General Discussion

Well, I guess we now know where the airframes are coming from for the VC-25A replacement. https://www.defenseone.com/business/2017/08/russian-air-force-one-boeing-trump-747/139872/

So I've been seriously considering applying for a pilot/OCS seat within one of the service branches. I've narrowed it down between the Navy, Air Force , or maybe even the air national guard. I'm currently leaning navy but having second thoughts because I've heard that don't do too much flying. Can anybody attest to this? Any advice or how to choose between these three branches?

Customs and Border Protection, Air and Marine Operations (AMO), is actively hiring military and civilian pilots for their Air Interdiction Agent Positions. AMO is CBP's law enforcement wing and is located along the borders, Puerto Rico, and certain urban locations.https://www.cbp.gov/careers/frontline-careers/aia I have assisted with Air Interdiction Agent recruiting and attended multiple recruiting events. Inevitably, the same questions are asked time and time again. The purpose of this thread is to provide the answers to these frequently asked questions. The position is very military friendly and offers benefits many civilian employers do not. The biggest is the ab…

New thread for the sidebar topic in Track Select and Assignment night threads... Dual qualification, is it time for the USAF to try it with either some test wings with platforms / qualification levels that could support this for operational needs, manning retention/morale, crew force development (varied experience, technical proficiency, expanded talent pool) and efficiency? I put efficiency last as I think that it is probably the last factor that should be considered for a strategy for implementing dual qualification as a semi-general rule than an a seldom or unique policy. Considering what it takes to make and maintain an aviator - aero rating, qualifi…

This sounds promising for those of you still toiling away at Human Trafficking and Sexual Harrassment CBTs... "Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wants to overhaul military education and training to “regain” the art of warfighting following complaints by thousands of servicemembers that their time is being wasted by hours of mandatory training...The training that is the subject of complaints covers everything from alcohol use to active shooters to sexual harassment to stress management." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/07/25/mattis-moves-to-refocus-military-training-on-warfighting-after-complaints-on-senseless-exercises.html

A quick search didn't show any results for info concerning Holloman, so I'm starting a new thread. Wife and I are headed to Holloman in a few months for B-Course and are trying to figure out whether to live on/off base and if off, where the good places to live are, as well as any useful info for the local area.

I've searched to no avail, and not sure if Finance Guy is still around but here is my question since the JTR isn't very clear (go figure). Scenario 1: Let's say that I'm on a 179-day TDY in country A living off base, that turns into 183 days TDY (not including travel days). So under the flat rate per diem rules, I would receive 55% of the full rate for country A. I get that. Scenario 2: Now let's say that at the beginning of this TDY I arrive in country A, spend 10 days there, then go TDY to country B for 2 days before returning to location A for the remainder of the 171 days. For this scenario, my understanding is that I would be paid full per diem for the 10 da…

I'm curious if in the near future the Air National Guard will get the F15E. I saw an article (3 years old however) that mentioned the 124th Fighter Wing might get it to replace their A10s but it looks like it hasn't happened yet or will happen. https://www.idaho.ang.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123403682

For those of you recently retired or remember, does it really take a month before anything shows up? I retired 28 June and just today my pay shows my "Separated Reserve Pay" account which just shows my last AD paycheck, when can I expect it to say something along the lines of "Retiree Pay"? Yes, its an AD retirement.

Since starting UPT I've noticed a pretty steady berating of the airline industry by the staff. Just about every briefing I attended as an APT'er or now while in Phase 1 has included shots fired at the airlines--specifically, the pilots themselves. Everyone from my flight commander on up has said something at some point: airline pilots are "puppets" or "bus drivers", military pilots are "much better trained in all aspects of flying" and if you wanted to fly for the airlines, "you wouldn't have come here". We have a lot of guard/reserve guys in our class and most, if not all of them, have said they're planning to head to the airlines when eligible. But none of them have bee…

I'm at work now (FAA) and we got a report of a possible Herk down near Itta Bena, Mississippi. No other details yet. Update: Memphis center had them at FL200 and lost radar contact/comms with them

The climatic lab seems to be ground zero for this explosion and fire. I'm not sure if any aircraft were in the barn at the time of this explosion/fire? No casualty reports at this point. https://weartv.com/news/local/fire-at-eglin-air-force-base

Good Morning, I have been lurking here for a while. I am your typical stars in your eyes pilot select getting ready for OTS. Looking forward to flying. I am an accountant and have been in the professional world about 6 years, and no work is a 4 letter word just like Sh**. I read through the discussions here and read about some of the things you guys are going through. As someone who has a pie in the sky view of what flying would be it is a dose of reality about the lifestyle and that is healthy. Would you recommend for others to join the AF and fly? Would you do it all over again? What are some of the pitfalls that I will face as a young officer and how would you nav…

Local news reports are stating that one of the Thunderbird F-16s flipped while taxiing due to wind gusts at KDAY. No injuries are being reported. A quick search yielded no photos or more information.

Hey everyone, I recently became aware of an "issue" that has been making the rounds on Facebook and which is also the subject of a recent JQP post. My response to his article was "detected as spam." So I'm re-posting this here with a desire to see what the BO rank and file thinks of this latest spear from JQ. As follows: JQP, much like the previous article on the Thunderbird mishap, you are way off base. "But things have gotten sideways. The question now on the table is what happens to those who lock in early only to find that the bonus increases in value significantly following year. This year’s ARP package is offering pilots in some career families…

https://www.f-16.net/f-16-news-article5076.html

I used the search function and came up empty handed The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is probably the most popular personality test in use, and I've heard that they used to give it to pilots in the navy. I wouldn't be surprised if many of the guys on here have heard of it. The test indicates how you use your mind based on 4 scales: Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I). Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N). …

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/us-shoots-down-syrian-bomber-for-attacking-anti-assad-force/article/2626344 https://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/06/18/us-navy-fa18e-shoots-down-su22-over-syria.html

I always thought the Air Force was the one place where equality and fairness actually meant something. Boy was I wrong. I knew this all along after I sat in on my first court martial. I thought if the kid who was being court martialed had a REAL lawyer he would walk free. If your defense counsel breaks out a PowerPoint presentation you should fire him/her or expect to be found guilty period. I told the Lt Col for JAG I will not be apart of another court martial due to the AF being just as biased as the civilian court system. He told me the WG/CC really wanted me on the board. I told my CC it's biased to his face too. The proof is in the pudding: https://www…

Does anyone know if there's any opportunities for civilian flying around Kunsan Air Base? I'd like to get some hours when I'm over there.

How would someone with active duty and reserve service accurately calculate their TAFMS time? Prior to commissioning, I served four years on active duty and five years in the reserve component. When I in-processed at Laughlin about three months ago, I discovered what I thought to be a discrepancy on the DD-214 issued to me prior to departing OTS. It reads that I have 7.5 years of TAFMS. I brought it up with the MPF here and they started a CMS case. That case made its way to AFPC and they confirmed that I have accumulated 7.5 years of TAFMS. I did complete two long formal training schools and a few sets of lengthy orders while in the reserve, but those points only add up t…

Saw this originally on Reddit's aviation sub (r/aviation) Mudhen - 1 Drone - 0 Reddit Link Sent from my SM-N920T using Baseops Network Forums mobile app

Just curious what the most recent loan was for cadets. In 97 it was 18k at 3.5%. Any recent grads care to share?

C-5 landed without nose gear extended at LERT. No other details other than it appears to be an aircraft malfunction

Hey everyone, I'm getting out and am considering going to one of the SACCs (https://www.sacc-jobfair.com/). Wondering if it's worth it or if anyone has insight into what these things are all about. Words? Thanks, ViperMan