Bigred

A normal set of orders is usually 36 months, and extending a year can be common. My between-the-lines interpretation is that this rule ensures a pilot doesn’t go career enhancing and decide to never go back to flying, or an aviation related billet, while being able to collect flight pay forever.

In the helos I flew, the left seat pilot ran the mission while the right seat was the flying pilot. We’d typically switch seats every few flights to keep current on both sides. There was no designated ‘AC’ seat.

Can't speak to the rest of her bio, but whenever I read/hear someone say "classified missions", my BS meter pegs. This is particularly true if it's a pilot that says that. Guys that ran classified missions don't put that in their bio. Well, except for SEALs. Those guys get issued a literary agent when they graduate BUDs.

To be fair, the AF can’t give anything higher than 50k, that’s limited by law and requires some waivers from a few undersecretary’s that deal with finance/personnel. All that said, from what I understand, there’s nothing that limits the Air Force from offering something like a three year, 50k per year contract. I’d be willing to bet the take rate would actually be higher if there was a 3 year option.

And it’s BOP in name only. They make it clear that as soon as the AF needs to move you, they will. The ADSC goes away but what’s the point of the program if the AF can just say sorry but you gotta move.

I still maintain that the way it reads, you only need a coyote shirt if you’re going to have undershirts with logos on them. Otherwise all colors are good. I’m a dirty sea lawyer and unfortunately my reasoning didn’t convince the vice.

Downgrades don't tend to be an issue, especially if it was when you were a young copilot. As jice said, don't sweat it.

Never met fighter pilots eh?

Better quality of life (paternity leave is one example). Better pay. Housing and dorms vastly improved from when I lived in the barracks. No sequestration of flight hours. Parts that are actually available. JFIRE and JCAS being incorporated across all branches vs individual branches having their own CAS methods. That’s an example from admin, ops, and tactics. I can keep going. I laugh when people say ‘what’s better than 10-20 years ago’. My dad enlisted in the late 70s, he said he got slapped around. I enlisted in the late 90s, didn’t get hit but we lived in moldy ass barracks and had no hot water. Kids these days think it sucks they have to field day the barracks. Life was always ‘better 10-20 years ago’. When people say that I ask them to actually, seriously, look at what was going on then versus now.

I know you didn’t tag me but I’ll chime in as I was in a heavies. New LTs are expected to learn the aircraft and maybe be an assistant to some flight commander/skeds/etc. Realistically you won’t get much leadership opportunities as a LT, and even as a younger Captain, because a lot of ops squadrons don’t have a huge amount of enlisted. Heavies do have loads, booms, etc, so you will have plenty of exposure but you won’t be directing leading them.

So your argument is; because people in the upper classes, whom most on this board have zero influence and interactions, don’t pull their share with the military than the rest of us shouldn’t as well? I hold no illusions that there are parts of the DoD that suck. There are also parts that are awesome. My concern is when I hear of current and former military actively discouraging people from joining. There’s nothing wrong with telling the truth, bluntly, to those that are interested. But tell both sides, the good and the bad, and let them decide.

This thread is wild and baffling. Military service is good for the person and it's good for the country. I encourage my kids to join. I have three and I think one will. I told them the same thing my dad told me, do four years and if you're having fun keep going. Otherwise get out. The more we isolate the military from all classes of the population the more we will see the political-mil issues we see today.

Be a good dude and take care of your bros.

My understanding is he can bring it for the duration of his time here, but he can’t sell it in the US. Aka, he’s gotta take it back with him or scrap it. I believe he’s exempt from the emissions requirements.

U-2s are hiring, fyi.

He’s not. What you are saying tank drivers can do in the civilian world are the intangibles that pawnman listed; (self discipline, etc) Tank drivers can do well in the civilian world, but it ain’t gonna be by driving a tank. My brother in law was Marine artillery and he had a helluva time finding a civilian employer who needed idf. He did get a good job working with the VA though, mainly due to him being a smart, hard working dude.

What happens on deployment stays in deployment 🤫

The irony is I’ve read on this board the lamentations of the AF not preparing for the next fight. For as much as they eat crayons, the Marines are pretty brilliant in their force development, last time I checked heavy artillery doesn’t float, and armor floats even less. Considerijg the AOR of a potential conflict, they need highly mobile forces supported from the air with a relatively mobile IDF capability. It would appear they are doing just that. And yes, they Marines are wary of air support from the other branches. It’s just their culture.

Apply to the U2. It’s worth it.

It’s absolutely a great deal. I wish more dudes would apply and take advantage of it. Flying in the suit is actually enjoyable once you get used to it, the view up high is incredible, and being able to go f-off in a 38 for a 1.3 every now and again is icing on the cake.

T-38 then U-2. Expect 3-ish months from checking in to 38 qual. Then 6-8 months for U-2 qual. All done in-house.

Even more difficult than resource, it’s be a culturally intensive shift for the Air Force. I actually think that’d be the more difficult hurdle.

It totally is. They get the kick in the junk of essentially ‘mission first’ from the very get go. As buddies of mine put it ‘the rifleman is the focus and has the support of the entire Corps’ As much as it’d stroke our egos even more, imagine how the AF would run if we had something similar ‘the pilot is the focus and has the support of the entire Air Force’.

Just Cannon, OCONUS, and the FTU? Or is there a new CONUS base opening?

I’m really interested to see what happens in a few years when situations develop like Osprey dudes taking the bonus and choose OCONUS/Hurlburt to avoid Cannon.