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I fly a little Titan Tornado S now and it is a blast. It's a full light weight metal aircraft with only 80hp (Rotax 912) but it will do a loop, actually more of an oval ellipse since it barely gets over the top and kind of falls off the back side. It cruises at C-172 speeds and has 2 seats in tandem and a stick rather than a yoke. A fun little experimental that carries about as much (600 lbs - that includes the 15 gallons of fuel) as its empty weight (~620lbs). The reason I chose it is that the front seat height is pretty much even with the seat in my wheelchair (I'm paralyzed now so can't use feet/legs) and the rudder and brakes were easy to modify so that I can use my hands to operate all flight controls. Never consciously thought about how much I would miss flying until it was taken away for a little while. The first picture was when I test flew one before I bought mine, the second shot is my plane shot from a friends plane.

Hey y'all, I was a little more active on here a few years back when applying to guard units but have lurked off & on since then. I live in Houston where, as most are aware, we had some pretty gnarly flooding from Hurricane Harvey. As shitty as the situation has been for so many in the area, it has largely brought out the best in people. My wife and I were lucky enough to be spared from anything serious, but homes just a few blocks away were inundated with floodwater. Watching USCG helicopters snag folks from rooftops just a few streets over was pretty surreal. The other day, I watched a -130 refueling a couple pavehawks directly over my neighborhood. I grew up around AF bases, so seeing aircraft overhead is something I'm pretty used to. Watching them putting in serious work to help save lives was something new entirely. With that said, I'm sure more than a few of you on here have been involved, either directly or indirectly, with rescue, recovery, and aid efforts in response to the storm. On behalf of everyone in Houston and SE Texas, I just wanted to say thanks. If you've ever in the area, let me know and beers are on me.

Every person has a unique situation and at the end of the day I strongly encourage each person to follow the path that provides the most happiness and satisfaction to both you AND your family. Honestly I did not put as much thought into the “after” plan as I should have. I’ve invested well and don’t need to work, but as I got closer I decided I still wanted to avoid becoming a sloth and do something meaningful, at least for a few years. I hit the button a year in advance and the airline gig was really heating up, with over 4,000 hours TT and 2500+ IP time I thought it was a no-brainer, I could work part-time make decent cash and have the travel benefit for my family. I obviously have many bros at Delta and Fedex and they shared the good and the bad, so I decided to make that plan A. My plan had two basic flaws that were mistakes on my part, not insurmountable, but still limitations I needed to overcome. 1. I had been sitting at a desk for the last two years NOT flying. 2. I had not completed my ATP and now had to do the ATP/CTP course. I started flying private again and signed up for the CTP deal (what a complete waste), and built my application on airline apps. I hit the apply button with the written complete and provided updates with the CTP complete, new hours flown and finally added my ATP practical two weeks after my retirement ceremony. When I hit the last update button with the ATP complete I thought, “ok the phone will ring any day now”…it did not. Luckily I talked to a lot of folks (including Rainman), and I had a plan B that I was also working. There are MANY resources for vets and Rainman walked me through several I had never heard of which, one really really helped (http://www.acp-usa.org/). In very short order I was contacted about several positions, I had not applied to any of them, all word of mouth through my network. I made it to the final two for a very senior job and was a bit relieved when I did not get it (location). Over the course of a month I interviewed with several major defense contractors, with Google, with one of the largest food production companies, and with a major university. I don’t want this to turn into a dissertation but I learned some valuable lessons. 1. Industry is STARVED for leadership. 2. Industry professes to love Vets but in reality they are very concerned about them. Many think every Vet has PTSD. 3. Most jobs come from contacts and networking. 4. Industry has all the same problems and BS the military has. As a SQ/CC, Grp/CC, Wg/CC I had to deal with DUIs, Rapes, theft and other buffoonery. I have encountered many of the same issues at my current level in Industry. After a flurry of interviews things went quiet for a while which was EXTREMELY frustrating. Industry hiring moves at a glacial pace and I began to contemplate outright retirement. I was REALLY shocked the airlines hadn’t called and am honestly still somewhat perplexed by that fact. I have since learned how important recency is to the majors, I get it they are the pros, but it does not make sense to me. When I returned to fly as a O-5 it took two weeks to requal. When I returned as an O-6 I was scheduled for 10 rides, I did three rides and proficiency advanced to my checkride as a mission IP. I was flying civilian but still had less than 100 hours in the last six months…oh well it is their ball and their game, they get to make the rules. Four months later I got the call from Delta, over nine months after I first hit apply. The next day I got a call from a company I interviewed with early on…the made me an offer (turns out they were waiting for a senior dude to say yes and he didn’t know he had to say yes.) I sat down with my family and we had some long deliberations. Every situation is different and my family was tired of me being gone all the time. My son was established in school so taking a position with Delta was going to mean commuting and sitting reserve in a crash pad for at least a year. I must say after going through all the asspain it was not easy to call Delta and say "no thanks!" In the end I was able to parlay the industry position into a remote position working from my house. My company flies me to the home office once a month and I generally leave on Monday morning and return Friday night. The other travel has ramped up a bit but some of that is seasonal, some was unexpected because our company is GROWING, and the rest is self-imposed. I ended up starting at about 7-8 year airline pay, well over that with my annual bonus which means I can do this for a few years and walk away with another chunk of $ to add to my portfolio. We bought a few new toys but I have managed to save every penny of my retirement check. It was not a simple choice but it works for me and most importantly my family.

Since starting as a USAF mx officer in 1995 I've had a Pitts S1S, Luscombe 8E, Kitfox 4, Clone of a 135hp SuperCub and now a RV-6. 12 yrs active total, C-9As and C-17s, then AFRC C-17s with part 121 cargo. Gave my AFRC O-5 pledge pin back 5 years early this past Feb as at 23 total they'd pegged the funmeter. More time for GA! Just turned 14 hours of driving into 4.5 of flying. North of Louisville to South of Atlanta, round trip. 180mph at 9 GPH, and mine is a slower one. I've had the same $35k out of pocket in planes, only did a note for a while on the Pitts. I help with the mx, so annuals are about $350, plus parts. Insurance is about $1k a year for 2 seats with enough hours. Plan Fuel burn $ x 2, $50 in the tank, $50 in the fix-it bank, plus hangar and insurance and you'll be close in the right plane. There are no cheap planes. An oops, woops or "what's that" costs about $300 per fist coverage, hopefully including labor. Need a Magneto? 2-3 fists. Carb? Same. Hope you have yuger hands. Mechanics and their schedules can mean huge downtime, which deflates the fun and family support system if you all fly together. Mechanics are slightly easier than finding a good, local hangar. Hangars can be a nightmare, find that first. I split with another RV, $120 each, but it's 35 minutes away and pretty dead. Good for getting work done, not so much for hangar flying and extra hands. If you don't fly 50 hrs/yr, RENT, if you care about the $ side. I do not pretend it makes sense to own, even in partnership. Buy a good one, under 300 hrs and 3 years since overhaul, but not too fresh to avoid infant mortality and A/Ds on defective new parts. Do not buy old panels if you need IFR, pay up for current to MAYBE 1 gen old, if supported. I dig on experimentals, known types that are easier to inspect and check vs. plans and standards. I'm as happy in a cub, door open at sunset or sunrise as flying acro in a Pitts or travelling mad miles with a digital autopilot, good tunes and the frau in the RV. Sure I jumpseat, fly airlines and drive- sometimes a GA plane makes a trip possible, sometimes it's a drag if worrying about weather/hail/FBO hangars/icing, etc. It's not hard to know when the car or airline tickets are best. Think mil space A. It's also about the folks in flying GA, we're ready to make the hangar-home move next. Any background of pilot can yield a great friend, probably similar to many hobbies, good enough for me so far in flying private GA. If it will get you to family, friends, second homes- great, no further people-side needed. But, it's the EAA folks, chapters, fly-ins, Oshkosh, etc that put it over the top for me. Look at a radius calendar on eaa.org or similar and see what happens near you year round. When I was at CHS I met folks that years later put me in touch with the FFO area crowd. At work, trips where I fly with another GA pilot of ANY background go by 9 times in 10 like paid time off. Now, I soloed in gliders at 14, and already knew this is what I was in to. Did not know what I was in for, but the $ in GA has been some of my best spent.

I'm never flying commercially again.

Is this something to be angry about? It was already a 90% promote rate, and if you are looking to get a strat you aren't concerned about pinning on, but rather getting a school slot. This doesn't change that. Higher promotion rates are better for everyone. It gives people more flexibility in their careers without getting completely hosed because they didn't follow the expected career path. Sure old crusties get their panties in a wad because "major used to mean something"...but the more off-ramps the USAF removes on the highway to LtCol the more likely the "flying-only" career path is for guys who just want to fly. The checking of boxes for career progression (SOS, Masters, Flt/CC, ADO) is the epitome of kabuki theater, and the easier they make it to get promoted the less box-checking we have to deal with. I for one welcome more FGOs into the court martial duty pool.

I'm gonna use the extra $50/month to pay for Emerald Coast. Thanks Air Force!

Shit just went Navy

The only reason Cleared Hot made it to where he is is because of his rank and position. It had nothing to do with his talent, drive, or personality. Nor with his ability to think big. Plus, it's not possible to network with others until you get command and/or O-6+. As someone who also never made SQ/CC, I recommend you give up and accept something less.

10 years ago I was firmly in the "GA would be a waste of my time because I'm too used to flying fighters and it'd be boring." I was wrong. It's not as challenging as flying fighters, but having your own airplane is awesome. I had a Glasair for a few years and I've had my Bonanza 36 for 6 years now. I still fly it more than 150 hours a year. The older I get, the more I like airplanes - all airplanes. The year I started at Delta I was flying the Eagle, my Bonanza, A-4's at Draken, 757s/767s at Delta and started on warbird T-6's. I just like airplanes. My wife loves traveling in our Bo; hates commercial - even non-rev in first class. For some destinations, GA is where it's at - Bahamas for sure. I'd say don't knock it till you try it (renting one for the weekend isn't trying it). GA isn't for everyone (nor is the airline) but they both suck a LOT less than I was expecting.

What's missing is that the one in the red dress is average in the bedroom but also isn't clingy and isn't jealous of other casual girls you hang out with. The one in the jeans only likes it at night with the lights out, and even then, she only does pegging.

You, my friend, are insightful. You haven't seen the POWER of the dark side. Screw the flight pay. You don't know what you're missing. No Sir,... you just need to imagine being terrified at 55 knots. Or negative 4G's. Or inverted on a straight-and-level pass at 200' AGL. I was bored in my '77 Corolla... until I learned to DRIVE it. Yes. And I respect the hell out of those that have the drive to actually build/create. Those are the type of people that also give back. Can't wait to see you at a fly-in, Brother!! And Reno is next month. Beers are on me. And you know what? That lifestyle will impact the relationship you have with your kids. And wife. And it will be very positive. Good on you, good Sir. Ah... silly, silly, Grasshopper. Give up your love of such things as golf, motorcycles, golf, cars, golf, and... did I mention golf? These things were created by Lucifer to steer you away from your Aviation Destiny. Well,... keep the fast car. But only if it doesn't keep you out of more aviation. Being able to drive to your 60 mph aircraft in a car that can do 165 mph is kinda worthwhile. I think. This makes no sense. Whether you rent or buy Item #2, you simply need to do it. As for Items #1 and #3, I have no advice to offer. A quotable quote. The first girl I kissed wasn't much of a kisser. Neither were the next three. Thankfully, I didn't give up before I met #5. Some airplanes just don't respond well to inputs. It might not be a problem with "that type of airplane", but rather with "that particular airplane". I remember my first Extra 300 flight in 1996: indescribable. And now... with 110+ different aircraft in my logbook... I'm happy to say that I'm over 25% of the way to my goal. They are truly, unique experiences. Not to mention the amazing people I have met along the way. I should have written a book. Awesome thread, jspace.

Here at a major airline, if I think about flying my flight duty period has started ....

In 2013 I had to have a PRF for Captain that was never used, now in 2017 I had to get a PRF for Major together...that won't be used.

Yes! How many man hours do we waste taking a line flying IP and making him do exec work, all because he "needs it for major/ school select?" How many man hours does he then waste editing OPRs and PRFs for 0-4? I may be optimistic, but hopefully this news coupled with eliminating school selects means we at least delay the fray of queen that a mid level captain faces allowing them to focus on the mission/ their primary job.

A couple of folks have posted about having great jobs, but leave out the specifics. Just tell us what you do, exactly. Provide specific compensation information. The airline info is out there, and really, there's no reason to be vague with the details of these non-airline careers (unless they're really not that great?). No offense, but without specific info, these jobs begin to sound like "ask me how I make $1000 a day working from home" scams. With a fresh MBA in hand, I did my diligence seeking a non-airline career when I separated in 2012. Granted, besides flying, I have a non-technical background (poli sci from the Zoo). Standard GE Junior Officer LP, consultant (Booz Allen, Deloitte), Raytheon, and the CIA were the only bites I got and none fell into "dream job" status. Other than the companies listed above, no one I spoke to was really interested in hiring someone with a non-technical degree (more likely, it was just me). I even sensed a little "military fatigue" from the recruiters I spoke to ("yeah, yeah, leadership, MBA, flying, but what else do you offer"). After considering pay/benefits versus time away from home, the stability afforded with getting in at the front end of the hiring wave (2014), and control of my life, airline pilot was the clear choice. I begrudgingly admit that because to an extent I still equate airline pilot to glorified bus driver (no offense to bus drivers... it's important work). I suspect a detail that's being left out of these success stories (except maybe Huggy's example), is networking or an already established relationship leading into a transition from mil to civ, which is difficult or impossible for AD pilots to build in anything but contracting or staff work. On long-term mil leave now and still searching/resume building for that professionally fulfilling career I can get into (or more likely do in addition to the airlines) after I retire in a couple of years. Great thread, just wish we could get some more details from the few that have found the golden unicorn.

So there's got to be a better way to sell this bonus pay problem. Let's go with nice round numbers: to pay an extra $100k/year to 6900 pilots would cost a cool $690M. That's kind of a lot of money, but it's only about 0.69% of the Air Force's annual budget. Literally a drop in the bucket. Imperceptible. Budget dust. BUT! The non-flying officers and Chiefs would have a shit fit at the pay inequality ("No Comm No Bomb!", etc), and while they should be told, "When it costs $69M to produce a competent Finance Officer, I'll pay you more also," that doesn't work in the real world for troop morale. Those guys would be even more depressed and hate us even more. This has to be approached as a financial benefit. I paid extra to outfit my house with LED bulbs (experienced pilots) because in the long run I save money on the time and effort spent on buying way more incandescents (new pilots) and - most significantly - save a shit-ton of money on electricity (upgrade training). Pay $100k extra to keep your experienced pilots and save $Millions per pilot on backfill training for his/her replacement. For very simple math that only takes into account the cost of replacing your experienced guy with a new SNAP fresh from UPT, that 8 years worth of $100k bonus money would only pay for 69% of a new UPT grad. Add in the immeasurable costs of continuous upgrade training for that new guy, and the benefit is astronomical. Next consider the time lost by the experienced instructors to train new guys that could be used to refine TTPs - you get the picture. This shit is easy, but I feel like there's a glass ceiling WRT mil pay. Congress - and our own mil leaders - just can't stomach the idea of having rich military guys. I think it's a jealousy thing rather than a level-headed financial one.

Bergman, Are you suggesting that reserve component crew members that have to maintain the exact same Vol 1 currencies and requirements as their active duty counterparts get paid the SAME AMOUNT of flight pay per month? Now that's crazy talk right there mister.

I like this change. I've asked for crew rest waivers and been denied. If the SQ/CC and AC want it and judge the mission benefit worth the risk, it's dumb that someone disconnected from the mission can deny it. I guess every corner of the AF is different but our waiver authority is MAJCOM A3 who is not tracking daily missions and will always say no, even for TIC support. So to me, this is a good change because it removes obstacles to the mission. If you're worried your leadership will now bully you into accepting missions you aren't safe to execute, well that sucks. Say no, that's always your right.

I interviewed both of the widows of the two pilots killed in the Constant Peg programme. Their stories are heart wrenching and their emotions were raw even after the passage of so many years. It took 30 years for one of them to find out how, where and what her husband was doing when he died. The other had a pretty good idea what her husband was doing, as I suspect the Schultz family does, but that's not the same as knowing for sure, and it's not the same as getting real answers. "Doc" Schultz may have made the ultimate sacrifice, and I doff my hat to him, but his wife and five children are the ones who must live with the consequences. In my mind, they are the real heroes. My thoughts go out to them.

"positive rate" "nice" "how's the wife?" 45 mins later - oh shit, gear up

Terrific nickel-on-the-grass and piano burn for Doc last night at the Nellis Club, fitting for a man like Doc. As said, if you want to help, go hit that youcaring link to help out Julie and the family.

Well. It depends ....

Robbie Risner was a badass...Cock 1! Imagine today flying a P-38, F-51, F-86, F-100, F-105 in three different wars? Not to mention leading airmen in Hanoi and returning. In August 1964 General Risner was assigned as commander of the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, where he flew the F-105 Thunderchief. While on temporary duty with the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, he was shot down over North Vietnam in April 1965 and was rescued. General Risner was returned to duty and in September 1965 was shot down again over North Vietnam and captured. His advice to the men he commanded combined the heroic and the practical. “Resist until you are tortured,” he said, “but do not take torture to the point where you lose the permanent use of your limbs.” In later years, General Risner participated in reunions of airmen. At a gathering in the 1990s, he met a Russian MIG-15 ace who had been in Korea at the same time. The other pilot wondered if they had ever faced each other in combat. “No way,” General Risner replied. “You wouldn’t be here.” Kadena rocks! http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/us/robinson-risner-ace-fighter-pilot-dies-at-88.html?mcubz=3

Networking starts with what type of Bro you were on active duty. I am FAR from perfect but always tried to take care of everyone around me and be a team player. I mentored and helped people whether they were career types of one tour and out. In short, I did my best not to be a douche. When I dropped my papers I told a few folks who put the word out for me. My suggestion would be to call your friends, tell them you are getting out and ask for input. You will be shocked at the positions that are out there and word of mouth and reputation drives the key jobs.

It was meant to serve as an example an if you believe you have a 95% chance of failure, you will likely fail. For the record, my BOSS separated a few years ago as an O-3.

Bruh... contrary to what has been the norm for foldings that aren't held to a specific timeline, our Maintenance bros worked their asses off on this one. Those guys have our gratitude big time! The admin planning started around noon on Friday when we heard the initial rumblings that we might be out the door. Maintenance hadn't even touched any of the aircraft since we weren't 100% sure it was a done deal. We got the green light from headquarters around 1700 the same day. Maintenance showed up at 0700 the next morning, folded three birds and were ready to go by late morning. HH-60 crews walked in the door at noon, two C-17s landed at 1300, and we were wheels up by 1630.

When I retired 35 months ago, I went straight into an Executive Director position, with the expectation that if I did well, I'd be CEO in ~3 years. The position got me access to CEO's, millionaires, entrepreneurs, and a host of other highly successful... and famous... people. The social events were off the chart. However, after 18 months, I resigned. Entirely too much work, no free time, and high stress led to this. I appreciated the organization bringing me on, but in the end, it wasn't the right fit. It did scratch the itch I'd had for a long time in doing this type of job. Glad I got to go to that side of the business world.. and maybe I'll go back some day. But for now, the airline lifestyle and benefits are a better fit.

Spot on! EAA is a great deal, we have guys flying RVs, light sport homebuilts and classics such as a beautiful 1947 Howard DGA (looks brand new) and another guy with, I kid thee not, a 450 Stearman, the only flying Boeing 40 in the world and just finished restoring and now flying a 1943 Grumman Goose. I have been very active with my local EAA Young Eagle program in the last four or so years. In the time I've been involved, our chapter has flown just over 431 kids. Sent one kid the EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh, he went on to college for an Aviation Business degree with a minor in flight and just learned another kid who we gave an Eagle ride to years ago just earned the gold wings of a Coast Guard aviator. Good times inspiring the next generation of recreational and professional aviators. Just for the record, I work as a "crewchief" escorting the kid, mom/dad out to the plane and back. Being retired MX guy I don't miss the BS of active duty, but miss being around the airplanes. I however, am spending the elephant dollars to earn my PPL so maybe next season I can do some flying as well. Fun being back on the ramp even if the environment is completely different.

Hasn't been my experience. My wife has wanted to start a bar/restaurant forever and so we decided to go ahead and do it concurrent with my retirement. In preparation, I read a couple "how-to" start a business books and attended a Boots 2 Business course on base. Now I understand why many entrepreneurs say you have to fail a couple of times before you become successful. Running this business has been the steepest learning curve I've every experienced. I've also been floored about the amount of red tape and expense involved in getting business licenses, meeting code, etc. from the local government. For example, we rented a place that already kitchen equipment installed and when we went through the initial health inspection we were told the code had changed the previous year and we ended up spending an un-budgeted $20K on getting it up to code. I mean, FFS, the science in restaurant health and safety is so immature that such big code changes are necessary year to year!?! We also had delays getting licenses due to the slow pace of the city in processing them. I've also seen some unexpected things like the cops showing up repeatedly saying there was a report of a fight at our establishment. Probably our competitors trying to scare customers away.... Also, everything for business costs twice or three times what it would if you bought it for yourself. For example, deposit for electrical service for a business was $2000 and the monthly bill is $500 (1500 sq ft restaurant) and water is $450/month. It's also disheartening when you run into all of the rent seeking and rigging that goes on. We had to spend $500 for an alcohol survey to a surveying company to prove the restaurant/bar isn't within 500' of a school or a church. It probably took that surveying company all of five minutes to figure that out using a geographic information system (my undergrad degree incidentally) and I'm 90% sure they used GIS data from the city or county. Sweet deal for them... Also, only being allowed to serve alcohol bought through select alcohol wholesalers (was a real pain to get any of them to call us back to set up an account) doesn't help the bottomline either. Granted my wife picked the riskiest kind of business to start, but it's been 95% stress and 5% reward and we aren't even remotely close to breaking even after 9 months either. From my experience, if I was to do it again, I'd buy an existing business or I'd go into a business that catered only to other businesses as that seems like where the real money is.

ASAP reporting should never be punitive. Otherwise nobody would report.

I don't have a plane, but an unusually large number of other U-2 guys do. Everyone is dual qual'd in the T-38 and, even though there are lots of out and backs, cross countries, formation, and low levels, dudes still want to fly on the weekends. It's primarily because of Beale's location in the middle of the West Coast. Turns a 3.5hr drive to Monterrey into a <1hr flight, and the fun factor is way better. Professional pilots don't fly because it's better than their day job, they fly because driving sucks.

Glad to see MOB's jet get the Syrian flag on it. I figured someone with rank my find it "offensive", and stop that from happening.

It seems to me that there is a problem with the understanding the definition of the terms here. To get a clearance, you first have to have a completed security investigation. Certain types of investigations are necessary for different levels of clearances, and the type of investigation is determined by the anticipated clearance level of the projected duty . For instance a NACLE will allow up to Secret, while an SSBI will allow up to TS and above (i.e. SCI accesses). The investigation type is determined by the sponsor depending on level needed for your anticipated future job. A completed investigation does not give you a clearance, only the eligibility (assuming adjudication is favorable) After the investigation, the report is sent to an adjudication authority, who evaluates the report and decides if the results warrant giving you a clearance (i.e., decides whether or not you are a security risk or not). If the adjudication is positive, you become eligible for a clearance. Eligible doesn't mean you have a clearance, only that you are allowed to get one if needed. For rated officer entry selects, an SSBI investigation is normally done, although in today's backlogged system, for OTS people it is sometimes not completed prior to graduating. For ROTC it depends on timing but the investigation should be complete by graduation and commissioning. But, you still don't have a clearance, only the eligibility for one. Somewhere down the road you arrive at your first duty station. There, you will be placed in a specific position on the unit's manning document, and each position has a clearance level associated with it. For a UPT student, the positions are coded for a Secret clearance (or used to be) so upon arrival you will be given a Secret clearance. The fact that your SSBI investigation makes you eligible for TS does not matter if the manpower position only requires a Secret clearance. By the way, an IP coming in from another unit where he/she held a TS, will be downgraded to a Secret in most cases because an IP has no need for TS clearance in an IP slot (unless he/she will also be doing some addition duty for the Wing that has a higher clearance requirement, which is probably fairly uncommon). That may be different for CSO or ABM training if their syllabus works with more classified content. For the rest of your career, your clearance may go back and forth as you move from job to job, even within the same unit on occasion.. As for the "inactive" comment, if you move to a job where no clearance is needed (get out of the service, for instance, or leave ROTC (commission, but do not go directly onto active duty) your clearance would be suspended (inactive), but can be regained quickly when you return to active duty as long as you are within the period of your investigation's validity (i.e., if the SSBI requires a re-investigation every five years, and you've been off active duty/ROTC training status for only a year, the original SSBI would still be valid and allow for your unit to re-establish a clearance when you process in...no additional investigation required.

So at what point prior to the next board is the AF going to provide CC's the spine to truly mentor and state an individuals worth in the squadron to their face? This is a novel concept by the Secretary, but I posit that it will not happen in the next 4 years. CC's typically let someone else do their dirty work or have become all too accustomed to utilizing PRF subtleties to eliminate an individual.

That SrA is just trying to do his/her job...blame the leadership who won't/can't streamline this process. This should be as simple as scanning orders and your ID card when you show up on-base. Any further details can be provided by your unit during their daily personnel report. Your orders have enough info that they can determine your gaining unit, your accountability/vRED info. It's a travesty, and I bet some of those young Airmen would love to figure out how to improve the system (maybe I'm optimistic). However, the SNCOs/officers who came of age in the MPF/Finance dumpster fires are so entrenched in the system that they quash any innovation.

Where Are the Heroes

I wonder if their office symbol is AFPC/COWDFTAFTMIC

Nothing here or elsewhere on the internet will be more than wild speculation; recommend leave it to those other guys and not here. Let's focus on the man and the family he left behind. Nickel on the grass for Doc. If you desire to help, check out the you caring link at the top in HU&W's post.

Check this out: https://airforcejourney.com/2017/04/30/fy2018-tfot-schedule-unofficial/ Looks like they circumvent the holiday leave issue by not having classes that take place around that time.

Moments away from the best time of the year. 48 hours away from one hell of an opening season game. Go Seminoles.

The shoes would just stab him in the back and SJW's in uniform would cry right to the press. Outside of MX, SP's, Op's, and Spec Op's the rest of the USAF looks like huge giant safe space ready to call troops who are mission first bigots, fill in the blank phoebes or racists. It has happened to me when I step outside my MX bubble and converse will other USAF members who can't tell the difference between a ICBM and a C-5.

Splitting rated officers from the LAF below O-6 would probably negate the need for two tracks. It would alsokeep random MSG clowns from passing over WOs, SEFEs, etc for not checking all the right boxes.

To be honest, I don't think we really need a fly-only track and a leadership track. We just need to stop punishing people who end up flying the line on promotion boards. At a time when we can't fill cockpits, we're still not promoting the very guys we need to fill the cockpits - the senior, grey beard IP/EP (or, in my case, IW/EW) who has deployed multiple times, worked in safety, worked in stan/eval, etc. These are THE experts that the commanders lean on for flying knowledge, and they're essentially being told they are less valuable due to not going to staff...even though we're also telling them they can't go to staff because there aren't enough people to fill the cockpits. I get that the shiniest pennies will go to school followed by staff...but that's only your top 10-20%. What should be of far greater concern, to both us on the line and the Air Force as a whole, is what do you do with the other 80-90%?

Surprised no one has mentioned starting / buying a business. Military aviation is actually a very good training ground for entrepreneurial activity - whether you realize it or not, all of us have acquired skills in calculated risk taking, assessing the enemy (competition), solving problems on the fly, task prioritization, time management, etc. Pick something you're passionate about and be your own boss. I'll bet anyone posting on this board would do much better than they imagine.

Yea, and with the news that we're making another push in afghanistan, there's no flipping way that deployed billets or ops tempo will go away.. I imagine all those suggestions we made for reducing deployments just got flushed. On a different and likely highly unpopular note, I know this forum is largely full of disgruntled types and we all come here to b1tch about what's wrong.. but some of you guys may need to step back and think about something positive in your life. :D We all just got an unscheduled pay bump and anyone but the most deluded dunce would know it wasn't going to be significant.. There's really no reason to piss and moan about it, IMO. The NDAA was signed.. even if CSAF wanted to give us a million each, he's still tied by the budget. Given the facts, I would say the only change I think I'd have made is to give earlier guys a larger bump (i.e., 6 yr guys would be much closer to 1k/mo) since those are the ones coming close to a decision point of get out/continue at 10 years. Otherwise, each of us with a decent flying record is still basically set for life, barring any long term economic meltdown, and we're doing what we love. I say all this as a guy who recently left one of the best flying locations in the AF for a "staff" job (in hopes of better promotion potential) that is quite pointless and borders on fraud, waste, and abuse and my 3yr old son lost one of his feet a few months ago.. Be thankful for the small things, they don't come often enough. Ok.. back to complaining about coffee that isn't strong enough, a/c isn't cold enough, and hotel housekeeping didn't leave a mint in the right spot on our pillows. :D

I was curious whether Google Translate would be able to detect this incoherent smattering of words as English. I'll be damned, it did.

First scoping questions: Are you staying where you retire? What is the market there for employment, either working for someone or for yourself? If moving, to where and same questions. Have you determined your absolute mins for income/lifestyle? Been out for 9 years now (finished out as an AGR), did defense contracting and now GS. Original plan was for wife (retired within 6 months of me) and I to run a B&B in Sedona. Turn-key place, year 'round 85% occupancy rate. Unfortunately, I was in DC and had A) kid in #1 high school in nation (Thomas Jefferson) and B) retired at the height of the housing market crash. Was over $100K upside down on my DC house and couldn't afford to walk from that AND pick up the business loan on the place in Sedona. So...switch to back-up plans to pay bills. Wound up staying in DC area for another four years. Ugh... Escaped to Omaha and now Nellis. Started out as a contractor for Boeing; switched to GS for salary and security. For profit, except for working for myself, wasn't attractive since the lay-off factor was high then as well as capricious now. I'm all about capitalism but the realities of being fired/laid off for reasons beyond my control, i.e., I'm canned not because I didn't do a good job but just because (like most people do, I realize) wasn't working for me after 20 years of a guaranteed paycheck. Basically, I consider(ed) myself institutionalized. Being stuck in DC made that an easy mode to enter. GS in agencies other than DoD, in my experience, sucks. No sense of mission, no sense of team, nothing but "I got mine." Especially nothing about the taxpayer. Don't get me wrong, I saw unbelievable waste and "I got mine" in DoD as well and it frustrates(d) me. But there was still that core of dudes/dudettes that care about the mission despite the Man. Unfortunately, for fifteen years I was at Air Staff or above levels. Empire building and not making waves are the currencies there so I wasn't happy nor considered a team player. I'm now at the squadron/base level and enjoy it much more. Even if the folks in uniform, as a rule, dismiss civilians, being a part, however small, of making the mission happen is rewarding. edited to add: Not meaning to derail the thread. Wanted to give one perspective on defense contracting and GS route as an alternative to a guy who is able to go airline and is asking for alternatives. I could not (without spending a metric sh1t-ton of money and time I didn't have to get my quals).