Runr6730

Question about declining IDE. I just found out I was the #4 guy pushed by my SR (2-star) for IDE on my 3rd look. I don’t really have any interest in attending IDE in residence since I love my job, I don’t want to pack up my family so soon (I’ll be at 1.5 years TOS if I get picked up), and frankly I don’t want the 4 year commitment that goes along with it. I’m consistently ranked in the top 10% of my peers and generally consider myself quite competitive for O-5. My questions are: 1) What are the chances of getting picked up for school as the #4 nominee from a 2-Star? 2) Now that you can decline school without prejudice, is there anyone out there who declined IDE and still made O-5?

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2!

Is it possible to separate/retire before the GI Bill transfer ADSC is up? It seems to me that you’d just be giving up the GI Bill benefits in that case since you didn’t fulfill the transfer ADSC. Asking for a friend.

As a guy who lived through Fairchild’s ASEV failure in 2010, I can vouch that paperwork matters. That being said, would I revoke someone’s IP qual for screwing it up (even repeatedly)? Hell no, but said IP would get really tired of briefing the squadron at training days.

Want to lose all credibility as a leader? Use the term “microaggresion”. #Triggered Also, STEP promote that shirt to E-9 ASAP!

Just took a survey posted to a MAF Facebook group by someone who’s supposedly in the aircrew crisis task force. According to the survey, the proposed “fly-only” criteria are as follows: 1) Eligible for 10-13 year Majors, requires a commitment to 20 years 2) Receive current aviation bonus 3) Limited length (ineligible for 365s) and type of deployments (flying-related only) 4) Eligible for specific flying-related jobs (Stan/Eval, training, etc) at all levels 5) Extended time on-station to 4-5 years 6) Eligible for advanced aviation courses (WIC, AIS, TPS, etc) 7) IDE/SDE optional and by correspondence only 8) Ineligible for promotion above O-5 and only compete for promotion against other fly-only officers, with promotion based on sustained superior performance as an aviator 9) Pilots can return to the traditional track NLT 13 years TIS I may be missing a few smaller things, but those were the main points.

Bring back the Tweets

Word in my neck of the woods is that the F-35 has some serious fuel onload problems. Specifically, the A-model only onloads fuel at about he same rate as a drogue receiver due to its restrictive AAR plumbing design. Even worse, the B-model doesn’t have external tanks approved yet?? This means that they can’t fly to remote destinations (e.g. Hawaii) because they simply don’t have the legs to get to a missed refueling base.

As someone who went through UPT with a marriage on the rocks, my advice to you is this. If you are convinced that this is a marriage that’s not going to work, it’s not worth the stress you’ll endure trying to keep your marriage afloat. 12-14 hour days plus home study isn’t conducive to building or fixing relationships and is difficult for even the strongest of marriages. That being said, if you think there’s something to be saved then by all means make your marriage the priority, fess up about your situation to your CC, get the marital help you need, THEN worry about UPT. UPT is only the start of your new career. Your marriage is your life.

No tankers dropped at any of those three bases? I don't think I've ever seen that happen.

Agreed. Although SOS has its faults, it's still to this day the most fun I've had on an 8-week TDY in my career as a flyer (which is really saying something). Lots of camaraderie built up through daily drunken shenanigans and weekend trips to Taladega, Destin, Atlanta and the like.

From a myPers FAQ sent to our OG today regarding the recent DE selection changes: Question: What is the expectation for when officers should complete IDE or SDE by distance learning? Answer: Officers should consult with their commander, SR, or mentor on the timing of completing DE. Additionally, they should seek feedback on their competitiveness to receive a SR nomination to attend in residence. If advised to complete DE via distance learning, then officers should complete it at a time when it is best for them but IDE should be completed before the primary promotion board to LTC and SDE should be completed before the primary promotion board to COL. I like the fact that we're getting rid of school selects during promotion boards, but it sounds like practice bleeding is back with a vengeance! 2 steps forward, 1 step back.

Regardless of the legality, posting the OSI interview videos went too far IMHO. If your intent was to highlight your accuser's inconsistent statements to those in a position to do something about it, then why post the interview videos in a public forum? You've gained the public's awareness simply by posting your story, but posting the OSI videos makes it look like you're trying to get revenge by dragging their names through the dirt.

C-5 landed without nose gear extended at LERT. No other details other than it appears to be an aircraft malfunction

This thread and the "What's wrong with the AF" thread are rapidly converging.

Didn't see that, thanks for the clarification

This is the absolute definition of breaking faith with the men and women in uniform. As someone who extended his ADSC past his UPT commitment to ensure my children could reap the benefits of my service, there is no quicker way to force your people out than to break the promise you made to them.

From what I read, if you decline before the school list is released, you aren't forced to 7-day opt. If you decline after finding out which assignment you received, you'll be forced to separate.

Being "all-in" was merely a reference to the fact that your choice to accept or decline school can no longer be based on what school you've been assigned. You either accept any school to any location or you don't accept it at all. As a candidate approaching my second look, I'm happy that I wont be forced to separate should I decide that school is not in mine or my families best interests.

I received an interesting email today. AF/A1 has amended the 7-day option for DE selection. Essentially, those selected to attend DE in residence will be notified of their selection and given the option to decline without being forced to separate. 3 weeks later, the actual school locations will be released. At that point, if selectees choose to decline school, they will be forced to separate. This is to prevent "self before service" (people only accepting school if it's to a location they want). The good news: those who don't want school can stay in. The bad news, those who do want school must be all-in.

Average I've seen from 2 assignments in the tanker is 2 - 2.5 years

Just met my first look, but was not pushed by my SR.

I'm one of those that's on the fence about staying in the AF and not particularly inclined to fly for the airlines, although I may reconsider if FedEX or UPS were hiring at the same rate. I love serving my country and despite the fact that flying has an ever-decreasing role in my career as I get older, I still love my job and the people I work with. However, as a junior Major 11M and an IDE candidate out of my board I'm now staring down the barrel of several big decisions. A $25K/year bonus is laughable in the face of a 365, so that will be a "no" unless it's increased substantially. When it comes to IDE, I have don't have any desire to attend in residence because of the associated 3-year commitment tacked-on after graduation. I have a top 25% record and I've heard that last cycle the AF exhausted the entire alternate list and then some yet still didn't fill all of the available IDE slots. If I get selected for IDE, I'll most likely 7-day opt due to the associated ADSC. I may be looking for the unicorn in the room, but has anyone out there successfully managed to avoid competing for IDE without torpedoing their career by telling leadership they don't desire to compete for IDE?

If you have an ADSC that extends beyond your pilot training commitment, does that affect when you are offered the bonus?