joe1234 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 What is your job in the military? Dodging internet stalkers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JarheadBoom Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 That's an awesome nugget. Thanks! I'll do some research on PA gun laws. Any chance you know how the reasonably located housing in PA compares to closer locations in NJ? PA gun laws in a nutshell: - Open carry is legal in PA. Not highly advised in Philadelphia (Philly PD has some "issues"; this is one), but legal. - PA is a "shall issue" state WRT concealed carry. Fill out the application, pay the fee, get your LTCF. Easy peasy. - No FOID cards or any other "Mother may I?" bullshit required to purchase or possess guns & ammo. PA housing will, generally, always be less expensive than NJ housing. NJ has outrageous property and school taxes. They used to be the highest in the US; not sure where they are now, but likely still in the top 5. NJ does has some beautiful beaches to visit in the summer (even after Sandy had her way with them last year), which you'll pay for the privilege of enjoying. The further north you go in NJ, the more like NY it becomes... which IMO is not a good thing. Disclaimer: I was born & raised in PA, so I am a little biased... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Spike Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Dodging internet stalkers. And credibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeepers21 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 (edited) C-17s are cool too though. I hear they get to land on some REALLY short runways...like that one near MacDill. Gotta love good ol Peter O'Knight. I was doing preflight at KTPF when this bad boy landed. Should have seen the faces on some of the people. Edited July 23, 2013 by AceMohr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe1234 Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 And credibility. Perhaps I can purchase some e-credibility on the cyberweb with 10,000 theoretical internet dollars so that forums user Buddy Spike will be satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azimuth Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 But you'll be there for 3, 4 years tops, and then you move on and almost certainly never go back, and now you're stuck with your MWS wherever in the world that may take you for the rest of your career, assuming you don't get out immediately or manage to crosstrain. If you enjoy your mission, then I guess you hit the jackpot. Not true in the MAF world. People can cross flow via a PHOENIX program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeHoler Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Not true in the MAF world. People can cross flow sell their soul via a PHOENIX program. FIFY 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Ratner Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Here's what you're not realizing about the location vs mission thing: yes you're living in England right now, which is great, congratulations. But you'll be there for 3, 4 years tops, and then you move on and almost certainly never go back, and now you're stuck with your MWS wherever in the world that may take you for the rest of your career, assuming you don't get out immediately or manage to crosstrain. If you enjoy your mission, then I guess you hit the jackpot. Picking based off a location is just shortsighted when one must take into account that they have 2 more assignments left until their commitment is done. I think it's funny how some studs brag about getting their first choice in UPT to some exotic location, and then in 5 years they're posting on Facebook about how they eventually wound up at a place they were trying to avoid anyway. You're assuming I care about the mission. I've done three so far (two if you dont count AETC), and I've learned I care about location more than mission. Just like I said before. You can also pick an airframe based on future assignment opportunity. But it's not short-sighted to pick based on a location when you decide you are more concerned with the location. I don't know what your background is, but a fairly large portion of the people at my base now came from other platforms. Not really uncommon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WheelsOff Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Your follow-on assignment options will be to go to the other base or to UPT/UAV then to the other base, followed by whatever path you choose in life. I have no idea how C-17 follow-one goes Not great in the past. What many would have considered a "good" follow on assignment would have been a T-6 to UPT. Word on the street though is that the pendulum is about to swing the other direction again, at least temporarily, and we should start to see more ops-ops tours again. The problem primarily stems from (IMO) the fact that the C-17 has been the AF's go-to airframe to absorb extra pilots to give AFPC a good pool of folks to draw from for those "bad deal" assignments. As with everything in the AF though, it's all about timing and luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buddy Spike Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 Perhaps I can purchase some e-credibility on the cyberweb with 10,000 theoretical internet dollars so that forums user Buddy Spike will be satisfied. So easy to hide behind the anonymity of the internet isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moosepileit Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 J1234=GC/2.69 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LumberjackAxe Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 meh... I picked 75% location and 25% mission. I racked the MAF assignments based pretty much on location since I really did not (and still don't) care about the minimal mission differences between C-5s, C-17s, KC-135s, and KC-10s (ended up with 10s at Travis). I would still do it the same way (75% location, 25% mission) since I'm not a fanboy of any specific airframe, and would recommend any single UPT grad to do the same (who is kind of up in the air about their assignment). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StoleIt Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I'm neither a C-17 or -10 driver, but I can say I picked based off location and I have no regret. I love the -135 and I guarantee I would have loved any other jet just as much. TL;DR = TFI is the best thing known to man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stank Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I flew -135s and was able to switch to C-17s. Now I fly a desk. Strat airlift mission is a lot more enjoyable and more interesting than the refueling mission. I realize 10s are different than 135s, but 90% of their mission is flying circles over the sandbox. When flying C-17s, you could be anywhere in the world tomorrow, I thought that was cool. The deployment tempo of the -135 (60 on, 60 off while I was flying, similar to 10s) was a little more predictable and easier to manage than C-17s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rake47 Posted July 23, 2013 Author Share Posted July 23, 2013 I really appreciate the info from everyone. I'm thinking my final list will be: KC-10 : Travis KC-10 : McGuire C-17 : McChord C-17 : Charleston Unless anyone has a sudden burst of insight they wish to share? : ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeHoler Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I realize 10s are different than 135s, but 90% of their mission is flying circles over the sandbox. It didn't used to be this way. Back in the day, 10s flew coronets and cargo around the world for their 90%. Those are the days I miss most...although, as an old fart I get to fly world-wide a lot more than I get to deploy. So, life is still good in the 10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FUSEPLUG Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 - C-17s seem to have a harder life on the road from the outside looking in. Their fatigue level is reflected in the incidents they've had. In part, there were deeper underlying training/upgrade issues that drove a majority of these "incidents." I'd argue that fatigue for MAF crews is pretty universal. But that's probably a discussion for another thread... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Techsan Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 I really appreciate the info from everyone. I'm thinking my final list will be: KC-10 : Travis KC-10 : McGuire C-17 : McChord C-17 : Charleston Unless anyone has a sudden burst of insight they wish to share? : ] Good call...Travis is a great location. Another pro for the KC-10: FTU is located at your base! None of this having to spend countless months in Altus, OK away from home. Initial qual, AC upgrade, and IP upgrade all done while you are at home. The only drawback is that sometimes the squadrons don't treat it as if you are "TDY to Altus" and want you to do some office work while you're in upgrade, although the FTU does a good job of shielding students from that BS while you're there. For the C-17 guys: Between initial qual & upgrades, how much time do you spend in Altus? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzdude Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 In part, there were deeper underlying training/upgrade issues that drove a majority of these "incidents." I'd argue that fatigue for MAF crews is pretty universal. But that's probably a discussion for another thread... Hmm, that'd be an interesting discussion. I wonder if the last few -17 mishaps have a trend as to where the crews came from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Majestik Møøse Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It's also impossible for us to crash seeing as we have both an engineer AND a boom in the cockpit. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAF Pilot Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 It's also impossible for us to crash seeing as we have both an engineer AND a boom in the cockpit. Maybe not impossible but our (KC-10) safety record is pretty darn good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rulk88 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I've been at Travis in the KC-10 for a year and a half. I picked location over mission, but looking back I wouldn't do anything differently. Location is great, there's the Bay Area, Tahoe, and lots to do in between. The 10 community is great, and the mission rocks. Deployed twice, getting ready to go back for #3, pretty standard for the new guy. The missions from home have slowed down a bit, but not as much as you would expect. If you are looking for more specific info, PM me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snooter Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 For the C-17 guys: Between initial qual & upgrades, how much time do you spend in Altus? 9-10 months including all of the airdrop schools, if you don't go airdrop you're only looking at 5-6... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pcola Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I suggest you FAIP and bide your time for a C-5! In the end, it will be worth the wait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B*D*A Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 9-10 months including all of the airdrop schools, if you don't go airdrop you're only looking at 5-6... 4 months to learn how to do drops? Don't strain yourselves... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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