Prozac

If Texas wants to go I say have at it. Only thing I'll miss is Austin. And the BBQ. And the blondes with the big....awww shit, Texas come back....PLLLEEASE baby....we promise we'll treat you right this time.

Bender hits the nail on the head. The airline gig isn't for everyone and comes with its own unique set of challenges. Bottom line: do what's right for you and your family. Just make sure you do it with your eyes open.

This. If you want a true apples to apples comparison, you need to look at the whole package IRT airline compensation. If you also choose to finish out your 20 with the guard/reserve, you are golden (retirement, furlough protection, control over schedule, etc). Additionally, because we are on the front of the wave right now, that 5 years of seniority will be worth exponentially more in the long run.

True. However, said bullshit doesn't follow you home. I generally don't think about work until check-in. Care to elaborate? I'd think that in the current hiring environment, 5 years of seniority would be worth more than the pension. Admittedly, I have no data to back that up.

I'd be willing to bet even their senior IPs are, on average, still a few years away from being eligible. AMC AD crew force seems very young these days from what I've seen.

CNN now reporting on a failed hostage rescue attempt inside Syria that happened "this Summer" WRT James Foley and other hostages held by ISIS.

I couldn't have said it better than Lawman. Of course I'd like to think that few of us would stand for somebody naming themselves dictator and expecting the military to go along. That is not what we are talking about here. Until someone decides that 8 years just isn't enough, I'll consider the political process in this country to be working. Despite all of the rhetoric to the contrary, there are still a lot of checks and balances at work in our system. As long as that is the case, I will salute smartly and do what my country asks despite whatever misgivings I may have. That is a big part of what I consider being a professional military officer (note that this does not change whether one decides to serve full or part time). Now, If you are concerned about the apparent rise in the power of the executive branch (and I would agree there is evidence to support such a concern), let me ask you this: Can you separate your personal and political views from reality? Is our current president worse than our last (you know, the guy who signed the Homeland Security Act into law) in this regard? I would argue that its actually a pretty close call, but I don't recall many voices from within the military questioning my willingness to honor my oath when I went to the desert 10 years ago. This leads me to suspect that the current crop of PYBers are motivated as much or more by their political leanings as by their self assumed moral authority. Military Officers in this country are generally a pretty conservative bunch. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that as long as we keep our personal views just that; Personal. What would be dangerous is for us as an officer corps to say "We support such and such party and if our CinC doesn't hold true to our political views, we will not follow his orders." The PYBers, I think have crossed that line.

Seems USAFPilot keeps picking the same battle. Listen dude, if you want to constantly criticize your government and it's international doctrine, have at it. That's your right and there are plenty of places for you to do that. In uniform is not one of them. You claim to be an authority on how the founding fathers wanted this country organized but you consistently and conveniently forget one major fact: The military was and is deliberately distanced from making policy. And for good reason. As was said a few posts up, this is what separates us from the Third World shitholes where the strongest guy gets to run things until somebody more brutal comes along. Make no mistake; YOU and I and EVERYONE WHO SERVES are INSTURMENTS of power. That oath you keep talking about makes that point pretty clearly (Hint: It's deeper than it appears and you and the oath takers don't have exclusive rights on interpretation). You don't get to decide where we fight. The people of this nation do that through their elected leaders. Don't get confused by the fact that you get to participate in that process. Part of being a professional officer is being able to put your personal ideals aside when your country calls you. If you can't do that, I sure as fuck don't want you in my cockpit, on my wing, or anywhere near US military assets when the shit hits the fan. If you're as conflicted as you appear, I suggest you consider taking a leave of absence (new program--probably perfect for you) and consider your chosen profession.

Those guys have gone above and beyond the typical 37 pieces of flair. They've truly raised the bar and are obviously great leaders. Clearly, we Capitalist Americans need to be encouraged to start expressing ourselves.

I don't like your attitude.

Smuggling people across the border is big business for the cartels. A fence/wall/border security system may slow them down but it won't stop them. I'm not against more border security, but it should be a part of a broader policy concerning Mexico. I continue to be astonished at the seeming lack of resources we are throwing at what could very nearly be called a civil war right across our border. This conflict has and will continue to affect US citizens. We should be helping the Mexican authorities with whatever they need, to include military assistance, while watching closely to ensure those resources are going to the intended cause. Once again, politics are getting in the way of effective policy in this country and both the WH and Congress need to get their shit together.

I have a rule I vociferously enforce while TDY: NO......FUCKING.......CAMERAS! If you are on my crew and I see you in the bar with your goddamn camera phone out incriminating us and jeopardizing the whole operation, we WILL have words, and I will treat that phone as if you just walked into the vault with it.

Really? We go from Helsinki to B'Dubs at Little Rock? Try Riga - any bar/club in old town. Russian and Latvian chicks aren't ugly. Go in summer to see (very) short skirts and (very) high heels. Hong Kong - Bar scene in Wan Chai on any night is good, but hit it on a Saturday and even NSplayer could get laid. Lots more, but I could spend the rest of my life bouncing between those two cities and die happy.

Your mom has a big ass crack...

Damn. Are there birdstrike certification standards for military helos?

Many AMEs will look on the fact that you can pass a military flight physical favorably (i.e. you might spend less time in their office). VFR800, I live in SoCal and have a guy in Riverside that most of my unit uses. Might be a bit far for you, but PM me if interested and I'll send you his contact info.

I live in one of those towns in California that's been in the news lately. It's made up of a lot of veterans and commuting Marines and Sailors. It most certainly is not a Left leaning place. I saw the mayor on CNN the other day and was impressed by what he had to say. The initial plan was to bring something like 500 people in every 72 hours. It would have simply overwhelmed the capabilities of local border patrol, law enforcement, and bed down capabilities. The mayor made a solid case based on facts and the residents were more than willing to offer their support. Unfortunately, much of the rest of the country will want to look at this town as a bunch of heartless, rich white folks who don't care about Central American children. The fact of the matter is we've got to do better as a country (liberal/conservative....doesn't matter) at this immigration thing. It's a complex thing that won't be solved by rhetoric that seems to either advocate for "send 'em all home" or "we're a compassionate country-let 'em all in", depending on which news channel you watch. Clark, I don't necessarily see eye to eye with your stated views on this issue, but you are absolutely right that this is an issue that deserves our attention and best effort to solve right away.

If I remember right. Jet A1+ and JP-8 have icing inhibitors already added. Everything else, not so much.

Point taken about hand flying skills being necessary. You're preaching to the choir here. However, the autothrottles and autopilot are two separate systems here. While the autopilot was clicked off, the autothrottles were left on with approach speed set in the window (Not a good practice IMO, but fairly common nonetheless). The intuitive assumption would be that the autothrottles would maintain the speed set in the window. That's what the manual would also lead you to believe. It was an eye opener to me at least when it was demonstrated in the sim that this is not the case. Ram, to answer your question, it is a bit shocking how many people will let themselves get pulled in by the automation black hole. I'm talking senior captains here attempting to unfuck the autopilot on short final because that is what the last 30 years of training has emphasized. Clearly we have a problem with over-reliance on the automation, and it extends well beyond just the Asian carriers. The truth is that the automation has gotten so capable and complex that it brings it's own set of proficiency problems with it. I will admit it can be extremely difficult to maintain proficiency in both hand flying and working the automation--especially in an international widebody operation where you may only get a landing a month. You could make the argument that the hand flying thing trumps the automation, but the truth is there are situations that absolutely call for you to be good with the automation (can't hand fly a Cat III). This is why I'm extremely grateful to be able to beat up the pattern in my 60 year old, not-very-automated airplane at my reserve unit a couple times a month.

Very true and seems to go against Asiana's own SOPs as the missed approach altitude was dialed into the window before FLCH was selected. This caused the airplane to climb when the intent was to expedite the descent, making a marginal situation worse. In my opinion, the go-around should have been called there. The crew was obviously deficient in their understanding of the automation. However, even if they had the Boeing flight manual memorized (and it's my understanding that this is almost a requirement at many Asian carriers), it wouldn't have helped them out once they selected FLCH.

Video doesn't get into the fact that most Boeing pilots thought they were speed protected in FLCH mode. I've spoken to instructors who thought the thrust levers should come up in this situation and Boeing's own manuals would lead one to believe that should be the case. Absolutely DOES NOT absolve these airmen from their responsibility to maintain basic flying skills, but I'll be surprised if Boeing comes out unscathed. I still prefer Boeing's autoflight systems over anything else BTW.

The B is the least compromised? Thought the A was the lightest/most optimized design.

Good luck when you fuck it up by the numbers at training and your IPs find out you've had your nose in books other than what you've been told to study. If you can handle training, your masters, and your ten sided die all at the same time, good on you. I wouldn't recommend it to your friends.

STFU Nav.

Not a factor AT ALL at the airlines. I've met Captains with only a high school diploma......rare, but they're out there.