Sua Sponte

As much as I want to trust that random Facebook post that looks like the 22 ARW/CC or AMC/CC exec wrote, I don't. The MAF is more concerned with pilot retention than TTPs. What good are TTPs if you don't have the crew members to execute them? This is nothing more than floating the idea of only needing half of the pilot force to fly the same sorties. If/when we go into a recession next year, and the airlines slow down hiring, expect this "good idea" to go by the wayside because retention is up and the USAF will claim they fixed that problem....until the next hiring flood.

When I was a new boom in the -135 there were Block 30 and Block 40 KC-135s. Block 40's had GATM, CPDLC, and sat phone, Block 30s didn't. I went through initial qual on Block 30s, where you had to leave the data card with the flight plan in the reader all flight, Block 40s would save the flight plan in the FMS, so you could pull them during the flight. My crew had been flying a lot of Block 40s out of Manas in Afghanistan, so we used to pull the data card sometime during the sortie since it was one less classified thing to remember to take once we landed. We were flying in southern Afghanistan and I pulled the data card and heard both pilots up front yell "What the fuck!" I had pulled a the data card on a Block 30 jet, which immediately dumped the flight plan, which then just said "Map Fail" on the MFD's. We tried to get the flight plan back, but didn't happen. We ended up somehow flying back in non-standard formation, which if anyone remembers the controller Dushanbe...he wasn't happy with that, with another -135 back to Manas. Lesson learned.

One of the issues for the -46, both on the boom and pilot side, was the only people in the community came via a TX course. Both PIQ and BIQ courses were finalized last month and Altus is currently teaching brand new pilots out of UPT and booms out of the enlisted pipeline. However, that will take some time to balance out between the four main operating bases (McConnell, Pease, Seymour, McGuire....with Travis, March, and Macdill behind).

This is a unique question to me due to having a lot of experience in the tanker world, -46 world, MAF, and aircrew training world. I'm also currently writing a dissertation for my doctoral program focusing on if automation is atrophying pilot aviating skill. My reaction is not that I don' think overall this is a bad situation to investigate, but that having non-test people do the first dry run of it as an extremely poor idea due to their lack overall lack of experience, especially for such a radical concept. Huggy brought up that while he doesn't think the "mechanics of flying" of a -46 with one pilot is an issue, I'll add on to that. I don't think it's an issue if the single pilot has a lot of experience of flying. I'm sure we can agree that the commercial aviation and military worlds have vastly different definitions of what is considered an highly experienced pilot. In the MAF the highly experienced people are getting out to go to the airlines/cargo. That leaves very lightly to middle experience as the "highly experienced." The unique part of the -46 is that on the pilot side the program seemed to have pulled a lot of the shiny pennies from other MAF aircraft. We can all agree that the usual motivation for the shiny pennies to crossflow isn't to learn how to fly and eventually employ a new aircraft. It's to do staff job/get schools to get promoted. In my experience those PHOENIX products also weren't good pilots to begin with, now they're crossflowing to an aircraft they have to learn and will continue to be mediocre pilot until their PRFs are written and they get school/staff. There's a thread on this forum that brings up good points about the changes at UPT/FTUs and how the quality of product is much less than it was 10-20 years ago. I agree and I don't blame the students, they're only there to learn and are a byproduct of their training. However, those byproducts are now AC/IPs in the -46, whom will probably be the ones tapped for this single pilot ops plan. We could probably also agree that flight training gives you a baseline of how to fly, but actually doing the flying and tactile learning is how you become experienced and good at it. Unfortunately, the MAF likes to shun those who want to be better aviators and rewards those who shirk flying to barely maintain currency. In the -46 there are non-Edwards test units (there's a Test Ops Sq at McGuire for example), but the pilot I knew there just got out and he barely flew enough to only be a copilot in the -46. That's why it should go to Edwards. The test pilot and booms are extremely experienced, some of them helped early on designing the -46 during DT. They would be the SMEs to conduct this testing. I don't know how other MWS's are at Edwards, but the tanker folks came from line squadrons/taught at the FTUs, and have good mix of recency and experience in the MAF. Like I said, I don't think it's a poor concept, but I think really experienced aviations need to DT/OT it first. Having a main operating base send a waiver up to the MAJCOM/CC to have their not as experienced aviators dry run it is a poor decision.

That’s great. There’s also a reason why there are highly experienced test pilots and booms at Edwards who can conduct this type of testing.

I knew your Wing king when he was an asshole Sq/CC at Fairchild. Apparently nothing’s changed.

Second to last and last page.

How many 767s fly with one pilot?

Apparently, the AMC/CC is pushing for it. The memes are apparently hitting social media about it.

McConnell allegedly submitted a waiver to AMC today to fly the -46 with one pilot and one boom. This is due to them freaking out about pilot retention. This is also against the flight manual.

You were expecting something else from someone who “debates” points brought up in the thread with memes?

The irony is I’m a Poli Sci major from a state school (undergrad). The critical thinking skills I used obtaining that education has helped me out immensely, especially the two times I’ve been in grad school. I fucked up in the Air Force and lost my career, but I didn’t let that define my life. I worked really hard the last five years to get where I’m at today. I think that’s what drives me nuts about a lot of boomers who just sorta road the coattails of their parents, the Greatest Generation, and then lecture Millennials on how “lazy” and “entitled” we apparently are.

“Continue to challenge.”

Should service academies only have STEM degrees? I mean, as a tax payer why should I fund some tard at USAFA getting a B.S. in Philosophy? A lot of college is bullshit. But who told Millennials to go to college or they won’t be anything in life and not obtain a good paying job? Boomers. Oh yeah, let’s talk about the Ivy’s. There’s a reason why those rich and famous parents weren’t cheating their kid into the Comp Sci program at the U of Nebraska. Because those STEM grads have a vastly less change to make it into the Bay Area big money MAANG world compared to Ivy grads. Stop acting like a STEM degree is a ticket to a big payout career. We’re now shifting to where a bachelors is the equivalent of a high school diploma and a graduate degree is now the equivalent of a bachelors. Plenty of Millennials are crushing life right now. Part of it is what you’d said, hard work. Another part of it is being born into privilege of rich boomer parents and getting opportunities that those poorer would’ve never had.

Whenever boomers bitch about forgiving any student loans, I remind them I guess I shouldn’t pay 100% into SSA when I won’t be able to receive 100% SSA due to them. Oh yeah, 99% of jobs don’t have pensions anymore either. But hey, at least boomers will be able to buy that third vacation home.

I’m a PM for a bunch of engineers. Why am I the PM? Because I don’t have weaponized autism and I have a social science undergrad and STEM grad degree. Do you want to live in a world with all STEM majors? I sure as shit don’t. I also don’t want to live in a world full of philosophy majors. The worst pilots I ever flew with were STEM majors. Why? They’re too analytical and a lot of the time that doesn’t translate over to flying skill. Best pilots I flew with? Business/History majors.

By millennial parents, you mean boomers? How do I know? I'm 40, a millennial, and my parents are boomers. College loans are already forgiven if you attain 100% VA disability, which would require national service via the military.

You ever stop and think that a lot of Millennials can't afford to start a family early and own property? Probably not. Curious what qualifies as a non-useless degree?

Some states/cities will reimburse owners if they install a level 2 charger at home as well.

2021+ Model 3’s use the heat pump. Source: Me, a 2022 Model 3 Performance owner. Agree with everything you said, I love my EV.

I left banking with USAA in 2019 for Navy Fed. They’ve been outstanding. I still have USAA for insurance due to them being the cheapest for me for the coverage and been flawless for claims I’ve filed in 21 years of membership.

Friend of mine is their Chief Boom.

They just announced their -46 version. However, not all of the watch works due to multiple FCIFs.