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The lone exception is the one I always go to when I’m going back home to Cheyenne. Hence my bad intel.

Actually, further research revealed Buc‑ee’s leadership has acknowledged that the Johnstown store sits more than 700 miles from the nearest existing Buc‑ee’s supply network, forcing the company to stand up entirely new logistics chains in a market it had never operated in before. Although people often think of Coke exclusivity as a single nationwide contract, in reality pouring‑rights agreements are regional and are heavily dependent on local Coca‑Cola bottlers. If a Coca‑Cola bottler cannot meet volume, service, or timing requirements, the exclusivity clause may be delayed or modified for a specific site. Food‑industry reporting notes that the Colorado location appears to have opened before a compliant Coke distribution arrangement was finalized, resulting in a temporary “neutral” soda lineup instead of Coca‑Cola or Pepsi dominance. Pepsi isn't sold due to the long‑standing Coke agreement, so Buc‑ee’s appears chose brand‑neutral or third‑party beverages like Dr Pepper and RC Cola while the Coke logistics question remained unresolved.

Bad intel, bud! At nearly all Buc‑ee’s stores, the soda selection is exclusively Coca‑Cola–branded (as it should be in the South)! Buc‑ee’s has a long‑standing exclusive pouring‑rights agreement with Coca‑Cola dating back to 1997, which means Pepsi products are not sold at almost all of its locations. The lone exception is Johnstown, Colorado which does not sell Coca‑Cola or Pepsi products. It only carries Dr Pepper, RC Cola and/or store or regional brands. No reason for that can be found... https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/articles/popular-soda-brand-wont-buc-112000752.html

I think it’s more about influence and removing supply from our adversaries. I know as an oil exec I wouldn’t be chomping at the bit to spend a trillion dollars rebuilding the infrastructure just to have to give it up again when it goes south again.

It’s certainly heating up. Internet shut down now.

Real ones know Buc-ee’s doesn’t have Coke products.

This can't be emphasized enough. FSS Civilian Personnel Office should be able to help, but talk to Legal for your sake. As long as you follow the letter of the law, let him weaponize the EO process in retribution to anything you do (like giving him a well-deserved, and honest eval). Also, it helps to have someone with you like a 1st Shirt when talking to this individual. Do not have one-on-one meetings with this dude because what he or you say cannot be substantiated. We had a few people (civilian and two SSgts) try to use the EO process for their own agendas and I got wrapped into it more than I'd like. But after several accusations against me and others, we were found to be in the right. Unfortunately, there is no punishment for false accusations. Good luck because this type of shenanigans ain't fun. Also, stick to your guns and don't kick the can down the road for the next guy to deal with.

For the record, their oil supply may very well be substantially less than advertised. Just ask any oil exec (shell knows)

Venez oil ain't going anywhere anytime soon. Way too much risk.

Get a new boss..

Send your files to Pete and let him take care of it. I am, of course, kidding. Or am I? Yes, definitely.

Step on the gas. I'm hoping we have some inside people ready to throw a molitov at the right target at the right time, fire up the mob with the right chant, but don't go as far as streaking in the quad. That's when you lose em and they go back home.

Very interesting. Short drive to the Hague as well. Given the trouble they've caused over the years all over the world it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they ended up in Federal Court over here. I'm sure we'd have to waive the death penalty but I'm ok with that.

Senior IRGC and Iran leaders families have fled Iran...to France of all places. This might really happen.

Lmao, this is worse than Stranger Things ending for good.

Update: I am no longer hopeful

You might be right, if a unit were to lose or change its mission for this said unit / state leadership would have to have A LOT of confidence that the plane & training mission would last, I saw the C-27J bait ‘n switch up close and personal, that’s a few years in the rear view but I’d be surprised if the ANG institutional memory has forgotten it. I think you probably could get some takers for this mission as there are more than a few MWS’s in the ARC that are not looking relevant going into the future, if you approached a Wing(s) with a plan to keep them gainfully employed, no significant long term change to the economic footprint in the state and public support from AD leadership that this COA will be supported for 10+ years at least, some I think would raise a hand. Yeah, if AD students are allowed to attend it could exacerbate the problem of FTU waiting, or if scheduled correctly it would more slowly produce but not overwhelm FTU intake, all in the execution. All simulators…. Yup, that’s the real devil / part of a way forward I think leadership sees as the easy button. The thing is it is half right. I’ve gone thru two airline sim programs but after I’ve had 20+ years flying so it was appropriate for me to learn and safely, reliably operate a transport category aircraft in routine operations. That is not the case for 99.9% of UPT studs and the range of flight operations they will be required to perform if called upon. A hybrid of ME flight training then a solid type+ course in a transport category level D sim, maybe. The best argument against all simulator ME training I think (not that the AF would follow it) is if all sim ME training is acceptable in quality and risk then why hasn’t the commercial world embraced it?

Document, document and document EVERYTHING!

This, and you may want to get actual legal advice on how to proceed. I know there is a lot of knowledge and experience on this forum, but this is one area I would most definitely discuss with a lawyer before going forward. Control the narrative, don't let it control you!

Do NOT do this. As much fun as it would be, this is textbook reprisal and would get you in actual trouble rather than just having to deal with BS complaints. Treat him no differently than you did before, other than document everything and obviously watch what you say. If there isn't a paper trail, it is your word against his and he is apparently willing to lie and play minority cards. And I mean document absolutely everything. If he shows up two minutes late, log it. Makes a single disparaging remark about someone, log it. If he walks into your office to ask when something is due, log it. However, and this is going to be the really painful part, you should start a similar documentation with everyone else, except the disciplinary part and maybe not needing quite the same level of detail. Otherwise if this ends up going sideways and you bring the documentation, the other side is going to logically ask to see the similar log you kept of your other employees. Otherwise they can claim you're only documenting him because he filed a complaint, which is also reprisal. When I started to have a problem with a guy that worked for me, I just kept a word document open on my computer. Anytime anyone that worked for me stopped in, I'd put it down. As simple as: "0945: Airman Snuffy asked due date for MFR - Friday". Depending on how often people stop buy or you go to their offices, shouldn't take too much of your day. Finally, if your boss doesn't have your back then you're probably SOL. I'd wait a week or so and ask for a sit down to talk about how much this guy is destroying the workplace. Even bring up the EO complaint as an integrity problem, which actually could be legitimately used against him if other people there will back you. If your boss still won't cover your back, then you're screwed.

He needs a bag of Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets to go with that 44oz Coke Zero.

I don't think you're going to find states that have the money/manning allocation available to add another sq of pilots/MX/etc. to fly a different airframe. I'm an expert by no means but I think the only way this gets done is by dropping the current mission at said base. Also, the bottleneck question wasn't what I was asking. This gameplan will open up more heavy spots in UPT, to be filled by AD LTs, so now you have more grads from UPT combined with this ARC Rapid Aviator Program (or ARCRAP). These two things only make the bottleneck at the ftus more acute. Even if you keep the number of pilots going to ftus the same as it is now, there is still a bottleneck at the ftu. If you hold guard dudes until you have a class of X before they start ARCRAP to help reduce the throughput to heavy ftus you're only going to make guard dudes wait longer which is a disincentive for guard units to fund this. All of this is easily solved by doing what AD already wants to do, which is sending all heavy dudes through a sim only course. No late graduations for weather or MX, and if you threaten the IPs correctly there will be no hooks. Thus, the ftus will know exactly when their next group of students are arriving, yet there is still a bottleneck..

Good questions. The bill payer I think would be the ARC, O&M pays for training and usually that account is pretty fat. Call it 300 students x about $150k in contractor provided program. 45 million, not chump change but likely cheaper in the long run versus sending them thru a T-6 primary course. I had a modicum staff work in the GWOT days when funding was flowing but my gut tells me it’s affordable. T-54s or other T jet would be based and manned as an additional squadron at an existing Wing to piggyback as much as possible on existing facilities. Might diminish or eliminate the existing mission but methinks it could be an associated unit if leadership kept it clear what the intent was for dudes volunteering or assigned there. The devil is always in the details but 2-3 year tours to stay below the 5 year limit for a full course requal would probably be an acceptable bill to the ARC in manning coverage. T-54 instructors would be generated in house, type course and then syllabus if no previous King Air time. Other T jet would be initial cadre and commander designated then establish a similar process. I think this would help the bottleneck at heavy FTUs by more clearly showing heavy pilot production (at least a large portion of them) to heavy FTU intake. That is you know X number of students in this pipeline are all destined for an X FTU slot, adjust backwards the allocation (number and report times) of UPT slots to the ARC to fit the proper rhythm using wait times from graduation to FTU training start as your primary trend indicator. I’d have to do some serious number crunching with access to data I don’t have but… I’m confident that if I did it would be cheaper. The boost in productivity really comes from the freed up space for the AD if they wanted to backfill those slots that the ARC is no longer in. Expansion of the UPT enterprise but overall cheaper if run at planned capacity, higher production if desired if you backfill slots, smoother production if you choose to not backfill due to wiggle room in the regular UPT system. I deleted formation as most of the instructors in this phase 1 would be civilian and likely not familiar, form would be covered in mil instructed flight training.

Are you able to control what he works on? If so, maybe give him nothing but shit tasks that you don’t really care about (since he’ll do a shit job). Maybe it pisses him off enough he quits. And if that doesn’t happen, at least you can stick him in the proverbial basement with a red stapler where he can’t affect anyone. Record/document all interactions and never meet him alone.

Is this cheaper than what's currently out and can max produce pilots? I feel like that's what big air force is gonna want to even consider looking at something like this. I personally don't mind the idea but some formation is still good, even for heavy guys. The 135 bros and the air droppers all do formation. If they considered an actual solution instead of throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what sticks, I'd probably volunteer to go teach upt as my next assignment.