General Discussion

Fill in the blanks: "In the [insert Military Branch], you're actually a ______ first, then a pilot second" and give me a reason why this is the case I've seen it on multiple posts here and there, decided I may want to try to coalesce these answers all together under one. For example, marketing tells me that going Warrant Officer Army Pilot all you'll do is fly helicopters. I find this a little too good to be true as with any leadership position there comes a bevy of staff duties to fulfill. Like making sure the fridge is stocked. For example: In the Marines, you're actually a rifleman first, a pilot second. Because "oo-rah kill". So let's hear it! Wha…

I had the honor of meeting GEN Shalikashvili back when he was the Chairman and I was a young captain. I was in Slovakia at the time on a military liaison team, and he and Madeline Albright rolled into town. We helped the embassy with the arrangements, so we were at the location where he was meeting the Slovak military leaders. He saw us from across the room, and made his whole entourage take a detour so he could walk over and meet the team. He was very friendly, and made time for us to take photos with him. Actually, we all got two pics each with him, as he made an excuse for the second picture with each individual but we realized he did that just in case the first p…

https://www.al.com/news/2019/05/former-delta-force-commander-dies-in-lawnmower-accident-at-alabama-home.html 🍺🍺 To the elite.

Nickel in the Grass for a 7+ year Vietnam POW. RIP Brother. From vansairforce.net on 9 Jan 2014, Link: https://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=108462 One of the pioneers of RV [Van’s Aircraft, homebuilt experimental aircraft] formation standards and a founding member of the Blackjack Squadron, Wesley Schierman passed away this weekend. Wes, Marty, and Dick began flying their RV4s in close formation together in the late 80’s and expanded their group by developing a structured training program in the early 90’s that continues to this day. Over the years, nearly 50 fortunate aviators have been ‘patched’ to fly as Blackjacks. There are extraordi…

https://militarytimes.com/blogs/afteraction/2012/06/29/video-bernard-james-drafted-to-u-s-a-u-s-a-chants/ Shit Hot...

I love my job. I am only a C-130 loadmaster but I love my job. Every once in a while I see some really cool stuff. Here are some pics I took during todays Ft Smith conversion festivities over Arkansas.

I was reading an AFA magazine a couple months back and I saw a picture of a B-52 pilot attached to an Army unit acting as a forward air contoller. Is this a volunteer only assignment? What are other requirements?

https://www.simhq.com/_air/PDF/NGNG.pdf Used search; couldn't find anything posted earlier about this. Found out about this after watching the Dogfights series on the History Channel, thought some of you might find it interesting, especially wannabes like myself. Thank you, -Vice

that my tour in this mighty sexy, b1tch they call a LEAR has been extended until July 2007 (at ETAR) - total of 54 months. A little Wurstmarkt (Bad Durkeim) this weekend for some celebration... [ 11. September 2005, 05:41: Message edited by: C-21 Pilot ]

https://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/11/mali-rebels-idUSL5E9CB4H420130111

This rocks! For those of you who don't know MG Gorenc, he is one of the nicest and most personable guys you will ever meet. I had the pleasure of working with him at SHAPE, and I am extremely glad to see he continues to do well. He is currently ACC Director of Air and Space Operations, and those of you working for 3AF will have one of the best as your new NAF commander! Cheers! M2

I can't believe nobody has posted that USAFE is now free from the reign of terror and CSIPs of Doc Foglesong! We're free! And there was much rejoicing in USAFE...

I can't find this posted before so here is the skinny. Veterans Day offers a reminder of the service and sacrifice of America’s military personnel. AOPA is honoring the service of active-duty military members by offering them a complimentary one-year membership in the association. AOPA announced the offer in May as part of an effort to reach out to members of the military and support their flying goals. The association offers resources for pilots of all stripes, whether they fly recreationally or for the military. If you know someone in the military who would enjoy an AOPA membership, please share the offer. https://www.discoveraopa.org/aopamilitaryaopapilotmagad…

Heard through the grapevine, bean counters want to take away our access to Jeppesen approach plates! Tell you what; the Jeppesen African charts sure beat FLIP, hands down! What gives?

https://www.baseops.net/jeppesen/ Just noticed that link on the main page... What's the deal with this, how is baseops involved? (the link on the main page points to a baseops site, not a jep site). Also noticed that milplanner link... Jep getting more friendly with the DoD?

I tried to find this on here already so get pissed if I ask this question twice. Someone told me that there was a way to get up to $5,000 for a one time certification. Basically, it is covered by the air force and includes things like getting a PPL, if you have a PPL then getting a commercial cert, getting a CDL, becoming a CPR instructor, whatever. The idea is for you to improve yourself and the AF covers it. It is not TA or the MGIB. Is this too good to be true or has someone done this? Thanks, Barney

Although this link is to a story about AF issues with innovation (I will not attempt to comment on its validity or the author since there are many experts here on both), this is something we talk about across the services. Is being a “free thinker” a personality liability? We all have personal biases and want the way in which makes our living to be the most relevant, but are we going to lose our military edge because we cannot look for answers that may not support theses biases? What are your thoughts? https://omnifeed.com/article/ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2014/12/03/a_pilot_speaks_the_usaf_is_harder_on_internal_ideas_than_it_is_on_evil_insurgents_ac_130#./a_pi…

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So, I just found out that I am going to the 23 BS up at Minot. What was your favorite thing about it? What was your spouse's favorite thing about it? And no, I'm not suicidal. After getting over the shock, I am excited about it. I had to shift my thinking about my immediate future, but flexablility is the key right?

check this out: 1- Go to www.google.com 2- Type in OR PASTE: French military victories 3- Instead of hitting "Search", hit "I'm feeling Lucky".

I thought this was funny, so I'll share. I was looking on a video game site of all places and it had a link making fun of the French, so I figured, "Okay, I'll bite." When I clicked on it it sent me to a site that showed this : french military victories It doesn't happen if you do a real Google search, but still pretty funny. At first I fell for it.

The AP and UPI reported that the French Government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from Run to Hide. The only two higher levels in France are Surrender and Collaborate. The rise was precipitated by a recent fire which destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively disabling their military.

1. Since when was it called Joint Base Balad? Does this mean the AF runs it or the Army? Guessing AF, since it would probably be called JLSA Anaconda if the Army was in charge... 2. How the fvck did they get 5 53s in the air at the same time? Those must be the last 5 waiting to go to DM...

Here's another question about FT. I was listening to the awards that were given out to people in my Det and got to wondering about what awards there are. I know I heard physical fitness, academic, and marksmanship. Does anyone know where I can find a list of the possible awards and the criteria for earning them?

Rotor Heads at Ft Rucker, Moving to Ft Rucker soon. What/Where are the decent apartments I should look into while I am permissive TDY there? Thanks for the help! Sherm