General Discussion

I know you guys are tired of hearing the "which aircraft are at which base" question so I figured I'd try to help out future pilots and pilot-selects. Black=Operational base Orange=Training base Blue=Operational & Training base F-15E - Seymour Johnson (NC), Mountain Home (ID), Lakenheath (UK); Active force inventory: 217 F-15C - Kadena (Japan), Lakenheath (UK); Active force inventory: ? F-16 - Luke (AZ), Spangdahlem (Germany), Aviano (Italy), Osan (Korea), Kunsan (Korea), Misawa (Japan), Hill (UT), Shaw (SC); Active force inventory: 444 A-10 - Davis Monthan (AZ), Spangdalhem (Germany), Osan (Korea), Moody (GA); Active force inventory: 144 F-22 - Tyndall (FL), Langl…

I can’t believe I have to post this, but let this serve as a reminder, do not even think about posting anything close to the line on this site. 1. Declaring your operational background, then using sites like FAS.ORG as a reference for classification is outright dumb and won’t be tolerated. 2. Sending me (someone you don’t know, who could be sitting in Beijing or Pyongyang for all you know), a PM declaring that you fly XXX and that you have a Top Secret Clearance is perhaps the most egregious lack of SA I have ever seen. YGBFSM!!! Bottomline, this is great site and none of us is perfect, but when it comes to no-shit OPSEC, don’t even think about posting on thi…

Just me or are there a lot of commanders getting axed this year? 375th WG/CC fired https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/12/12/wing-commander-at-scott-air-force-base-fired-after-5-months-on-the-job/ WS/CC fired https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/09/26/air-force-squadron-commander-was-fired-after-allegedly-drinking-on-duty/ This dude was screwing around with an E-4... on the surface it seems he deserved it. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/05/02/squadron-commander-at-moron-air-base-relieved-of-duty/ Thunderbirds https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2017/11/29/air…

As to our current force structure, are we built to win the next fight(s) against China / Russia? I've been thinking a bit on this lately and a few articles I've read are making me believe we need a change. Peer competitors will not allow us to build up and then operate with impunity from MOBs near their territory or newly captured territory or areas they now assert control over in conflicts or high tension periods. One of the articles I read (WHY THE PENTAGON SHOULD FOCUS ON TAIWAN) and for the purposes of this thread's debate I will say we accept it. One of the arguments from article is that if we use this scenario to primarily prepare for, it will also pre…

Final T-37 Checkrides are today at Sheppard. After this class graduates, there will be about one more month and then July 30th they will fly the last of the jets to the "Boneyard" (AMARG at DM). Large number of you all flew the Tweet, thought you'd want to know...

The War ZoneThunderbirds F-16C Fighting Falcon Crashes in CaliforniaThe jet's pilot safely ejected and was transported to an area hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Hey guys, after a little break from Baseops, was checking back in with you all to see what stuff I need to be aware of. Are there issues out there you think I need to know about or concerns, etc? Im not going to engage in debates or complaints about votes I have taken, but was curious if there is anything I need to be aware of. I'm still flying in the guard so I know about many of them, but wanted to see what was up Feel free to PM if youd rather, cant guarantee Ill be on often but Ill take a look occasionally. Hope everyone is doing well.

Beautifully done by the gents! IMG_9166 2.MOV

Well, they finally did it. ,

I’ve talked about commercial training for ratings for a SGTO a bit before but here’s an actual AETC article talking about it. It’s the brain child of Matt Leard the AETC/A5/8. https://www.aetc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4024636/us-air-force-partners-with-academia-industry-to-test-future-pilot-production-mo/ oh and the T-7 is still a dumpster fire. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/usaf-rejiggers-t-7-plan/

According to U.S. Central Command; a Friendly-Fire Incident occurred earlier tonight over the Red Sea, with a U.S. Navy F/A-18F “Super Hornet” from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) being Accidentally Shot-Down by the Ticonderoga-Class Guided-Missile Cruiser, USS Gettysburg (CG-64). Both Pilots were able to Safely Eject over the Water, and have since been Rescued; with one of the Pilots suffering Minor Injuries.

I have been watching this development over the last few days with many European News outlets calling these drones over airports “attacks” since they are disrupting critical airspace. It’s hard to judge the size but they appear to be much larger than the typical quadcopter size of hobby drones! https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g96gvql99o.amp

Just wondering who gets 'em, who gives 'em, and what point in the whole process does this take place?

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 …

https://www.foxnews.com/tech/2016/09/19/air-force-names-futuristic-long-range-bomber-b-21-raider.html I'm just glad they didn't go for "Liberator II" or some other rehashed name.

Is there any pilots here that did not get a DP, but just a "p" on their PRF and still made major? Just curious at what this rate is roughly. Im in a platform where im going to compete with backend people for a DP and curious of what my chance of making major are if i only get a "p" Thanks [ 01. September 2006, 19:29: Message edited by: Toro ]

Kind of a random question, but when the missing man formation flies overhead and the guy pulls up and away, how high does he typically go before proceeding elsewhere?

So what do y’all think the odds are that A) those 90K Russians on the Ukrainian border are there to invade and if they do, that B) we’ll do anything about it? I’m not sure we will. Putin has picked his timing perfectly to coincide with the fallout of our Afghan withdrawal IMHO.

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So in the GA thread a tangent got started and a new thread I think is better Background: Accelerated Copilot Enrichment (ACE) was a program for tanker & bomber copilots to fly and develop Total Flight Time to get guys who sat a lot of Alpha Alert to Aircraft Commander upgrade in a reasonable timeframe, it ended in 91 when Strategic Air Command (SAC) was inactivated. 94/95 when Gen Loh of ACC ended the program It made dollars and sense as the T-37s and 38s were cost effective trainers to develop the aviation skills and airmanship you wanted in your future Aircrew Commanders. The flying was different, no autopilot in a fairly nimble aerobatic aircraft, bu…

The War ZoneC-17 Will Fly Until 80 Years Old Under New USAF Airlifter...The Air Force does not expect to have fully transitioned to its Next-Generation Airlift aircraft until 2075.Family of systems, new engines for C-17s, etc… lotta ideas in the article. Family of systems is a buzz phrase but probably the best COA. Crewed / Unmanned fleet

I'll try to keep all the ranting consolidated to this place and answer your questions here. Of course most of the keyboard ninja stuff isn't going to be anywhere you can google it, so it won't be here either. But I'll post what I can and answer any questions you throw my way. Anyone having fun with the change in policy about the USB hard drives?

I don't think anyone will be surprised by this... Recent Data Shows Significant Spike In US Military Aircraft Accidents The number of major accidents involving military aircraft spiked in 2024, internal Pentagon figures show, and a series of high-profile aviation mishaps with deaths and the loss of aircraft in 2025 suggest the disturbing trend may be continuing. Across the military, the rate of severe accidents per 100,000 flight hours rose 55% in the 2024 budget year compared with four years earlier. The Marine Corps saw the highest increase, nearly tripling its rate over the same period. The statistics cover the full budget years 2020-2023 and then the first 10 months …