Leaderboard

Recognize that when people feel compelled to say “officer first” they usually mean “aspire to be a leader,” and don’t understand how that works in the flying world. Also realize that the type of leadership that happens in combat aviation is inaccessible to those who haven’t spent years studying combat aviation. A non-rated Captain with many subordinates may see a rated Captain with none and assume that the rated captain isn’t a leader. They don’t see the briefs with hundreds of pages worth of information conveyed in 65 plus or minus five minutes. They don’t see the planning process in which the mission commander coordinates for every domain, service, and discipline of physics to achieve a goal handed to him by the Army four star. They don’t see the split second decision-making that will drive success or failure. They don’t see the meaningful eye contact when you go over something one last time because ing it up will be a disaster. They see a tired Captain with messy hair, who’s never officially supervised anybody and therefore can’t possibly be a leader. That’s not the non-rated officer’s fault; their exposure is movies about aerial combat that’s portrayed more like boxing than war. Give them time, and they’ll get it eventually... or they won’t, and they’ll be sent to tell you that aircrew aren’t leaders. Be a leader; scoff the people who want you to prove it in a silly way. Fly, fight, and win. Don’t apologize for it.

As I think back, it seems like Kage has always been setting the example. All he ever wanted to be is a fighter pilot. We both put our names up for ENJJPT. I didn’t make the cut, and he was an alternate, even though he had a strong package (sts). I remember I was kinda bummed, but it didn’t seem to phase him. He was already focused on the next thing with a smile on his face. In UPT he was a few classes ahead, and every time I saw him I would bother him with questions. Didn’t matter what was going on, he would take the time to talk with me. I used his instrument gouge in T-6s where he effectively summarized the entire 217 into an easy-to-study format. It must’ve taken him forever to write. He was the same way in 38s, never too busy to give me advice. Truthfully, I looked up to him as a pilot. He was a natural talent, worked his ass off, and knew his stuff cold. His passing has made me think about the example that I have set for others, and whether I would be so lucky to be remembered the same way. We lost a good one. A toast 🥃

Update... after hooking two and getting on cap, flew every day this week and got good’s on all the rides. So off cap and feeling good before my solo. Appreciate all the help on here, I think something worth mentioning is being able to consistently fly was a huge plus. great community, you rock!

B courses have been cut down for years, and yes, the general product has lagged behind preceding years. Lots of kicking the can down the road to the CAF. So, it’s the entire AETC pipeline that’s a problem, not just one part. It’s also not as much the tactical employment part that is concerning, it’s the general airmanship that’s alarming (decision making, risk mitigation, SA, basic flying tasks like instrument approaches, etc.) As I’ve said before, the naturally strong swimmers persevere and overcome quickly, but the average guys lag the fight and it takes way too many “concerning” flight hours until you have a reasonable amount of faith they’re not going to kill themselves or someone else. This is a common viewpoint amongst the experienced members in the CAF. I’m not speculating on what happened at SW or LN, but I won’t be surprised if this type of stuff is a CF, yet is summarily ignored and swept under the rug by “leadership.” Now for you ACC (that’s right, you’re not innocent in this), the quality/quantity of training is bullshit. When I was a LT-young Capt in the viper, I got about 269 hrs/yr in training (not accounting for any combat hours). I now see the same aged guys (who have had alarmingly less AETC training than I got) get 40-50% less flying. Our sims are also dumpster fires. The mission complexity and difficulty has increased significantly over this same time period. You want us to do something well beyond combing the desert (and not finding shit), get fucked! Organize, train, and equip...how do you think you’re doing ACC? Maybe some serious introspection is on order. And I haven’t even had my first beer today...time to go fish and lower my blood pressure. (“You’re cool” directed at the bros executing the training mission)

“We need 69 min POL before you can drop $100k worth of weapons on this desolate pile of rocks”.

Grindr profile pics

There is no measurable or attainable stipulations for withdrawal in their proposal. It’s just a vague “it can’t threaten us” that will be used to oppose anyone who tries to stop sending our kids to die in a pointless conflict that started before they were even born and accomplishes nothing. Anyone who actually supports troops in Afghanistan is part of the problem in our government and military. There isn’t a good reason to be there, or a good outcome, Russia and now the US has proven that.

Your old DO had it out for you and your current chain does as well? Is it possible that this was a straw that broke the camels back situation? I’d recommend you look up a guy named Rick Rynearson and explain it to him. You’ll get all the legal advice you can stand.

Be delegating responsibility to the squadrons. There is no reason for waivers or approvals to require an O-6 approval. Let Commanders be commanders, give them the power to run things the way they see fit, tell them the only reason to bother the O-6 is if they need something, and get rid of all the pointless meetings (most of which can be accomplished with an email).

Let’s not forget.. when the Bobs say AMC is overmanned, it’s because they lowered the crew ratios..

Simply offering help to an obviously innocent victim of a toxic command environment with the constitutional white knight that we all need in these troubling times.

Why is your commander having a Shirt verbally counseling an officer?

That place is a shithole, who gives a shit who controls that wretched place. Let's GTFO now.

Not gonna argue about their personal techniques of weapons handling but when you are threatened with physical violence on your own property by an unruly mob violating private property you have the right to self defense to include deterrent actions like showing said violent illegal mob you have the capability and intent to use lethal force so go back to whatever shithole or x-grievance studies department you came from. They ignored Private Property signs, destroyed a locked iron gate, used vulgar and violent language threatening the couple and their property to include an innocent pet. If they want to protest the mayor fine but if the mayor lives on a private drive not open to the public then tough shit you’ll have to find somewhere else to be noisy, ignorant and delusional. Gun owner and homeowner myself and if they got any closer to them while gathered in numbers to intimidate and were threatening them they would have had every right to drop them. Cute move to try to belittle them by pointing out they were shoeless when they were surprised at home just as they were sitting down to dinner, there’s a photo of a soldier at a FOB fighting in pink boxers as the Taliban attacked and he was lionized and loved for it I wonder why that’s not the case now? you fight with what you have on when the enemy surprise you, they didn’t retreat and didn’t back down, I think that’s what’s really pissing off the D’s and media, someone finally pushed back, I hope it happens more. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think the hardest problem operating in this whole thing from a Military Orders and Mission Command perspective is the people with Birds/Stars on shoulders/Sleeves that are supposed to be making the play calls for us to take guidance from have all backed away from any decisions that have to be made. The reason they are doing that is the last great example of somebody with a Bird/Star sacking up and saying “this is my call as a commander and I’m making it,” got publicly fired out of a cannon and his Carrier taken away. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

F that keep zapping shit

Baseops, like most military social circles, is an echo chamber of people who have never had their views confronted. You ever sit back and just let the irony that you all live and work in a socialist paradise wash over you? Once you're in, your job is secure (you face no chance of an immediate layoff, and the VAST majority of people can make it to 20-40 years if they want to), your healthcare is paid for, you get an affordable housing allowance based on your status in the system (oh and it changes based on where you are in America), you have a perception that budget doesn't matter (who cares how much that FHP or those TVs costs, just fly it and buy it so we get more money next year), you get basically guaranteed promotions that are based more on timing than on merit, you're handed a ridiculous retirement package that requires no self-involvement or contributions, the worst workers are paid the same as the best, you get paid when a pandemic causes you not to work at all for weeks, you get regular wage increases that keep up with or exceed inflation, you have 30 days of paid leave a year. The military organization keeps hundreds of thousands of people on payroll (in a money bleeding way) just in case they need them, paying them way more than the value we get out of them (the vast majority of the military is a self-licking ice cream cone when we aren't at real war). The military system is the antithesis to self-reliance, meritocracy, accountability, ROI, or profitability. But it sure is nice to be in it right now when the system out there isn't taking care of people.

Fuck there's 4 verses? What the shit?!?

So, if any AF leaders are reading this, and wondering what the rank-and-file mean when they cite "cancerous leadership" as their reason for leaving the military...

Run to the ADC. Admit no guilt. Talk to none to no one else. write a rebuttal with the ADC.

My .02 cents as a former T-38 and A/OA-10 IP. If you are interested in working hard and improving, your IPs are interested in working as hard or harder for your improvement. If you don't care or give up, they will care for a little while then they will give up. So, stay in the fight and keep busting your butt, asking questions, asking for help. I was always impressed by the hard working students that didn't quit so I didn't quit them. What happened yesterday or 6.9 seconds ago is history. Easier to say than execute but don't let past mistakes create future mistakes. You have a jet to fly NOW and a mission to complete. You can discuss errors/corrections in the debrief. Never walk away from a debrief without a thorough understanding of what went wrong and how to fix it AND, as importantly, what went right to reinforce that knowledge/skill set.

I feel ya. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’ll just leave this here.

In that case, by your own words, unfortunately you and I are not able to be fellows, friends, etc., and that sucks. I don't agree to that deal. I'll regularly talk politics with people and my friend group is split fairly evenly between more conservative military types and more liberal neighbors and college friends. Amongst all of them, I've honestly never talked with someone, let alone a fellow servicemember, who was crouched so defensively in his or her own position that they would say things like what you wrote above. Some of the guys & gals in my current unit are among the most die-hard right-wing Trump supporters I think likely exist, but there is always common ground, there are many shared beliefs and values, and we are friends. I refuse to believe that any honestly-felt differences on politics or policy or even values are so great as to put us in the situation you describe. Even though I'm not religious per se, I've pledged allegiance to the idea that our nation would be, "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all," and I'm having a hard time squaring your above statements with that same pledge I'm sure you also said many times. Not trying to attack you with any of this, but real talk, I'm genuinely sad about what you're saying here and the mindset that led you to say what you did. I'm telling you all this out of respect too, because to say nothing would be to abandon you to the very division and discord you seem to not only accept, but even promote. My view is that we cannot be separate if we want to remain equal. We need people to do the hard work of finding common ground now more than at any previous time in my lifetime and I want to be able to look myself in the mirror and know that I'm trying my best to heal rather than divide. I hope you will reconsider.

Appreciate the discussion on the Nordic model but my intent wasn’t to derail the thread. Rather, I wanted to present an example of how flawed the debate process is in our society as of late. Media, whether “liberal” or “conservative” tends to present extreme examples of the other side as representative of what that side is advocating. The BLM protests are a great example. Liberal media seems to focus on and present long standing deficiencies in police departments as representative of all police, all the time. Conservative media seems to want to present all protesters as a highly organized ANTIFA mob bent on systemically burning down the suburbs now that they’ve gutted downtown Seattle and Minneapolis. Of course, neither narrative is true. Media is shaping the debate based on its own interest: increasing viewership through sensationalism. We are all being played here and in the process we are losing the ability to have an effective debate and worse, losing the ability to be civil and treat each other with respect. I may lean to the liberal side of the spectrum, but I don’t see my conservative friends as the enemy. Just like me, they want this country to be In a better place. We just happen to disagree at times on how to get there.

If it wasn't such a clown world, I would think we are being trolled.

I'd rather smoke a "joint" while holding the rank of "Mr." than deal with any of the bullshit above haha.

Fuck yeah...that’s about the only thing that will matter to anyone when they’re having a beer on their porch at age 69, unless they were a careerist douche, then they’re drinking zima on their porch alone, lamenting “their” staff job they never got. There are lots of bros who probably should have been given a DFC, etc., but what went down was glossed over as “just doing their job.” The good, and even the bad, memories are all that matter in the end, not what job was held, school attended, or even airframe flown. Here’s to wiping shitbags off the face of this earth!

A story from the U-28 within AFSOC. The U-28 flies more combat hours annually than every other AFSOC MWS combined. This was brought up for bullet writing on OPR/PRF and the Bob said that those hours are “different” and “don’t count as much” as a CV-22 guy. Also, the U-28 community hasn’t been around long enough to get a purebred Sq/CC (about to change) and above. As such, it’s natural for the single engine doctor plane with some sensors on it to be pushed to the side in favor of AC/MC-130 or CV-22 people. Additionally, not a single DFC has been rewarded to a U-28 aircrew member. There are many, many missions where Draco crews have done outstanding work to save friendlies on the ground and some fantastic work in the counter VEO fight, but no DFC. Reason? “They’re just doing their job”. This includes the most meritorious military sortie of the entire year in the entire Air Force (https://www.afsoc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2020763/u-28a-draco-crew-receives-2018-mackay-trophy/). During that same time, over 2 dozen AC-130 crew members were awarded DFC’s (https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/05/14/distinguished-flying-crosses-awarded-to-23-ac-130-crew-members/). Those guys absolutely deserved to be recognized for their awesome job on the referenced missions. However, it’s just an interesting comparison. I think a big part of the lack of Draco recognition comes from classification of certain missions, but it’s still unfortunate. U-28 people get school and other jobs, but there is definitely a outsider feel to the community. I don’t have a quantifiable comparison, unfortunately. However, the mission satisfaction and impact you get to have against some really bad people is amazing.

Thought this video was interesting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evhrk5tY-Yo&feature=youtu.be

A good start would be getting rid of the 24 hours new....err...entertainment media. I'm all for the press, but the mainstream 24 hour media sensationalizing every little thing that happens, is where molehills are made into mountains.

Just like moving forward forces out of Syria to avoid the cross fire of a NATO “ally” and Russian forces was fought tooth and nail by people who didn’t want us there in the first place... so will this be a “OMG Trump” issue. They want to leave, but they have to oppose leaving until they like the conditions/plan. Fact of the matter is they will never approve of any executable plan Trump has, but they know they can sport bitch the whole time and oppose him while he will leave because it’s what he said and what they oppose. They both get to play to their respective bases and make political talking points and YouTube clips for campaigning. Meanwhile we get to finally stop pissing away combat power and attrition the force no matter which group of political talking heads “wins.” Let’s do this. If I ever go back to Afghanistan it will be too damn soon. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Last time I was there it seemed to be based on how many little rocks we could make out of big rocks.

I’m all for taking a critical look at the training pipeline, but let’s take a step back from the ‘jump to conclusions’ game and see what the actual causes are of this rash of fighter accidents. Mechanical failure, maintenance practices, weather, human factors, or training could all be possible factors. Let’s give the investigating teams time to do their job and then address their findings with the proper focus and effort.

I look forward to acting like I know the words and mumbling incoherently in rhythm at the next official event.

Was asked the other day by a kook liberal friend (but I repeat myself), "What are you doing, Brick, to adopt the new social consciousness that America is developing?" "I carry a reload now," I answered. They were not amused. I was...

At Manas years ago some idiot called crew rest for people walking up and down the hallway in one of the dorms with those pants on making too much noise.

Pilot or bust.

https://mobile.twitter.com/48FighterWing/status/1272828085285593088 Pilot identified. Kage taught my 9 year old’s Sunday school class while he was a student. Such a wonderful person. Always smiling and always happy. Lost too soon.

Why does the healthcare discussion always revolve around public vs private funding of the same bill instead of figuring out how to lower the bill? There is a missing root cause analysis discussion. All we hear are the simple 30s sound bites that conform to the party line.

Gotta give that DP to the next 1-below. Don't worry, he's got it. AF never gets it wrong. PS - Retirement fucking rules.

LOL, comments are turn off for the youtube video, but the comments on the article are great. One poster instantly jumps to the "she was pregnant because she was raped," card. You know, because the only way girls in the military get pregnant is through rape... Total hit job, and she's not wrong. She's right that it's just a small portion of people, but it's not just women. A Chief friend is deployed right now and, just in the last week, has had 7 people fall out of their deployments. One girl has already been extended almost 3 months as the 4th replacement just fell off for one reason or another. We had a NCO that has been in for nearly 20 years and has NEVER deployed. She finally gets told she has to deploy and turns into a total train wreck because, "she can't be away from her kids that long." Guess who didn't deploy due to a sudden onset of migraines about a month before deployment... I'm continually amazed at the number of unplanned pregnancies and new found ailments that miraculously pop up just prior to a deployment. Edit: Just chatted with my Chief buddy. He said one of his sections only has 19 people and in that section alone (just in the last week), 5 people fell out of their deployment.

Even better, I’ve been both PT and FT with the flight pay change and still get 6-9 paychecks/mo regardless of status. Why is it so hard for support functions to do their job effectively. The way they operate, I’d be GAB-ing 90% of my sorties due solely to pilot error/incompetence. The other 5% would be something truly out of my control, and the remaining 5% I’d get airborne and summarily expect everyone to be stoked and thank me for a job well done.

How you can defend those fucks are beyond me, but as usual you are blinded in thinking they are "peaceful protesters" equating them to the civil rights movement of the 1960s. While their tactics suck, those homeowners had every right to defend their property. Anyone who has watched the news over the past few weeks knows how these "protesters" become looters in a heartbeat. Honestly, every time you post, I picture you kneeling...

Tex, Do you think you made a mistake? If so, which? I know we like to get spun up about how dysfunctional our system is. AND IT IS! But! [still not a lawyer] This is not and never will be a test case at the Supreme Court. This is an administrative action for a lapse of judgement. The fact that this conversation is happening is evidence of that. You could try to sue and threaten to your heart’s content, but if your CC wants to give you a referral because in his opinion (and what will be the military’s official opinion) you don’t meet standards then it’s going to happen. Honestly, it sounds like you don’t believe that what you said was a mistake. Step one in making this better for you is understanding why so many people are upset. Step two is internalizing that. If you can’t: fake it. Step three is demonstrating that you have the ability not to make racist or sexist remarks that might discredit the military. In my opinion, your ADC’s advice of falling on your sword and taking full responsibility was your best chance. If your rebuttal tried to claim misinterpretation, you’re fooked. Sorry dude, it sucks. There are some things you can’t say in the wrong place. If troll: nicely done.

When does it turn into Lord of the Flies? Is there a warlord? Man, what a time to be alive! /sarcasm I'm not sure how much to trust my memory of the 90's when I was in HS, but subjectively it feels like America has changed a ton since there. And not for the better. 1) Limited media outlets limit opposing views (I'm no liberal but I did read Chomsky's Manufactering Consent, and it talks about this). 2) The echo chamber of social media where people make decisions based on groupthink and their feelings as opposed to facts and logic*. 3) Big tech companies (FB, Google, YouTube etc...) filtering their content politically, selectitvely. 4) The hijacking of language, to the point where it is not possible to disucuss things as they are. The actual truth becomes impossible to dig out, which makes already difficult problems impossible to solve. 5) Academia (colleges) imparting their ideals on an entire generation of Americans. I went to the Academy so I feel like this isn't something I have witnessed first hand, but I have absolutely seen the effects. All my previously farily conservative relatives come out of college with all these wacky liberal ideas and views that don't seem to be grounded in reality at all*. *These two points I think are related. One of the root causes of our countries problems right now is falling back to our emotions and using emotions over logic to address our problems. College is supposed to teach the opposite. It's like we are evolving the wrong way (Behave by Sapolsky talks a lot about how are brains differ from lower animals, and basically our greatest tool is critical thinking, animals rely heavily on emotion - you shouldn't need to read a book though to realize this!) I realize that I am preaching to the choir, but I am much more concerned about our country than I have ever been. The division will be our downfall. The 1st amendment (censorship, COVID assembly bans), 2nd (talk of more gun control), 4th (mass survellence and contact tracing "justified" by COVID)... Ugly times.

This right here is what is wrong with our society today. The people who are offended by everything, or offended for others, have taken over and are driving this crazy train. Just like the "if it saves one life," people wrt to covid.

This has quickly become one of the most useful threads in this forum. So much wisdom here. Should be required reading for new studs. Except the AOB/VSI thing.