Leaderboard

Funny story that wasn't funny at the time. We were flying the mighty whistlin shithouse (AC-130H) out of Guam practicing for the Iran hostage rescue. Our live fire range was basically a big rock sticking up out of the water somewhere near Guam. We were shooting our regular 20mm HEI rounds down at 2500ft. Bomb dump says they have a "shitload" of tracers they need to get rid of and ask if we can shoot it. We said sure, link it up, a mixture of tracer and HEI. So we are over this rock at 2500ft and the pilot lets loose with the first burst of the tweak, immediately followed by "CEASE FIRE, CEASE FIRE!!!!. Tracers were ricocheting back toward the airplane, some of them went past us.

Exec Summary: The Dragonlady community and it's leadership is fantastic. These LTs are going to have to show up, hold the standard and keep it high without the traditional UPT overwatch. Beale and the 1RS is a tremendous opportunity in an awesome community, there is no doubt about it. I understand the world is a new weird place with innovation officers and VR (of which the 1RS has a really cool set up for teaching the deuce) instead of UPT sorties, so I'm not surprised that they're trying some new things here. Really, they'd be the first to do anything, thats what makes the U2 community so great, it's small enough that their hand-picked guys get to affect change, with leadership that trusts from top to bottom, unequivocally. The tough part for these Lt's is that their job at Beale is to hold the standard in an A Model -38, in a community of professional pilots with thousands of hours, not within the constraints of a highly controlled UPT environment. It will not be easy to do that as an Lt, it wasn't as a Capt. They're going to have to be self reliant, and be ready to hold the line. In terms of staying in the community, having a home grown U2 guy come up through the ranks sounds great for everyone, if the dude doesn't want to stay (and he/she wasn't a total waste) Beale takes care of it's people. Whether it's a sarcastic ass with a mustache, or any number of folks who got hired and couldn't make it through training. They try and get people to where they are going within their sphere of influence. I'm the wrong guy to answer what any of it means career wise, I had plenty of opportunities to check off job titles, and even lead some awesome airmen. I could see a future with some hybrid of this program, kind of a 2+2 type deal. UPT gets it's pound of flesh, the 1RS gets more seasoned guys who have more years to learn about the Deuce and want to commit. If anyone knows these cats and wants to push them my way with questions, feel free. Hail Talons

Face it... after introducing Jar Jar Binks, the entire Star Wars brand burned to the ground, never to rise from the ashes.

Had there been a U-2 pilot in a chase car saying "Raise your left..." on the radio, these wing strikes could have been avoided.

And then post in this post for everyone else.

They did away with the PT test; but you’ll still have to do PT and log your hours there. Recommend bringing a knee-board.

C-5 near home. Get a job at Home Depot until you learn the ropes. I bet you can bum "full time."

Keep in mid that any full time opportunities today could be gone by the time you get back from school. My advice...if you have kids...stay near family so the grandparents can help your spouse when you are on trips or downrange.

No Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

pretty freaking cool

I don't think the airlines need a safety down day, if that's what you're getting at.

Yes, 2Lt's coming to fly the T-38 at Beale is definitely a new change. I personally see this as a unique data point that will only be repeated if a lot of variables are all met... i.e. I believe it is very unlikely to happen again. I don't believe it is the "good deal" everyone seems to think it is for the guy, but I'm sure he will enjoy the experience. Going back over 30 years, I can only think of 3 CTP-only pilots that decided to interview for the U-2. All three were accepted. Two made it through U-2 training. (There may be a fourth but I can't remember at this late hour). All three had MWS backgrounds prior to going to T-38 PIT. One of the three I met on a recruiting trip. He was very interested in applying for the U-2 but already had orders to be a T-38 UPT instructor. We were able to get his orders changed to Beale instead, with the hope that he would fly the T-38 two years and then interview. That's what happened, and he's had a pretty good career to include a tour as a U-2 flying squadron commander. We had a former CTP-only T-38 instructor that left Beale not too long ago, and he's on this forum. Maybe he will chime in with his thoughts.

I have to disagree. It was total ball wash. First, with zero explanation as to where this cookie cutter replacement for the Empire, complete with wrinkled old holographic Force user, came from, it destroys the entire Republic, erasing the entire struggle of IV, V, and VI. So a headstrong orphan who works with broken equipment on a desert planet encounters a robot who thrusts her into a space adventure on the millennium falcon where she learns of her incredible connection to the force. This journey includes a stop in a dangerous cantina for space criminals. Our hero receives the wise guidance of a very old, very short, sassy alien that appears to know more about the protagonist than they let on. She is given a lightsaber from an older, still alive but disgraced powerful Jedi. Oh yeah, she's also a great pilot. This journey ultimately leads to their participation in the ultimate fight to destroy the third, THIRD massive spherical planet-destroying space station, which requires Han Solo and Chewbacca to break into a building and destroy it with explosives before an X-Wing can fly through a laser-ridden gorge and destroy the strangely accessible weak spot that will detonate the whole station. How on Earth did JJ come up with such a fantastic story?