General Discussion

Considering the discussions on the course at the JFSC and the kid getting all bent out of shape about not being allowed to wear the flag, I figured this deserved its own thread. Summary: the SQ had been the Crusaders for 50 years, changed to the Werewolves over concern that pictures of Crusaders wouldn't win hearts and minds, changed back to the Crusaders, then back to the Werewolves. https://usnews.msnbc....back-again?lite

https://chronicle.com...oud-the/134830/ Interesting article by an English Professor at USNA. The primary points and recommendations seem to be as follows 1. Academies are superfluous because more officers are generated from ROTC and OCS/OTS than from the academies themselves. Comment: It is true ROTC and OTS provide more officers than the academies. It is also true that Lts from the academy are generally no better than those from ROTC or OTS. Based on my own experience, the most effective JOs are prior service from OTS, ROTC and/or the academy. Largely because they are more mature (age) and more committed. By the time they reach Capt/Lt they all kind of ev…

I would like to know the difference between Air Force rated officers vs. their non-rated counterparts. I've heard being rated gives you opportunities for command and such, as opposed to being non-rated. Does being rated unlocks things non-rated officers don't have access to? What are the benefits of being rated? Please be thorough with your responses.

https://nation.time.com/2013/04/02/costly-flight-hours/ Very interestink.

https://www.stripes.com/news/pacific/us-military-helicopter-crashes-inside-base-on-japan-s-okinawa-1.233850#.Uf9_r2ajVjw.facebook Really hoping they find the last guy ok. Not a good way to start the week.

Hi guys, I've applied to 2 guard units so far and no luck...but going to keep trying for now. If I didn't have a good paying job I would totally apply for AD. I know it is difficult to get into pilot training no matter how you go about it, but I imagine it would be easier to get picked up if you went the AD route instead of the guard units. I'm considering going AD for a few other reasons. Browsing through this forum I have read account of AD pilots who have just had an absolute blast in their AF careers. They got to fly numerous different airframes and traveled to all sorts of interesting places. Along with that they work with a great group of guys and form…

So much for the pre-flight... https://www.kake.com/news/national/headlines/Body-of-child-stowaway-found-in-US-cargo-plane-269083371.html

Thunderbird crash in Co...He got out. Blue Angel Crash in Tenn...He did not get out.

I'll just leave this here. The erosion continues

When in UPT, does a student know exactly where he or she is ranked as far as class standing, or is it usually a guess? thanks

So, looking over all of the postings recently, there has been alot of talk about the tweet gouge. Everyone seems to agree that guys inbound for UPT should at least know the Boldface, but there has been alot of talk about the boldface having changed. Can it really change so much that it is nolonger worth looking at? Also what is the Boldface test like, fill in the blank, multiple guess, or is it verbatium write out every boldface? Any help would be appreciated.

Im wondering why do some guys crush the backs of their flight cover, so the back sticks up? Others will make a the back flatten out in the back. If you arent seeing what Im saying. When you put the cover on push the back down, it creates a tail look. Can anyone tell me why? I heard a few things. In WWII the flight caps were crushed by the headset, and it stuck. Another one was that guys with tons of hours "can" do it. Then I heard that fighter/bomber guys wear the crushed-back-tail-sticks-up (USN speak ducktail) And the heavy drivers wear the one with the back flatten and sticking out back. If anyone knows the reason please let me know, and the correct …

I really dug the Aviation Pics thread on this forum (gen disussion). I was wondering if there was any sort of demand / desire to see the creation of an interactive aviation pics gallery -- an online gallery where you could upload photos/pics to share with others? I was looking at a PHP script like Coppermine Gallery, etc. --> translation: an interactive portal where users create accounts then upload their photos to share. I thought this would be a good idea, however, the bandwidth concerns would make me place it on another website/server. The product I was looking at allows users to upload their photos (direct from their harddrives), place captions, search, …

I'd like to take my motorcycle with me to UPT. That, or even buy a new one down there. However, will I have anyway to get her under roof? I also don't want a new motorcycle just to see it get trashed by the elements. Suggestions on the matter? Do I leave my bike at home?

For those of you who have flown the Tweet... About how many rides until you were proficient and comfortable flying the Tweet? (basic aircraft control, keeping in your area and all radio work, etc...? I've been flying for a couple of weeks now and some basic aspects of it all are still kicking my ass. I'm sure I'll be fine - just wondering about others...

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This has been troubling me for some time now looking back on this board for almost two years now. What happens if you do not like beer and want to fly for the AF? I know, sounds like blasphemy but is this something I'll just have to suck up? I'm trying to picture ordering a Bacardi when everyone is drinking draft.

Since there are a lot of flyers on this board, and a lot of good stories out there that need to be told, anyone have any good stories of being recognized in public/community? Also, any good stories on when you were the most proud of yourself for being a military pilot? I'm just wondering how it is being a military pilot in the public/community view and what it's like behind closed doors with yourself and family. I’d like to hear some of the joys and satisfaction of being a pilot outside of the cockpit.

Pilot candidates face cheating probe By Erik Holmes Staff writer Pilot candidates from the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, are being investigated for cheating, a base spokesman said Wednesday. The number of officers under investigation, their ranks and the nature of the allegations are not yet known, said Maj. Michael Young, the base spokesman. “They just initiated an investigation,” he said, “so it is really in its infancy.” Young said the wing commander alerted the base detachment of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations to the allegations on Nov. 3. The OSI began an investigation that same day, he said. All the o…

It turns out that our PA shop can forward voicemails to their email. The following phone call is an actual complaint received - you could't write something this good if you tried. I KNOW I am going to regret posting this. Enjoy! Best phone complaint ever

I'm assuming that there are places around Laughlin to pick up cockpit trainers, but does anyone know for sure? I tried getting onto a website recommended by a guy that just finished pilot training but the site was down. Hell, if anyone has a used one, throw it on eBay and make back some cash!

I just bought a house in lovely (puke) Del Rio. I'm gonna rent out two of the rooms to some buds of mine who will be going through UPT at more or less the same time. I'm just looking for advice from any people that have done similar things before- Did you have them sign a lease, or just trust them to make payments/ stick to their word? Do I need to involve the base housing people or legal? What happens if I have them sign a formal lease and then one decides to go helos and needs to get out of it? Obviously no problemo from my point of view, but am I opening up a world of hurt from a legal perspective? Any and all advice is appreciated.

I think my squadron has an archaic way of tracking currencies. How does your Sqdrn track semi-currencies and the metrics associated with them? First aircrew fill out a GMAR or Flying MAR. Then our HARM puts everything into an excel spreadsheet, then in Training we MANUALLY transfer that info over to another Excel spreadsheet which we give to our schedulers. They in turn schedule people based on "beans" left. Weekly the Training Shop computes metrics from the currencies and briefs them in the Squadron meeting. And finally every other month we conduct a Training Review Board. I believe nearly all of the metrics the Training Shop produce can be automated through Ex…

Interesting... Cheers! M2

Just watched the Shuttle Shuttle (NASA911) take off from KSKF on its way to KCBM. This is the first time I've seen it, quite impressive. Here's a pic (not mine) of its approach earlier this morning... And more pics from its blog... It was in El Paso earlier today... Cheers! M2