Thor

Sounds like... hard work

Snap question: Since IFF and B courses are so backed up, what do the new 11Fs do until their class starts?

Are T-1s seeing the same backup issues at CBM?

Is there essentially no way to fly bombers then? I was under the same impression as Ulysses - if you're non-rec'd in 38s you get a bomber. I know bombers are supposed to drop from tones now, but the DLF buff (I know the guy) is a mil-mil to a buff CSO. What do guys do who want bombers?

Ah, gotcha -- thank you!

Were the 3 F-16s to Kelly all Texas ANG guys or is Kelly being used to train active guys, too?

What's Columbus currently looking like per class?

That's fair haha, I start UPT this summer and was just trying to see what kind of opportunities are currently available. Thanks!

There had been some replies with updated lists of exchange locations and opportunities posted several years ago on this thread and I was just wondering if any had been more recently updated

Another revival... I'm still a cadet so I don't have .mil access. Is there an updated list of exchange possibilities? Thanks!

Also B-2? Those are rare (it seems) drops anyways, but might as well ask.

Was the B-52 a special case? Asking because earlier someone mentioned T-38s going solely to fighters unless specifically rec'd not to. Good drop! Also 2 U-28s, a CV-22, and MC-130 from tones... is AFSOC needing pilots for these? I'm not sure whether or not it's unusual to have 4 spec ops drops. Thanks!

Can we wait until McCain is gone to put more assets in Arizona? On a serious note, I appreciate the insight! T

I notice that some of these answers are from 2014 or so, but with that in mind: there was one comment about a guy not being concerned about Russia invading Germany... Obviously, Putin is not going to invade Germany. The same comment goes on to imply that Germany doesn't have any enemies or threats. Given that this has, as we've recently seen, changed, I'd love to see whether they're mindset has changed. On a related note, one guy mentioned something about collective security for the European countries in NATO being a reason that cost is more spread out (and, thus, they don't pay the required, what is it, 2% of GDP?). Maybe I just have a different mindset, and that's completely plausible, but in my opinion, if I'd witnessed Putin's actions in Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and Georgia (few years back), combined with the recent terror attacks, I'd be very inclined to increase monetary support for the good of collective security.

As a rather ill-informed and graduating cadet, what's the feasibility of Trump's idea to essentially call-out and somehow penalize NATO members who don't pull their weight? As already mentioned, there are some countries (essentially all of the Baltics, Poland, etc) who do pull their weight and really, really benefit from NATO. I had a great opportunity to study in Latvia and Lithuania, and really the one thing that helps those citizens more of less overcome the fear of Russian aggression is NATO. I'm not really sure about the implications of becoming an associate member, so would any of you mind shedding more light on the pros/cons of that option? I'll read these articles in the meantime. Thanks!

Any update from the drops tonight?

I read in another thread (from like 6-8 years ago) that U-28s were dropping at a relatively equal rate from 38s and 1s... is this still true today? Or is the best route to U-28s the T-1? Thanks!

I'll offer more advice as a 4th year ROTC student with a pilot slot. ROTC is an excellent opportunity for college and becoming a pilot. Let's start with college. 1) It's possible to receive an in college scholarship as a 2nd year cadet (which you'd be, should you join a detachment), though, depending on the year, the pickings can be slim. A couple years ago they only offered scholarships for certain majors; more recently scholarships have been offered for any major. The results, however, have been the same -- the students who really, really wanted it worked their butts off, worked with their cadre, nailed the PFA, and were ultimately awarded with a scholarship. 2) Commissioning: Should you successfully complete AFROTC you'll enter the Air Force as a 2LT (not including med school/JAG/etc since it's not pertinent). The career you'll have, however, is not guaranteed. You'll need to have high marks in several areas to receive a pilot slot (commander's ranking, gpa, pfa, field training ranking, TBAS, etc). Some of these are in your control: gpa, pfa, field training ranking*, while the others are not. Work super hard at what you can control and, in my experience, the others will follow. Personally, my TBAS wasn't great, but the rest of the pieces were pretty high and helped my score. It also depends on the year. For instance, this year they handed out quite a few pilot slots nationally and I think everyone at my det, save a couple, who wanted a pilot slot got one. *you can kind of control this -- be the best wingman/cadet you can be and your ranking ought to be fine, but you don't literally decide your ranking. The bottom line is, as everyone here has said/will say, you've gotta work hard for it. Luckily, you'll have over a year to prepare/train/keep your gpa rising for the selection board (which meets... January of your third year, if I remember correctly). Feel free to PM me for any specific questions if you have any, good luck!

Anyone have any info on the B-2, F-22, A-10?

Any updates on selects/assignments?

Thanks Schokie and Razor666 -- that's exactly what I was wondering. I'm interested to see how the rest of the 17-xx T-1 drops turn out.

In relation to the few bomber drops for t-1s/t-1 FAIPs, does anyone know any information on whether or not this'll be the norm for the next few classes? I know the drops really fluctuate, but it's just interesting to see. Thanks!

As a follow-up question: how feasible is it to go to AFIT as a pilot? I'm very interested in one of their masters programs, but it seems to me that getting an in-residence masters as a pilot would be difficult. Thank you!

Those are all great points, but what really got me was that these specifications were made during the cold war era... having not been to the middle east, is it a medium threat environment to CAS aircraft? If not, could that allow us more room for flexibility in choosing how to implement CAS missions? Of course, I completely agree that the A-10 is the best weapon with which to conduct CAS, but, playing devil's advocate, could we not consider Welsh's plan seriously? Genuine question. Thanks for the information!

There were some CSPAN videos a couple years ago showing Gen Welsh telling Sen McCain exactly that -- 15Es and 16s were doing CAS missions (even the B-1, although infrequently). It seems as if the CAS role can be completed without the A-10, though Welsh himself admitted that we (read "The AF") don't want to retire the A-10 because we see it's usefulness. Thanks to across-the-board cuts, though, he didn't have much choice.