Leaderboard

You can’t say aliens. Indigenous Venetians.

Persons under duress are often are forced to give propaganda messages

There have already been programs to get sharp enlisted dudes through pilot training. It is called commissioning.

PTN is not real pilot training. Nothing stopping Ops Sq/CCs from keeping PTN wonders in MR training till they prove themselves to standards. Sucks for the graduates as many probably didn’t ask for this but this business shouldn’t GAF about feelings.

Another “not a movie” and a bit dated but I just started Cobra Kai on Netflix and it’s excellent. Custom designed for men of a certain age. There’s even a hilarious Iron Eagle reference early in season one. Definitely worth a watch if you haven’t discovered it yet.

I wonder what people in the 90s said about T-1 training when everyone had only gone through T-38s. The point is, pilot training changes.

Think he means 121st FS at DC and no Blueskyz they are still in a holding pattern.

Update: retook the test today and ended up with a 98 in the last hour bracket. Boosted my PCSM 11 points to an 86 with no increase in hours. I’d recommend considering a retake for anyone below a 95 in the last bracket. Could be a significant return on a small time investment. Cheers and good luck.

So this is what happened to the enlisted grad: "Senior Airman Brenten Boler graduated Pilot Training Next on August 31, 2019--the only one in his class who was not assigned an airframe. He was assigned to be a T-6A Texan II simulator instructor at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas." https://www.laughlin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2334934/enlisted-graduate-of-pilot-training-next-instructs-at-laughlin

It worked for me quite well. In Oct 2009, I three-day-opted a non-flying remote to Iraq. I had 22.5 years of service, was a U-2 interview pilot, and evaluator in both the U-2 and T-38. I didn't want to retire. The three-day opt required me to retire 1 May 2010. I was determined to defeat the threat. I was working a number of angles, but nothing was panning out. By early 2010, I hadn't found a solution, but I did figure out that I could request a 6-month extension to my retirement date if my Wing CC wrote a letter asking for it. At the time, the Beale Wing CC was a 1-star. I presented my case that extending me 6 months was in the best interest of the 9th Wing and the Wing CC agreed. AFPC isn't going to tell a 1-star to pound sand: I got the extension. Around that time, AFPC announced the VRRAD. In my first phone call with the VRRAD person at AFPC, I explained that I was still on active duty. "Will you be retired before 31 December 2010?" "Yes, I will be." "Then you are eligible for the VRRAD." Basically, one office in AFPC was requiring me to retire... and another office in AFPC was allowing me to return to active duty as a retiree. I never told the two offices about each other, and figured it was best if they didn't know my plan. My VRRAD got approved. So, on Friday, 29 Oct, I had a short ceremony in the bar and retired. The following week, I came back to Beale, to my old desk, which I obviously didn't vacate... turned in my week-old retiree ID card... went through in-processing with a room full of 18 year olds (at least I got a verbal waiver from the Vice to skip the Right Start briefings). I even submitted a travel voucher for my 33-mile drive from home to Beale AFB for my first day back on active duty. In 2013, after 3 years, the VRRAD was coming to an end... but I asked the Wing CC to write me a letter requesting a 1-year extension. He did, and I got it. Finally... I retired 1 Nov 2014. It was my third set of retirement orders, and the second time I actually retired.

Keep in mind that I'm 33 years old, so it'll likely be inherently more difficult to get an interview, but let me offer my 2 cents: I've been at this game since I was 22 years old coming out of college...that's right, going into year eleven of this game in some form or fashion. I've applied to all of the following: 2009 - 2010: Air Force Active Duty (2x; non-select, then board cancellation) 2010 - 2013: 13 different ANG/AFRC units (12x non-select; 1 interview, 1 selection by a KC-135 unit...had to eventually relinquish my slot due to some tough family stuff that would have certainly interfered with successful UPT completion and more) 2013 - June 2020: Get the personal life situation in order, while everyday thinking about applying as soon as things were. And they are now. June 2020 - Present: 6 applications submitted (2 outright rejections due to age, 3 I've never heard back from, 1 that still has the chance to interview) I'm old, but have decent numbers: 96 Pilot, 87 PCSM (97 with 201+ hours), ~60 flight hours (post-solo) and on-track to finish my PPL this Fall, assuming CA wildfire issues don't keep grounding my flights. At my age, I've come to learn to learn two things: 1. Patience isn't just a virtue, it's the ardent protector of sanity. While life is indeed short and years certainly do go by fast, unless you're already in age waiver territory chances are you've got several years to make this happen. I know we'd all like to be picked up on Application #1, but man, patience is key. We're all pursuing a career that is as cool and as fulfilling as it gets, and part of that career is the process: Enjoy it! Don't let impatient steal the happiness that's found in all of this! I know it seems like, if after 13 applications it hasn't happened that it may never happen, but I promise you: keep at it, improve in someway every month, quarter, etc., and simply don't stop pushing. It will work out. Be patient, and let the math (i.e. # of apps submitted over time) work in your favor. Eventually, even after years of applying, there's gonna be a unit that's gonna be like, "Ya know, this is the 3rd year in a row this guy has applied, he's visited several times, and wow, he's now got his PPL, instrument rating, and his PCSM just hit 99. Let's get him in here to interview." 2. Be yourself. ALWAYS. And when you get that interview, come more prepared to this interview than you have anything else in your life, and be yourself. Take it from someone who's done it: pretending to be anybody else but yourself is incredibly difficult, a cancer to the soul, and I have no doubt squadrons can see it coming from around the corner. My granddad used to say, "I can tell by the way that joker walks what he had for breakfast," and I'm sure these hiring boards are no different. I highly doubt you'll secure a pilot slot simply saying everything the board wants to hear, and if you do, you're likely to be eventually be weeded out, one way or another. So be yourself--and always strive to be your best self, but that's a different topic--and take comfort in knowing that, whether or not it worked out, it did or didn't based on you being you. There's solace to take in that, I promise. Eventually, it will work out. And in the off-chance it doesn't, and, somehow, it's become official that being an ANG or AFRC pilot wasn't in the cards for you, you'll be able to look yourself in the mirror knowing you didn't sucker out, and you'll likely have some awesome civilian flying and ratings to sustain your love of aviation as you move into the next phase of life. Best of luck to all, and as many others have said, don't stop improving, and don't stop applying!

I like it even more now Alive with pleasure Cultural reference for the younger folks: https://flashbak.com/alive-with-pleasure-newport-adverts-24078/ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I use a iPad mini4. Great size for the the standard GA airplane without blocking too much view. For the headset, A20, no question.

Also, I just looked into the actual comorbidities page on the CDC website, and some of the top conditions that were present when patients died of COVID that were counted as comorbidities were pneumonia, respiratory distress syndrome, respiratory arrest, and respiratory failure... Also, they listed cardiac arrest - something that happens when you die - as a comorbidity. If you don't see how the data is being skewed here, you're being intellectually dishonest. Seems fairly obvious that the overwhelming majority of people who died of COVID - a disease that is known to cause respiratory and heart issues - should have associated respiratory and heart issues when they die. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid_weekly/index.htm?fbclid=IwAR3-wrg3tTKK5-9tOHPGAHWFVO3DfslkJ0KsDEPQpWmPbKtp6EsoVV2Qs1Q (Table 3) We've known all along that COVID causes people to have pneumonia, a cough, trouble breathing, and respiratory distress. Don't pretend like a report that says that those conditions happen in people with COVID is some sort of proof that COVID's actual death rate is vastly overstated.

Odd, as no one seems to be demanding the NBA and NHL "accurately reflect national diversity rates!" But thank God we have the USAF to save us from ourselves! Well, you. I punched out of this game a long time ago...

Maybe don't use a picture from *2015* as evidence? https://www.startribune.com/black-lives-matter-group-to-rally-disrupt-operations-at-minnesota-state-fair/322479171/

i'll hop in here before someone tears this apart. Search around the site, and majority of the questions you have will be answered. Airframes will dictate your balance. I'll just say "it depends".

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)

https://www.laughlin.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2334934/enlisted-graduate-of-pilot-training-next-instructs-at-laughlin/fbclid/IwAR2u-gd8M2q6XbyoNQObkzu4j6Wch0LWKdRnG6UILbWI-yX_jQ6VlCvlPP0/ Feel like this belongs here. First I’ve heard of it. seems like the first writing on the wall for the Air Force refusing to fix their problems on the pilot side.