Dream Sheet Advice

[BR_MIST]

Currently at UPT and starting to think about a dream sheet. Unfortunately ole' COVID has really hampered operational guys from stopping by so I can pick their brains. I'm AD and I came from a Viper guard unit (enlisted but I did interview). I enjoy flying but as much fun as fighters would be, I'm pretty sure I don't want to spend my days in a vault. Looking for advice on any of the following:

U-27 and 28s

CV-22

130 (SOCOM)

ISR 135s

U-2

B-52

T-38A (to my understanding this is considered a pre-22 assignment?)

 

I greatly appreciate any insight. 

[SurelySerious]

That is a terrible list for not wanting to spend time in a vault. 

[BR_MIST]

2 minutes ago, SurelySerious said:

That is a terrible list for not wanting to spend time in a vault. 

These are the MWS I know the least about.

[12xu2a3x3]

go talk to IPs who've flown them

[12xu2a3x3]

reference this thread

[Danger41]

I’m very interested in what you find out about the U-27.

[SurelySerious]

3 minutes ago, Danger41 said:

I’m very interested in what you find out about the U-27.

I believe it is used by Soviet bloc countries in the Indian Ocean to conduct special operations and anti-surface warfare.  It has a wide range of capabilities, to include detecting and tracking carrier groups as well as employing the Exocet ASM.

[dream big]

4 hours ago, BR_MIST said:

Currently at UPT and starting to think about a dream sheet. Unfortunately ole' COVID has really hampered operational guys from stopping by so I can pick their brains. I'm AD and I came from a Viper guard unit (enlisted but I did interview). I enjoy flying but as much fun as fighters would be, I'm pretty sure I don't want to spend my days in a vault. Looking for advice on any of the following:

U-27 and 28s

CV-22

130 (SOCOM)

ISR 135s

U-2

B-52

T-38A (to my understanding this is considered a pre-22 assignment?)

 

I greatly appreciate any insight. 

Tankers are your best bet if you don’t want to spend much time in the vault.  Virtually every aircraft in the inventory requires time in the vault; that is if you want to operate the mission well.

[D-ron]

You're basing your dream sheet on not spending time in a vault? If you fly a tanker, you will spend just as much time flying orbits in the sky on autopilot as a fighter or bomber guy spends in the vault. The difference is, you won't get to blow shit up when you do fly.

Whoever is giving you advice is a retard. Find a respected IP in your squadron and get some mentoring.


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[12xu2a3x3]

Or do widebody ISR, we have both endless orbiting and endless vault study (optional-ish)

[Bigred]

After flying 14 different types of aircraft over almost 16 years, I’ve learned everyone flies circles, just at different altitudes. My advice is to pick something that lets you blow something up at the end of said circle. 

[ThreeHoler]

Tankers are your best bet if you don’t want to spend much time in the vault.  Virtually every aircraft in the inventory requires time in the vault; that is if you want to operate the mission well.

Not so true moving forward. Tankers will need lots more time in the vault even though the community doesn’t want to go that way.

[Genghis John]

3 hours ago, Danger41 said:

I’m very interested in what you find out about the U-27.

wtf is a U-27

[Homestar]

7 minutes ago, Genghis John said:

wtf is a U-27

Successor to the MiG-28

[Hawg15]

If you don’t want to spend time in a vault then FAIP. KCs, C-17(if you don’t airdrop/SOL)/21/5s are about the only ops aircraft that wont require much vault time, or really even much mission planning and debriefing. Anything kinetic, ISR, or the what support kinetic assets (airdrop, FARP, etc) will be spending time in a vault.

Edited August 13, 2020 by Hawg15

[ayz33]

1 hour ago, Genghis John said:

wtf is a U-27

Hemingway once saw one near Havana

[tac airlifter]

OP: the Air Force no longer refers to 208 derivatives as a U-27, and to my knowledge you can’t drop a 208 out of UPT.

 

[Squirt]

I fly T-38a right now and for the couple years you’ll do it you won’t have much vault time (unless you choose to).  Your follow on is needs of the AF.  It used to be a fast track to F-22 but now they can get: F22, F35, F16, F15, and A-10.  I’ve seen guys get all of them.  All of those will spend time in a vault, but if you’re going to be trapped by the AF doing something I’d rather be learning how to kill people and break things than how to fly a perfect AR circle or where to best fly in the WX to screw the fighter guys.  I spent a fair amount of time in the vault but it was good living.  
 

Unless of course it’s because you have security clearance gremlins you don’t want to address....

[nsplayr]

Just put MQ-9s #1...you can actually fly your airplane from inside the vault! You never have to / get to leave!

/sarcasm

Real advice:

• Talk to more IPs - actively seek out ones that fly the things you're unclear about
• DM specific people here if you know their backgrounds, and overall...
• Pick the mission you think sounds the coolest
  • Lifestyle-wise, you'll honestly have no idea and will be basing any perceived preferences on what one guy/gal told you at the bar sometime which is a terrible way to make life decisions. Then...
• Bloom wherever you're planted

To my advice above, I'm happy to talk U-28s with you via DM if you'd like. Good luck!

[BeefBears]

SOCOM and AFSOC are two very different things.  Also, I would consider which bases your aircraft are stationed at and the ops tempo.  Hurlburt/Cannon and Barksdale/Minot are not the top of places to live.

A lot of the less sexy aircraft spend their time breaking in awesome foreign locations and staying in 5 star hotels while making a lot more money in per diem.  I can't lie that I was slightly jealous after the 10th time I stayed in a tent in the desert with a barely functional AC unit.  People are always going to emphasize how cool their mission is at the bar.

Edited August 14, 2020 by BeefBears

[BR_MIST]

Thank you for all the responses! Clearly I overstated my aversion to vault time haha. When I interviewed at the ANG viper unit the fighter life style just didn't seem for me, that's all. Obviously I'm sure it's different between the various air frames. I have three cousins flying a viper, C-17, and a BUFF. The C-17 and BUFF appeal more to me just from talking to them.

Everything else is on that list because I've had a very difficult time finding info on them. One of the guys I went to OTS with was involved on the civilian side with the certification etc of the U-27/208 and the things he was allowed to share were hilarious in some case and awesome in others.

BeefBears, thanks for that. I meant AFSOC, I understand there is a difference. Are you working with them? Would you be willing to talk over DM?

[BR_MIST]

2 hours ago, Squirt said:

I fly T-38a right now and for the couple years you’ll do it you won’t have much vault time (unless you choose to).  Your follow on is needs of the AF.  It used to be a fast track to F-22 but now they can get: F22, F35, F16, F15, and A-10.  I’ve seen guys get all of them.  All of those will spend time in a vault, but if you’re going to be trapped by the AF doing something I’d rather be learning how to kill people and break things than how to fly a perfect AR circle or where to best fly in the WX to screw the fighter guys.  I spent a fair amount of time in the vault but it was good living.  
 

Unless of course it’s because you have security clearance gremlins you don’t want to address....

No gremlins see above. Follow on could be any fighter or anything in the inventory? Say I wanted to go AFSOC or heavies?

[BR_MIST]

8 hours ago, 12xu2a3x3 said:

Or do widebody ISR, we have both endless orbiting and endless vault study (optional-ish)

I really wouldn't mind Offut. I have heard it's a small community that's pretty tight-knit with good people.

[Hawg15]

2 hours ago, BR_MIST said:

No gremlins see above. Follow on could be any fighter or anything in the inventory? Say I wanted to go AFSOC or heavies?

It will be a fighter. You’re in ACC at that point. They aren’t going to release you to hop around majcoms without a legitimate reason, usually medical/ejection seat DQ. If you don’t want to fly fighters then I can promise you that you don’t want anything in AFSOC. They have the same mentality/culture setup, but are extremely overworked and always gone, unlike fighters. 
 

Also, if you’re in T-38s then you are 99.69% likely not going to receive anything AMC besides the herc. 

Edited August 14, 2020 by Hawg15

[CDAWG]

Currently at UPT and starting to think about a dream sheet. Unfortunately ole' COVID has really hampered operational guys from stopping by so I can pick their brains. I'm AD and I came from a Viper guard unit (enlisted but I did interview). I enjoy flying but as much fun as fighters would be, I'm pretty sure I don't want to spend my days in a vault. Looking for advice on any of the following:
U-27 and 28s
CV-22
130 (SOCOM)
ISR 135s
U-2
B-52
T-38A (to my understanding this is considered a pre-22 assignment?)
 
I greatly appreciate any insight. 

Here is what you should be asking your IP’s.

Where do you deploy too, how often did you deploy, what bases can you go too. I had a crusty Iron Major as an instructor once tell me to look around the school house and ask the junior captains why they were at a training base so early on in their career. Many people don’t want to leave their op squadrons after their first tour. That should tell you something about their community.

As a pilot on the RC-135 variants, there is not a whole lot of vault time in terms of you having your head in the books. Many aircraft besides the pointy nosed ones do their crew briefs in a vault to bring the discussion up to a Secret/Top Secret discussion. The RC-135 takes you to Gucci places such as: Okinawa, Alaska, England, Greece, Diego Garcia. You’ll make a bunch of money because you will be sitting alert at most of these places earning North of $100 per day. Their worst deployment location is Al Udeid in Qatar. This is not a bad location at all despite what you read on here. You will work with a large crew of officers and enlisted who are the ones doing the mission. You will essentially be a bus driver, but that’s not a bad thing. The RC-135 of all variants is a highly requested and useful airframe. If you go to an RC-135 variant you can expect to spend most of your career at Offutt AFB in Omaha Nebraska. You’ll have the opportunity to fly other airframes in the iron-triad (E-3, E-8, RC-135) if you so desire. Of those airframes, the RC-135 has the nicest cockpit, deployed locations, and gets the most money from the government.


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