Prosuper

https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/rsaf-stratotankers-get-third-lease-of-life, looks like a US operator has bought the Singaporean KC-135R MPRS birds and put N numbers on them. I wonder if the USAF will sell them parts or retrofit with civilian off the shelf parts. All -135 parts don't have FAA/PMA serviceable tags since they were never type 2 certificated. Logistics is provided by 2 level mx shops at the Depots. The RSAF probably had a huge stockpile of extra parts to go along with the deal.

When AMC took over KC-135's they came out of nowhere and ordered all the A models retired even though some had a R model conversion date, I was at K.I. Sawyer when we sent some good jets to AMARC, some were taken out and sold to Turkey and Singapore and converted to R models. I wonder why the USAF museum don't have a KC-135A on display, we sent a few for gate guards to other bases. Got a bud who is a contractor at AMARC who gave the me word that my old jet was chopped up. 62-3555. It went to the boneyard with only 5 K write ups.

Operating any type of KC platform has this big logistics problem. It needs large POL storage facilities. I have refueled KC-135's in bare bones facilities were the pump from the bladders to the jet was a Briggs and Stratton lawn mower engine hooked to a pump. So in a austere field that's not going to happen, if you have a large fuel dump and the bad guys know where it is wouldn't it be smart to keep in the rear with the gear. If forward one lucky hit destroys all plans. Sorry I'm just a MX guy, didn't the IJN during the attack on Pearl Harbor not even sniff around the POL facilities or subs. Wouldn't taking those two assets out have stopped us for at least a couple years.

What is old is new again.

Maybe its true if you qualify it, that's probably the biggest gathering of non Democrat voters in DC, a city that votes 99% Dem. When Reagan beat Mondale he carried everything except Minnesota and DC.

And a must for any Alaskan.

They might have been a bunch of Cowboys but you got to hand it to them as being good pilots with big brass balls, they would fly at any time in any condition and they got treated like crap by their own companies, probably why they drank like fish, flew with them once to Dubai to start my vacation, just put Vicks vapor rub under your nose. Pilot said you look smart you fly jet, wake me up in 3 hours. Arrived alive, they went to a whore house which I was invited and I had a Emirates connection. Great airline to fly on, beats the crap out of AA.

The airfield manager (Flugplatzmeister) made me park a uke in front of IL-76 once to prevent them from leaving and sleep it off, they were 3 sheets to the wind when they landed and making slurred transmissions to ATC and would not follow the marshallers. Their jets always smelt like sweat,vodka and feet.

True story, I'm at OAMS and I have a new guy I send out to C-5 to ask a pilot if everything is good and if they will be leaving on time. He went out to a IL-76 . Yes knowing the correct MDS is important, you can't park 4 KC-10s in the same space as 4 KC-135's.

My NCOA was in Lackland, had to go just after week being home from Saudi, it was stupid easy and a 6 week vacation down in San Antonio. Wasn't enlisted Jesus a PME instructor? I wonder how many E's hide out in AETC not counting TI's, would never want that job.

I wish they bring back Warrant Officers to be filled by the E-6 who is shit hot on the flight line, knows his job inside and out and makes the right decisions that produce sorties. The problem with the good troops is that a E-8/E-9 above him knows he is the go to guy and they keep him that position making money for the wing and move the has been's to other jobs that allow them to career progress and somehow get promoted to E-9. In the enlisted world job title counts more than war fighter when it comes to their board score, the more job titles the better it looks. Doesn't matter they fired you from all those positions and moved him somewhere else, and nobody wrote the guy a honest EPR. I'm used to be standing tall in front of the CC desk after writing honest EPR's for guys I moved to the snack bar, mops and brooms, and is assigned to every aircraft wash. I was foolishly thinking being honest would keep these disasters from ever getting into a slot that would make other good troops miserable. I was wrong. This allows a TSgt a career path that a E-9 can't torpedo because if TSgt leaves his life gets harder. When I was in MSgt was tested for and I studied my butt off to make it, I hear it is now a board score and you got play the game. Being a WO1 these good troops would be where the AF needs them training and supervising young Airmen while forgoing the hyphenated American pray breakfast face time and backstabbing for the Senior Rater endorsement. But we all know the AF will not do it because enlisted Jesus doesn't want to salute these guys.

I was in a E-3 FSMU , it all depends on the CC, one CC understood we needed time to fix jets then another beat them like rented mules. Coming home late on a Friday with a broke jet and then fly it early Monday morning type scheduling meant nobody was getting any days off. But I preferred it over a huge MX sq, Ops sq CC had to fight with the AMXS CC to get Crew Chiefs to fly with the jets on off station sorties. The MX folks per diem was killing his budget and when we used commercial fleet service providers to take care of the lavs and staircase truck that came out of the AMXS budget. The only medals I ever got from my time with the E-3's were pushed by OP's guys making their job easier getting the mission done off station. MX sq guys who never leave home station were not big picture type guys.

How do toxic senior E's get empowered? Who gives them a Senior Rater Endorsement? It's not from a old MSgt who just got told that all you do is your job and you deploy too much, I have never seen you at the Xmas party or a top 3 meeting. Most E-1 to E-6 MX troops never talk to their officers, only officers they actually talk to are ADC's or Op's guys. If a MX guy is talking to his CC it is in his blues signing for a Article 15 for missing a dental appt because he got stuck on the line producing a sortie, yes that happens.

This is what is driving MX sq's into the ground, are these officers so risk adverse that they will give no one the benefit of the doubt so hammer them. What a waste of people, you spend money getting them trained just to destroy them if they don't act like a robot. I wonder in the OP's world if a flying sq will ever get a non rated guy as a CC and treat pilots like cops or Crew Chiefs.

Just trying to get smarter here, how many guys on here know MX officers and have conversations with them about about the dismal morale that their troops have stateside. Been on Facebook reading a new group called roll call, did not realize on how much the mental anguish of serving in a MX sq is now. My day we worked hard, played hard, got caught, disciplined, but as long we got the job done our MX officers took care of us. What happened? In the 80's and 90's we never heard of guys committing suicide, do we not allow these guys to blow off steam? One mistake is a career ender? Towards the end of my career I tried to stay deployed so I wouldn't have to deal with my supervision stateside, not good for my family but great for my mental health and blood pressure. Do you guys notice it stepping to the jet or just say it's not my problem, Thank God?

Funny and appropriate for today.

I'm reading this that it is illegal to defend yourself anyway possible in the City of Chicago. So she wants you to call 911 and more or less be put on hold while your getting a beating from a rioting mob. Also if you do defend yourself your going to jail as soon as you get out of intensive care , I guess she doesn't want any of her voting base killed. Change my mind . Yes Chicago is my home town . https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mayor-lori-lightfoot-denounces-vigilantism-in-chicago-after-white-men-patrol-neighborhood-streets-with-bats/ar-BB152S4r

Back to our POW survival training, is the news babe blinking a code for help?

When I was a flight mechanic I thought it was so cool to get them issued to me, wore them with pride until the jet broke at some God awful cold or hot place then I tore it off fast and threw on my mechanics coveralls. Those things stained easily and wouldn't breath so you froze or sweated to death. Plus after multiple washings the fire retardant qualities became mute. Loved the winter weight jacket and the speed laced flight boots.

Never never ever speak to a FBI agent without your lawyer in the room and never never ever hire a law firm where Eric Holder is a partner if you work for a Republican President. Spent 5 years in DC , I hated every second of it. Disbarments and indictments for everyone. But will not hold my breath to see perp walks of key members of the last administration. Two tiered justice system, if you think this would never happen to you but they went after a retired 3 star General our country and Constitution is doomed.

Just noticing today in OKC that roads are getting busier and busier as the days pass. Some restaurant employees have been called back before they got their first unemployment checks and the OCALC depot is fully open with cautions and restrictions. We sent 3 jets back to Fairchild on the same day. 24 hour grocery stores and Walmart still have reduced hours and probably always will. My oil patch neighbors are hoping the recently signed agreement between Russia and KSA will hold but filling up my gas guzzler Bronco 32 gallon tank for a 1.31 avg is nice. I see a bunch of states especially blue ones will be the hardest hit, their budgets are blown to hell and tax revenue shortfalls. Lots of Governor's will be bending a knee to POTUS. Amazon seems to be normal again, got a package in only 3 days . My conclusion is local economies will open up not caring what any hack politician says, most peoples kitchens are only stocked for 2 weeks if that and they still have bills to pay.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/health/coronavirus-blood-donation-guidelines/index.html?fbclid=IwAR21NssVgK_W_KJa3sUIUvAsGbJ4eoyyi8MQ2Tv0v1oaHEW11NK4HDWfvhE. So all the retired guys on here who were in USAFE in the 80's , if I read this correctly we are no longer disqualified to give blood because of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease or mad cow. I still would call ahead if heading to a blood bank to donate.

I'm a A&P but would someday like to have my pilots license.

I'm over fifty and still have the dream of getting a PPL to add on with my A&P. Came across this video which he breaks it down.

Probably found out his next assignment was some desk in the Pentagon in a windowless room. Fell on his sword for his sailors.