Magellan

Valid

Ironic they got a new OG who is an 18A about "a year ago." "Nearly equal terms" So you admit there is still a barrier. That is because very few people are willing to go through 3-6 months in Holloman for a 75% chance(or better) to go to a squadron where they get treated a lot worse to do the exact same job just with a better camera and more things hanging off the rails. There is a right way and a wrong way to make your intentions known. The wrong way is telling everyone you meet that MQ-1's are just a stepping stone to you getting to Reapers, which is where you really want to be. Because you come across as someone that thinks they are better than everyone else, and Creech is a pretty small community. So don't be that guy. The right way is to go in with the mindset that you want to be the best MQ-1 pilot you can possibly be, and telling your flight commander I am interested in going into the MQ-9 if the opportunity presents itself. Your flight commander will then convey this at the right time and place to the squadron leadership when an opportunity for you to transition to MQ-9s presents itself. Additionally, when you check into the squadron the commander will want to have a sit down talk with you for a few minutes. At that time be tactful and convey your number 1 priority is getting CMR in their squadron(which it should be). IF the opportunity presents itself there is no harm in mentioning you are interested in going to the MQ-9 sooner rather than later, but don't force the issue.

No, and until they write a B course syllabus for the Reaper that won't change. Grow where you are planted and keep what you want to do between yourself and your flight commander. If you roll into a Pred squadron and make it clear you are just trying to use it as a stepping stone to get into a Reaper as a 18U you probably won't make a great impression with the bros. Copy. She wears the pants, and you are just along for the ride. The biggest thing you have going for you is at Creech the OG is a 18U convert, and therefore will probably be pushing for 18Us to advance more than other places. It is only a matter of time before they open the flood gate to the MQ-9 to 18Us so be patient. That said it is good to have goals but the difference between flying a Pred and a Reaper is nothing to get that excited over. You are still just sitting in an air conditioned trailer at zero knots and 1G the only thing that is new is now you transit at 165 KTAS vs 115 KTAS and carry GBUs, and honestly being a good Pred pilot is more demanding than being a good Reaper pilot and anyone who claims otherwise doesn't know what they are talking about.

Who said you need a ramp. Just give them a hangar and they can put 8 dual GCSes in it. Now you have enough facilities for 16 CAPs. But alas there would be no room left for a ping pong table so squadron morale would go straight down the sh*tter.

Guess you missed the line in there that said, "all other things being equal." That said right now perhaps too much emphasis is being placed on masters degree, and I think that is the point you are trying to make. An example that comes to mind is a WG/CC or OG/CC that sets a policy of you must have a masters to get a DP. So effectively the commander has eliminated the category of DP without an AAD. That is a foul in my opinion if the board is already going to factor in AADs. That said I think AADs being should be considered as part of the process, but you have to consider where is the pendulum at currently. Right now it is probably fair to say the Air Force is putting too much emphasis on tying masters degrees to promotions. Which is probably what is driving people in droves to get the basket weaving degrees, and the current TA program coupled with for profit schools has started to make having an AAD less and less meaningful. I think this is probably the first step in the start of the pendulum swinging back the other way. I think comparing paying for a masters degree to the bribing a feudal lord for rank is like comparing apples to homing pigeons. My point was that allowing people to use TA or pay for their own AADs helps them to stand shoulder to shoulder with guys that do the DL Masters, AFIT, etc. while pursuing a degree that interests them. Because lets face it we don't need just people with Science and Engineering and/or Military History/Leadership degrees in the upper echelons. Having a few people around with MBAs or other degrees that the Air Force doesn't put on a silver platter isn't a bad idea.

Why? Promotions are about the needs of the Air Force, and it is in the tax payers best interest to promote the most qualified person. Whether or not this actually happens is a different thread altogether, but if there are enough people willing to pay to get masters degrees all other things being equal. Why shouldn't they be promoted first? I would argue an AAD is largely viewed everywhere as being a good indicator of future leadership potential. Just because TA is getting reduced doesn't mean that you have to pay to get a masters degree. The Air Force has tons of avenues to send people to get degrees. The ability to use TA/pay to get a degree of your choice and not have it masked levels the playing field for those who want an advanced degree, but aren't interested in the free masters (PME top off programs, AFIT, etc.) the Air Force has to offer. Who does masking AADs really benefit other than the people who had no intention whatsoever of getting them in the first place?

Well that sucks for anyone not within 18 credits of finishing their degree, since the Air Force insists officers must have a masters to be competitive. That said it will be interesting to see how big of a factor this is when all the 10 year commitment guys start the mass exodus. I wonder what Touro, TUI, Trident or whatever they call themselves these days is going to do when the money dries up, but not like it matters from what I hear they are going to lose their accreditation anyway. I just think it is another case of a waste of government money as they made money while the TA lasted, but since they are for profit institution I imagine when the profit goes away so will they. Makes one wonder what the fall out will be for people who hold degrees from a school that lost its accreditation and then went out of business.

Why did you wait so long?

I think you are comparing Apples to Octopi here. West Point isn't AFROTC and the policies don't correlate at all. You are telling us that a 21-22 year old cadet from a service academy isn't allowed to drink on a spring break trip home? I think what sunk him was Houston PD contacting West Point and passing along a police report that he was basically drunk and disorderly(although they never charged him with that), and at that point he is guilty until proven innocent. I think this guy is getting hosed and West Point is probably going to standby their decision as being correct no matter what happens, but he is going to bring home a boat load of cash in damages in the civil trail. The video clearly shows 3 people assaulting him, with one of them standing over him when he is obviously no longer a threat. On top of it their actions were clearly on behalf of and sanctioned by Patti LaBelle otherwise they would have already been fired and she would have apologized. Also, I think you will probably see Houston PD file assault charges against the three individuals and discipline the two officers in the video to save face and dodge liability themselves. The saddest part about this whole thing is this kid couldn't get any justice until he filled a civil suit and went to the press.

If that is official you will see lots of Pred guys coming into flying squadrons with less than an OPR cycle before their Major PRF is due with no chance of getting SOS in residence. ...and the hits just keep on coming.

Let your commander know your intentions first, and then contact a Navy officer recruiter and they should be able to point you in the right direction fairly quickly. That said nothing happens in a vacuum and right now there are TONS OF GUYS whose dream was always "to be in a single seat jet" so be humble and realistic as you move forward.

The general consensus seems to be married people love Vegas, and single dudes struggle with it each in their own way. Go figure. The biggest problem with the town is there are too many ways to get in debt and/or trouble very very quickly...not to mention the number of single female professionals (not including strippers, hookers, bar tenders, and cocktail waitresses) is probably less than 1% of the population...so good hunting.

A prime example of how the Service before Self concept is applied by today's AF leadership. But at the same time Truman said it best, "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you don't care who gets the credit."

Never a good reason to buy a house you won't be living in 250+ days a year considering you will be moving in 3-4 years anyway. Any equity you would build probably won't even cover your closing costs or other expenses associated with home ownership. So financially you won't get ahead vs renting unless you are up to the challenge of being a land lord long term. Valid, but weigh the costs. An apartment, condo, town home, duplex, etc. could offer you 90% of that same comfort level with a shit ton less hassles vs owning your own house. Hope isn't a strategy. This is all coming from someone that bought a house 7 months ago myself. Do I regret my decision? No, because I love my house and I have learned a lot by going through the home buying/ownership process, which isn't terribly pleasant right now. But if I had to do it again knowing what I know now I would be happily renting with more cash still in the bank.

Not entirely true...the SQ/CC at the 11th did an MC-12 deployment as a pred guy, and there is a 15th guy currently doing an MC-12 gig. So Creech has sent a few pilots to MC-12 deployments, however to make this happen the trend seems to be you have to be an O-5 type with a fair bit of clout.

Good on em! Heroes Field It is the mission of the Heroes’ Field Committee to assist the Mt. Vernon Public School in securing funding to be used for the development of the outdoor athletic complex on the school grounds. All revenue generated will be turned over to the school district to aide in the continued development of the facility. The Concept Of Heroes' Field A hero can be defined in many different ways. They can be the noblest of the noble and the bravest of the brave. They can also be a diligent, unassuming person who dedicates their life to making the world a better place, but does so behind the scenes. One thing that cannot be overlooked; however, is that we all know of people that we personally view as heroes. Heroes make an impact in the lives of others; either by action or example. They exude class, dignity, and honor and live their lives in a manner that makes us proud to know them. They are courageous, self-sacrificing people that give us strength and make us better by teaching us nobility, diligence, and strength of character. Heroes live a life of substance, and create a legacy that has an impact for many generations. In appreciation of, and out of respect for, those Mt. Vernon heroes who have given so much, we have named this stadium Heroes’ Field. Heroes’ Field is a place where we practice the ideals of discipline, dedication and selflessness. It is a place where we engage in teamwork in order to honor our families and our community. The idea for naming Heroes’ Field was born out of the life and untimely death of 33-year-old Navy pilot Lt. Clinton Wermers. Wearing jersey number 33, Wermers was a fierce competitor on the Mt. Vernon football field and a loyal teammate off the field. On January 23, 2010 Wermers and his student pilot’s Navy training plane crash landed into Lake Pontchartrain near New Orleans. Thanks to Lt. Wermers bravery and sacrifice the student pilot was rescued. Clinton was not as fortunate.

You are the first person I have ever heard of getting advanced notice...did you get a reach around as well while they were at it? That said if you are stuck between a rock and a hard place file to pay it off over 12 months while you fight it, and even if you can't win it lessens the damage as it is spread out vs them taking it all at once.

Is the rule that you can't drink on ROTC PDTs still in effect?

At first I thought like M2 did...it was cut and dry any financial obligation must be listed, but then on the next page it said I didn't. Unsure of which case it was I searched google which didn't help and then figured the crew here was sure to have a thread talking about stuff like this. At the end of the day I think you could argue the semantics both ways, but I found out what I needed to know. Not listing them shouldn't hold up my reinvestigation. Thanks.

Thanks good to know. I understand where you are coming from, but looking at the form and applying some logic(technique only) leads me to believe if they want people to list EVERY debt they have had in the past 7 years they would have put more than 4 spaces on the form. To me it seems like if you have had some financial hiccups this is were you get to alibi yourself. My fear is listing anything on there is going to raise more red flags than not listing it since I am sure they will pull my credit report see that it is spotless with a score closer to 800 than 700 and then proceed to look for skeletons elsewhere. Thanks for the responses though guys! Edit:embedded forms to help clear things up BaseOps.pdf

Working through an SF 86 for a rehack, and due to the numerous changes am just redoing the whole form. Everything is good to go...I hope except I have a question about block 26 FINANCIAL RECORD It asks questions a-p and all of them are answered no. However it states "Disclose all financial obligations, including those for which you are a cosigner or guarantor, on the following page." But the way the form is set up it looks like they only want to know details about problematic debts (i.e. questions a-p)and whether it has been resolved or not. Unlike when I did the form the first time with no debt whatsoever I have 2 loans currently; my career starter loan from USAA and my mortgage. That said I would like to know if I am supposed to list these even if the loans don't meet any of the red flag conditions previously mentioned? My gut instinct is no, but I don't want to jack up the form. Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

The ACC A3 gave talks on Sunday and on Monday at Creech saying that all UPT guys that got UAVs out of UPT will have a manned cockpit waiting for them at the end of their first assignment. With the current forecast for that to be ~300 people at that point in time. To put that in perspective currently ~150 UPT guys have already gotten assigned to UAVs. Additionally, the manning is supposed to be increasing to 10 crews per CAP, which is "supposed" to shift the schedule from 5 on 3 off to 4 on 4 off. Right now the ops squadrons are hovering around 7 crews per cap, but things are constantly in flux as more caps get added. He also talked about companion trainers, which are supposed to be on their way within a year, and they are working to put some kind of MTS ball on them so the sensors can ride along and do their thing as well. Granted this could all change tomorrow, but that is what they told the people at Creech. The only thing we know for sure about this community is shit changes fast, but it never manages to get less shitty for the people who are unwillingly stuck in it and simply want out. So heres to the guys just sucking it up and doing the job, because they have too.

AP When are people going to learn the gov't running everything isn't the answer?

Bit of a thread revival but does this logic still hold water as an investment strategy given the events of the last few years? Because I know guys that bought a house at their UPT base are now renting it for less than what their mortgage is and they are now moving to their first "permanent" duty station and they are running out and buying another house. I just don't think being well over 300k in debt on one income making less than Captains pay is a good place to be in.

Last time I went after a set of D's during the summer it had nothing to do with classes!