General Discussion

Army aviators, ready to leave the military, are told they owe 3 more years instead

No words for this one. https://www.fighterchicks.com/ Safe for work.

I'm packing up this weekend. Anybody got any good ideas on stuff to make a long deployment more enjoyable? No need to post the obvious: I already have booze, porn, and an inflatable girlfriend.

I recently dropped T-38 FAIP and am curious as to what effects/opportunities it will result in for my career as an officer as well as my flying career. I did fairly well in 38s and never really considered the assignment, so any input is appreciated. More specifically, how should I best pursue my hopes of flying something pointy and loud post FAIP tour? Ive been on of these forums for over 3 years now and this community has been invaluable in facilitating my journey from college kid to wings, figure it’s time to pay my respects. 🍻 Hook Em All

How hard is it for a pilot/rated officer (with 96 gate months met and 2 masters degrees) to get an assignment to the Academy? is it easier as an academic instuctor? or flight instructor? is it possible to do both? Will volunteering for some bad assignment, allow me to get there afterwards? Thanks in advance.

Come this fall, there will be a new and extremely powerful supercomputer in Afghanistan. But it won’t be in Dave Petraeus’ headquarters in Kabul or at some three-letter agency’s operations center in Kandahar. It’ll be floating 20,000 feet above the warzone, aboard a giant spy blimp that watches and listens to everything for miles around. That is, if an ambitious, $211 million crash program called “Blue Devil” works out as planned. As of now, the airship’s “freakishly large” hull — seven times the size of the Goodyear Blimp’s — has yet to be put together. Full article: ISR Blimp

"What outsourced company would be so stupid as to not bolt down seats?" Oh, gee, I dunno. Contract depot maintenance has such a sterling record.... Things don't seem to be looking too good for American. They're on the downswing while their major competitors, especially Delta seem to have righted the ship. If I were a betting man I wouldn't be putting money on American right now.

Interesting WSJ on the downside to automation . https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304439804579204202526288042

I'm graduating NAV school in May, aircraft drop is tomorrow. I have two choices: 1)JSTARS to Robins 2)Slick to Peterson. I'm from SC so I'd like to be close to home, but I *think* I'd like the C-130 mission slightly more. JSTARS rarely drop at NAV school, so I really have never considered them. Are there career opportunities in the JSTARS world? If you're on a JSTARS, do you like the mission? Lastly, I'm married with one child. My wife's choice is the JSTARS since she would be close to home when I deploy. Advice? Help!

We are getting past a rough spot of flaming and since the board is getting back on track, I thought we might keep it moving in the right direction by sharing a few stories about your most memorable moments in your particular aircraft. In 1990 I took a T-38 to Eglin AFB for the weekend. My girlfriend lived in nearby Shalimar and I thought it would be a great place for a weekend stop. I called before I left Houston and she assured me she would be there waiting for my arrival. I got lucky on the way and found a 200 knot tail wind up at FL 390. As I started the let-down into Fort Walton Beach, I noticed I was very fat on gas. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and it was…

How long do the effects of the G warm-up exercise last? And, assuming you do this exercise at the start of a sortie but then are unable to go straight into BFM or ACM, would you repeat it before you start pulling Gs? I am also curious to know how much of a difference it makes to your ability to sustain Gs without experiencing GLOC.

Get your training manager to call the Guard Bureau and see if there are any other requests for Laughlin by students selected for Vance or Sheppard(doubtful), its worth a shot. One for one swaps are easier or getting early FY dates are easier to manipulate if your willing to wait a month or two if another student is willing to take Laughlin as a price to go earlier. My friend was working the slots when I worked up in D.C., so I've seen it done. One case of Heineken and I was off to CB instead of Laughlin...but that's a different case literally. Good luck!

I am currently in AFROTC commissioning in May and heading to UPT at some point after that. (Hoping for quick EADs) I have been trying to get into the right mindset for UPT. I, like many guys going to UPT have been wanting to fly fighters for the AF for as long as I can remember. So my question is this: What is the best way to approach the competitive aspect of UPT? I am going there determined to achieve my goals, and will give 110% to get there but I don't want to be that guy who steps on the other studs to get what I want. I have heard that it is an intense competition and it's dog eat dog, but also that you need to help each other out and pass on all the valuable i…

A guy in my class here at Little Rock told me one of his buddies got a call from Pope asking him if he wanted to go to Cheyenne instead of going to Pope once he got done at Little Rock. Also, I heard a rumor they were dropping Slicks to Cheyenne at Randolph now. Can anyone substantiate this?

This a big deal? I guess not... Unlocked article link below: https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/hospitalized-pentagon-chief-was-in-intensive-care-unit-12b3f1a6?st=n7pns02pvqo4gy7&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

Good day all. The other day I was talking to a fellow at school about our proposed military careers. I'm going for AF pilot, and he's heading Army Pilot. Anyway, the discussion came back toward Battlefield, and the way that people can fly planes, etc. and a thought came to us. So here's the progression: 1: Since pilots can only fly so many hours a day, and are only on duty for a couple days at a time, does that carry over to front line deployment(i.e. bombing runs in Afghanistan, Iraq)? 2: If it does, what does one do on their time off? Here's where the Ranger stuff comes in. 3: If a pilot were Airborne, and Ranger qualified, would they be allowed to go out with the…

This week I received an e-mail from my base's EO office: EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFICE. Leadership opportunity available; EO is seeking 5 project officers for the following committees: Martin Luther King Day / Jan 2014, African American Heritage Month / February 2014, Women's History Month / March 2014, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month / May 2014 and Pride Month / June 2014. To be considered, a completed nomination form with supervisor endorsement should be delivered to the EO Office, "Pride Month" corresponds to Gay Pride or LGBT Pride Month, which happens in June. This seems a little ridiculous. Anyone want to volunteer? Great OPR bull…

Apparently a USAF source has confirmed that the Russians will be participating in the next evolution of Red Flag. I wonder if they'll get to see some of the heritage rooms on base... https://www.flightglo...o-red-flag.html https://english.ruvr....07_03/80124065/ Discuss!

Story developing on CNN. Fox actually has a little more detail... Shots Fired at Bus Carrying U.S. Soldiers in Germany

To him. And prayers for his family. https://www.ktnv.com/news/one-dead-after-aircraft-crashes-during-training-mission https://www.youcaring.com/julieschultz-943161

I am an old National Guard Logistics Officer getting ready to take my first deployment since Desert Storm (and the last one before I retire). I have a choice of going to Arifjan, Thumrait, or Ali Al Salem. I'd appreciate any feedback anyone can give me on the pros and cons of each of these locations. Particularly looking for things like: The OPSTEMPO at each location (I'd like to keep busy) What the facilities are like (quarters, workcenters, MWR, etc..) Communication capabilities (internet, phone access, wi-fi, etc...) Queep level

Just heard from a friend. Anyone confirm?

I've heard from a few different guys that when in RVSM airspace you should climb/descend at 1000fpm. I can't find any concrete source stating this so I'm wondering if anybody else has heard of this or know where it could be referenced. I understand it makes sense with TCAS and whatnot but I'm just curious if it's strictly a technique. Thanks.

Any aviators here who have set their wings down, made the jump, and parted the curtains on the new 13O gig? I’m well outside the window... I’m just curious to hear initial impressions, thoughts, and regrets if you have any. Any rumors on which LAF category you might promote in?

The link below is to a slideshow (stay with me here) describing Netflix's corporate culture strategy. Whoever put this together has a great grasp on how inflexible bureaucracies are created. Slides 44-77 are relevant. https://www.slideshar...0&startSlide=44 There are a lot of points that parallel observations recently made about the USAF: Company starts out with focus and high performance High performance creates growth which leads to complexity and chaos Complexity is fought with procedures and regulations Too many procedures and regulations drive away talented people Everything still seems fine until the market (battlefield) changes The company is now f…