Splash95

I was in a community that had both callsigns and enlisted aircrew. Naming nights were a blast (from what I recall), the E's just didn't attend...YMMV

Hello all. I'm in the unusual position of retaking the AFOQT, 14 years after my first testing and 11.5 years after commissioning. Apparently my scores "didn't transfer over" and/or were invalidated with the format change a few years ago. ISO general tips, lessons learned, or mst-have study guide recs. The first time around I did well on the academic measures, decent on Nav (93) and not great on Pilot (79); at the time I knew almost nothing about flying and wasn't going for a Pilot slot. Hoping I can bring up my P score at least by virtue of nearly 10 years as a Nav plus a PPL and some private instrument training. Any advice appreciated!

This is satire, right? (check the last sentence)

Also I've personally gotten encouragement in my efforts toward UPT at age 35. Depends a lot on the unit.

You guys are both right in some respects. As of just a few years ago, the hubris is quite well. I knew gunships would be a rough fit when I got orders there (rock bottom on my dream sheet) and frankly struggled throughout much of my 3 years in the assignment. So I'm likely as far away from a knee-jerk gunship apologist as anyone who spent significant time in the community would be. That said, I don't recall any occasion where we did not have SIGNIFICANTLY better SA than everyone else, despite being saddled with equipment as ostensibly aged and inadequate as we had. Mark1 isn't a very popular figure on the board right now, but his points about the USE of the equipment on the gunship vs newer/fancier installations is spot on. Without knowing much detail on AC-J development, I'd hope and expect that it's a marriage of newer tech, similarly rigorous training, and maybe a moderation of the overarching "we're awesome, everyone else sucks" mentality. Cheers

Right, I think most of us single guys realize that deployments are tougher on those with wives and/or kids. That's why I and, in my experience, many bachelors try to raise our hands first for trips to the sandbox (as well as stuff like alert weekends, super late or early shows and "bad deal" TDYs). It's a reasonable give and take.

@HookEmAll Similar situation; DSG on orders (deployed) and have been getting all kinds of random, token LES amounts in the past month. Word on the street is they are starting/attempting to fix the glitch for us.

@PlanePhlyer and @gthsd87, PMs sent.

Euro: Correct, EC's use CANS rather than SCNS. It was pretty weird to get immersed in SCNS during the FTU and then learn a completely different system once I got to D-M. Chicken: I would assume sh1tting on 551st students (and, before the 551st, 19th students) for any number of valid or not-so-valid reasons has been part of the gunship culture for many years. Maybe now that Spectre is retired and many of the current cadre "grew up" in the W, that has changed a bit; or maybe not.

That link doesn't work either.

Fair enough. I only took part in the Cannon side of the community apart from a TDY or two to the promised land of HRT. In my experience, the standards were VERY high, many crew members (as you mentioned) either washed out of IQT/got Q3'd soon after/got quietly shuffled out of the community, and I didn't get any sense of an acceptance of lesser quality in comparison to the Florida days of yore. Still, my perspective is admittedly limited. In regards to the broader topic of this thread, gunships will likely be at Cannon for a long time to come, but I believe those who operate them will continue to be well-trained and professional regardless. Also, for what it's worth, I deployed less often in the AC than I did in my previous non-AFSOC platform.

Have you operated gunships out of both Hurby and Cannon, or otherwise what's the basis for that statement?

Posting here since I can't find a dedicated health care/insurance thread: Is Tricare Reserve Select generally the way to go for ANG members? Background: O-3, unmarried/no kids, good health, PCing in a few weeks. Much appreciated.

I just asked the TAMP question as well, and my AD MPF told me they couldn't even answer the question until they "ran" my ID at my final-out; they said they could run it right then, but that would make my ID stop functioning. I've also read here that I definitely get TAMP although the MPF will tell me I don't. Any authoritative source for that? On a somewhat related note, do I get 5 years of free VA health care since I've been deployed, or am I reading that provision wrong? Thanks for the help.

Sq/CC stated today in a CC call that AADs are now masked until the O-6 board. Or (for the cynics) until the next CSAF takes over...

FIFY

Approved. 2007 12S, <1 yr ADSC left, FY14 PC with position number. Welcoming the return of that feeling of excitement and possibility that has accompanied all but one PCS/extended TDY of my career.

Congrats. How long from submission to approval? My app (FY14 PC) has been sitting at "Palace Chase OPR" for almost a month now. When I called TFSC, the only nugget of info they had was that my case had been looked at that day and there was something about RDTM. She didn't know what that was, so I searched BODN and found that it's basically my core AFSC/MDS--which has been 12S/AC-130H for 2+ years so shouldn't be an issue. I just want an answer even if it is no.

App got kicked back on a technicality. Fortunate coincidence: I got medically approved and got a position number from the unit around the same time so I was able to apply under FY14 PC rules. We'll see what happens now.

PC submitted yesterday. 2007 12S, just under 1 year ADSC remaining (TA and PCS/training). Got an Intent to Hire but no position number yet. Went through the process with zero help from my "current ISR" (he isn't at my base and never responded to a single e-mail or call over several weeks), but other recruiters were nice enough to help out even though it wasn't really their job. ChkHandleDn, I hope that's not the case!

I'll be there (with the gunpig) and would be interested in a rendezvous if there is one.

This guidance actually came from the OG, not the wing. From my reading of the 2903, the OG/CC doesn't even have the authority to restrict the parent reg (only MAJCOM, NAF and Wg/CCs can), but this isn't a big enough deal for me to get crucified by openly fighting it.

Shack. Though I do agree with WheelzUp about the presumptuous screen name.

I'm very interested to see how all those in Clovistan with no other light at the end of the tunnel will react to these developments.

Basically every other poster in the last several pages of this thread would beg to differ.