds including AMC.

I know a T-1 guy that went to heavies that was offered a T-38 IP slot last year, to the Rio though.

You need both the two week safety school hands on course in ABQ (looking and wrecks and doing investigations) and the safety admin course (I forgot the name, but it’s more of a how to be safety guy day to day) that is 4 ish days. Mostly done at ABQ but they do road shows every couple weeks. There af.mil site has the schedules

Do you use the 1801 in ForeFlight or just the FAA form? ForeFlight won't let a VFR 1801 go though and BO won't take the FAA plan FAA form. CVS has been using ForeFlight filing for almost a year. Believe we used the FAA form out there as well.

I had a similar situation. Wife never had any loans/lines of credit her life except her federal student loans. I’ve pretty much been on my own since 18, never missed a payment/no late payments, several accounts that have been open for a long time blah blah blah. Basically I have been working on building a outstanding credit score for years, wife hasn’t done anything, her score was pretty much the same as mine. There are a lot of variables that go into it, at the end of the day you have to remember it’s just number that tells companies how likely they are to make a buck off you.

Ya I would say to file whatever you want, baseops and tower aren't going to care. Just file the paperwork/PMR with the callsign assigned to the line. Found it much easier to do this and no one cared. We flew under several different call signs in my old plane depending on the profile that day. Found it so much easier to just file whatever made sense for that day. Getting the paperwork through the official channels was a asspain, and that was for callsigns that were already approved. I would probably do as people advised above, do the unofficial way while you let the official way play out. let your CC know Incase it comes up and he not blindsided, and hopefully he has a sack and if there is pushback can say you are awaiting the official change.

I’m honestly shocked we haven’t responded already. Sure, it may just be a drone, but what if it wasn’t? Probably not a time to go in guns blazing but I would launch a couple rounds at all the radars/SAMs near the straight. Maybe a couple Navy sites/yards as well to send a message about the shipping attacks. Draw a line in the sand before a manned asset that is venerable gets engaged. POTUS public response at least hints this may be a rogue faction of the Iranian military, or perhaps there is a deeper unrest in the Iranian military than we the public knows. Regardless, the message needs to be sent that shooting at us will not be tolerated.

Sure, but how many middle eastern, 3rd world, live in tin/mud huts type people have contacts and resources to get former Soviet missile system operators/parts in country. Going to need outside help and money

I would guess these mine attacks where the intel that sent more US Navy ships to gulf last month. I’m sure it was carried out by some radical faction/terrorist Group that is supported by Iran. Let’s not forget in 2016/2017 the anti ship missile attacks off the Yemen coast on the UAE Navy ship, and a few days later on US Navy destroyer. (Ships defensive measures successfully stopped incoming fires) I believe later that year a MQ-9 was shot down by a SA-6 in Yemen as well. Iran has backed these rebel groups that have been attacking Saudi for some time. You are drunk and high if you think some asshole goat farmers and run of the mill terrorists with a AK-47s can operate/maintain/employ old complex Soviet anti ship/anti aircraft radar/weapons systems. Much harder to target a couple divers in a skiff or drug cartel type sub than a big semi mobile radar dish with a missile launcher and missiles the size of telephone poles. Much easier to deny involvement as well.

Ya, unfortunately the UAV pilot product hitting the line was rather sub par. Basic airmanship, decision making etc, their syllabus was already lacking, it was evident they were just pushing people to meet the numbers the last year or two. I left drones a bit ago, but sub par UPT product seems to be a complaint amongst the instructors in the manned plane b course I am currently in. Hats off to them, they been doing extra work and doing a lot of extra rides to get guys up to standard and passable for a checkride, but it backed up the course and strained resources. Lucky if I get 1 event every 10 days or so.

Good to hear. More airline and contractor jobs for the rest of us.