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Absolutely talk to the Guard. You can pick mission within reason. Try for a different mission set. ANG removes many of the active duty pain points and allows you to keep earning time toward retirement.

My PRF just came back and I'm ranked in the bottom 15% of officers in my wing eligible for Major. With a P and not a DP obviously. I assume this means I have essentially 0% chance of promotion to Major IPZ if they're willing to put it like that on paper. Does anyone think differently? Tangibles: LAF-A Aircraft commander in 2x MWS's, no IP experience SOS complete No negative info in my file (90+ on all PFAs, no discipline issues, no check ride failures, no long term DNIF, etc) No Masters. Just finished my 5th class for BAC+ but it didn't go into my PRF No awards or strats on any OPR 2x ASCM, have all the mid-tour/PCS decs that make sense Roles held, in reverse order: Shop chief, Shop chief, Asst Flt/CC, Asst Flt CC, OIC ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gameplan for APZ board: Get the BAC+ in my records Finish the masters, (although sadly the degree won't be conferred until about 2 months after the cutoff date for the board) Get more hours and upgrade to IP ASAP Consider flight command if it's offered (will this help me? Will this be "regression" after shop chief?) Max the new PFA (personal goal, but it probably won't hurt me with the new boss's focus on fitness) Do these goals make sense? Are any of them a waste of time? Anything else I need to do to improve my chances?

👆 what Huggy said. F-35 sorties from Israel were probably 6-8 hours, while US B-2 sorties were 37 hours. You need a second person just to cross check what’s going on after you exceed the normal crew duty day. To your point, AMC has discussed single pilot ops in the Tanker fleet. Most here on this forum declared that to be a bad idea. You can do any mission with one human in the cockpit. The latter part of my AF career was in Cyber, and I have seen what happens when technology fails or is denied/degraded/disrupted. That is why I would push to have any rated position on a B-21 and why I am skeptical of the reliability of CCAs.

If the plane is carrying nukes and/or flying 40 hour missions, it should have a 2nd person. Pilot, CSO... even RPA pilot. Someone smart who can think and make solid decisions.

Working it, I have a guard unit lined up so maybe that will change some things when I get in a different environment

for sure get out, go airlines, and part time guard/reserve. luck and timing affects us all. move forward and don't look back life is too short to be miserable.

Two words… Go Guard/Reserve. .you got 11 years invested don’t throw it away

So what single seat 5th gen guys do. I’m not trying to be a dick, but technology has changed substantially and those things no longer require a second person. Same way technology will continue to advance and some day we won’t even have one person in a machine (at mass scale). The idea of more is better (2 vs 1 person) is outdated for future CAF and AFGSC assets. It makes things worse (vs. enhancing) 95% of the time, given current and near term technology (not to mention further out future tech). The WSO/EWO/CSO was absolutely required in several airframes (and still is in some current aircraft), driven by the tech of their time. We’re well beyond that time in history for any newer/future production CAF/AFGSC aircraft.

For any young readers seeing this, I will say a lot depends on the community you go to, the average leadership in that community, etc etc. We all complain about the same things (aircrew have a masters degree in sport bitching), but in the end I don’t personally know a single pilot who has left the AF with extreme dissatisfaction. Obviously it happens, but I do not think it’s the norm. I think it’s fairly normal to be glad you’re getting out at that specific point in life, but don’t mistake that for equating to “it was all terrible, I hated every minute, and it was totally not worth my time.” I’m excited to be done soon and fully transition to”phase 2” of life, but in spite of the BS that drives me crazy, the last ~20 years has been phenomenal overall and I have no ragrets.

Not commissioned, I’m including the time it took to get the commission too as time spent chasing this dream. Commissioned it’s about 11.

Honest question: You're punching out at the 15 year mark?

Yeah I didn’t word things really well. Long story short I got a really bad must-film because people couldn’t or wouldn’t upgrade/pass training and I’ve been stuck ever since.

Thanks, it seems more common these days than not.

Definitely recommend getting out. Like others said its an awesome new chapter and its up to you on how you look back. Accept the dogshit but embrace the good (people, good trips, etc.). Don't try and paint it perfect. You are gonna find a lot of people are having a similar experience. There is a 311 page thread about what's wrong with big blue.

I felt similarly on my way out. Almost a decade later I'm grateful for the training that's enabled me to go out to civilian life and make more money than I ever thought was possible. Once it started to stack up, it got much easier to look back without resentment.

The AFGSC/CC said “Unleashing the Raider’s full potential demands a complex blend of skills: airmanship, weaponeering, electromagnetic spectrum operations, sensor management, real-time battle management and agile replanning in combat.“ Could pilots go to EWO school? Sure. Do they want to? Hell no. It makes more sense to have two aviators working together providing different skill sets rather than having two people with the same training on the airplane, or making a pilot go through another year of training to be a pissed of PWSO.

The way you phrase it makes it sound like you have a superiority complex and blame external things when you don't get what you want. That may or may not be true, but that's the one-post impression. If the AF doesn't do it for you, go seek greener pastures. Figure out what is important to you, and go do that. Best wishes that you find what fulfills you.

A-10s have been killing it for years. The question is if the GIB is worth it to ease the workload.

Hear hear

That sucks, but also only you can control your attitude. Go forward with life choosing a positive outlook and find something that gives you purpose/sense of accomplishment. The airlines are great for pay/benefits/QOL, but you will get zero feelings of accomplishment or satisfaction out of it. Your AF career should not define the rest of your life.

It’s far worse than that. We have medical people making decisions that directly affect the CAF, for example. The amount of shoe clerks with zero combat experience on the staff is probably 75%. It’s so bad.

I should be leaving the Air Force soon if they process my paperwork right this time. I spent a lot of time stuck in places and airframes I didn't want to be in. It was UPT and AMC. I didn't end up there due to bad performance, it was mostly due to luck and timing. I had a really hard time watching people who failed courses, struggled in UPT, got in trouble, get the assignments I wanted due to missing VMLs, waivers needed for instructor duty, changing rules, or other factors. I feel like my youth was just... wasted and I have little to show for it. I don't have much pride in what I accomplished and I never was truly engaged or challenged. I am angry I spent 15 years of my life generally working hard and not screwing up like many of my peers and I got exactly what I didn't want. I have a CJO lined up which is great, but I am concerned I am going to spend the rest of my life unsatisfied because I never really scratched the itch of getting enough action or getting anything I wanted out of the Air Force. Some people suggested I stay, but after being dragged through the mud for 10 years I have significant trust issues with the institution, and watching better people than me leave for the Airlines says a lot. Am I missing something? Was this is it, and does it get better when you separate? I don't want to be resentful for the rest of my life.

Sorry to take us off topic, but if anyone here hasn't read Hauling Checks by Alex Stone they should.

The perpetual military pilot shortage due to civilian market forces is the only reason this idea is even being considered. But I have a very very strong suspicion that the idea was conceived by HAF staffs that are 90% non-pilots in a bid to get their union to the tip of the spear. There may have been a day where the radiator wings were leading the way, but now staff is all WSOs, EWOs, ABMs, and RPA guys. All great people, but we’re seeing widespread effects from what happens when you fail to retain what you originally stratified as your best guys. If you’re a pilot and know a pilot on staff, make sure they always drink for free because they’re carrying the water for all of us.

Haven't y'all heard?!?