LiquidSky

Does anyone have experience with writing a letter to their first board? Trying to get out asap for family reasons after the AF decided to send me from one terrible assignment to a second even worse one. My most recent OPB was a top 1/3 squadron strat and I had better wing strats early on in my career. I'm wondering if a letter is enough to get passed over on board #1 or if I'm SOL because I was a decently good O on paper until now.

Biggest issue is you'll have to get quotes and the whole contract Shennagins with finance if it's over 10k (maybe 25?). And they normally want that shit 2 months ago for end of FY purchases. I think pretty much anything is fair game as long as you can justify it as functional. I've seen done: Watches, coolers/lunchboxes, sunglasses, nice to have uniform items (better boots, undershirts, OCPs), knives, headlamps, hammocks, sleeping bags, morale shirts, massage chairs, travel bags (rolling and duffel), cold weather gear, sq bar renovations, sq facility renovations, software subscriptions, and more I'm sure I'm forgetting.

Tried to reach y'all last week flying across Africa to show new Copilots the service but couldn't get through to anyone. Unfortunately with the propagation of civil data links across the fleet a csat phone call is typically easier. No idea who is getting the bill for it 🤣

That's assuming a non-working spouse or a spouse within a certain scope of employment. I know more than a few dudes/dudettes who've spent years apart from their family because they got told go to minot, dyess, Vance, overseas, unaccompanied, etc. The military is the one job you can't walk away from when they tell you to go someplace undesirable to you. And your family will make sacrifices in some way be it quality time, career, extended family, etc.

Sheppard doesn't even have T-1s last I checked. They do a "special" T-6 syllabus and then all track 38s. Normally all their drops are fighter/bombers. A heavy is non-standard.

20-25 days out of the month I loathe every second of my job. The other 5-10 days I'm sitting in the cockpit either flying to some place you've never heard of and am expected to just make it work or in a low level formation at the end of which I'm getting off a bunch of dudes cursing up a storm as we're stop to stop eating up leads wake like it's your favorite cousin. Those are the days I love my job. Flying is a drug and we're all a bunch of addicts.

Is this comment still accurate for the 89th and the typical missions of the various airframes? Also can anyone speak to the application/interview process and how competitive is it actually? We get the pdsms and I know a few dudes that didn't get call backs, but there's certainly mystery around the numbers on total applied vs interviewed vs selected.

Could they learn it all from YouTube tutorials? Maybe/probably. Should we rob them of a good deal tdy? Definitely not.

Yet another reason SCODs are dumb. Any idea how far back it will be moved? Nothing on myfss indicates the timeline for the 16YG. Edit: Disregard, found a note that says Jan/Feb 2025. Wonder if that means results now won't release until Dec 25 instead of Jan 25?

Can we please stop giving Boeing contracts? https://www.defensenews.com/air/2024/02/05/boeing-pushes-back-t-7-plans-due-to-faulty-parts/ KC-46, new VC-25, T-7... When was the last time they gave us a solid aircraft?

Because there's times you alert at 0400 to show at 0500 then fly a 17 hour day (fragged for 10) due to various delays, and the entire crew could really use a beer after that.

Because f*ck anyone that doesn't work a normal day shift schedule. No more late night beer runs — AAFES to end overnight alcohol sales in 2024 In a move aimed at suicide prevention. stores on Army and Air Force bases worldwide will stop selling alcohol after 10 p.m. Beer, wine, and spirits will only be sold between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. at all Base Exchanges, Shoppettes, Express shops, Class Six, and other stores run by AAFES.

One thing to note is the BRS has 5% match. So you don't want to max out early in the year but forecast a percentage each month to allow for at least a 5% contribution in December. Make it roth since most our pay isn't taxed. And max out now. You can't miss what you n3ver had. Lastly the I fund offered is terrible. Heavily weighted towards japan which has been stagnant for 3 decades and other allied partners who don't have much better track records. Use C and S only.

Is this the first Sim only drop? If not how have these dudes been doing once they hit the Flightline or ops squadrons?

For a heavy unit tdys are constant and non-stop. You can easily go weeks or months between crossing paths with another dude in the unit. Theoretically our sq could keep everyone on mission critical 24/7 but the reality is we go tell RA if we need it and then it's done.

It kicks back 1% to the units. But guess what? We have the only travel card in the modern day that charges you foreign transaction fees. So for every crew on the road you get a net 0 back (1% extra cost for foreign transaction VS 1% back). Their conversion rates are also trash. They randomly close cards and don't notify members as well. The only good thing is they give people that can't get cards (and shouldn't have then tbh) something to use. And then when these people screw up and go months overdue, there's no insane interest.

Anyone looking for a new job? "Ukraine's Air Force said it will now allow foreigners to serve as pilots and engineering specialists, with a spokesperson stressing the fact that Ukraine will likely need international recruits if and when it starts to receive Western combat aircraft."

Bent prop visable in the last 2 seconds of the clip.

Statement from EUCOM on the incident. "At approximately 7:03 AM (CET), one of the Russian Su-27 aircraft struck the propeller of the MQ-9, causing U.S. forces to have to bring the MQ-9 down in international waters. Several times before the collision, the Su-27s dumped fuel on and flew in front of the MQ-9 in a reckless, environmentally unsound and unprofessional manner. This incident demonstrates a lack of competence in addition to being unsafe and unprofessional. "

Unless there's some force shaping in the near future, does this really change anything about the 99% promotion rate to major? I can see it being an issue at the O-5 level for some that have accidentally stuck around.

"Airmen and Guardians For several years the DAF has masked advanced degrees from Major and Lieutenant Colonel promotion boards. I have repealed that policy effective 1 January 2023. I do not believe that as we assess the development and potential contributions of our officers, that we should hide the acquisition of valued expertise from promotion boards for any rank. The United States, and specifically the Department of the Air Force, are facing foreign competitors that include the most technologically capable and well-resourced competitor we have ever confronted. We are also confronted by multiple competitors from vastly different cultures than our own. To compete with China, Russia, or other potential threats, the Air and Space Forces must incorporate new technology more rapidly and effectively than our competitors. We must also have a deep understanding of the history, motivations, doctrine, and thought processes of our potential adversaries. To do this effectively, we need leaders and supporting staff throughout the DAF at all levels who have deep expertise in emerging technologies and their applications to military operations. We must also have leaders with expertise in the cultures of our potential adversaries. Such expertise and associated critical thinking skills are developed from many sources and experiences, including advanced academic degree programs. I'm aware that there was a time when an advanced degree, any advanced degree, was considered necessary for promotion to Major or Lieutenant Colonel. That is not the intent. Advanced degrees are neither a requirement for promotion to Major or Lieutenant Colonel nor a guarantor of promotion. The DAF will continue to value both operationally and educationally derived experience and expertise and will always value high levels of performance. I will instruct promotion boards to understand and appreciate the value of specific advanced academic degree awards, military training completion, and operational experience with respect to the developmental category meeting the board. Officers should not pursue an advanced degree simply to impress a promotion board or to check a perceived box. Advanced degrees should be chosen to meet personal and professional goals, with an appreciation of the value the specific degree has to the Department of the Air Force. One Team, One Fight! Frank Kendall Secretary of the Air Force"

Disregard then. I'm not shocked with how often they get anything aviation wrong. It was a completely believable story though 🤣

C-17s at it again. https://kfor.com/news/local/stillwater-regional-airport-runway-damaged-due-to-unauthorized-military-aircraft-landing/

I wish I was a pilot second. At this point me flying is third or fourth on the supposed needs of the air force.

https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3215451/daf-authorizes-pass-for-covid-booster-by-dec-1/. "Airmen and Guardians who receive the COVID-19 Bivalent Booster released in September are authorized a one-day special pass from their commander as long as the booster is administered by Dec. 1." Stick meet carrot.