FlyinGrunt

I absolutely will not contradict the "stop talking while flying" advice. But when chairflying, I found it helped me to verbalize every detail of what I was doing at each phase of flight. Doing so forced me to recognize where my knowledge of pitch/power settings, local pattern rules, etc was lacking. Example: once I hit 1300' I will turn left to Wizard. (bad.) Better: At 1300' or 1.3 DME, whichever is first, I will turn left to 160 to intercept the KDLF R-170. I will maintain 10 deg NH and 100% power until 2250' - I will start my power reduction and level off at 2250' to have 0 deg NH and 55% power set, 200 KIAS at 2500'. Etc. If it doesn't sound good to you, forget it. I found that if I could remember (and visualize!) doing all that at groundspeed zero that my muscle memory and habit patterns would help compensate for my helmet fire in the plane. Any yeah, keep looking outside, because in the long run that will be the least brain cells way to maintain altitude, airspeed and heading.

Yeah, Jane's is reporting there's gonna be some sort of safety investigation before the next one. I would presume no SIB/AIB due to the stage in the program and the fact that it's autonomous, but hey, who knows. Still not sold on the rail launch/parachute recovery but could have advantages in a bomb-damaged runway situation. Interesting point on the Peregrine. I wasn't tracking that, but that does make a smaller UCAV look a lot more offensive than just defensive for a manned jet. Re: subsonic only - if the XQ-58 was escorting an F-35 or F-22, and said jet needs to go supersonic to execute an intercept, seems doing so could significantly reduce your combat power at the merge . . .? <with apologies to the fighter guys for butchering proper AI terminology/tactics>

Changing the subject to a few pages back: about this loyal wingman/swarming UAV thing. Seems that Kratos might have a substantial lead on the other primes with the XQ-58 Valkyrie (even Boeing with the ATS in Australia unveiled earlier this year). From Jane's: A prototype is being flight tested by the AFRL. The second of five planned demonstration flights was completed on 11 June, achieving 100% of planned test points. Kratos has built a further two Valkyrie air vehicles, which remain under its ownership. Reporting the company’s second quarter 2019 results in a 31 July earnings call, Kratos president and CEO Eric DeMarco said that the company was confident that Valkyrie was “on track for initial production and a programme of record”. In response, the company has begun ordering engines “for expected Valkyrie production to meet anticipated future customer delivery requirements,” DeMarco said. The XQ-58A demonstrator is powered by an off-the-shelf Williams International FJ33 twin-spool turbofan; it has not been confirmed if this engine type is being retained for follow-on production. Kratos believes that it could receive orders for between 20 and 40 Valkyrie vehicles by the end of the year. According to DeMarco, the US Air Force (USAF) has shown interest in acquiring 20–30 air vehicles for operational experimentation, test, and integration. He also alluded to potential new customers, one of which has “recently expressed interest in acquiring up to an initial 10 Valkyries in either the fourth quarter of this year or the first half of 2020”. DeMarco continued: “Congressional momentum and interest is also increasing with the House of Representatives Committee requesting up to a USD50 million funding increase for the Valkyrie in the 2020 defence budget and a Senate committee requesting USD100 million Valkyrie funding increase in the 2020 defence budget. “Accordingly, we believe that we are on track to achieve initial orders of at least 20 to 30 Valkyries by the end of this year or early next year with the expectation of significantly increased future orders in 2020–21 and for our future programme of record.” In anticipation of forthcoming orders, Kratos has concluded a framework agreement for the purchase of up to 24 engines, with between 5 and 10 already on firm order. “[These] are a critical long lead item for the Valkyrie [and] we expect to receive the engines from this initial order beginning in the second half of next year in order to match up with the current Valkyrie manufacturing and production flow expectations,” he added, noting that the company planned to order additional engines by the end of 2019. Can anybody speak to whether this is BS or not? The company's CEO is notoriously bullish, so I don't know if I trust his expectations of USAF buys. The aircraft seems to be in the ballpark though on specs (wikipedia): Maximum speed: 567 kn (652 mph, 1,050 km/h) Maximum speed: Mach 0.85 Range: 2,128 nmi (2,449 mi, 3,941 km) Service ceiling: 44,997 ft (13,715 m) My biggest concern would be on the lack of supersonic capability and low payload (550 lb.) That's only what, 3 AIM-9s?

I'm off-topic. Sort of. If you are interested in business/finance, however, read on: I'd like to offer a rebel's argument on a limited embrace of some "careerism." From where I sit, a well-ranked MBA program (and there goes my anonymity!): I'm not bragging, I was very fortunate. This opportunity has given me some perspective and credibility re: "what matters" after AD in this path. 1. AD me hated quarterly and annual awards. We spend 50% of our time patting ourselves on the back, and the system is broken, in different flavors in different locations. Forget that. If you're thinking about getting out and aiming high in business, I urge you to think about YOUR interests and not protesting the system. I notched some awards late in my career that have paid big dividends in getting some selective interviews. Many others have the same experience. If you can get these, DO SO. Play the long game and don't be a rebel without a cause. 2. The only thing that matters on your resume is being able to talk about and defend what you write in an interview. 10% truth rule, 100% truth rule . . . who cares. What is on your OPR/PRF is irrelevant. If you are willing to stand your ground and tell your story, make your own bullets for later. Your integrity is not judged on an OPR/PRF, but on you and any references the firm contacts. 3. Your narrative/story is everything. What motivated you through your career? When/why did your objectives change? What evidence is there to believe the story you tell? Forget the OPRs. No one reads them or asks for them, but they will ask you about the details. Think about what brings your path together in terms of objectives and motivations, and do whatever you can on AD to make the facts fit the story when you talk to your boss and peers about the next steps.

What I REALLY want to know is how/why Slife was creeping on my linkedin about 2 weeks ago. Of all the people, you'd think he'd know how to use Private Mode . . . I've been completely out since July.

Cannon blows, but if you've dropped ACJs now it is likely that: 1. You will be at HRT for a good amount of time, likely upgrading there 2. When you do go to Cannon, it will likely be when the pure fleet is starting/complete, which means 3. Much less time at Cannon than guys like me, since the ACW schoolhouse will be gone and after a few years at the 16th, you will likely have the opportunity to move on to bigger/better things - or back to the 73rd/4th/19th. Barring more silly politics, having 3 squadrons doing gunship things at HRT and 1 at CVS will do wonders for QoL.

Can confirm, unofficially

So the AF is too cowardly to let WG/CCs decide when it should and shouldn't be a one mistake Air Force. What a joke. Undercutting CCs' authority is a huge part of why the AF is so broken, and this phenomenon isn't new. Cue Robin Olds' rant about his authority as an AAF O-4 vs a USAF O-7. If they want to watch Rome burn, they have my support. Less than a month until I'm a free man!

I am/was at the AC-130 schoolhouse at Cannon. The proportion of T-38/T-1 folks we get is about equal. QED: doesn't matter. My advice would be to go ENJJPT; more options if you change your mind. As for AFSOC vs others: we're awesome, but there are a lot of other awesome opportunities. I will not discourage you from MC-130s. They do a ton of great stuff, and I LOVE low-level. We don't do that. We do kill things. All the things. I've said it before: size of community + taskings = we kill more than anyone else. But that's not everything to everyone. Evaluate your priorities, but in the meantime put in for ENJJPT. Nothing to lose from my perspective if you don't suck. (anyone saying blah blah RPA: fuck off, you get my point) Fighters are awesome. We don't get to go inverted single seat and rage. If it's the raw pilotage you crave, ACC is the way to go.

Too bad ZERO of the other WG/CCs in AFSOC had the balls to follow Palenske. Zero.

Yeahhhhh this whitewashing of Cannon . . . not so much a fan. Just got my parole after 5 years there. "There are no bad bases": GFY. "Working with good people on a good mission keeps you sane": That I can agree with.

Agreed. North Korea is much more important than Iran right now. We could end the latter's entire military force in 72 hours, given sufficient resources. The former can't be bombed out of existence, given the horrific humanitarian cost. As a gunship guy: post-SEAD, it would be so sweet to have the entire fleet take up stations on their western border, waiting to kill everything that moves headed west . . . that having been said, I still prefer all peaceful alternatives. Wars have a funny way of getting completely out of hand quickly . . .

brickhistory, I agree, but I think that we need to pick 1 path: 1) certify the JCPOA and check Iran's shenanigans elsewhere by other means, and prepare for the point 7 years from now when we launch a massive strike (when they go all-out for nukes.) 2) decertify, arm the Israelis and Saudis to get the job done, and impose sanctions like never before. Starve them to death kinda stuff. Knowing that a military strike is inevitable, weaken them as much as possible before H-hour. Anywhere in between serves their interests, and makes the world now and 7-10 years from now an even scarier place. For the record, I'm for #1. As long as we stay ready to deliver the Wrath of God on them in a decade. And I do like your Article 5-like declarations. Puts Iran, Syria and all their friends on notice. The wildcard is: what if Russia were to be complicit somehow?

Bibi lays out a pretty damning case. I'd say it will be hard for President Trump to recertify the JCPOA, and once that happens, I expect things to escalate rather quickly. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-april-30-2018/

Majestik, that is a fundamental example of what's wrong with the Air Force - and why the enemy is "us." No E-9, shoe clerk commander or other douche is able to have any power without a pilot giving power to them at some level, whether it be at the O-5, O-6, or CSAF level. Have we ever had a CSAF who's not a pilot? No. Bottom line, it's high time for PILOTS to reclaim their monopoly on power and crush the non-mission-focused others. "We" got ourselves into this mess by delegating authority to the worst sorts of people. (disclaimer: other aircrew and SOF also included, y'all just haven't been CSAF yet!)

Slife the Knife?

"AFSOC Air Operations Flight Assignment Incentive Pay - Authorized by Title 37 U.S.C., Section 352 and the Secretary of the Air Force for personnel assigned to HQ AF Special Operations Command unit (PAS Code BP0VFX3H), assigned to UMD identified operator positions, and have successfully completed the unit's required initial training course. Paid at $750/month for personnel who have a post-training cumulative unit assignment time of less than 36 months; and $1000/month for personnel who have a post-training cumulative unit assignment time of 36 months or more." Umm, surely I'm missing something here. Are we paying people on the staff, people in some secret squirrel unit, or everybody?

@Standby, those are some tough words for a person in an area as nice as you . . .

If it was me, I'd offer them some sort of carrot. What a waste if some 19 year old showed natural talent and a great attitude, and then got sent to Finance or some BS. What's the incentive to try and succeed? Such a program is undoubtedly reliant on self-motivation to study, chairfly, seek feedback, etc. If Amn Snuffy thinks the outcome is the same regardless, he's just gonna chase girls and beer like the rest of us and not try to make it work.

If you wanna fly fighters, put fighters first and always. If you want kills, put AC-130s. It's not a dick measuring contest though. Once you get past a certain level of knowing "I've killed XX dudes and their things", it's just keeping score. You may not enjoy the flying of endless left turns nearly as much as fighter flying. That having been said, with my bias, I advise 1) Fighters, 2) AC-130s (or AFSOC in general: switching tribes is way easier than you'd expect after 3-4 years), 3) FAIP to keep the dream alive, 4) Bombers. Here's some heresy, not so much for you as for other studs: If you want to kill bad guys who matter, KCVS MQ-9s are where it's at. The price you pay is obvious. Your call.

I was thinking of doing that, but instead adding velcro on the sleeves to basically do the same config as a green bag. Along with my fur collar and such.

Did my exit survey today and DEFINITELY did not say "it's not about the money." Not the #1, but it was def #2 or #3. I did think that it was funny that they asked "how much of a bonus would you need" and then capped it at $60K. Sorry boss, Cannon will cost you WAY more than that. Like $400K. After taxes.

How does #1 work with DOPMA?

Naw, just come to gunships. Then you don't have to tell your kids you shoveled sh!t in Louisiana ate Doritos 12 hours a day during the great WW Syria . . . It's way more fun when you get to look out the window and watch the cannon fire killing ISIS scumbags. And some of us have 10x the missiles and bombs too!

Wait. Growler?? Please confirm open source media