BQZip01

2

ha ha...

eventually looking to cross train into the AC. Anyone have any tips as to how to "get in"

P-cola? I'm not sure they have a complete idea of the program, but I can't imagine it being TOO different, though of course the airframes are. Basically, you'll go through physiology and learn just how much the human body isn't supposed to be up high in the air Then you'll go through academics and focus on the basics of navigation, your tools, your charts, and how to use them. Next you'll get more advanced systems and how to use those I would assume at some point after that, you'll do low level, work EWO stuff, possibly formation work, and the application of radar. From what I understand, everyone has the same chance at assignment night to get every possible airframe. We'll see how that works out. There is usually less of a wait after OTS than ROTC and USAFA. Main reason is that they commission year-round while ROTC and USAFA primarily graduate everyone in May-ish. If you finish OTS around that time, expect a bit of a wait simply due to volume. If you graduate August or later, expect less of a wait.

...yes?... ...and this is the kind of balance I'd expect. Looks like a good combination. Anyone have any experiences with these Generals?

Are you out of McGuire?

The whole transition (including maintenance) is starting on 7 July and should be done by sometime early next year.

Enough hours fighting the cold in a UH-1 to & from missile silos? Seriously though, I have no idea but he went from initial qual to squadron commander in less than three years he's had to do something right: 6. September 1983 - January 1984, student, 4315th Combat Crew Training Squadron, Vandenberg AFB, Calif. 7. January 1984 - August 1984, Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile combat crew commander, 446th Strategic Missile Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. 8. August 1984 - July 1985, operations officer, 447th Strategic Missile Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. 9. July 1985 - March 1986, Chief, Standardization and Evaluation Division, 321st Strategic Missile Wing, Grand Forks AFB, N.D. 10. March 1986 - July 1987, Commander, 447th Strategic Missile Squadron, Grand Forks AFB, N.D.

Absolute GOLD for the FAIP (poor soul) FE Warren: should be "Almost Paradise" because...it isn't KC-130 Cherry Point (for our Marine) "I wanna take off from a carrier" Dos Gringos: (https://www.dosgringosrocks.com/home.html C-17 Charleston: video and accompanying music of someone doing the Charleston dance U-28 Hurlburt "Waiting is the hardest part" (both waiting to get to that "hardship" assignment and actually to get in the seat as there is a bit of a backlog) KC-135 Fairchild "At least I'm not the SNACKO" Dos Gringos (only if the guy has a sense of humor) Any cold assignment: "Ice, Ice baby" always gets a chuckle

SATCOM, I'm keeping you on "speed dial"... This is the kind of leadership I expected when I joined the Air Force: https://www.flyingsquadron.com/forums/index...mp;#entry214794 (read to page 8 where there are some GOOD stories of leadership, not just this d-bag.

^^^ SSSSHHHHHHHHHH! Not so loud...

Could have been more clear. I have no problem with a missleer in charge

https://businessonmain.msn.com/default.aspx...l&gt1=25049 I'm not a big fan (pun intended) of MSNBC or MSN, but I thought this was kind of interesting. It goes to show that an identity and attitude are important and, while you can build around it, quality and output are still more important. Those who show pride in their work should be praised... To make this more clearly aviation related, they use these fans in F-16 hangars and they are featured on one of the ads shown in the news report. EDIT:Noob mistake...

"Flight equipment" somehow seems a little less critical than "life support", but I hope the name change doesn't reduce standards, because perceptually, I have a problem with this...

I think you're quibbling over verbiage here. I think we all know that the AF doesn't have subs, but that the AF components OF the nuke triad are going to GSC.

...and the missile guys under missileers. I have no issue with this whatsoever. The problem for non-rated folks is that you have to break through and be an aide or something at a pretty high level before they'll make you a general over something like a numbered air force or MAJCOM. I've got no issue with being under a 3-star Comm officer if he has a lot of experience in the field of nukes... ...It would make more sense in AFSPC though...

In my limited military flying career, I've been rather impressed with the maintenance at my locations (they'll call it broken when its broken, fixed when it's actually fixed, and fess up and bite the bullet if it's their responsibility), but I cannot say the same of life support (this isn't an indictment of anyone, just a query to see if this is a more widespread problem or just a few isolated incidents I've had). Example 1: In our parachutes, there is a high-pressure Oxygen bottle that I was told as a BUFF guy "should always be above 1800 unless it's cold". Well, I'm flying out of Barksdale on a "cold" day in February and the gauge's needle was pointing below 1800 PSI. My instructor said, "that's ok", but I wasn't so sure, so I asked the life support to come out to the jet. They looked at it and said, "Oh yeah, if it isn't lower than the numbers on the gauge [not the tick mark on the scale], it's good to go." Well, with two people saying it was ok, I took it...like a dumba$$. After the flight I wondered what the regulations/T.O. states about it. In our dash 1, it doesn't state the limits and I had to go over to life support. The answer is the gauge should read "in the black" in temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. For each degree below 60, it could be 2.5 PSI lower (in the jet, it was pretty cool, but not much below 50 outside, so the jet had to be a little warmer. Accordingly, it should have just been a smidgen lower than the minimum, not an 1/4-inch gap. I told the supervisor and she said she'd talk to the appropriate tech and make sure the bottle was appropriately tested. It was and the bottle came back 50 PSI low. Imagine if I'd needed that bottle... Example 2: Fast forward to my pre-checkride. Same kind of O2 gauge, but this time the gauge is well above 2200 PSI (the max pressure listed on the gauge). Since this is a precheck, my instructor, a patch-wearer, is simulating being an evaluator and not saying anything; just writing notes. I tell my instructor that I would call life support and have them check it out, but if it is ok and I'm wrong, we can save an on-time takeoff time for the crew. He looks at it and says it's my call, but he'd take it. Since he left the call up to me and I had the previous experience, I call out life support to look at it. The airman comes out, looks at the gauge and says, "Oh, as long as it is above 1800 PSI, it's ok." Internally, I'm thinking, "Then why the f*** do they have a maximum pressure listed at all...", so I say, "Can you get the T.O. and let's look at it?" "Well, the T.O.'s back in the shop, but my supervisor is in the truck. I'll ask her and, if she disagrees, we'll check the T.O. But if we have to replace the bottle, we'll just replace the whole chute since that's faster" "Ok" She goes back to the truck and a few minutes later, they drive off without coordinating with anyone. About 20 minutes later (mind you, engines are running and we are burning fuel...) they come back with a new chute. "You were right. The upper limit is 2200 PSI, no matter what the temperature is." We take off about 20 minutes late... In any case, you are your seat commander and NO ONE should encourage you to fly on a jet you don't feel is safe. Thoughts?

Not from this flyer

I'd like to throw in a few more tidbits to the discussion. In my limited military flying career, I've been rather impressed with maintenance (they'll call it broken when its broken, fixed when it's actually fixed, and fess up and bite the bullet if it's their responsibility), but I cannot say the same of life support. Example 1: In our parachutes, there is a high-pressure Oxygen bottle that I was told as a BUFF guy "should always be above 1800 unless it's cold". Well, I'm flying out of Barksdale on a "cold" day in February and the gauge's needle was pointing below 1800 PSI. My instructor said, "that's ok", but I wasn't so sure, so I asked the life support to come out to the jet. They looked at it and said, "Oh yeah, if it isn't lower than the numbers on the guage [not the tick mark on the scale], it's good to go." Well, with two people saying it was ok, I took it...like a dumba$$. After the flight I wondered what the regulations/T.O. states about it. In our dash 1, it doesn't state the limits and I had to go over to life support. The answer is the gauge should read "in the black" in temperatures above 60 degrees Fahrenheit. For each degree below 60, it could be 2.5 PSI lower (in the jet, it was pretty cool, but not much below 50 outside, so the jet had to be a little warmer. Accordingly, it should have just been a smidgen lower than the minimum, not an 1/8-inch gap. I told the supervisor and she said she'd talk to the appropriate tech and make sure the bottle was appropriately tested. It was and the bottle came back 50 PSI low. Imagine if I'd needed that bottle... Example 2: Fast forward to my pre-checkride. Same kind of O2 gauge, but this time the gauge is well above 2200 PSI (the max). Since this is a precheck, my instructor, a patch-wearer, is simulating being an evaluator and not saying anything; just writing notes. I tell my instructor that I would call life support and have them check it out, but if it is ok and I'm wrong, we can save an on-time takeoff time for the crew. He looks at it and says it's my call, but he'd take it. Since he left the call up to me and I had the previous experience, I call out life support to look at it. The airman comes out, looks at the gauge and says, "Oh, as long as it is above 1800 PSI, it's ok." Internally, I'm thinking, "Then why the f*** do they have a maximum pressure listed at all...", so I say, "Can you get the T.O. and let's look at it?" "Well, the T.O.'s back in the shop, but my supervisor is in the truck. I'll ask her and, if she disagrees, we'll check the T.O. But if we have to replace the bottle, we'll just replace the whole chute since that's faster" "Ok" She goes back to the truck and a few minutes later, they drive off without coordinating with anyone. About 20 minutes later (mind you, engines are running and we are burning fuel...) they come back with a new chute. "You were right. The upper limit is 2200 PSI, no matter what the temperature is." We take off about 20 minutes late... In any case, you are the seat commander and NO ONE should encourage you to take a jet you don't feel is safe. One last 'war story' as told to me by a Lieutenant Colonel (I'll tell it as I remember it): "There I was: I was stepping to the [T-1] jet when I was told I'd be getting a no-notice checkride as a Senior Captain. I was told the week prior that I was up for an ADO position after I returned from SOS in-residence (which started the following week). My wife had also been having some medical problems, but still, with all that, I felt I was ok to fly and didn't feel intimidated by all the extraneous "life clutter" on top of a checkride. As we took off, we experienced an engine fire in #1. We ran the boldface, but I felt WAY behind the jet all the way back to the field, to the point it kind of scared me. We shut the engine down and landed. As we stepped to a spare, I didn't feel I was fit to fly and I told the group evaluator pilot that I wasn't going to go. He insisted that I had to. I told him he was wrong. "Well, they took off without me and I went back to my squadron and reported to my commander what had happened. He told me to go home and rest for a few days. Once I got home, I told my wife what happened. She asked, 'Well, what are they going to do with you?' I said I'd probably lose my SOS spot and the chance to be an ADO. Three days later, the commander called me in. He informed me that the Eval IP was none too pleased and was royally pissed about the whole situation and that he took it to the group commander...who kicked it back to the squadron commander to deal with. He then stated that the SOS slot had been given to someone else and the ADO slot had been filled. "The squadron commander then told me that I should go home and get my personal affairs in order and take some relaxation time... "...he said to come back to work when I was ready, but cautioned that I'd need the rest...because I was coming back as his DO!!! He then stated that SOS was available whenever he was ready for it." In short, the commander rewarded someone for doing the right thing in the face of a superior illegally countermanding such actions. Where have you heard this information?

I concur, but that's why I prefaced my comment with it "could" have been just fine. In any case, all of these should have been written up and the pilot-in-command would be the ultimate approval authority.

I had no idea... :-) Yes, I did say "FABULOUS". That's the way I roll...

How can you make O-5 and then "sent into the world of the passed-over-Majors"? I think insubordination of a pretty high caliber is about the only way you'd get demoted that far from Sq/CC... :-) I agree, but it is all how it is put to the junior person. If it is a "you need to fix XYZ with your uniform" and is stated in some manner that is civil and non-threatening, it's no big deal. If the same person publicly berates you for 2 minutes, then they have their priorities effed up. I once had a zipper open and the squadron commander called me aside in the hallway and told me to fix it. I fixed it; no muss, no fuss. I doubt he remembers it but I thought he handled a simple problem in a simple, nonthreatening manner. That won a lot of respect for me. Point taken, original ammended

He said he once had an airman first class suggest to him that they replace a lost screw with epoxy. I, for one, see nothing wrong with this in certain instances (like an screw to an internal maintenance panel that cannot be accessed during flight) and sounds like muckraking to me. I'm pretty positive the scrutiny of this IG investigation is what cause rates to drop (everybody double check everything=twice the time to do things), not this airman. The rest of it sounds like he might have had his heart in the right place, but went about it in such a brash way that his discpline was an issue, not what he discovered. As for the technician who popped the band back into place, if he is "the approval authority" on such repairs, it may not have been the best way to do it, but if he knows his job and what strains the band can take, such a solution could have been just fine. I'm not saying I condone it, but the observation seems very one-sided. In short, too much stuff doesn't add up here and it sounds suspicious (as does the post two above mine), however, I will wait to see what the outcome of everything is before I pass any judgment.

3 There's the military...hmmm...bad example...

It should be noted that "shoeclerk" (or "shoe") is simply a term for a rules queep nazi that has a grasp on regulations (or at least THINKS he/she does), but not on the mission; he/she is interested in doing things the way the manual says, damned the outcome, at the expense of doing things in a way that works, that's productive, and does not degrade morale. A shoeclerk, IMNSHO, is not just someone from the support or maintenance group. They can be a flyer, a commander, a pipsqueak Amn at Finance, or even a General. Don't be a shoe... for that FABULOUS RUMINT... ...got anything on my boss ;-)