Track Selects and Assignment Nights

[Ram]

Guys seem to forget that no matter what airplane you fly (besides UPT trainers) 96.9% of your flight time will be watching the autopilot fly in either circles (recce orbits, AR tracks, CAPs, etc) or in a straight line to/from your orbit, or to get the rubber dogshit from point A to point B.

Speak for yourself, herbivore. 

[StoleIt]

Guys seem to forget that no matter what airplane you fly (besides UPT trainers) 96.9% of your flight time will be watching the autopilot fly in either circles (recce orbits, AR tracks, CAPs, etc) or in a straight line to/from your orbit, or to get the rubber dogshit from point A to point B.

I wish my autopilot worked 96.9% of the time...

[stract]

what's an autopilot?

[Clark Griswold]

what's an autopilot?

Here's the original model:

[12xu2a3x3]

[PK...]

RUCKER 16-01

HH-60G x 2

UH-1N x 2

---

PK...

[Boomer6]

KEND 16-02

38s:

F-22

F-15C

F-16

A-10

B-52

T-6 FAIP

[KState_Poke22]

Off topic- Do MC-12 guard guys only track T-38s? 

Haven't heard of any straight to guard out of UPT guys going through UPT yet but generally non-fighter/bomber guard guys go T-1s with some exceptions. 

[11F]

KEND 16-02

38s:

F-22

F-15C

F-16

A-10

B-52

T-6 FAIP

Wow, the T-38 drops have been pretty sweet lately. It reminds me of the early 2000s.

[Duck]

Just wait... Calm before the storm.

[ColoradoAviator]

Just wait... Calm before the storm.

ETA until UPT direct to RPA returns to the -38 side of the house?  What's old is new and what's new is old...

[Duck]

Exactly.

[FishBowl]

Just wait... Calm before the storm.

I'm hoping that's not true, but it's unfounded hope. I've been in long enough to know nothing is sacred.

[BFM this]

meh...I'll bet my pogs against that, expecting even money that I'd be wrong.

While RPA is in the spotlight, the 11F manning problem hasn't gone away, and all efforts on that front have only shallowed the cinderblock glidepath.  But of course, I was in the camp that thought restarting UPT-direct was going full-retard, so what do I know?

[Duck]

The problem is going to be the B-Course funnel, same as back in 2009-2011 timeframe. We can easily output more T-38 students and even get guys through IFF relatively easy, the problem will be maxing out all the follow on training.

All this stuff is cyclical and AFPC isn't smart enough to plan far enough ahead and predict these shortages when they are blatantly obvious to even the casual observer.

I could tell you some easy ways to fix this but that's for another thread. Until then, expect more of the same, T-38 students will not be safe forever.

[Karl Hungus]

Buddy of mine is a UPT IP (not a FAIP).  Says there is a rumor going around that FAIPs will soon be RPA assignable. 

F that.

[Napoleon_Tanerite]

Already happening on the T-1 side, big backups on follow-on schoolhouses.  Depending on MDS it's not unusual to have 6+ months from UPT grad to a class start for follow-on training.  Part of the reason they've been dropping RPA to T-1s.  Also not sure about other bases, but CBM is doing flights for grad students when possible just to try to keep some semblance of skill set alive.

[Fuzz]

Already happening on the T-1 side, big backups on follow-on schoolhouses.  Depending on MDS it's not unusual to have 6+ months from UPT grad to a class start for follow-on training.  Part of the reason they've been dropping RPA to T-1s.  Also not sure about other bases, but CBM is doing flights for grad students when possible just to try to keep some semblance of skill set alive.

KEND did flights like that for the T-38 guys waiting on IFF. If there was an open seat on a formation they could go fly on it. Never heard of anything similar on the T-1 when I was there.

Buddy of mine is a UPT IP (not a FAIP).  Says there is a rumor going around that FAIPs will soon be RPA assignable. 

F that.

I would say that's stupid but then again AFPC seems to take that as a challenge and compliment.

[HU&W]

Buddy of mine is a UPT IP (not a FAIP).  Says there is a rumor going around that FAIPs will soon be RPA assignable. 

F that.

Why not?  It's not an uncommon second assignment for MWS guys.

[Lord Ratner]

Why not?  It's not an uncommon second assignment for MWS guys.

Because FAIP is thought of as an alpha tour. Going from FAIP to transient UAV pilot would mean they have zero experience in a normal community on their third tour.

Unless they are planning to permanently assign FAIPs to UAVs... Which would be truly brutal.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[TnkrToad]

Already happening on the T-1 side, big backups on follow-on schoolhouses.  Depending on MDS it's not unusual to have 6+ months from UPT grad to a class start for follow-on training.  Part of the reason they've been dropping RPA to T-1s.  Also not sure about other bases, but CBM is doing flights for grad students when possible just to try to keep some semblance of skill set alive.

 

KEND did flights like that for the T-38 guys waiting on IFF. If there was an open seat on a formation they could go fly on it. Never heard of anything similar on the T-1 when I was there.

Why is there such a backlog at mobility schoolhouses? Is the issue iron on the ramp or instructor availability? I suspect the latter.

- Looking at the ACP thread, I suspect the problem is a shortage of schoolhouse IPs. Indications are that force shaping and RPA nonvols gutted the now-3rd assignment 11M year groups . . . which would be the prime targets for schoolhouse IP assignments. If the problem is a shortage of experienced, quality 11M IPs, this is going to be difficult to unscrew. 4th+ assignment AD dudes are also in short supply, and I don't foresee the Air Force recruiting a whole lotta reservists to teach at Altus. I don't know where else we're going to get a critical mass of quality 11Ms for schoolhouse assignments.

- Different circumstances, but there is a precedent in T-1s for getting/keeping guys current before sending them off to MWS training. Early-90s year group guys who were "banked" (went through UPT, but since there were no openings in flying squadrons for them to fill when they graduated, they did non rated jobs for a few years) got a refresher course in T-1s/T-38s before heading off to IFF/their respective MWS schoolhouses. They were getting recurrent while "recats"--folks who did a nonflying tour before starting UPT--entered pilot training. The banked/recat program was a debacle that I hope the Air Force will never revisit.

TT

edited for minor wording change

Edited November 9, 2015 by TnkrToad

[Fuzz]

 

Why is there such a backlog at mobility schoolhouses? Is the issue iron on the ramp or instructor availability? I suspect the latter.

- Looking at the ACP thread, I suspect the problem is a shortage of schoolhouse IPs. Indications are that force shaping and RPA nonvols gutted the now-3rd assignment 11M year groups . . . which would be the prime targets for schoolhouse IP assignments. If the problem is a shortage of experienced, quality 11M IPs, this is going to be difficult to unscrew. 4th+ assignment AD dudes are also in short supply, and I don't foresee the Air Force recruiting a whole lotta reservists to teach at Altus. I don't know where else we're going to get a critical mass of quality 11Ms for schoolhouse assignments.

The C-17s are running about a month behind on every course right now (and most courses, outside of PIQ, are only 1-2 months). The C-17s lost a third of the FTU cadre to the VSP alone and every time I've come back, guys who were wearing 58th patches last time are now sporting reserve ones. This doesn't include a bunch that are actively trying to make the switch or just get out in general. The airdrop side of the house got hit pretty hard as well.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Fuzz

[POKESC17]

The C-17s are running about a month behind on every course right now (and most courses, outside of PIQ, are only 1-2 months). The C-17s lost a third of the FTU cadre to the VSP alone and every time I've come back, guys who were wearing 58th patches last time are now sporting reserve ones. This doesn't include a bunch that are actively trying to make the switch or just get out in general. The airdrop side of the house got his pretty hard as well.

Just finished ACIQ in the -17(requal but no requal class available so I jumped on an ACIQ course). Finished 3 days behind on Friday. 4 month course. I was the exception and like FUZZ said most classes are about a month + behind due to the reasons he stated.

[Fuzz]

 

Just finished ACIQ in the -17(requal but no requal class available so I jumped on an ACIQ course). Finished 3 days behind on Friday. 4 month course. I was the exception and like FUZZ said most classes are about a month + behind due to the reasons he stated.

You've been lucky my friend, I've seen only a couple people make it out of here in the usual time frame.

[Azimuth]

 

Why is there such a backlog at mobility schoolhouses? Is the issue iron on the ramp or instructor availability? I suspect the latter.

- Looking at the ACP thread, I suspect the problem is a shortage of schoolhouse IPs. Indications are that force shaping and RPA nonvols gutted the now-3rd assignment 11M year groups . . . which would be the prime targets for schoolhouse IP assignments. If the problem is a shortage of experienced, quality 11M IPs, this is going to be difficult to unscrew. 4th+ assignment AD dudes are also in short supply, and I don't foresee the Air Force recruiting a whole lotta reservists to teach at Altus. I don't know where else we're going to get a critical mass of quality 11Ms for schoolhouse assignments.

- Different circumstances, but there is a precedent in T-1s for getting/keeping guys current before sending them off to MWS training. Early-90s year group guys who were "banked" (went through UPT, but since there were no openings in flying squadrons for them to fill when they graduated, they did non rated jobs for a few years) got a refresher course in T-1s/T-38s before heading off to IFF/their respective MWS schoolhouses. They were getting recurrent while "recats"--folks who did a nonflying tour before starting UPT--entered pilot training. The banked/recat program was a debacle that I hope the Air Force will never revisit.

TT

edited for minor wording change

Going to Altus as a third assignment IP in the tanker isn't as good as people think it is.  The running joke when I was there was if you're the #1 tanker IP, that meant you're the #14 guy in the wing.  Your quality 11M IP is getting the hell out and joining the airline corps.  When I taught at Altus it wasn't uncommon (and seen a few times) for a CFIC candidate to receive orders to the FTU as an IP.  A lot of folks out of both MDS's at Altus chose that assignment because it was the lesser of two evils (RPA's).  The days of seeing the crusty Maj IP with a toilet bowl on his/her wings flying with young punks are being replaced by the upgraded at their first assignment and have little to no experience instructing.

You would be surprised with the amount of Reservists that Altus hired.  Though in a poor area it's not that far from OKC or Dallas/Ft. Worth.  A lot easier to commute to your airline job as opposed to be a Reservist at Laughlin commuting.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Azimuth