HiFlyer

Heck, I felt the same way the first time I got in. Of course, she seems to know as much/more than I did...

Okay, lets be brutal... 1) You say "I'm in a steady relationship right now and want to aim for marriage in the not too distant future". What about your partner? How committed is he? He better be ready because most training bases are not in great areas for short term employment, nor are a lot of other AF bases. This issue could tip the balance. Culturally, stay-at-home wives aren't unusual. How will he adapt to being a stay-at-home hubby?? 2) If you get married now and continue to live separately there are some financial issues to be considered...some positve ("with dependent" allowences), some negative (two housholds to support when apart but only one housing allowance). 3) Getting married now makes him eligible for an ID card, giving him access to local facilities and dependent support (like medical). Could be of value. Bottom line: there is no right or wrong, just differences.

Yes, its still a big issue (in that it is still a real hazard) and any serious bends case can be critical-to-fatal. However, they watch it pretty closely, and the ultimate solution...increasing the cabin pressure (decreasing the ambient cockpit "altitude")...is finally being addressed by an airframe modification which will allow a higher cockpit pressure to reduce/eliminate the major cause of "bends" during flight. I'm told the AF has already funded the mods for the first batch of aircraft and the rest should get the mod over the next few years. Once they get the cabin pressure into the teens vs.30s the problem should be largely eliminated. As to why the sudden increase in problems over the last decade, I think it had to do with increasing degrees of fatigue and stress. Based on what I've been told about the way the crews have been scheduled (more deployments per year, less time between sorties, more long sorties, etc.) I think the scheduling policies we used for decades were relaxed too much and as you spent more time deployed and flying, fatigue began building up. Combining lots of time away from home (added stress) and lots of long sorties at high altitude with limited rest and recovery (fatigue) is a classic set-up for the bends. My personal solution (after many minor probable bends cases and finally a serious bends event in the 80s) was to pump up my suit a little when I flew...the pressure suit has a control valve that will allow you to put and hold pressure in the suit...so that my body stayed several thousand feet below the cabin altitude (probably in the low-mid 20s). After I started doing that, I had no further problems. The suit was a little stiffer, but most of the time that didn't present a major problem and if I needed the extra flexibility I could dump pressure for a while to do things in the cockpit, then add the pressure again when I was just cruising. However, the aircraft mod is the ultimate answer.

I have flown in their B-17 and it was amazing. It's also much smaller inside than a lot of people expect. My bedroom closet is bigger than the entire bomb bay! Sitting in the bombarier's seat cruising along at 130 knots and 2500 feet is cool. Bring a camera!!

Not true (but probably nearly true). Most Guard units get a UPT slot or two allocated from the HQ every year or so, and its paid for in advance by the National Guard Bureau to the active duty (AETC ) account. They don't get the money back, nor an opportunity to send another guy for that slot if the selectee washes out (funding is for that fiscal year only). They are pretty selective about who they send...they want the best possible chance of actually getting a finished product out of the pipeline. Therefore, when they look at applicants, some flying experienced to show you can at least get up and down without puking your brains out or bending the struts can be a major factor. The real answer is that it depends on the unit. Formal requirement, no...but in most cases its a definate plus!

"...if I only choose a pilot slot and don't make selection, am I still locked into any commitment with the AF in another job?" No. If you are not selected, you are just another civilian. "Are the slots locked in before you go to OTS?" If you are selected, you will have an assigned career field. That won't change unless you are somwehow DQ'd (fail some part of the pilot physical, etc.). If so, you will probably be offered another choice, but not always (you could simply be released). As far as testing, SNAP stated that I could take the TBAS and AFOQT anytime. Would I just go to an AF recruiting office or MEPS to do this? Recruiting office, not MEPS for scheduling the tests. If there is an AFROTC unit near you they might allow you to take the tests with their people...but it's space dependent, and some don't have the TBAS. Call the AFROTC det. How long are the scores valid for? Forever. Does being married have any negative standing with the board? No. They don't care and its not a scorable situation.

There are some half truths here. Starting from the simplest... - The O7 thing is not totally true. First, the O-7 has to know you well from personal involvement and write a strong LOR showing that personal knowledge. Second, the rest of the application has to match the O-7's description. The way they score the package is in several independent sections that are summed to make the final package score. The best LOR in the world won't offset bad scores in the other areas, so if the O-7 says you're incredible, your resume, leadership examples, past accomplishments, etc. need to support the General's statements (and visa versa). The best way to max your LOR score is not a single letter, but four or five strong, well written ones from people who have had supervisory/executive positions (some military, but not necessarily all) and can describe in many ways how you excelled in your efforts. Obviously, if you have such a strong, well written letter, and it is from a General/Flag officer, it can really help the LOR grade. - Congressmen/high civilian political figures: don't bother unless you know them well and have actually worked with/for them (or they are a close family friend and can relate to your growing up). Standard "He's a good guy." form letters from the typical political leader are worthless without the personal insight and examples. The board considers them as fluff and a waste of paper. - The AF Fm 56 application now allows you to select up to all four of the rated fields, in preferential order. You can select less than four if you wish, however there's a risk. If you're number 25 on a list of 400 applicants, but put only pilot, and there are only 20 pilot slots (all of whom are above you), you may not get selected for a slot at OTS because your name won't show in the list of volunteers for other fields Keep in mind the board doesn't actually select people for OTS, it only scores the packages and ranks them from 1 to n. That list is then handed to the AFRS personnel people who take the list, and parcel out career field assignments until they are out of slots. How they chose to deal with that issue is purely policy, and they can make the policy any way they choose. The question for you is "How badly do you want an OTS slot?" Are you willing to risk losing a chance at becoming an AF officer because you bet the whole show in being a pilot or nothing else. Only you can make that decision, and it depends on how you feel about the issue of AF Officer or only AF pilot. I've seen it go both ways and there is no clear and "correct" answer. The job of the board is first and foremost to provide for accession of new AF officers, not to select pilots, or CSOs, or whatever. - "...exceed the requirements." Also keep in mind that technically, everyone who applies and gets to the board meets or exceeds the requirements, or the AF would not accept the application. Its not a question of the requirements...its how well you stack up across the board compared to all the other applicants who meet the requirements. I suspect that on any given board there are two or three times as many people who meet the pilot requirements as there are slots to give them, sometimes more than that. So, the question is not whether you meet or exceed requirements, its how well does the composite score of your entire package (which consists mostly of non-flying things) compare to everyone else, and how many slots are available (again, you can be #10 out of 500 pilot applicants), but if there are only 9 pilot slots, you're out of luck). - Finally, having a PPL will help, but more hours won't mean much beyond that unless they provide additional ratings and aviation experience(Instrument, commercial, etc) and even that won't provide that much additional help. Again, each scoring catagory can only provide so many points, so once you reach the top of the catagory, you can't get many extra points towards your score. As a reference, on the last two rated boards, the pilot selects were about 50-50 between PPL and no PPL, so don't figure the PPL gives you a guaranteed selection. Don't let this dissuade you from trying, though. Go for it the best you can. Chances of making it are zero if you don't try. Edited to correct poor grammer!

I don't think anything you've said is a significant problem. The misdemeanor might require a "morals waiver" but that is mostly a paperwork review to ensure it isn't a "pattern of conduct" thing. Vison is okay, although there are other vision details that require passage, too (color, depth perception, ect). I would recommend that you go over the www.AirForceOTS.com web site and sign up there. The site is focused on OTS applicants and all that goes with it. Sign up in the "Introductions" topic and that will allow you to post in the rest of the site. Read older posts in the "Applying for OTS" topic (and others) for a while...almost every question you have has probably been answered numerous times.

Well, the boss says we're going to "recompete", so It will be a delay, not a total cancellation. I suspect the USAF will always have a few for training purposes (and maybe a little SOF work), like the 60s/70s when we had one squadron of F-5s (plus the aggressors)..

First, the Block 30 hasn't been "offically cnx'd"." The AF & DoD budget submission has PROPOSED that it be cut. There are 535 Fat Ladies on the hill yet to sing on that one and we're all standing by to see what actually happens when the Congress gets around to passing the FY13 Defense Appropriations Bill next fall. That said, more experience is always nice to have, but I think if you meet the program minimums with just your C-21 time you should be okay to apply. However, I'd call the 1st RS recruiting officer (DSN 368-4447) and talk to him about it. He may be able to give you the latest guidance. Keep in mind, though, the if it'll be three years, things could change.

Yeah...but its GOOD shit!

Well, "we" weren't really getting the Tucanos...they were being bought mostly to provide a training/light strike capability to a "friendly" nation (most of the first group to Iraq, I think). Therefore, getting or not getting them provides little or no difference in our national capability. However, you'd think buying 20 relatively simple, off-the-shelf, non-developmental aircraft wouldn't somehow overtax the acquisition capability of the USAF. Gosh, wrong again.

I can't believe it. The AF fvcked up another acquisition. The SECAF has cancelled the Super Tucano contract, invalidated the competition, and started an investigation into improper activities surrounding the Light Attack Aircraft program. “While we pursue perfection, we sometimes fall short, and when we do we will take corrective action,” says Air Force Secretary Michael Donley in a statement. Citing the ongoing litigation, he adds, “I can only say Air Force Senior Acquisition Executive David Van Buren is not satisfied with the quality of the documentation supporting the award decision.”

Need to have Smoky or a Doss person confirm this. While it is certainly OK to abide by FAA standards, you are assigned to a military unit (1st FTS, I believe) and Af uniform/dress standards must be adhered to, so the glasses must meet AF standards.

Even "Hooper" was a "real" person of a sort, patterned after one of the young guys going through when Ernie was writing the book. Then there's the story of the title...another little known frag that wound up with a very different meaning. But that's another story... If you haven't already, try "Skunk Works", by Ben Rich. Not just about the U-2, but lots of Skunk Works efforts while Ben was there from a new guy to the head of the place.

The "steam" is just condensation flowing from the air conditioning ducts as the cold air hits the ambient cockpit air on takeoff (full throttle). Cold dry air hitting hot, moist cockpit air...fog...you know. As for the chart...that's a handy spot. Actually, on a long high flight with the sun beating in, a good chart is a lifesaver...you just build a tent over you to block the sun. After all, who you gonna run into at 70K??

Everyone has their own opinions about this subject, so read them and take them for what they are worth. One aspect not discussed too often is where it might help or not. 1) OTS selection: Will a PPL help? Probably a little, but not to the exclusion of the rest of your package. If it didn't matter they wouldn't put a block on the Fm 56 application for you to list it. Will it guarantee you a slot? Absolutely not, but every little bit of help on your application adds a little support...maybe an extra half point or point for a PPL? In a tough scoring environment I'd like the extra on my side. For reference, the 10-03 rated board pilot selectees were split 50-50 between selects with a PPL and those without. Clearly, a PPL was not madatory. But that same statistic did not compare those with no hours, those with some hours, and those with PPL, so its hard to guage the "in between". 2) After selection: When you get to IFS any previous flying experience will help you feel more comfortable. But, it won't guarantee success, only allow you to focus more effort on the procedures and less on pitch/power/airspeed basics. C-172, B-747, glider...whatever. Experience always helps. 3) UPT: Most people I talk to say a PPL or fair amount of flying time helps for the first couple of T-6 rides. Again, it's the comfort and confidence factor. After a couple of rides, however, everyone has caught up and is at about the same level. So, its not cheap...how much are you willing to spend for a little assistance in the beginning? If you're a strong student and a hard worker, probably not a critical factor. If you're barely able to hack it from day one, it could be the difference. If OTS selection is the concern, the PPL is where the official measuring point is drawn on the form. If IFS is the issue, five or ten hours may be enough to make the difference, and you can do that after you know you're selected so you don't waste money. No book answer...only you can make that call.

As I see it, the real power in nK has this kid out in front as a figurehead they can manipulate all they want while they provide for their own agenda. Why in the world would they want to get rid of him?? I doubt if he can go to the bathroom without his "handlers" scheduling it for him. If there were any "removals" being contemplated, I'd look for them amongst the people surrounding him...sort of a post-Lenin.(Trotsky) or post-Stalin (Beria) scenario. I'd give it 6-12 months for the players to start arranging deals, then watch for sudden retirements for health reasons, people disappearing suddenly with no explanation, or a rise in the heart attack rate. [edited for terrible grammer!]

Probably some of both, but clearly some level of over-reaction to the "destroy America" comment. This is always the problem in these situations. Where do you draw the line, and once drawn, how do you determine on which side a middle-of-the-road situation is placed? One thing for certain though...security people have little sense of humor!

Actually, that's not quite true. What the Indians announced was that the Rafale was the low bidder, but they haven't actually bought any. They will now enter into negotiantions and will probably buy them down the road, but its always possible that the negotiations break down over other issues and allow the Typhoon back into the fray. Those nasty political implications always screw up a clean deal.

Also an additional water survival course in the pressue suit, unless they've somehow eliminated that course. Its more fun than some other courses...

The difference is there's an alternative that outperforms it in most areas and is cheaper. Sort of makes you wonder, doesn't it!

Damn...what happened to Dino??? I'll have to work on that. EDIT: Can't find the darn thing. Here's some 1969 history instead.

Dropping? As in via UPT or the normal assignment process? Nope. It is, and always has been, a special duty assignment. You can talk to them about the application/interview process by calling the 1st RS at Beale. They have never stopped recruiting, and are still looking for good people.

You'll note it says the Block 30. No mention of the Block 40 being cut.