AFsock

Delayed reply due to AFNET not allowing logins - but solid replies, and much appreciated 🍻

Try Reddit dude. I'll try and ask but not too many young Es from Cannon here

I'm with Linda. Our Ops squadron is an FTU and burning precious hours (GT and flight) covering the basics. It's systemic, and from what I read around here only going to get worse...

Late response but my .02 from an MC-130 baby/MC-130J pilot: TL/DR: Flying the MC-130J involves a varied mission set that many folks find awesome. It comes at a cost with regard to the drawbacks of the potential bases and their respective commitments. AFSOC is a demanding command and you will work hard/get good enough to progress or find yourself doing something else. It will be both an amazing time for families/an awful time and those can be in the same day. Change is constant, both socially and in the airframe and units. I've enjoyed it, many haven't. 1. Ops Tempo/Deployment Dwell average: 50% not just true deployments but with TDYs for training, JCETS/JCS ex, MLATS, aircraft moves/mods, WIC support etc your head will be on a homestation pillow half the time (overseas replace deployments with 2-3 week TDYs). This doesn't really let up because advancement means more schools, mission commands, and ground deployments. Deployments can change based on time of year/involvement of the overseas units but expect 3-4 months gone for flying (including transit time) and 6 month ground. QOL deployed is solid with good connectivity and flying ranges from SOF trash hauling to more specialized mission sets. True super secret squirrel things can happen, but don't sign your life away in the hopes you will be the one crew that did the one cool thing if that's all you want to do. 2. Lifestyle/ Family Stability There's a social group for every stage of life but not cliquey. Young single guys can live it up and family dudes can throttle back or jump in to the fray. The crew is 5 and generally you end up with them and a few stragglers as you travel. If you want to be a dirty tac airlifted you can, if you want to observe and not drink, that's cool to. If you stay home and read the Bible, you'll still be welcome in the crew bus the next day. Es and Os have great working, flying, and unit relationships. Opportunities for leave vary greatly depending on time of year but there are times when you will miss time off. We are trying hard not to lose use/lose leave, but dudes do as well. Single guys do get looked at the most for opportune trips/pop up taskings as well as being the ones who hold the fort during holidays. Leadership as a whole attempts to accommodate life and responds to your desires when able. Needs of the AF and AFSOC will sometimes outweigh this but talent management and assignments are pretty well tailored to the individual. Not many toxic leaders, but they exist and some flourish. You will miss holidays, birthdays, sporting events. Planning more than two weeks out is hard. Change is constant. If you pull your weight you'll work 50 hour weeks. This includes a 12 or two of flying once or twice a week and holding down undermanned office jobs. I'd love to say the spouses are tight and rank doesn't impact their relationships but that doesn't seem to be the case as a group. However, on the individual level the wives seem to feel comfortable making friendships without regard, even if cliques do exist. MC folks (male and female) have high divorce rates. Not sure how it compares to the AF as a whole or what factors influence it, but marriages take plenty of hits. Every base I've seen geographically separated spouses/kids. Employing spouses at every base is tough, especially specialists/professional jobs. Medical support for families varies, EFMP folks should look at other airframes. 3. Community morale Ebbs and flows. Units are generally tight, with the overseas units usually leading the charge with strong organizational identity and camaraderie. The 17th is the smallest but may get a bit more strained as they grow. MCJ enterprise has an identity issue. Especially as the ACJ comes online saying that you're a "J guy" won't mean much. Symbols, unit identifications, and even the aircraft's name keep changing. None of this helps. Still guys take a lot of pride in what they do and we stay on the positive side of morale to excellent (especially when away from the office). 4. Advancements & Future of the airframe The MC-130J is here to stay. Mods keep happening faster than we can train crews. The airframe is new and even our oldest tails will outlive our careers. Tons of cool stuff coming online. No issues with career advancement within the MC-130. Schools on time, good ratio of leadership opportunities to organization size, staff jobs go to the right folks. Just be advised in high performing organizations like AFSOC the talent pool is larger with bigger fish than you may be used to and it does take a lot of work to be a shiny penny. If your goal is to fly another airframe good luck. Generally, don't expect to ever leave. Only the shiniest of pennies go to another aircraft for good reason or you have no future flying the MC-130 and are politely shown the door. 5. Preferred PCS locations (note: my best guess) 1. Mildenhall - 67 SOS 2. Kadena - 17 SOS 3. Hurlburt - Staff/Test/WIC (potential TF schoolhouse+ops unit) 4. Albuquerque - 415 - Schoolhouse Instructor 5. Cannon - 9 SOS (Potential Top Off Schoolhouse at - 551)

😂 I probably wouldn't roll through there at night ... But OSI generally just reminds folks not to stay in the drug runner hotels on 60/84 and not leave stuff open in the nicer neighborhoods. We've had one dude lose a storage shed of household goods while deployed (they caught them) and another lose an EFB out of his car in an open garage (he got away) but that's the only drama with locals I know. Another plus I haven't heard of any stabbings at Kelly's in a while either so things are going pretty well in that regard as well.

My statement stands - Cannon is not a reason to avoid the MCJ as a primary MDS. Exception I should have posted: EFMP or a spouse who has concerns about professional employment. If those are the case, Kadena and Mildenhall probably won't work out either, so avoid the MCJ. IMHO there are more horror stories about Cannon than people who have ever been stationed here. My experience has been a great assignment and the 9th has been an excellent unit with incredible opportunities on a good trajectory. My family has not suffered as a result of our assignment, we've had/raised kids here, and CINCHOUSE was working in her field in multiple schools. It's not perfect but annoyances like the environment (wind, heat/cold, and hail) and the miles you will put on your vehicle haven't been deal breakers. I wouldn't put it at the top of my dream sheet, but had I ended up here out of UPT I think it would have worked out alright. @FlyingWolf what family stuff was missing for your time down here? Edit/Add- Geographically dislocated spouses/families may be more common down here but it was also a reality at previous duty stations. Divorce rates and lack of employment opportunities plague the other two MCJ Ops bases as well... So maybe what has been normal to me was a shock to those who stood things up around here?

MC dude. Yes, do it. Cannon shouldn't stop anyone from entering the community either. You only spend about half the year home in any MC unit, or if you're a family guy, you do the exact same family stuff you would do at any other base (the beach is nice to, plenty of sand... just a long walk to the water). The 9th is also the unit you want to be in as far as MCJs go and is a great place to start. Always open to PMs.

We have dudes who have found the AFSOC/MC-130 from every vector possible. I don't think it matters where you go and could care less how someone got here... and if this goal sticks don't worry about how you get the chance (whether direct ascension or AMC crossflow etc) just be vocal about your interest and accept information on the other options in the AF. With that being said, you may change your mind once you spend time in UPT. For instance airsickness is a serious issue with a lot of our recent ascensions. Flying low and bouncing around seems really sweet until you're puking your guts out all 6.0... so pay attention to warning signs like that during training. Also open to PMs.

Maybe at that nose up attitude? I keep monsters and other things leaned up against the instrument panel on those pusher bars and they stay nice and stable through regular flight. Not scientific or AIB/SIB, but some guys here tried it out in the sim (using FLIP and pubs cases, which are softer) and despite knowing what was going to happen weren't successful in beating the stick pusher, clearing the obstruction, and recovering the aircraft. A quick pull back on the yoke to check/clear the controls may have worked but I have a feeling it was unrecoverable after the early liftoff.

My $.02: Since the control column rests on the stops and the NVG case didn't move it that far from back (from a 0 GS perspective) I doubt a control check would have helped. The crew would have pulled the yoke back from what felt like normal, pulled it back to the stop, moved it left/right and then placed it back on what they thought was the stop. But the check will probably be added to the checklist and summarily called "previously checked" or halfassed a generation or so from now when everyone forgets this AIB/SIB. As disgruntled pointed out the real problem was the crew intentionally blocking the controls. I'll agree with Herk Driver as well, there is no real need to hold the elevator out of the way. The lowest point of an elevator on its stops is still well below the beavertail/door of a herc.

No, Clovis does not. You're comparing an active, massive college city to a small farming town. Some examples: Clovis don't even do New Mexican food right (it's all TexMex), there is a single brewery, and except for shooting guns no outdoor activities. With that being said, it really ain't bad down south, but ABQ is far superior.

Those would be my top 3 as well:

2 I also wouldn't recommend trying to finagle your way to an MP qual if you didn't already have one. Even if you don't piss anyone off trying, your ops unit will ignore it once you get there. If you don't suck, MP upgrade could happen quick and the syllabus is in house training anyways. Have fun though! ABQ is awesome.

We just talked about it yesterday. They only expect ~$150/month. This dude keeps his baby mama in the lap of luxery on $250/month.

So you're the guy that got gmail blocked on NIPR.

Don't do it. It's a nice jet, but it's still white. Fly a tac platform.

XBOX Music works well.

Well maybe it's not just the AF. Forget brightly colored gym shoes, let's start the war on sandwiches: ‘Chaps’, said: “Quite a few officers in the divisional mess seem to be under the impression that they can eat their food with their hands. The practice of serving rolls and sandwiches must stop” https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/10677230/Army-commander-bans-sandwiches-in-attack-on-barbaric-habits.html

Naw AF wide email on Core Values and our need to recommit to them and being a wingman means being an informant: To All Airmen, Following is a very important message from General Welsh, CMSAF Cody and me regarding Core Values in our Air Force. I ask each of you to read it, internalize the message and rededicate yourself to our Air Force and our Core Values. Respectfully, Deborah Lee James ------- To the Airmen of the United States Air Force: Being an Airman is more than a job. When we voluntarily raised our right hands and took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, we became members of the profession of arms. Underpinning that profession is the sacred trust given to us by the American people. To meet their expectations, we must build our lives and shape our service on the foundation of our core values: Integrity First, Service Before Self and Excellence In All We Do. Throughout our history as a service, Airmen with tremendous moral courage have taught us there is no replacement for virtue, character, dignity and respect. Today’s Airmen—active, Guard, Reserve and civilian—must continue this tradition. When Airmen fail to live up to our core values, the reputation of all who serve is tarnished. We must have the strength of character to do and say the right things at the right times, always with diplomacy, tact and respect. Being a wingman does not mean protecting those who lack integrity or fail to uphold the core values; it means not tolerating them. You are accountable not only for your actions, but also for failing to take action if you see bad behavior. Today we challenge each and every Airman to reaffirm their commitment to our core values by finding new ways to live these values each and every day. This reaffirmation will strengthen the trust between Airmen, and our commitment to one another. It also reassures the American public we are worthy of their trust. Thank you for representing the Air Force so well and exhibiting pride and courage in our service. If you have questions about our core values, please seek out guidance and assistance from people who can help: commanders, first sergeants, chaplains and inspectors general are available to provide counsel and advice. Because of who we are, and what we do, Integrity, Service and Excellence carry special meaning for all of us. Always remember that it is an honor to be called “Airman.” We must earn that honor, every day. Deborah Lee James Secretary of the Air Force Mark A. Welsh III General, USAF Chief of Staff James A. Cody Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force

Gen Welsh CAO 4 March: https://blogs.militarytimes.com/flightlines/2014/03/04/air-force-chief-of-staff-takes-part-in-mustache-march/

Are their water cups ridiculously small as well?

That is an amazing idea, well done.

A condensed and bastardized version of every AF reg. Covers standards on rooms, uniforms, etc.

Definitely got a chance to surprise my folks on a flight stateside with ya'lls help. Thanks for the help and info!

OG/CC out here said do not bother with correspondance. It will not have any impact on who he choses for residence. Now that doesn't speak for the rest of the command and can change as fast as the CC... but there ya go. Depends on your boss.