VMFA187

What’s your background? I’m looking at doing the same but managed to knock out SOS last winter via distance learning. Its PME, so it’s not ideal, but it’s vastly superior to EWS which I chose not to complete. It only took two months.

No, he alluded to other threat nations putting out A/A missiles that are more advanced than what we currently have. We won't get into the validity of the statement. But if higher believes that is one of the "biggest" issues facing Marine aviation, our leadership is severely misguided.

So were we.

At least he didn’t stand in front of 30+ TacAir IPs who grew up on six or seven sorties a month and proceed to state that the AIM-120 was one of the biggest problems facing USMC aviation like our head of aviation did.

Aye aye, Sir.

The AF is short 1,920 pilots, which equates to a loss of $10 billion. So by my simple math, that roughly equates to $5 million per aviator. Doesn't a bonus of $100,000 a year make more sense and still allows the AF to get off at a rate of $1 million vs $5 million if qualified dudes were to accept a 10 year contract after their initial contract is up?

Does the community adhere to the speed reference of twice the board number for go around? I.E., if you are greater than 100 kts at the 5 board, go around? It's pretty standard in the USN/USMC Hornet community and has probably saved more than a few dudes. We've got several mishaps on the books where guys disregarded it for one reason or another. Sorry - Canopy pooling?

What airframe?

Dudes, I'm ing dying over here laughing at work. How the **** did that happen? Bonus points Buddy Spike.

"Large portions of the aircraft, including a wing and the fuselage, were found intact after the crash, allowing investigators to identify it as an F-16, police said at the time of the incident." Incredible investigative skills at play here.

Are AGR positions entitled to the bonus? If my family didn't have to move every three years, I could fly as much as some squadrons in the Guard/Reserves do (which is a lot compared to the USMC), not be deployed/TAD on a one-to-one ratio, and I could accept a $48k/year bonus, that would probably keep me from putting in my apps.

How can you hold someone accountable in a position which they are forced into, which is as unforgiving as combat aviation? Sounds like an ORM nightmare. I can see the monthly Human Factor Councils (or whatever the AF calls them) already... If all you're required to do is to brief, get dressed, man up, fly and debrief, then this would be amazing. I just can't see how you're going to force someone to do the other tasks we all despise if you're not dangling the flight carrot out there since they've already passed on it...

I'd imagine the B-Course backup will affect TX slot availability?

Does the AF typically offer exchange slots to junior guys? We generally only give them to Weapon School grads...

Hornets? This is a joke, right? Are they going to cross commission into the Navy/USMC too?

That sounded eerily similar to a movement to fire drill we'd conduct in The Basic School with a platoon+ worth of Marines firing M-16s. I'd be interested to know what weapons he possessed that allowed him to maintain that sustained rate of fire. I actually checked out of a hotel yesterday morning that was a quarter mile away from that location prior to doing my ATP/737 Type Rating check ride Sunday evening.

Yep.

VFA-31 just released one of the best cruise videos I’ve seen.

At least they’re still airworthy. Most legacy Hornets are not. In hindsight, a mix of Eagles for standard Flankers and H/VF profiles and Super Hornets simulating reduced RCS Flankers would be ideal, even if incredibly unlikely.

Concur, Fulcrums are no longer the baseline threat which have more similarities to Hornets and Vipers. Flankers are more accurately simulated by Eagles for a multitude of reasons.

If you're launching into an AO with A/A and A/G ordnance, manning lanes, while also simultaneously being expected to listen to another agency and to dynamically target an incredibly wide array of ground targets, whenever the need arises, which is probably often, then I'd imagine operations could turn into a cluster relatively quickly. I think it likely has something to do with the incredibly large geographic area and whether it is worth having dedicated A/A players, who are solely around for the potential escalation regarding an A/A threat. That's a lot of hours on our assets. We're already complaining about the hours we're putting on our F/A-18s, F-15Es, and F-16s. It'd be nice if it was black or white, but right now it's not.

That was likely it then. Glad there wasn't another to add to the list.

Was told a Draken A-4 punched today in the pattern in Nellis? Pilot ok.

In Naval Aviation, we always say these things tend to happen in "threes." https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/2-a-10c-thunderbolts-crash-at-nevada-test-and-training-range/806180265 Mid-air? Both pilots are ok from what I've heard.

Unfortunately I no longer have the keys. It seems that it is exceedingly difficult to keep a two-seat sports car in the garage once you're married and your wife is still in school. At least I was able to replace it with the latter, RC8R Now, you've seen mine. Let me see yours.