daynightindicator

I think it was talking GBU-31s. Technically a B-1 could hit 84 DMPIs with MK-82s but that wasn't what they were getting at.

i don't have the slide that this was briefed from (up at ACC staff) but the AFTOC was ~$50K-60K/hr - lowest of the bomber fleet. I think the assumptions regarding DMPI servicing were 24 per sortie, not sure what timeline they used. While fighters were obviously cheaper by the hour, you really need to double those values to reflect a standard two-ship, and then you're still talking multiple formations to hit 24 targets. Also, we were briefed that there are two ways cost per hour is calculated, and in one case the BUFF is cheaper (the B-2 is astronomically expensive no matter how you cut it). However the Air Force Total Operating Cost Per Hour (AFTOCPH) was briefed as the more relevant number, which is what I referenced above.

if you look at AF total operating cost per hour and measure against the number of DMPIs one B-1 sortie can service that is an accurate assessment. suprised me too.

That's not the first time I've heard that, and it may well be true, but I really want to know what the AF is going to use to gap-fill if they retire the Bone. It's done the heavy lifting for over 10 years and most combatant CC's know how valuable it is, both in the current fight and other near-term likely conflicts. It's the lowest cost-per-DMPI platform we have and would be a pretty big loss to the CAF if it's retired before the next-gen bomber comes online. Of course I'm slightly biased.

we might as well buy the TU-160s that are still coming off the line (albeit 1 every 5 years or so). probably faster than the B-1 glass cockpit upgrade.

i would look into the IRRL refi and compare to a conventional refi. also do the math - there will be closing costs either way so make sure your savings outweighs the initial cost - if you're not saving > 1% on your rate it might not be worth it.

I figured those self-assessment lines would not work either (everyone jumping in the "experienced" line), but honestly they seemed to work well. People with kids went in the "family" line, business types jumped in the "frequent traveler" line, and I took the middle line, whatever that was called. People were honest and stayed in their lane, pun intended. Agree that in a perfect world TSA should be disbanded. I find many of their methods borderline unconstitutional.

PHL had it last time I flew out of there, seemed to work reasonably well. I agree that the TSA filtering security lines by first class/economy is crap, regardless of the assumption of "travel experience". I don't, however, have a problem with self-assessment lines like you're talking about. I also have no problem with private Airlines filtering their boarding categories by how much you paid for the ticket - they've been doing that for years, it's their own business decision to make.

2 I've turned in assignments up to a month late with weak reasoning ("I got thrown on an extra couple of sorties, etc) and rarely was even penalized. If you're deployed they bend over backwards to accomodate you. You'll get to the point where the DQ's can be handled in ~30 min to an hour (depending on how strict the prof is with sourcing) and the essays can be written in 2-3 hours. I've continually reduced the amount of effort I've put in to each class and continue to get low 90s grades. Unless you care about the "with honors" distinction you can min-run this program, thanks in part to the general idiocy and low bars set by a lot of the civilians in the program. Don't forget most of the profs have "real" jobs and do this on the side.

Bump Just closed a IRRL VA refinance loan with NBKC. Dan referred me to Amy, who led me through the process from start to finish. She was friendly, knowledgeable, professional, and answered all of my questions quickly and accurately. To fit my schedule, the closing was even done at my house and after business hours by a local notary! I refinanced from an original loan rate of 6.0% to a 3.75% rate (~3.8% APR), saving approximately $350/month. Closing costs were ~$2700, including an appraisal since my original loan was from Chase. I will be purchasing a new home in about a month and am eager to work with Amy again for a second VA loan since everything went so smoothly. I strongly recommend NBKC for your VA loan/refi needs - it was an EASY process that will save me a good deal of money. If you have any questions you can PM me about my specific situation, but I would recommend just talking to Dan who obviously will have more answers than I will regarding the loan process.

Not sure about the rest of my generation, but I was raised to expect to have to support myself entirely for my entire life - no government entitlements, pensions, etc. I was raised to never expect anyone but me to care about taking care of me later in life, and my parents promoted saving/investing to make sure i personally procured enough for retirement. Maybe my parents were super paranoid, but they were right when they told me life isn't fair. Healthcare and retirement had absolutely nothing to do with my decision to serve - probably because I was too young and dumb to realize that they are a really big deal. I just looked at it as a cool, exciting adventure with some perks. Now I'm not saying the government doesn't have an obligation to people who signed up with certain expectations of the reimbursement they would receive for their service, but I'm just saying in the end, there's only one person/entity you can ever expect to take care of you - and that's you.

Maybe when OEF closes out we can start promoting some JTAC/TACP types to the E-9 ranks

I wouldn't argue against you there, especially for the Majors boards. In our community, the VAST majority get promoted and those that don't usually have a reason that stands up to scrutiny (UIF, etc). My bigger concern is for higher level promotions and commander selections, which is where I've seen the most "how the hell did that guy end up there?" situations, and more often than not the answer is some combination of exec tours, DG awards, in-res school attendance, and other things that are not related directly to job performance and combat leadership ability.

Personally, and I think I stated this earlier in the thread, I think the Air Force is slowly moving towards a mandatory AU Masters that will somehow complement SOS. Rumor is the new correspondence SOS will have "threaded discussions" and essay requirements much like the AU Masters. I think we will eventually see a situation where every Captain in the Air Force will be expected to complete the AU Masters. I also don't have much of a problem with this if the timing is done properly. It will be cheaper and more standardized, and allow the AF to teach exactly what they want to their future leaders. It will help eliminate the dumping of gov't money (TA) into for-profit degree mills and give officers a clear picture of exactly what they need to do for their progression and hopefully put the subjective emphasis back on job performance. If everyone has to complete the same AF program, then other discriminators will be needed (although I'm sure there will be a DG equivalent type thing). Maybe we can actually promote Capt Smith because of the combat leadership he displayed on his deployments rather than the X-Mas party he planned or the degree from Payme U.

Big "2" to backseatdriver's puts. AU masters is a great compromise for those of us who hate the idea of box-checking but want to keep career options open, with the smallest impact on personal and professional lives. The teachers are mostly all retired O-5s and O-6s who are VERY generous with grading, late submissions, personal commitments, deployments, etc. Most of the students are civilians (which gets annoying when they put way too much effort into their answers and make you look bad), so I think they give active duty studs even a little more leeway.

Some info I recently learned last week that may be helpful to some on the board... If you are currently completing the OLMP as a Captain (aka the "Leadership Concentration), but expect to finish the program as a Major select, you can call the office once you have a line number, and they will transfer you from the Captain-only program to the ACSC Master's program - in most cases you shouldn't require any extra courses (YMMV of course) and will get ACSC credit upon completion. Also, successfully completing weapons school earns you credit for most of the core classes (or electives, honestly I forget since I'm not a WIC grad) - bottom line is that if you go the WIC route the program might be a great way to snag an easy masters degree and ACSC credit.

our base had a suicide less than 72 hours after the stand down. you're right that the root causes need to be addressed, however in many cases it is a very personal situation/problem that leads down this road (i.e. financial, family, or legal troubles - or combinations of the those). i'm not saying Air Force policies, deployment tempos, shitty assingments, etc are not causal factors, but usually there is something more personal that is a root cause that puts someone over the edge.

ditto matmacwc... in addition, could you post guidance on the following? - the IRRRL (VA re-fi) - i am looking to re-finance my current home for a lower rate and would like to do so without a down payment or closing costs... - use of "second-tier" entitlement - specifically, after i re-fi, i plan on renting that property and purchasing another at my new duty station. i would like to use a VA loan for that as well to avoid down-payment/PMI if i can... decided not to PM this because i thought others might be curious about their options in these situations beyond the normal first-home-purchase

we've got them in hand. i was as surprised as anyone that the purchase went through - for iPad2's no less (i figured we'd buy a crappy PC knock-off). we should start flying with them any day now, I'll let you know how it works out. sweet, thanks man - we're gonna look into that for NVIS-aiding. the NVIS in our cockpit is so shitty I doubt it will matter much though.

any recommended brands or methods you found to be successful? we're about to start flying with iPads in the Bone (for tactical reasons - FLIP/TO's will just be an added benefit) and could use any advice you guys with experience might have...

I see a lot of dudes lately getting really spun up about SOS. Take it for what it is - a paid TDY, very "gentlemanly" 9AM-3PM days, built-in workout time, a chance to meet dudes from outside of your MDS and swap stories and ideas, and a nice break from your regular non-flying duties. Yeah, a lot of it is dumb and it sucks not to fly for a couple months, but overall it was as enjoyable as you made it (and profitable if you drive), and you meet some decent people. If you get hung up on the DG stuff you'll get frustrated and miserable. Just ignore the douchebags and drink. The only thing I would be concerned about with the added 3 weeks is the effect it would have had on my liver - 5 weeks was enough for me.

more than likely they'll storm the BX/PX to buy Bugle Boy jeans and Dell computers

i'm with you on that reasoning - if you're just box-checking, the OLMP is definitely the way to go. no ADSC is incurred, it's free, and incredibly easy. i don't want to take away anyone's time unnecessarily, but since the AF is essentially doing that anyway, they might as well just create one standard for everyone. it might even force them to use useful things as discriminators, like primary duty performance

this is starting to smell a lot like the online masters program...i'm wondering if this is the start of forcing all CGOs to complete the AF online masters...

it didn't say they would be delivered with wings/engines/etc...