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At IPT now… If the goal is quantity, sure. If the goal is quality, there’s a lot to be desired. I’ll leave it at that in a public forum.

Sure. I’m an Academic/Sim IP and I fall in that boat. I had little to no desire to fly for the majors/cargo. One of the big reasons I took the job I currently have is job satisfaction; I like that I’m still contributing to my previous community. I also like that I’m home every night, the pay is good, and my location lines up with where I want to live. Guys instructing at IPT won’t be doing “fighter pilot shit”, they’ll be teaching Private/Instrument/Multi-Engine courses literally flying the same GPS approach using a G1000 to a full stop based on what several IPT’ers have conveyed. In this hypothetical world guys would have to be willing to relocate, have an CFI/II/MEI, and roll the dice on a contract program that is new at flight schools that can have their contract CNX’d at the government’s whim (has already happened in Arizona), all for not that much pay. Once again, there will be guys that would be willing to do it, there just won’t enough IMO to make a difference in the instruction at all the different flight schools.

I was a courseware author on the KC-46, and I'm currently a F-16 Flight Manual Manager. I've worked with a lot of retired military pilots in both airframe programs who had no desire to fly for the majors because they didn't want to bag drag through airports as an FO in the 40s-50s. A lot of fighter pilots don't want to go to the airlines and work at Lockheed with me because they like doing "fighter pilot shit" and not flying an ILS all the time.

The Air Force already has warrants for cyber. I think enlisted aviators and aircraft maintenainers that are CFIIs would be a good resource.

Minting warrants out of prior-rated E’s is a decent idea. They have a good amount of airmanship and could download a lot of knowledge to student pilots.

The morality of the general public, whether correct or incorrect, is going to prevent us from bringing the firepower needed for Iran to capitulate if this kicks off again. The administration vastly under-estimated the effort needed to succeed. We are world champs at converting tactical success into strategic loss.

Haha England tied Ghana.

In concept this isn't bad idea, devil is honestly in the money. There's not enough retired mil guys hanging around willing to work for the wages the government would offer. Sure there's a couple, but en-mass, the bodies just aren't there. And who can blame them? You'd have to be a pretty motivated retiree to trip-turn a DA20 in Texas heat or Florida humidity for peanuts compared to an airline or cargo gig. We're starting to get IPT students coming through the FTU I instruct at. The quality of previous instruction they received seems to vary quite widely. The guys that went through at Sky Warriors seem to get exposed to a more mil way of doing things; from what I understand there's several ex-mil guys there and the quality of instruction shows. Students that went through other locations tend to have lower (in some cases much lower) opinions of the training they received.

Yes, I’d recruit CFIs, Army WO pilots, prior rated Es, cast a wide net but be discerning on which fish you throw in the cooler… It would be a reasonable commitment (less than a commissioned officer) but they would have the same aero rating, that’s the kicker. Now while they are instructing they wanna get a degree and at the end of their commitment apply for an ARC or AD billet, more power to them, if they wanna punch and separate, thank you for your service. There would be some commissioned IPs still flying T-6s, supervisors and such, but the bulk of the IP cadre would be WOs. This would solve some manpower issues for the AF and fix the inconsistency in instructional quality described in the UPT Next thread.

In this context, WO = warrant officer. Where exactly is the AF getting these warrants? CFIs, cross training prior-rated enlisted folks?

What is a WO? Otherwise, I'm still unconvinced that the old way (T-41/T-37/T-38) was inferior to whatever is done these days.

This is where I see WOs fitting into the Line well. WOs recruited from aviation programs and with a specific initial career track, along with others. Basic flight instruction handing off to commissioned officer instructor pilots. UPT split into three phases: Flight screening. Contract CFIs and mil check pilots, PPL with INSTM rating, military only program, contract IPs only fly mil students, focused and consistent instructions. Basic phase. USAF WO IPs instruction. T-6 syllabus then a 30 hour ME course in a T-54. Advanced phase. Commissioned IPs in the T-7, track after formation phase. Fighter/bomber on to the T-7 and IFF, Crew/heavy to a 737 type and sim course.

I so hope it's 4. (Get down to business after the mid-terms) Our politicians are largely oblivious to the fact that their negative comments are watched closely by the IRGC and like many of our conflicts since 1945 our wars are not lost on the battlefield but in the court of public opinion. Iranian oil refining/transportation infrastructure needs to start having a run of industrial accidents especially after the first week in November.

Relax, it was a post with words and some sarcasm (call MX on your detectors), not a Kelis song, which ironically, is probably how a lot of MAGA is feeling right now on Trump.

Yahoo NewsThe Latest: Pentagon asks Congress for roughly $80 billio...The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the U.S. war against Iran, adding to an already sizable military spending boost sought by President Donald TrumOf course

I totally get the concerns about using civilian instructors without military experience. Maybe having them collaborate with retired military pilots could blend the best of both worlds for effective training.

News TWZTurkey’s ‘Fighter Drone’ Teamed With M-346 Fighter-Traine...The demonstrations put Turkey among a small group flight-testing advanced crewed-uncrewed teaming as air forces race to field collaborative combat aircraft. The demonstrations put Turkey among a small Noteworthy IMO for the rapid progress of Turkish indigenous tech / mil industry

No amount of defense spending and rearmament will fix the political rot (is that even a strong enough word) and public distrust of governing institutions in the UK (and most of Western Europe). They need new weapons and an industrial base to match, but how much does the average Brit care about 5th Gen fighters or recapitalizing the naval fleet when their cities have quite literally been overrun with hostile foreigners?

Yeah I know, and I’m saying he’s full of shit (he does care about the midterms). We’re in agreement.

Pressure tends to focus the mind, with the US and Western Europe growing apart I think they will probably get something going. Really they have the industrial base but it’s the will and willingness to keep it realistic, focused and with enough of everyone’s core requirements met to keep it on track. This was a good pod on the matter and what went sideways, spoiler alert: the French aren’t easy to work with. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/whats-next-for-the-luftwaffe-after-fcas-collapse/id840308131?i=1000772925372

Over/under hegseth makes it to the mid terms?

Read, boy. Read!

He literally said he didn't care about the midterms in that video.

I think its more likely that Israel convinced Trump and his Tards that this was imminently necessary right now, but maybe someone untarded enough eventually figured out that its not quite the case. And the following edits to the list items I think are likely 1. Our position of leverage was greatly overblown by Tards, or more likely, the Tards didn't have a full plan, were way out of their depth, didn't understand the adversary, and thought they could mean tweet their way to victory. 4. We’re taking a full-time, big ol fat fucking LOSS because the Tards think it will preserve the midterms, and then they'll just forget this whole Iran thing after that.

Shack. 4 definitely, 5 maybe, and 2 exacerbating the whole thing.