Crosswind

What's the word on DAL hiring mil guys? Especial low hour fighter pilots? Aviation interviews keeps showing dudes with 4K+ hours. My single seat career isn't going to reach that! Are guys getting calls/hired?

The area is nice if you like small Midwest towns. Get ready for 4 seasons.

In the AMA a Navy guy mentions that the Fighter Take rate is worse than ours. The Helo take rate was fairly high because outside the DoD options aren’t the same. He also discusses how they “reduced squadron slots” that were already undermanned. Squadrons use to have 4 ADOs, but they could only fill 2 slots. So they cut the number of slots to 3. This means that instead of “50% manned” they are now “66.666 repeating of course” manned. Lies, damn lies, and statistics. Unless the statistics are lies too.

SiS is her callsign - and as a fighter pilot the story behind it is hers to tell. Buy the “brodette” a round, sit down and listen. I’ve flown with SiS and recognize her as a good pilot and good person. I was excited to see her career advance, and saddened and disappointed by this announcement. I have also worked for Maestro. Unless his F35 time ruined him he’s very level headed and really cares about his pilots. Where these two intersect leaves me at an impasse. I think the AF needs to throw on the “safety privilege” label and explain to all of us what is going on in these cases. We can literally be fired for “mission planning buffoonery” to “redecorating” to “having an awesome instagram?” and then have airline prospects ruined thanks to Public Affairs. if Anyone discovers valid details (mine was a joke) please inform us so we take appropriate defensive options!

SocialD, im pretty sure there’s a memo that stated something to the effect of “AD pilots in a TFI assignment are authorized for reduced sortie requirements that match their ANG/ARC counterparts”. so the flush of wingman get 8 sorties. The non-existent second tour guys get 6. Some unit leadership (ours) doesn’t want to look bad in front of ACC and is pressing to get them all 10 so “they don’t get left behind their peers”. Now the guard members fly 6, and that includes 2-3 tankers. Enxoueage your leadership to find (Guard WEPTAC has it) and execute that letter.

Fella's, Let's not act like we're in love with the PCSM. I took the test twice, got a 60 something the first time then a 90 something the second. Zero flight hours, I just studied "what color taxi lights are" (I think I forgot that one btw - I'm going with green) and other simple questions that require about 10 minutes of exposure to understand right before the test (I think Sheppard Air could ensure all future PCSM == 99 if they made a study guide). I've never asked a Wingman what his PCSM was. No Squadron Commander has ever asked me. There was a filthy rumor that the PCSM score nearly measured up with ones chance of graduation UPT (an 85 PCSM == 85% graduation rate). I later was told that was false, and the Air Force was going to do away with the AFOQT and simply accept SAT/ACT scores. Then someone got promoted and that idea didn't follow through. Either way, the slides and other data we've seen on this thread over the last week ask one really big question. What will the future of the Air Force look like? I think the REAL issue no one has addressed ISN'T that there is in fact a pilot shortage, it is specifically where that shortage falls. So while the Air Force is missing 11F's, are they all missing Captain 11Fs, or are they missing Majors to do staff work? How does increasing production fix that problem? Are we going to start sending 2-3 year Captains to the Puzzle Palace, send Wingman to sit in the Map Cell at CENTCOM? The scariest thing I saw on these slides was REDUCING the length of first year tours. Let's discuss THAT for a moment. For those of you who did a Korea tour straight out of FTU, and maybe extended, imagine if your next assignment was anything other than in the Viper and if you NEVER got back into a tactical cockpit. What value are you at A8, A4, or any other office? What a colossal waste of investment. Who get's picked to get cut short? The strong or weak swimmers? Do we even know who is which by that point in their careers? Many of pilots struggle as Wingman but grow as flight leads, many sharp wingman lose focus later on and become limfacs. More importantly, why isn't ONE SINGLE bullet point on any of these slides directed at a retention improving measure?

Can any Mobility guys fill in/answer this question... Why aren’t more Mobility pilots leaving? Annual days gone is 200+ (anecdotal) High probability of being a UPT IP Do a staff job there’s no fighter guy to fill in for Already “airline ready” knowing how to use FMS, fly international, crew concept What’s keeping them in?

There's some good chatter here on how ANG/Reserves manning works. I'll add a few points I think some AD guys fail to consider. An AD guy, with 12-13 years in the bank, isn't that much of a deal for the Guard. In fact they may be equal parts liability, even if they arrive as a "full-up current IP.". He/She is probably within 2 years of a Lt Col pin on date that our manning document can't support, or if it does, it may delay a Guard baby's (who did 6-9 years alert, 4 deployments with the unit, is about to finally start the IPUG, there's a list here) chance to pin on 1-3 years later. A 7 year buyback on a guy who won't have much Guard time before he's ready for a command level billet (with little understanding of the overall guard process i.e. DSG, MEST, Alert) is a non-ideal situation on the verge of turning sour. The situation was very different when the UPT commitment was 8 years. The letter of X's can only get so full. 35 flyers, each needing 6-9 sorties a month, doesn't make room for 5 active duty guys in 3 years, especially when 6 guys are inbound from the B-course during that same period, and only 2-3 retirements. Adding mass doesn't solve all the problems. One way our unit chose to solve it was turn out more ADOS days (like a short term AGR). A lot of part timers work 2-3 months "full time" off of these. We've done it with alert as well. It helps, although its not a perfect solution. That being said. As a former AD guy, and now Guard, It's ing great. Do it if you can. No I will not take an ANG - AD "opportunity". I am not going back to prison!!! (he said satirically)

Guys remember that Air Force vs Airlines meeting in May? We never knew what the results were, but good news, here's the manuscript, swear to god, a buddy gave it to me, this is VERBATIM (maybe a few spelling errors). Fingers: "Lets find a way to increase the ATP requirements so you stop stealing my pilots, I think we can work together on this. I force my pilots to stay because they have nowhere to go, and you don't get military pilots anymore. It's a win win." American Airlines: "I'm losing 3000 pilots in 4 years, I'm going to offer your pilots double pay, a better retirement, and no SAPR briefings" Delta: "Pound sand. Change USSERA rules and stop letting your Guard guys screw us over and maybe, maybe we'll talk. Also we have 17% 401k AUTOMATIC contribution vs your Blended Retirement System." United: "So you want us to give up the solution to our problems, and what do we get back. An IOU?" Southwest: "Bags check free!" Fingers:"It's going to be like that. Okay. I got something for you guys. We'll have this talk again in 6-9 months." ------- 2 Weeks later Fingers meets with Trump . . .

From a guy who got hired a few years ago, and has sat as a member of a hiring board a word on the PCSM and PPL. 1 - The PCSM is an aggregate test produced by the Air Force. A few years ago the AF did an assessment of it's value. Roughly, your final PCSM equates to your percentage chance of making it through UPT. I.E if you got a 92 PCSM, you have a 92% chance of graduating. If you're a 70 PCSM, what's your chances? 2 - We're making an investment in you. Not necessarily a financial one, but a timeline one. We need you back in a little over 2+ years. Your PCSM, hours, PPL are a small part of our mental equation of you achieving that timeline (or graduating period) for us. 3 - I didn't have a PPL when I got hired, some did. It probably helps, but is not necessarily required. Most units don't want a financial barrier and or burden predicated on their membership. However, it raises your PCSM, shows you have been introduced to flying and enjoy it enough to continue. 4 - In summary, maybe your PCSM is good enough, maybe your hour rating/PPL is good enough. Consider this - Is there somebody I want to get hired more than me? If not, then why are you letting them have a better packet than you? Best of luck!

Is everybody Palace Chasing? I hope so, it's been great for me! I just hope that the end result of a sucky congress doesn't cut all of our units.

1 - It takes about a year, unless you're prior military (O or E) 2 - the base you go to doesn't depend if your heavy/fighter/other - it's the first one they can get a slot for. Mine got moved up 8 months because Shepard didn't have an opening (I was prior active duty and had all the queep stuff out of the way). 3 - Enjoy it. You've got a good attitude, just be patient and remember how much it sucked before you had the job, that should keep you motivated. 4 - It's a marathon made up of a series of sprints and road blocks. Run when they say run, stop when they say stop. 5 - cheers!

Bro - sorry to be late to respond to this. Whoever is telling you this is WRONG WRONG WRONG WRONG. The Palace Chase program was originally written for someone to get approval/permission to find a guard unit. You could submit and get a Palace Chase approval and get like a year to go find a guard unit. It actually says it in there that you are given time to find a unit while you are ON ACTIVE DUTY. As with anything, this evolved into the current application (although the regs never changed) in which the only way to really get approval is to have a guard unit agree to take you before you start the process. I submitted my application with a signed letter, but even that wasn't required. Best of luck man. Greatest decision I ever made for myself and my family.

Maybe they can just go build a modernized version of the Delta Dart and call it good. Oh shit . . . Bad Idea

I just got done reading through the Complaint and the HuffingPost comments. Haters gonna hate. Things are gonna change. It's gonna suck. There's one lady on there who claims to be an assistant professor of Psychology. Question to people like her - when will psychologist/society realize that an off-color demeanor exist in all of us, and that gallows humor has a purpose, especially in a high-stress situation. There's a reason why Tosh.0 is the # 1 show on Comedy Central. Let's stop hiding from who we are. The reason I'm drinking in the bar at 1300 is because I showed up at 0200 and flew a simulated combat mission that I kill removed from, twice. I'm thinking about that, and how it would effect my daughter. The reason I sing that song is the same reason every warrior culture had drinking songs - because our lives can be very intense, and wearing blues and curtseying military women for their "bravery" doesn't take a chip out of that. That being said - I'm not going to tolerate any level of sexual assault or direct sexual harassment. You tell an Airman she has a nice ass - answer to me. You touch her, answer to Security Forces. You want to sing a song, go to a bar to meet women, I'll join in and be your wingman anytime.