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Holy hell, maybe it’s the 4.5 hours I just spent in an ejection seat and only spent 15 seconds upside down but F-ck me!!!! Us old salty sport b-tching bastards have complained so much we have UPT bound cadets worried. Alright Bird12, listen up, because you are wrong. If anything the ship is righting itself from what I see, but Us old dudes were on board when it was sinking so different view People on here have generally been/there, done that, diverse backgrounds/experiences. I get tired of my buddies b-tching about the same things I’m bitching about in the sq bar over the same brand of scotch so I read this forum. I want to hear how lousy the poor bastard flying the other jet has it so I can feel better -or- how good he has it so I can complain that community x gets all the good deals and wtf was I thinking taking the bonus because xx is at delta making $xx and here the f-ck I am getting $3.50 per day not allowed to drink beer on St Paddy’s day. Sport bitching is in fact a sport among pilots. (Hence the name) Very few of us really hate our jobs or the USAF. Perspective. I had a brand new straight out of MQT Lt on my wing in the AO, we flew a 4.5 hr mission full of in my opinion, sh-tty taskings, sh-tty scenery, sh-tty tankers, ATC, well you name it, to me it was all sh-t minus the 2 x barrel rolls in the descent. When we got out of the jet I wanted to apologize for his first sortie in the AO being so sh-tty. He was smiling ear to ear. My sh-tty 200th AAR was his first on that type of tanker. My sh-tty 200th time over the desert was his first. He loved it See my point. So you f-cking should be excited bird12, you got a chance at the coolest job in the world. Keep some perspective and know who you are listening to on this forum. If I were in your shoes I’d pay good money for the flight I did today however at my age/experience I’d just assume send someone else so I could sit in ops, drink coffee and complain about how f-cking stupid the USAF leadership is, how I’m not getting paid enough, how cool the Cold War days were, how great the airlines are according to my friends etc. Out

You really think everyone over O-4 either sucks at flying or is a selfish careerist? That’s an uninformed comment.

How do you think I feel...I thought I was really good at flying and I made O-6 BPZ...I guess I am lucky I haven't crashed into a tree yet.

I think I’m pretty fucking good at flying. I guess I actually suck. And I’m a total loser and REMF dipshit because I’m a Major. This has been enlightening.

A very very small degree. I won’t be told that it’s my fault that there is a pilot shortage when I am looking after my family. I am not a personellist or a general. I don’t make the decisions that cause me to want to get out.

You rang?

Well I hope for your sake that we find out sooner than later.

FIFY.

Get hit in the head with some books recently Clark?

Not a bad article but after reading this (and other articles like it) on the "problem" of the present day AF, I feel like every well intentioned reformer or reform advocate needs to realize that there are somethings that have happened not just in the AF but in society in general that are to be acknowledged and accepted to go forward productively. There are some fights that are not worth it, not winnable, not even a fight where something can be won and a distraction from that which is attainable and worth time, resources and effort. The "problem" of the present day AF is not a problem per se but a state of being that was arrived at after a particular (and on going) set of operations / conflicts, changes in society (some good - effort to include non-historically represented groups, some bad - egregious PC culture and emphasis on identity at the expense meritocracy and logic) and the corporatization of some aspects of the day to day administration of the AF. That said, there is plenty that could be reformed, changed and made to make an AF that is more mission focused, more challenging for its members and one that inspires an esprit de corps. I think it would be a harder AF to be in than it is now (I'm ok with that) and I think that is probably where to start because that is something we can do now, no money needed, no new laws to be passed. Just the will to do it and accept some of the potentially unpopular and uncomfortable results of dialing up the standards. On the article... 1. Dear Boss... My two cents, some of the "Dear Boss" sentiment is valid, there has been a growing gulf between the Line and Leadership of the AF, loss of confidence in AF leadership when from an operator's perspective we (the USAF) do not seem particularly responsive to a changed operational environment and an apathetic approach to retention. My other two cents, some of the "Dear Boss" sentiment is grandstanding and sanctimonious, only the author of whichever iteration of the "Dear Boss" letter can see the mediocrity & corruption and because said individual is so principled, so dedicated, so pure that they just can't take it anymore and they have to leave. Give me a break, at anytime in the existence of any established, conventional military force there have been cronies, REMFs, butt kissers, busy work and snipe hunts, etc... this is not to say those things are to be tolerated but they're like mosquitoes, you swat one and another arrives to meet the same fate, repeat the process or get eaten alive. Deal with it, annoying things and people are part of life, try to fix them, get rid of them or avoid them but don't expect them to ever go away completely. 2. PC Culture Partially accept some it. Fighting all of it is unwise, not winnable and not even a good idea. Most of it comes from above the DoD, Federal Government Policy for all Departments, Agencies and Bureaus and has to be implemented, unless it is specifically stated how X policy will be implemented, the AF (IMO) has prerogative to deliver X policy in a military applicable manner. The AF can take the best parts of the efforts to build an inclusive society that offers equal opportunity for all, encouragement (not exceptions) for those not historically represented and adherence to universally applied standards without denigrating those in the majority and assuming original prejudice in their attitudes. I saw this in a briefing from a GO on the day the transgender policy was changed for the DoD, he had one slide that clearly stated the policy, said we will treat all members in accordance with professional military standards and that was it. I am not really that on board with the policy but when it was delivered in a non-condescending, short, professional manner it did not generate excessive resentment, I left the All-Call with no more or less cynicism than before. Given the topic, that was probably as good as it was going to get. An example of how to do Social Actions Policy. 3. Warrior / Mission Culture If we want a warrior culture, a mission culture then look at the tools we have available and use them. That will be tougher standards, more rigor and fewer opportunities to leave the cockpit / ops station you are in (if part of the LAF). Be careful what you wish for, you may get it. I am ok with dialing up the heat, not that I am an Air Rambo, but I know that if we want to rid the AF of shoe clerks and meaningless schools, programs and fluff, that is in reality the only way to do it. Thinking that some Bro General is just going to come in, tell the Shoe Clerks to pound sand and that's it is naive thinking at its worst. Swords are forged in extreme heat then beat into shape, afterwards repeatedly scraped with a stone to make sharp, not a gentle process. If we want this type of AF (we do), we need only more strongly discipline and train ourselves. Not the most pleasant rant I've ever given on BO but my honest opinion. Any military or military unit you want to be part of should be tough to be part of, that is where the pride comes from, doing something that is hard to do and not everyone can do. If the AF changes the vector to this, the rest will take care of itself.

A few suggestions: 1) Isn't it possible to get a waiver for pretty much anything? Maybe the AF isn't currently giving out age waivers for active duty, but I bet they have in the past. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever heard to is to never take no from someone who can't tell you yes. Try to get a hard "No." about the age waiver from someone high up before moving on. Some of the AF recruiters I have interacted with were very incompetent and wouldn't do anything to help their applicants. 2) You're a little old but not way too old. I know the guard units can get age waivers for their UPT hires. Apply to ever guard unit thats hiring and see if you can get picked up. 3) Get your license and fly on your own. I have heard some military pilots say they enjoy flying on their as much or more than flying for the AF since they get to do what they want.

You need to move your deployment location to Kuwait then.

Meh, he is regurgitating what others are throwing out. BREAK BREAK There has been a marked improvement in leadership in all levels of my chain of command over the past couple years. I am hopeful that eventually we will be in a much better place, but the Air Force is now suffering the consequences of epically poor decision making/culture of previous commands.

I disagree with this analysis, based on my anecdotal experience. I see saltiness creeping into the perspective of newly minted copilots in my community. They get into the squadrons and are stunned by how little flying matters in flying squadrons. They are disappointed in being shackled with additional duties. I’d say half of our pilots are firmly in the GTFO pool before they finish the first 5 years of their ten year ADSC. Of the half that do stay blue into the mid-level Captain stage.. this is when they get shackled with flight commander or shop chief level add’l duties. They also start getting hit with non-flying 179s. They are still 2-4 years from their UPT ADSCs, but firmly join the crowded GTFO pool. I’d say 8/10 pilots in my community are there by year 8 of their commitment. Around the senior Capt or junior Maj level, you’re down to the the shiny pennies who would rather masturbate to their OPR strats than fly. And some guys who are awful pilots and won’t get airline jobs. These are the few who stay in.

I would take any advice this chap gives you with a grain of salt. He has been known to be abusive around these forums.

The question isn't if they showed it to him. They almost certainly did. My question is which passages did they highlight/extract into the BLUF. Those who pare and control content also control the conversation.

BO brain trust, I usually stay away from surveys, but I'm humbly requesting info from you all. Here's the deal: Left AD, started a business that gives us the latitude to help other military folks start something of their own as they transition, and we're looking for more data about helping the military community succeed in starting businesses. http://bit.ly/militaryentrepreneur I really appreciate it... feedback, spears, snarky comments, ridicule... all welcome.

Agreed. But we had a SOF CSAF who was a complete doofus with a bowl cut and blues Monday.

Is this the DRAM thing? Several years ago Travis AFB declared that every flying squadron wasn’t allowed to pour beer in the bar unless everyone was trained to recognize when somebody was drunk. Seemed to us at the time to be an obvious plot to get people to drink in their shitty combined club. The OG recognized the bullshit ploy, but was made to enforce it anyway. He held a special CC call and told us the bad news. Then, after watching a 5min video used for training Applebee’s waitresses, he declared the entire OG to be “DRAM OK”, pulled back the curtain to reveal a bunch of kegs and solo cups, and gave us the rest of the day off. A great piece of theater, and the only cool thing he ever did.

The Wright Brothers by David McCollough. You've probably heard of them. Great read.

The people who usually didn't think they sucked at flying...did.