pittsdriver

CIFT - Crashed in Final Turn.

I separated last July, but still like to see what is going on in big blue. After seeing things like this, I am very glad I made the decision to punch out.

I have flown with Maj Kopacek several times. One of the finest aviators and officers I have ever met. This guy would give you the shirt off his back, literally. One instance of bad judgement does not make someone a detriment to the community. However, in today's Air Force it sure seems like a witch hunt every time someone makes a mistake. Better hope none of you folks ever make a mistake or you could end up on the Air Force Crimes, I mean Times website too.

Great story, before the days where reflective belts, cbts, and civilian pt testers ruined the air force.

I have heard that whatever the school will pay for with the yellow ribbon program, the VA will match that amount even if it is more than the max in state tuition they pay for, is that correct? I could have swore at the TAP workshop that is what the VA guy was telling us.

Quick question for you old hats who have written PRFs for promotion boards. Do you guys just copy lines out of OPRs and paste them into the PRF, or do you re-write the bullets to make them better? I ask because I just got to see my PRF for my O-4 board, and it is essentially just the bullets copied right out of my OPRs and looks like little to no thought went into writing it except cut and paste.

It is true you still get your BAH from your last base until you sign into your next base, and then your BAH will change to that location. I still get BAH but since I still have my house it is paying for that. If you don't keep your old place, you will have plenty of money to live wherever here.

I am here right now for T-38 PIT and can help you out. First, they will not let you stay in a TLF, no way, no how. The rooms they give you here are shitty and the rooms stay about 80-82 degrees all day as the AC sucks in the room. The AF will only pay you $27 per day whether you stay on or off base. So, if you stay off base which is your only option if you are accompanied, its on your own dime over the $27 per day they allot you. For this reason I left my wife back home. I actually just got back from the billeting office complaining once again about how hot my room is (its all the rooms in the 2 buildings they put you in, vintage 1940s rooms & AC) and asked for another room and they said nope, and they refuse to give me a non-avail letter to get off base so I will not be out of pocket. Our SQ/CC is even involved in this process of trying to get us out of these buildings that should be condemned, but no luck. Even if you do a TDY and back, AETC is still the one funding the bill, so they are not going to budge on the $27 per day. I am not sure about the T-6/T-1 side of PIT, but the 38 side is far from UPT mentality, its a big boy program and everyone here is there to help you succeed. So for me PIT is fun, but work. The lodging I could go on for days telling you about it. If you want to come, I say do it, but if you want to bring the family you better look for a place off base and pay out of pocket or just leave them back home.

Anyone in 38 PIT right now or very recently? Just curious about the pacing of the program, etc. I head down to 38 PIT in a few weeks.

I annotate the approaches as well as the total time, night, instrument, etc. That way if you do any civilian flying you can check your lookback on landing, approach currency, etc.

I keep both the electronic logbook and a sportys log book. The nice thing is you can print a very nice logbook from the logbook pro, most people who have civilian time print out the product and bind it in a nice binder. The interview guys seem to like this neat product, and prefer the neatness. Most folks go this route and take their hard copy logbooks with them in case the interviewers ask for the original, but most don't. I have a ton of civilian time and log it and my military time in logbook pro. I just keep a copy of the logbook pro on a couple thumb drives for safety in case my computer crashes.

I use logbook pro, it works very well and is pretty easy to use. Its not free, but its a nice program.

Well, just curios about the living arrangements there. I really don't want to be in a place where I have to take a shovel, dig a hole in it and crap in it, and punch holes in a water bottle for my shower lol. I am used to some real tough deployment locations, Diego and Guam. I got a 179 to Balad this summer/fall, so trying to see what is available there, etc.

For those of you who are there right now or just left, what are the living arrangements there? Wireless available?

Here is a pic I snapped this evening.

Makes perfect sense, I figured that was the case but wanted to make sure.

If I setup an allotment through mypay, whatever amount I sign up for does it take it out of one pay period or split between 2? I am trying to set it up online and it says it will be reflected in my 15 Feb pay. Is that half on the 15th and half on the 30th or all of it on the 15th?

You will PCS to the 11th and during academics you will find out if you are staying at Barksdale or heading north. Its best to talk to the folks in your class when you get here and see who wants to go where. You put in your preference sheet and then they decide. I would say right now with the new squadron being stood up at Minot, you have about a 80% chance of going north. There have been folks in recent past show up, buy a house and use that as their excuse to stay at KBAD, and that makes the powers to be angry and almost guarantee yourself going north. However, if the drop comes down and they send someone north and they want to stay, they will let folks swap out. We had one guy in our class take a pretty good chunk of money to take someone's place and go north. Best thing to do is get an apartment, as you will be here for a while during the FTU anyhow. If you find out you are staying, buy a house after your lease is up. Are you coming as a Co, EW, or Nav?

From what I hear the MC-12 is going to stay in ACC, so we shall see. Also, after my initial training and 179 when I come back to Barksdale, I will only have a year left on my commitment so I will not be PCSing anywhere unless it is my choosing (one of the few advantages of being right near the end of my committment). So, if for some reason after my deployment I come back and they don't hold their end and send me to AETC (which I would voluntarily extend my committment for), there will be no PCS in my future and I will just hang out at Barksdale for a year and when my committment is up and I will pull chocks and go my separate way from the AF. I am in a lot better position than say someone who have 4-5 years left and being sent to this type of assignment. On another note, I don't mind flying the B-52, its just the fact that I hardly fly at all here.