General Discussion

From what I can tell a bunch of army dudes call it home and I think some OSW assets were there back in the day. I may be calling it home for a while, anyone have some gouge on what is out there or what to expect?

Just got a new update to TIMS a few weeks ago and now students can't view opted or un-submitted gradesheets. This is definately a change, and hurts mission planning a little bit. Has anyone experienced this, or found a good workaround? For example, when we start a new block, we can't see what we're opted for. Thanks Lt Winslow @ CAFB

Word on the street is there are TWO new varieties of PT shorts out there. The first kind is the marathon shorts which are shorter and lighter, and those are confirmed to exist. The other kind I've heard about (but have yet to see in person) are supposedly a longer pair with POCKETS. Does such a new PTU short exist, and if so, is it worth me dropping some coin on it before I head back the the Deid in another month?

Now, that the ANG has the C-27J mission in total, where is the C-27J School House? I have no idea if the AF senior leadership truly wanted this mission, but it's great in receiving new airframes regardless of size. Nice decision on the part of Sec Def Gates, who made it possible. He cut the legs from under the Army on this one. Since the AF likes to play down and dirty by playing Army with new PT standards and JET/ILO assignments nowadays, why not transfer all of the Army's fixed wing aircraft to the AF as well. That will be an additional 250-275 airframes. Possibly another 800-900 pilot positions. Let the Army specialize in helos, that's their bread and butter anyway…

https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33678801/ns/us_news-crime_and_courts/ What's going on down there?

Apparently, this bill was passed in both the House and the Senate and is on the POTUS' desk. Does anyone have information how this will work? My residency is in TX and hers is ND. Will she just be able to fill out some paperwork to change that? Thanks! https://www.spousebuzz.com/blog/2009/08/military-spouse-residency-relief-act.html Military Spouse Residency Relief Act August 5, 2009|GBear Seriously, what Military Spouse normally gives two seconds of thought to the Defense Authorization Bill? Well..this year we may all want to pay a bit more attention. Sen Richard Burr (R-NC) has sponsored the Spouse Residency Provision under legislation approved July 23…

Just an opinion question here. Do you think MX is inadvertently torpedoing efforts to modernize and upgrade older aircraft by reporting a higher than actual mission capable rate? Not to take anything away from MX, those guys are miracle workers; however, from a bystander's perspective, it seems like it is a lot harder to pitch "we need new engines" when on paper your aircraft is reporting an 80-100% mission capable rate. The obvious retort to the request for new engines then becomes "well, if your airplane is functioning so well, why do we need to spend the money on new engines?" I have a strictly ops oriented point of view, with no real grounds in MX or acquisiti…

Has anyone else heard of this happening yet? Just got word that PT shirts are now required to be tucked in at all times, including during PT (which is absolutely ridiculous!). Who makes these rules?

Hey Folks, I was watching a youtube video of a KC-135 shooting a low-vis approach into Mildenhall. The video terminates with the AC commanding and the CO performing a missed approach procedure, which got me wondering: Are there any airframes out there where crews utilize monitored approaches? I was just curious. I never did em' until I ended up at the airlines, we use them for all approaches of a mile or less visibility. At any rate, I'm writing an article for the IFR newsletter and need to begin from a "know your audience" standpoint. So, Who does them? Mandatory or optional? If optional, are there any prohibitions against a crew performing one? G…

https://www.kxly.com/news/21386664/detail.html FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE -- A Spokane man has been arrested in connection with a sheriff’s office investigation into the rape of a woman inside an interrogation room at Fairchild Air Force Base’s SERE School. Michael Fassbender, 32, has been arrested and charged with raping a woman early Tuesday morning inside an interrogation room at the Survival Training Center at Fairchild. Fassbender made his first court appearance Wednesday where he was charged with 1st Degree Rape. His bond has been set at $20,000, the judge calling his alleged crime exceptionally violent. Court documents allege Fassbender squeezed the vi…

Anybody know the guy who bombed the chopper?

Anyone heard anything about the latest TPS board? Its been a month just wondering if anyone has heard anything. thanks

ON A MAD HUNT FOR SOME 20MM PGU-27 SHELLS. Does anybody have any or know where to find some? It is for a gift for a pilot. Thanks to someone else's idea... I want to cut the shells down to be used as shot glasses. Can anyone point me in the right direction... P.S. If so, please talk in civilian language.

Needing to buy a gift for a F-15e pilot.... I'm not looking for generic strike eagle stuff.Searching to find something with historical significance... Any ideas?

The Lady Endures by 2nd Lt. Kidron B. Vestal Chief of Public Affairs, 380th Air Expeditionary Wing 10/19/2009 - SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The year was 1968. The Tet Offensive began in Vietnam. Simon & Garfunkel premiered the soundtrack to The Graduate. Martin Luther King 'had a dream.' The U.S. Air Force had a vision. The plane known as the U-2 Dragon Lady, Aircraft No. 068-0337, came on board to offer strategic, aerial capabilities equal to none. She exceeded her 25,000th hour of flight Oct. 18, 2009, in a mission out of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia. America's premier, high-altitude intelligence, reconnaissance, and surveillance plane i…

Does anyone foresee a replacement for the C-21 in the next 5 to 6 years ?

This is a little old, but I thought it was cool that out there was an actual tracker available to the general public by NASA. Check it out.

In a recognition of special operations forces’ reliance on their conventional partners for “enabling” capabilities such as intelligence analysis and engineering, U.S. Special Operations Command head Adm. Eric Olson is rehabilitating a long-lost “truth” that acknowledges the contribution non-special ops forces make to missions. SOCom and its subordinate commands have long touted four “SOF Truths” that encapsulate the command’s self-image. These four statements have become enshrined in special operations lore, frequently quoted by special ops officials. But few special operators know that the SOF truths were written by a non-special operator, or that a fifth truth wen…

So lately I've heard from a couple of people that once you log 100 hrs on NVGs, you qualify for 20% disability. Is this true? If so, where is it written?

Does anyone else find it a little sac religious (pardon the pun) that SAC is now “Strategic Airlift Command???” When I see articles about SAC in action overseas, I am expecting shit to be nuked. You think they could have come up with a different acronym for an airlift command.

I am a Navy veteran, Air Force brat and avid enthusiast for airpower of all branches. I was privelged to serve in the Navy as an enlisted aircrewman in helicopters, and everything I learned there I have applied to how I conduct myself as a civilian and as an airline pilot now. I grew up as a "70's" child looking thru fences, standing on the flightline or riding my bike to the end of the runway. My heroes were all pilots, mostly Air Force at the time. The Viet Nam era was winding down when I started high school, and I recall vividly the POWs returning from North Viet Nam. I read about the F-105 pilots that flew over North Viet Nam, and the obstacles that they faced beyond …

This is true. It is on pages 77, 172, 218, and 434. You have to dig to see the charges. We (retirees) would lose the Medicare for life benefit and would have to pay. We would lose TRICARE as a total care package. We would not be allowed to keep TRICARE so when Obama stands and says if you like what you have you can keep it, he lies. This is a "Heads Up" on a battle we are facing now and down the road with the new Administration. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has already drafted proposed legislation that would basically reduce our TRICARE for Life benefits to a system whereby we pay deductibles and co-pays up to $6,301 the first year for you and your spouse, wi…

How are the US investigations into BAe Systems going? And are there any similar investigations ongoing into US defence companies? Source: BBC

It's starting to get cold up here in NY...anyone know where I can pick up a good ABU parka/field jacket/whatever they're called? Most of the ones I've seen are like $180...anyone know if there are cheaper ones out there? Also, can you wear an ACU-patterned jacket over the ABUs? I can't seem to find any regs for ABU wear...