Royal

Symptomatic not causal

Thanks for the info. Have you spent much time in that sector yet? If so, how is it?

Fellas, Has anyone here used their GI Bill for certification or training in the tech world?

Jon, Sorry if you've discussed this already, but what are the pros/cons in re-fi'ing out of a VA loan into a conventional or re-fi'ing into another VA?

It's time for a new gun safe, boys. Liberty or Champion seem to be the way to go based on my limited research. What do you guys recommend? Pros/cons? Any considerations that might not be so obvious?

FDNY, Ask your training guy for the governing reg with regard to seasoning orders (might be buried in some version of the 202v1). My suspicion is that this is a resurrected version of similar shit they tried to pull a few years ago. Basically, AFRC made dudes going to UPT sign contracts that said they would be ARTs. Turns out that was illegal because you can't be forced to quit another civilian job as a compensatory measure for AFRC's inability to manage manning Did you sign a contract stating you'd be a TDART? If not, they still probably have to find a way to give you seasoning orders because those are normally the rules. Let us know how it goes.

Jon, Are there any provisions in bank generated loan documentation that protects lending institutions in the event of an inflationary run? Say a similar scenario to the late 1970s manifested and double digit annual inflation popped up; can banks readjust loan conditions retroactively? Thanks!

Kenny, I don't disagree that Kung Flu should be the standard nomenclature...However, I think an argument could be made for: Sweet and Sour Sicken Wumonia Bat Soup Croup Flu Man Chu Communist Lung Herpes

Can anyone explain to me why these guys are unwilling to ruffle feathers at that point in their careers? They can't advance beyond their current position, and they're financially secure for the rest of their lives. All of them preach integrity, but not one is willing to fall on his sword (Integrity for you, career advancement for me). The best I can come up with is that these dudes think if they toe the line hard enough, they might get a shot at Chairman of JCS. That's pretty brazen to sacrifice your entire branch of service to maybe get one last promotion before you retire. I'm genuinely curious to hear everyone's thoughts.

Jon, Do you guys do "recasts?" Is it something you recommend? Are there special fees associated with doing a recast? Thanks in advance.

I'd take those latter stories with a grain of salt. I haven't heard of anyone getting brought into an interview only to not get offered a job because they flew for a specific regional. However, I do know plenty of folks that never got invited to an interview. The most likely cause is that within the regional community, there's 10,000 dudes with the same exact resumé; it's difficult to make yourself stick out amongst that crowd. Yet, you'll hear guys say, "I haven't gotten a call from UAL because I work for XYZ." Nah, bro; you haven't gotten called because you're a copilot with 1,800 hours, no PIC time, and each airline still has 12,000 applications on file. Probably the most important factor for you is going to a company that won't force you to commute. Also, not all bonuses come with strings attached. For a long while, bonuses at SkyWest didn't require you to sign any contracts. Don't know if that's still the case. PM if you need help with the process.

You're good without the book; you already went Mil to airline by flying at a regional, so you've got insights that someone coming from AD doesn't. Tangentially, my unsolicited advice (knowing what I know now) is to spend the extra time asking your homies what they do NOT like about their respective airline. This isn't a dig at anyone, but dudes coming off active duty have a very skewed perspective; most of them just got out of an abusive relationship with the Air Force, so no matter which company they end up at, life is SIGNIFICANTLY better. Since they've only seen the industry during a bull market, there are no apparent downsides. However, the O-5s in your SQ who've been playing this game for the last two decades can tell you what to be cautious of and what their airline is NOT bringing to the table compared to the others. Not that you haven't done this already; some folks here are unfamiliar with the process. Just my 2 cents; best of luck, man.

A toast 🍺

I came across this article today...What's wrong with the Air Force? We don't have more leaders like Col Andrews. Link to article

We lost a legend in the aviation community on Sunday. I believe Captain Al Haynes was the last surviving member of the flight crew that was aboard United 232 on 19 July 1989. Check Airman Denny Fitch passed away in May 2012. Godspeed, Captain Haynes. https://siouxcityjournal.com/multimedia/photos-look-backs-at-flight-through-the-years/collection_b0edddae-5428-5eff-b3a9-e747a548ecc3.html#17 https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/three-decades-after-flight-spencer-bailey----the/article_3208f16f-f01e-5ab6-9969-5a872a10c4c8.html https://whotv.com/2019/08/26/hero-captain-of-united-airlines-flight-232-dies/

Huggy, are you saying that the DoD could do a markedly better job at managing its almost trillion dollar annual budget? Does anyone have the shocked Pikachu meme handy? Maybe I'm biased due to my own cynicism. I agree with you and Clark in theory. In practice, even if there were one or two Flags that wanted to make that happen, it's not enough to turn the ship around. It's like Chuck Spinney said, "You can't simultaneously have high tech tinker toys AND have a high operational tempo." To bring this full circle: What's wrong with us? We're bankrupt of leadership. The people making the decisions on our behalf need to account for the fact that historically, even with a lower budget than we've got today, we were able to keep dudes flying 5 days a week.

Clark, it's a great idea in theory, but we have zero money for it. AFRC completely ran out of funding with almost two months left in the fiscal year...This trend will continue in perpetuity until one day we're bankrupt 1 month into a new fiscal year. The entire future of the USAF and its personnel has been mortgaged to a multi-decade unending conflict, the B-21, KC-46, and F-35. Management bought into the sales pitch from the contractors that all we need to win any future battle is just a few goldplated wonder machines, and future generations are footing the bill.

The vector we've been on for the last two decades is a function of skin in the game or lack there of. Flag officers have the veneer of authority without any culpability. Goldfein had a tremendous opportunity to right the ship when he first took his post. He could have outlined his expectations to the all of us and said non-compliance will be addressed ruthlessly. After his first 3 months in office, he should've made unannounced visits to the 3 largest wings of AMC, ACC, and AETC respectively. Once it became obvious to him that the intent he issued was not being taken seriously, he should have fired the OG, WG/CC, and NAF/CC of each base. I have a sneaking suspicion when he came back for his next visit, things would look different at most wings. From there we could find creative ways to implement the optimum way to handle or completely jettison non-essential "training." It's nauseating to watch these Flags act like all of this is rocket surgery. The timidity that management exhibits when forced to make even the most benign decision is embarrassing...I don't have a lot of answers for how to fix our problems, but I know for sure that traipsing around in your Gulfstream just to tell your CGOs that your hands are tied is not what will stanch this gushing arterial wound.

Boys, has anyone here had any success or messed with real estate crowdfunding? The research I've done has come up a bit short.

Any updates, Duck?

I bet the real reason is that Emirates' pilots "are not provided the opportunity for meaningful leader development."

Just a heads up, the new tax laws changed some rules on alimony deductions: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/under-trumps-tax-plan-divorces-are-about-to-get-a-lot-nastier-2017-11-03

Fellas, anyone here gotten picked up by AA in the last year? Looking for some interview gouge.