FLEA

I was just qualified to build Weapon Danger Zone footprints this year and can confirm the spray patterns of strafe are pretty f'ing terrifying to anyone within a few miles. It's amazing we let people shoot.

Are these other FB pages written out (by group name) anywhere because I'm searching for a few that were just mentioned and can't find anything except MAF, Space and Acquisitions.

It was advertised on the MAF assignments and mentoring FB. I can't for the life of me understand why they don't have a CAF assignments and mentoring FB yet. But that's probably why most questions were 11M geared. I was really dissapointed at the evasiveness of some answers. But to General Shorts credit I respect he stepped out there to field questions from the masses.

This is the point I was trying to make in the bonus thread. After 13 YOS, you are in your mid 30s, prime of your working life, and your civilian counterparts are at the apex of their development. The AF though cannot offer a meaningful answer to how they will incentivize the 90% of folks who won't command and since the bonus is flat rate, you are pretty much leveling off as soon as you pin on Lt Col. I think the AF should honestly look at a stair stepping bonus that starts at maybe 25K for 2 years but cam then be renewed in 2 year increments for 10K more each time, netting you 55-65 you last 2 years depending when you were elligible. If they don't solve this though (and it's a combination of a development and a pay issue) then I don't see retention getting better because as I continue to find out how marketable I am outside the AF the appeal to stay in an organization that decides it's pretty much done with me is gone.

Unfortunately the USAF is struggling to keep a generation of people who were taught how to be goal motivated, take risk early and not be afraid to move for a better opportunity. When you can't offer me a meaningful answer to how you are going to continue to mentor/grow/advance me past 14 years of service if I'm not on the command track, and don't want to pay me well, I'm going to go looking other places. Especially in my mid 30's, an age that my civilian counterparts widely regard as the peak years for quick/vertical mobility. I should be in the space shuttle at this point aiming for low earth orbit and you want me to level off at FL350 and accept holding for the straight in to retirement. you bro. Sorry, a little extra jaded today.

Or god forbid anyone stumble in on pre-naming ceremony entertainment.

I believe it is. I saw a recent advertisement for a top off package for the RPA studs there. Just enough hours and time to finish their PPL and instrument for a reduced price. Not a bad deal for those guys. I also heard Creech would be getting one soon but I'm not sure where that is at.

Why don't just do what Curtis Lemay did and join all three! "On June 14, 1928, the summer before the start of his senior year, LeMay accepted a commission as a second lieutenant in the Field Artillery Reserve of the U.S. Army. In September 1928, LeMay was approached by the Ohio National Guard and asked to accept a state commission, also as a second lieutenant, which LeMay accepted. On September 29, 1928, LeMay enlisted in the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. For the next 13 months, he was on the enlisted rolls of the Regular Army as a cadet and he held commissions in the National Guard and Army Reserve. His status changed on October 2, 1929, when LeMay’s Guard and Reserve commissions were terminated. These commissions were revoked after an Army personnel officer, realizing that LeMay was holding officer and enlisted status simultaneously, called him to discuss the matter and LeMay verbally resigned these commissioned ranks over the telephone."

I think it comes back to though, is Mr. God Complex AFPT creator right when he argues that Vo2 Max is the best fitness indicator for prolonged physical health. I haven't seen a whole lot to back this other than studies that associate higher Vo2 with lower risk of pulmonary disorder or cardiac disease. Body composition though (purpose of the waste measurement) is huge. And the most recent science has painted the picture that the secret to body composition is actually weight training, not heavy cardio. I don't completely discount cardio, I'm saying the AF emphasis on it is misplaced. Who "looks" healthier, a marathoner or a sprinter?

The suggestion to put fitness under med group is comprehensive. The FAC, trainers and gym all go. You take your test like normal but your score is confidential and reported as part of your medical record during your PHA. Then a physician, accounting for ALL of your health inputs, family history, past issues, etc, makes a determination whether to refer you to more training or not. In other words your flight doc can no shit refer you to the fat camp just like he can refer you to a cardiologist. Separate your job from anything to do with the PT test. This is the biggest myth. PT test is solely about healthcare cost reduction. That is the only thing that dictates service members be tested. Squats, deadlift and overhead press based off bodyweight are smart because they test your overall muscular and skeletal health which has been shown to be far more important than your cardiovasicilar capacity at long term health. Simply put, you should test a pushing movement, a pulling movement, and a complete range of motion of the leg chain. The current test only test one of those things and in a suboptimal manner.

I like what you are getting at because at the end of the day people will practice on what they test so. The fact that a squat movement isn't included in a PT test is atrocious. Because the muscular compositions of 3/4 of your body massage is apparently not important? But yeah there are a ton of people in the AF that for whatever reason think running is the bee's knees of exercise and when you look at an Olympic marathon runner vs any other athlete, the latter is clearly equipped with a better physique to carry them into old age.

Funny you say that. I advocated once that the entire fitness center, hawc, fac, should me moved under and managed by the medical group, not the FSS. I also think the only thing that should be tested is body fat composition. The dude in the video sounds like a douche canoe. And he is using 40 year old science. The vast majority of literature today concludes a strength based workout is more important than heavy cardio to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Here is the dude who apparently drives all this. Going to actually watch this later.

Oh man I want to rant and rave so badly about the PT test but I think about about the 9 or 10 year point you just lose the will for it anymore. The AF is not serious about building healthier airmen. What's the point in trying to get them to realize how to make it better.

So I've talked to a lot of people in my peer group about this. I would say the majority of us don't "want" to go to school. However, we do want the option to go to school. There is a pretty distinctive difference there.

I believe the PSDM does say that SR's cannot use the DA on a select, as they are already guaranteed their school spot. It also says that SR's don't have to use their DA at all, if for whatever reason they choose that. I think third look is still going to be the sweet spot to get picked for going. I think stratification is going to matter now more than ever though as well. What i'm forecasting is, being in a large wing is going to be detrimental to your chance to attend school. First off, all SR's only get 1 DA regardless of the size of their wing. That large denominator now hurts you because those are all extra people you are competing against.

Talking with my Rater last night it sounds like a pretty low chance to make this board without a DA. For one, the 07 year group still has quite of few selects to pile through. Additionally that year group gets an additional 60 seats per the new guidance and the PSDM does not outline if those seats will come from the selects pool or not. So between the selects, the 215 seat reservation and the 60 seat reservation, your chances of going to school next year short of being the #1 in your wing is non existent.

We got this memo last week. It's based on SRID for SRs that have more than 20 elligible for IDE. They will get 1 DA "Definitely Attend" and everyone else will go into the traditional pool. Of the 500 something seats at ACSC about 220 will be allocated to DAs. Another 60 will be reserved exclusively for Majors in their last look window.

I've been to countries overseas that had similar setups. All stalls, no urinals.it was the nice full enclosure stalls though, not the shitty US kind we have with door gaps and other weird half assed mechanisms to only make you feel like you have privacy. Anyway, the setup wasn't really that uncomfortable as it was more like rows of indidual bathrooms rather than a single restroom for everyone.

Great if your AETC you can get Microsoft Flight Sim certified in your VR headset!

Morale patches being banned at bases, no Friday shirts, sleeves back to 100% length, I feel like this is a horrible nightmare where I go back in time. Waiting for blues monday guidance any day now.

I think what you're getting at is are we like the Army, where as a commissioned officer you will eventually grow into a desk. As others have said, it largely depends. Remember you're being hired as an officer first and a pilot second. Unfortunately for us the word officer is spelled with the word office. By and large, you can mostly stay in a cockpit until 20 years of service with the occasional exception of a 2-3 year staff tour somewhere in that career. Based completely off anecdotal personal experience most officers will do 1 staff tour to get to 20, a few will do 2, and a few will do 0. After 20 you are probably moving out of the squadron level and while you may fly on occasion you can expect to do mostly adminstrative type work. Also realise in most communities even as a pilot you will have an office job of some sort you will do in between missions. Sometimes your growth at admin skills will take precedence over your flying skills. For example, a group or wing exec won't have time to fly much.

That's awesome they got rid of the centerline thrust restriction. We really need more mil dudes into GA. There are synergies to both communities when we get out there on our own sometimes. And it will make you a better pilot. You'll never get to a point you think you know everything because when you do you will meet some yocal who has done something so outlandish you won't believe it exist until he shows you a YouTube video on his phone.

Specifics please. Numbers, goals, etc. This... I always hear liberals decree they want real solutions to immigration but when you ask for specifics to what types of things might work they are astoundingly silent. Instead we get some bullshit line about fuzing technology and innovation. What technology? Something that doesn't currently exist....?

So the easiest way to break the ice is to start by taking the military competancy test which is a closed book test. A really good study guide can be bought from SheppardAir (Google). It's a 50 question closed book test you will have to drive to a testing center to take. You don't need to wait for your MWS qual. You can do it as soon as you finish your phase 3 instrument check at UPT. Most wait until after UPT though. If you are at Columbus there is an ex-mil civilian who offers the test, study guide and paperwork for a fee but honestly it's rather expensive compared to what you'd pay doing it on your own. Take your completed test score and to the FSDO FAA office who will print your license. FSDO office can be googled but there will usually be one within 1-2 hours of you. You will get single engine land, instrument, commercial and multi-engine land either with or without a centerline thrust restriction based on your phase 3 aircraft. (Although I've heard they may have done away with this.) Last step is to call a civilian FBO. Most FBOs will require an insurance checkout with an instructor before you can take a plane solo. This can be done in about 4 hours and usually includes a question and answer session, a written and a 1-2 hour flight. The checkouts are usually VERY non threatening. The planes (C-172 etc) are very simple and my experience is these insurance checkouts are mostly instructional to insure you are familiar with the aircraft. This insurance checkout, to me, is the easiest way to break the ice, because you will have someone you can ask questions to and explain anything you're unfamiliar with. It helps you to learn the faces at your club and get a general sense of what you're doing, know who to go-to with issues, etc... After that you should have a folder in the FBOs office that contains a copy of your licensing and insurance checkout which is your ticket to call them up on Friday to take a plane out Sunday. Don't forget to buy a log book.