General Discussion

OK a little off topic here but this thread should generate some good ideas. I have just been tasked with taking over a hurting Snacko operation. We are basically broke since we owe our shirt dude more than we have in the checking account. Leadership has mentioned that we should just buy more shirts and sell them but I don't think the answer is just to go more in debt, especially since no one buys t-shirts unless you have to or it's Christmas and you're out of gift ideas. I'm curious what good ideas you've all seen Snackos in the past use to drum up cash. We have the standard snacks in the bar and Friday burger burns, but money goes out fast too since we're running …

Would you use one?

Saw a Gulfstream V today on the ramp at CWF on my student solo from Corpus. Wow! What a plane. Meticulously (go ahead spell check Nazi's!) maintained, plush interior and avionics like I've only seen in movies (I thought Tweets to C-12 was a big jump!). One of the pilots was nice enough to give us a tour and a brief rundown on the capabilities (Ceiling FL 510, etc..) Amazing. Just wondering if any of the active flyers have gotten the DV airlift assignment and what they thought of it? Seems like working with 4 stars could have some great perks and some pretty big drawbacks too.

The course at Pensacola is Parachute Water Survival SV-86-A Fairchild's water surviavl is a different course. SV-90-A is non-parachute water survival and also dunker (For whirly crews). Most likely, you'll go to Pensacola as an aircrew member. PD

F-22 Crashes Near Edwards Air Force Base Wednesday, March 25, 2009 Print EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. — The Air Force says an F-22 fighter crashed in the vicinity of Edwards Air Force Base in the high desert of Southern California. Pentagon spokeswoman Lt. Col. Ann Stefanek confirmed the crash Wednesday but had no other details. Stefanek had no information on the status of the pilot. The F-22 is the Air Force's new top-of-the-line fighter. https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,510588,00.html

Can anyone provide me with diagram of the Defensive Egg? Thanks, Ren

Just curious. What is the average burn rate for the aircraft you fly / flew. I realize that there are many factors that affect this...but I'm sure that every plane has an average wag that you use off the top of your head. For slick 130's 5000 lbs an hour for cruise seems to be the rule for E/H models. For fighter types...cruise / burner...whatever you got. Transports...enroute....same with tankers. Curious on the 135 E/R models and the KC-10. Helos...bombers...T-6...whatever.... If something is grosely different fully loaded / empty....lets hear it. We are a gas guzzling nation and I am curious to hear where the different airframes rank in the fuel burn cat…

Doubt it'll pass as it has to be approved by Congress. I'm all for cutting the defense budget back a bit as the wars end but this may go a little too far if the Pentagon wants to maintain some resemblance of the increasingly scant military benefits everyone was entitled to when they signed on. https://freebeacon.co...ashing-tricare/

Dozens of U.S. Troops Killed in Afghan Chopper Attack Also in the WSJ: Afghan Chopper Crash Kills 31 U.S. Troops, 7 Afghans

Baseops, I'll be attending UPT in May. I'm a very inexperienced private pilot with just around 100 hours (I'm a teacher so I currently don't have the $ to fly regularly). I was wondering if anybody has any online/study guides/video recommendations for general instrument lessons? I've been told that military instrument flying is 'somewhat' different than civilian but I would just like to have a decent base of how it all works. I've already used some of the helpful info about the T-6 info given on baseops.(Thank you for those that shared those items) Any and all help is greatly appreciated. -Chem

My IP approached me today about going to Vegas for cross country. I'm hoping to get him to fly into McCarren and stay on or near the strip. Does anyone know of any great deals in vegas for lodging. The last thing I want to do is stay at Nellis.

Just thought it might be fun to see what kind of automotive toys you bought (whether you're regretting it now or not) when you first pinned on your butter-bar.

Saw some interesting bits in the new 2015 NDAA just passed by the House and now going to the Senate. These changes are almost definitely going to be signed into law by the President. The number of AD Enlisted Aides in the entire DOD will be restricted to 300 (current level) OR double the number of AD O-10's plus one each for the number of O-9's, whichever is less. So currently there are around 300 Enlisted Aides for the 165 O-9's and O-10's, but that will shrink to around 245. There are currently about 80 Air Force Enlisted Aides. If our portion remains consistent, that should shrink to about 67, or 13 people doing a real job again in FY15. Non-AD (retirees, depen…

December 12, 2005 Fresh squad, fresh wings Special operations unit takes on intratheater mission in new plane https://www.airforcetimes.com/print.php?f=0...PER-1383079.php By Bruce Rolfsen Times staff writer A new special operations squadron is in the air and with a new plane. The 319th Special Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., is flying a one-of-a-kind airplane for the Air Force, the U-28A, a militarized version of the civilian Pilatus PC-12. The squadron’s primary mission is intratheater transport of small numbers of special operations troops and gear, said the unit’s commander, Lt. Col. Michael D’Argenio. The decision by the Air Force…

Hi folks, I am going to ask a question on the behalf of a very close friend of mine who is an E-5 in the Airforce AD. He pursues his goal to become a pilot/nav in the Airforce and he was determined to apply for the Airman Education and Commissioning Program (AECP) Today we found out on the AFOATS page that he can not become a pilot/nav under this program. Also US Military website on About network confirms this. https://www.afoats.af.mil/AFROTC/EnlistedCo...oning/pilot.htm Q. Can I get to be a pilot or navigator through the enlisted commissioning programs? A. Yes and No. Yes for ASCP, SOAR, and the Two-Year POC-ERP. No for AECP. https://usmilitary.about…

Disclaimer: Im a 2LT in the herk world. I dont claim to be an Old Head or anything like that. So, I have avoided being a SNAP for most of my short time in the AF. Mainly be knowing that my job for the most part is to STFU and do what I am told without having to bug people about how to do it, but I have noticed lately a lot of people talking around this board on topics they have no experience in and really no business commenting on. The lack of search function use has always been a common problem, but whatever, dealing with that is like changing the tides. So, I would like the Old Heads around here to share what they think people who havent put their time in (mysel…

The Air Force lost a great airman today when 1lt Anthony Riggan and his wife nicole passed away in a single engine plane crash in Co Springs on their way home to spend Christmas with family. https://www.krdo.com/news/26248211/detail.html Anthony was a B1 pilot at Ellsworth AFB and a UPT classmate and good friend to me and many in the Air Force community. He and Nicole will be sadly missed.

https://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,533700,00.html

Quick question. Its been a couple years since I've been at Bagram and I'm heading back soon. I was wondering if anyone there now has any idea what the internet situation is? Last time, you had to hand over your computer to some sketchy dude that messed with it for a few minutes and then you had to connect to a crappy wired system that sucked anyways. I'm asking because I would like to use an iPad or iPod touch and do the Facetime thing with my kids. Is there WiFi now and how is the connections for doing what I mentioned or skype, etc.? I tried finding older threads in the search and I couldn't find anything. If opsec stuff is an issue, then just send me a message. …

All crew safe. Tanker put it down in a field. Pretty amazing. Looks like possible single engine? Hard to fathom. https://news.usni.org/2020/09/29/marine-f-35b-crashes-after-collision-with-kc-130-over-california-all-aircrew-recovered-safely

https://www.acc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123445666&source=GovD 4/20/2015 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force have directed the realignment of the Air Force's B-1 bomber fleets and Long Range Strike-Bomber program from Air Combat Command to Air Force Global Strike Command, effective Oct. 1. The move will realign the Air Force's core mission of global strike and all of the service's bombers under a unified command responsible for organizing, training and equipping Airmen to perform this mission. "This realignment places all three Air Forces bombers under one command and brings the LRS-B program with it," said Secretary of the…

Not much more to say, but "throw a nickel on the grass, save a fighter pilot's ass." THE quintessential USAF fighter pilot, as far as I'm concerned, and a great loss to the fighter community.

Do strike eagle crews generally fly together or do different pilots fly with different WSOs all the time? How does CRM work in the jet? Is it always the pilot "just" flying and the WSO running the radar? Just trying to get an idea of how most sorties go.

I was talking with my uncle last night, and enjoyed listening to his description of the Mach 2+ intercepts they used to practice what he was an F-106 driver. Yes, I know that going Mach 2 at 30,000 feet does not feel any different then going Mach 0.8 at 30,000 feet, but I still think it would be cool if the pilots on this board would "go for bragging rights" and discuss thier fastest moment in the jet!

I'm a senior in ROTC, and am getting ready to head to Sheppard for UPT (no date yet, unfortunately) after graduation. I wear glasses, and was wondering what requirements the Air Force has for pilot eyewear. What makes/brands are approved/not approved? What kind of prescription sunglasses are recommended?