fire4effect

Sounds like a title for a book you should write. Oh and lets throw in an age waiver to 70 to get 5 years from retiring airline pilots

Very recently I understand that the VA is trying to limit the number of GI Bill students at any one school. i.e. School A you can have a maximum of 35 percent of your students VA funded. I don't remember the exact percentage but it was something like that. Post 9/11 GI Bill is much easier to use for flight training than the older programs too. Interesting to see if Trump and congress will ultimately have some other plan in place over and above the GI Bill.

I like my XD-M in 9mm 3.8" barrel. Easier to conceal for me and 5.25" in .45 might have someone accuse me of trying to compensate for something. Seriously my last pistol was a .45 and the mag catch gave up the ghost after many years of use and I searched high and low including Brownell's and no joy for a replacement. So after some debate I went with a 9mm for ammo availability and performance in modern 9mm rounds seems to be pretty good especially +P rounds. My impression is people (military types)are now carrying, very discreetly mind you, even in places traditionally off limits. That said, lets face it the transition on and off base is a hazard too because the bad guys know that most people coming and going aren't carrying. As I recall back in the 93 a Pakistani killed 2 waiting in their vehicles to enter CIA headquarters. Large arenas that have metal detectors are another example of how you might prevent an attack on the inside but how about people making a long walk to and from their vehicles with money and other valuables at night and the bad guys know they aren't going to be armed either.

Last winter an acquaintance in a southern state whose now ex Bat Sh!t crazy wife accused him of abuse had the local sheriff show up based on a mere accusation and they carted off every gun he had down to some antiques from the 1800s. Finally the "system" figured out how crazy she really was and I think it was 6 months later got them back. As I understand it even the deputy who came to pick them up had a suspicion it was bogus but had to do it as a matter of orders from above.

DLA. Defense Logistics Agency. For example they often think an O-ring is an O-ring is an O-ring (hey I can buy this 5 dollar O-ring for 3 dollars from another vendor type of mentality). Sometimes they need to informed that while they may look similar one may be designed for a hydraulic system versus a fuel system. Main Engine Controls have more than a few and any leakage can not surprisingly cause problems. DLA in their quest to save a buck also dearly wants to reverse engineer high dollar components in the same MECs to save money and can't seem to understand why no one else does. Most of the hardware manufactured for things like the MEC has one manufacturer (OEM) that can reliably make the components. Yes they charge a lot but they have the long term background with the system and frankly more skin in the game if something does goes wrong with more resources to figure out any issues. The first time you have a failure at the interface of an aftermarket component and an OEM system. OMG let the finger pointing begin on who's at fault. If it's 100 percent OEM then there's no question where the buck stops. Yes engine components are expensive but how expensive will it be if we dump an aircraft on a school.

Here's an idea. On your down time chase the hot E-4 and put the Snap-On tool calendar behind your desk. Pretty sure neither have to be reported to the FAA

I agree in principal but how it would play on a First Class Medical could be problematic. Damn FAA

Might also be telling those getting ready to retire don't bother because you'll just get recalled. Something similar was happening back in the day when the retention guys were telling troops who were bailing in not so small numbers "stay in and get the bennies or if you get out you'll just be settling into civilian life when you get recalled" somewhat of a bluff to them but it was certainly a possibility.

THIS.....DOD Civilians.....Some get it and some don't. Those with no prior military background are often, though admittedly not all, clueless to what is actually important. Like making sure the maintainers are keeping birds in the air versus spending time grinding out unrealistic risk assessments on PowerPoint and briefing them ad nauseum as gospel. This because they use numbers with no thought to how valid they are in the real world. As for most SESs, waste of damn money in my book. We could lose 75 percent of them and distribute the money to put more guys on the line or to keep the ones we have. More than a few with a pure civilian pedigree like to promote the same because it's what they know. The same civilians they've worked with for 20 years while you were out there with real skin in the game. One real kicker as I mentioned before is to hear "you need to wear a tie when briefing above Name Your Level to show your professionalism" Yep and that tie cover up YOU being 50 pounds overweight. Talk about unprofessional. These same overweight buffoons who now miss work due to bypass surgery and cost a fortune to the rest in higher medical premiums. My 0.2

And Joe Mixon signs a 5 million dollar contract. It's ALL about the Benjamins and how much you contribute to the team's bottom line. Nothing more, nothing less

And in other news Chuck Norris is busy today and he rescheduled the eclipse for next week

Too too many days like these. I didn't lose any under me directly but one of mine was wounded with shrapnel from a mortar in the back of his head...2005. He eventually recovered but it could have easily gone the other way. It was a miracle without a doubt. I still hear him in pain. The troops coming into Iba Sina Hospital in the Green Zone 2008...one bird after another and they would put them on four wheelers from the LZ to the ER door. Medical personnel fighting death the whole way. Even the gym wasn't safe. Rocket came through roof and killed a guy on the squat rack not including those wounded around him. Blessed I never got hit by IED or IDF. Like I said far too many more stories like these that I could go on and on. Yes Godspeed

Absolutely right. But you can find a much more recent example. Think Iraq. This...Persistent surveillance/strike. As much as can be mustered overhead. Maybe the tech isn't to where we like it yet but what is state of the art now will sure as hell will give them something to think about. Wouldn't be many public executions by the Taliban on the Kabul soccer field when the executioner will likely get a Hellfire on his head when it's all over. Swift justice from above. About as biblical as it gets. While we're at it paint "To Protect and Serve" on the side

Of course everyone In the cockpIt has a job as opposed to tryIng to get one so I suspect that limits the animosity

Only one data point but I know at least one SWA pilot with more I hear about second hand bail for other airlines due to better upward mobility. Stagnation in the seniority list at SWA has caused some to re-think career progression.

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THIS....can't tell you how many people I've had this discussion with. Good ideas in the military only have to APPEAR to be good ideas for 2-3 years max until OPRs/OERs are filed/PCS/Promotion/Retirement

As someone alluded to above. This was a shot across the bow to the airlines pure and simple. I think the higher ups have decided the "fence" has been effectively bulldozed over and they've given up on any pretext of keeping most in at this point. Also as I mentioned a while back even if you're out you aren't completely out if you haven't resigned your commission. Even if you attempt to resign I'd say it's a crapshoot they'd accept it as things get more dire.

Sounds like the Air Force, playing the part of the exwife, is going back to court for an increase in alimony

https://federalnewsradio.com/air-force/2017/04/airline-meeting-beginning-long-road-air-force-pilot-shortage/ From the article "Thornberry said he’s talked to the military about creating programs that could bring pilots who have left the service back in laterally for a short time to help with the shortage." (House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) The devil will be in the details

Not exactly the same but along the same line of thinking, I always carried a cheap $40 Roshan phone with scratch card minutes in Afghanistan. Seems the most reliable means of comms in third world areas is the cell network. Most certainly not secure but if my day has REALLY gone to sh!t then the bad guys already know where I am and I want the good guys to know too. 40 bucks plus minutes would seem mighty cheap at that point. When I watched "Lone Survivor" I couldn't help but think how something as simple as having a local cell phone might have been the difference between everyone coming home alive with no one knowing their names and being the subject of a feature film.

2X Trump gets a two for one. Shows we mean business to the trouble makers in the world and helps the oil industry recover. Oil prices are already rising in response. 350k? I'm thinking closer to 500k. Unfortunately a large ground force is a great recruiting tool for all the wannabe Jihadis.

You reminded me of a similar situation at one of the small exchanges in Baghdad back in the day. It seemed for the longest time you could find a few lower enlisted rank insignia, O-5 and O-6 rank insignia and I swear I'm not making this up but at least six 4 Star General Officer rank insignias. Those same six sat on the shelf for weeks. I think General Petraeus was the only 4 Star in theater at that time. To this day I regret not buying one as a souvenir as an unbeatable reminder of the sheer buffoonery

I keep swearing there has to be a parallel universe with a country called Natsinahgfa where men are outnumbered by the women (all 9s) 10-1.

As you so eloquently said. NFW. BUT we have very powerful entities namely senior military leadership (doing as directed I'm sure by our civilian leadership) and airline executives who have WAY more clout with Congress (who pays attention to the biggest taxpaying voting blocks and the reality is pilots who at best number say 600,000 nationwide don't qualify) than most on this board looking to fix a major problem effecting this country's military readiness and economic well being. And don't forget the little issue of the Railway Labor Act that takes a powerful tool (strike) essentially out of the hands of labor. As the article stated the current seniority system encourages military pilots to bail at the first opportunity to get that all important seniority number and move up the pay scale. I say never assume anything or let your guard down especially with the current administration.