General Discussion

This thread was inevitable.... Please keep content relative to year.

I was cross-country this weekend with a group of guys, and one of them is an ex C-model guy. We were discussing the merits of that plane and he told me that within a year the c models will start incorporating an air-to-ground role into their profile, albeit a very limited role at first while they catch up (presumably to Viper and Strike Eagle guys!). This makes sense (to me at least).....a strictly air-to-air role doesn't have that much use against the enemies we fight today (see the F/A-22), and the Eagle WAS originally designed to be a multi-role fighter (then along came the Viper). Anyone else heard anything else about this? [ 08. November 2004, 20:56: Message …

This would be a kick in the nut sac: https://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/11/military-budget-recommendations-retirement-cuts-111710w/ Second task force seeks to cut retired pay By Rick Maze - Staff writer Posted : Wednesday Nov 17, 2010 17:01:47 EST The military retirement system is under attack from another group trying to cut federal spending, and this time they say they would make the changes apply even to current service members who have less than 15 years of service. In a report released Nov. 17, the Debt Reduction Task Force of the Bipartisan Policy Group recommends cutting military retirement costs in half by making three changes: • Instead of dra…

Beginning January 16, 2006, TurboTax is being made available at no cost to servicemembers by the Department of Defense at the Military OneSource website at https://www.militaryonesource.com/. It requires a login, but supposedly the download is free for anybody interested.

A Greek AF F-16 participating with the Tactical Leadership Program has reportedly crashed on the apron at Albacete AB Spain. Two reported dead and thirteen injured... A bad day at TLP https://sputniknews.com/europe/20150126/1017370197.html

Hey all, some coworkers and I are putting on a skit (of sorts) tomorrow night and I will be playing the stereotypical pilot role...entirely too self centered and arrogant. What I need is some good one-liners...something along the lines of "What's the difference between God and an Air Force pilot? God can't fly jets!" bwah hahaha. Anyway, you get the point. So...fire away! I know there's gotta be some good stuff out there.

Perhaps a relatively minor victory in the grand scheme, but a major win in terms of tactical application/integration of airpower in a challenging urban environment. https://www.wsj.com/articles/kurdish-forces-declare-complete-victory-in-kobani-1422362163 In case you haven't been following the news, the U.S. has been striking ISIS positions in the city on a daily basis since October. I'm not sure why the brass, especially in the USAF, aren't trumpeting this one... Too preoccupied with SAPR down days and providing dissertations on the fast track to promotion?

My bro created an app that helps reduce the time required to review notams. It's especially helpful for local flying. Check it out and post your feedback here! https://itunes.apple.com/app/id921275153 The trick to the NOTAMs is that once you've scrolled through them, you just swipe away the ones you don't want to see again. Now the same stupid NOTAMabout some tower that has no impact on you doesn't show up every time you look. Obviously, this does not substitute a thorough NOTAM review. It's only available for i-devices right now. I may port it to Android if it has enough interest.

Anyone have any recent first or second hand experience retiring and then joining the reserves or guard. I heard of one or two people doing this since I first heard of the program advertised around 2007, but wasn't sure if there were any more recent examples. Wondering what the pain level might be for approval these days. I know the financial benefits might be negligible for doing it.

I thought the state of the union address from the President was awesome! I have a question though for those of you in uniform. I noticed that the five or six men dressed in uniform didn't applaud as much as everyone else did (not that I think that's bad). However, they did applaud on a few topics that involved military matters etc. I did think that all the applauding and standing up and down did get a little tiresome, but hey the President was doing a great job. My question is, is when do the men in uniform know when to applaud/stand and when not to? They did everything as a whole body, whether it was applauding or keeping silent, hands folded in their laps. Anyway, just …

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…

Did anybody else catch this? https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/12/twitter-account-for-us-central-command-hacked-filled-with-pro-isis-messages/ Apparently CENTCOM had their Twitter account hacked.

By The Associated Press FILE - This Feb. 2, 2012 file photo shows CIA Director David Petraeus testifying on Capitol Hill in Washington. Petraeus has resigned because of an extramarital affair. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File) WASHINGTON — David Petraeus has resigned as director of the CIA after admitting he had an extramarital affair. According to his letter of resignation, Petraeus asked President Barack Obama on Thursday to allow him to resign, and on Friday the president accepted. Petraeus said in a statement that he had shown "extremely poor judgment" in having an affair.

Anyone have a time frame? I flew with the upcoming Wing King (currently the Vice at Kadena) and he said this was in the works. https://www.stripes.com/news/europe/raf-mildenhall-to-close-amid-other-europe-consolidations-1.322825

Just wondering if the T38 IP's at these bases were U-2 and B-2 pilots or if they are strictly T-38 IP's , and if they are where do they usually come from ???UPT bases or from MWS's thanx for the help. and do they still fly A model or did they get the c model ?????//

Hey folks, I'm trying to start back up GuardReserveJobs.com. I realize it used to be a great central resource for units looking to hire and people looking to get hired. I've rebuilt the site, and I'm hopeful for a decent amount of traffic. What I could really use is the word of mouth network to spread the request for units to post job offers and for people to post their resumes. Thanks in advance for helping me to rebuild what used to be a great resource for folks fed up with active duty life and for ANG/Reserve units!

Long read... But well worth it. "The most curious thing about our four defeats in Fourth Generation WarLebanon, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistanis the utter silence in the American officer corps. Defeat in Vietnam bred a generation of military reformers Today, the landscape is barren. Not a military voice is heard calling for thoughtful, substantive change. Just more money, please."

Discuss...

Did I miss this posted somewhere? If so, please delete. Otherwise, what is the backstory since the article doesn't say much, other than the standard loss of confidence. https://m.military.com/daily-news/2014/12/30/spangdahlem-wing-commander-relieved-of-duty.html?ESRC=airforce-a.nl

I'll be down at Randolph for nav training in early June. I'm wondering if anybody knows what the current BAH rate is. It could really help me out while I'm looking for possible places to stay online. Also, for those of you who had to live off base at your first duty location and had no aquaintances in the area, did you live alone or with a roommate? Is permissive TDY enough time to find a roommate? I can see some definite advantages to living with a roommate who is going through nav training at the same time, but I don't know if its worth the hassle of finding one and hoping they are a good one. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks. Edit: There are alr…

I was a passenger on a cross country flight the other night, and happened to look out the window at just the right time to see the ISS whizzing by. It got me wondering whether pilots who fly often, especially just before sunrise or after sunset, see a lot of satellites.

Has anyone tried taking an FAA test at the Advanced Instrument School in Oklahoma City? I'm trying to take my Military Comp test for commercial license and heard it's free to take it through the USAF. Looking to save a hundred bucks or so, and the POC listed hasn't returned/answered my calls.

The Montana Air National Guard is holding a pilot board again. Packets must be recieved by 15 February 2015. See the attachment here for all the info or check out the wing's homepage and follow the link in the bottom right hand corner for the announcement letter. Thanks! 120thairliftwing.ang.af.mil 2015 UPT Application Procedures (rev).doc

I don't like to call dudes out, but one of our regular Base Ops contributors made a nice save the other day. Well done buddy, glad you're safe! Maybe we can get him to chime in and give us the lowdown! https://www.ksla.com/story/27624967/small-plane-crashes-in-red-river-in-shreveport SHREVEPORT, LA (KSLA) - Over a dozen emergency personnel responded to the scene of a plane crash. Shreveport police tell KSLA News 12 that a small single engine plane reported a mechanical failure just after 1:00 Sunday afternoon. Authorities say the plane made an emergency landing into the Red River about a half a mile north of Shreveport's Downtown Airport. Mark Crawford …

Can't believe Sony is pulling this because of the threats. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-30528772