General Discussion

So I’m sitting here at the gate on a delay at Logan (thanks Newark) reading the Bomber 134 thread and discussing it with the Capt and a C-17 taxis by. Odd for BOS but whatevs. Capt says “Do they use those for firefighting? Seems like those would be awesome for that.” Which got me thinking, with so many ANG units equipped with C-17s, are they going to adapt or develop MAFFS for that airframe?

Hello Everyone. I was originally pursuing a pilot slot; however, due to a certain medication that I am on, I am unable to even get past MEPS. I have done everything possible, but I am not ready to accept the risk of quitting the medication right now. With this being the case, I would still like to be involved in any way possible with the military aviation world. In your experience, have there been any civilian positions that work closely with the squadrons or Air Force as a whole? I have a bachelor's degree and a couple of years of professional work experience. However, most of the available civilian jobs I have found on usajobs .com are sim/technical instructo…

Anyone ever heard of it? Any advice? Standard POC on the announcement is like trying to find Bin Laden before that redhead got on the case. Looking at possibly making the jump and teaching NFO’s while tooling around in a T-45. Or a Super Hornet if they’ll take me.

For the T-38, the takeoff Refusal Speed is computed using a 3" reaction time, during which the aircraft continues to accelerate. In other aircraft, the speed is based on starting the abort at that speed, with no reaction time. I'd like to know what is done in other aircraft in the military. I'm not looking for "technique", just what is in your flight manual when it comes to the consideration that was used in creating your performance charts. Bombers, trainers, fighters, heavies... let me know. Post it here or drop me a pm.

Does anyone have any info on what life is like flying the C-17 active duty stationed at Elmendorf, AK? I am very interested in choosing that plane and location for my drop sheet. I’ve heard that C-17 pilots are extremely busy and gone upwards of 280 days a year at times (I know deployment cycles change all the time though). But I’ve also heard that the ops tempo at Elmendorf is lower than other bases because they do airdrop and are in PACAF. Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated. I would like to be home more for my first assignment until my 2 kids grow up and are a little easier to parent 😁

Long shot, but I know there are experts here who might be able to help. BLUF: Long-time A-10 leader passed away this week, and is being interred at DFW National Cemetery next week. We're looking to see if we can get a 4 Ship flyover but have no idea where to start with the airspace. That cemetery is 10nm SE of the eastern runway at DFW, so airspace should be simple. Right? Coord through official USAF channels to approve it is underway, but would like to know if anyone has any words on where to go otherwise; ATC POCs to coord and/or approve, or even just to find out if there's no way to proceed. They've done Memorial Day flyovers there, but I'm sure they have p…

Russian stealth plane, Now Russia has its own stealth jet bomber. They promise to have it here already this year and start producing it in series starting 2010. They tell that the design of the plane is still kept secret and those sketches are the only clue that people have, but as it is known it would be a decent F-22 competitor. From:DefenseTech.org https://www.defensetech.org/archives/004940.html?wh=wh +++++++++++++++++++ Any one have any other juicy details about this? I am rather intrigued by this.. --edit to fix link of site referenced

China urges U.S. to halt surveillance near its shores By Lucy Hornby BEIJING (Reuters) - China called on the United States to reduce and eventually halt air and sea military surveillance close to its shores after a series of territorial disputes this year. The request was made during a special session on maritime safety between the two countries' militaries on Wednesday and Thursday, Xinhua news agency said on Thursday, citing China's Defense Ministry. Five times this year, Chinese vessels have confronted U.S. surveillance ships in Asian waters, the U.S. Defense Department said in May. China said the U.S. vessels had intruded its territory. There has since be…

Well it's about that time... and I'm waivering on what order to rank the fighters. Now I'm set on the fact that I want to fly fighters, hands down, but with very little experience in the AF I'm having a tough time ranking them. My current sheet looks like this 1) A-10 2) F-15E 3) F-22 4) F-16 5) F-15C For those with more wisdom than myself (which doesn't exclude many) can you tell me your thoughts on the A-10/F-15E world and the foreseeable future for Lt's in the airframe. Also, many of the guys around here say I'd be crazy not to put the F-22 first. And I'm honestly considering it. Insight into that world would be great, as well. Moral of the story is my dream sheet is …

OIF = Operation New Dawn https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/02/18/military-mission-iraq-gets-change/?test=latestnews cheers

I read a report recently in which an officer wrote that he graduated ENJJPT in the early 1990s and was designated a 'banked pilot'. He then did seven months of school cross-training to Intel. I don't know if he returned to the cockpit. Can anyone say whether such a categorisation was either common or permanent? Seems odd to spend so much money training someone who then ends up doing a completely different job.

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

Came across this link of some pictures and transcript of yesterdays launch at Vandenburg. Looking at the pictures I am wondering the pucker factor of the launch controller who had his finger on a self destruct button. Looking at the pics on the link you can see a fire at a seam on one of the external boosters and later you see a fire just above one of the engines. Hopefully there are some guys with knowledge with these monsters on this forum. https://www.spaceflightnow.com/delta/d352/status.html

who's the guy or the FBO to contact in Little Rock about getting instrument, multi-engine, and commercial ratings? I finished pilot training a few months ago (shoulda knocked this FAA stuff out while outprocessing Corpus) and I'm here for the FTU. at Corpus and Columbus there were local dudes (sim instructors in both cases) who had this process as streamlined as it could be; anyone know of a similar great American here in central AR? thanks!

Looks like the Red Arrows has an accident near Bournemouth today. https://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3764622/Red-Arrow-crash-at-air-show.html

We recently had the "Rainbow" deployment schedule shoved down out throats. All the tanker units had this vs. the AEF buckets put to a vote. The vote was 9 to 8 in favor with two units not showing up to vote. The new schedule is 1 1/2 crews, 1-2 planes, and 1 staff for the forseable future in the desert. I understand that about 6 months ago, the active duty stopped allowing guardsmen to volunteer for deployments. It looks like this was to get units hungry enough to vote this in. It barely worked because the economy is bad and many needed this "jobs program". Can anyone tell me when, exactly, guardsmen were stopped from being allowed to deploy? I'm contacting my ele…

Just wanted to share this: SQUALENE CONFIRMED IN ANTHRAX VACCINE AFTER NUMEROUS PENTAGON DENIALS Representative Jack Metcalf of the State of Washington revealed in a report Thursday that the FDA found squalene in the anthrax vaccine being forced upon the U.S. military on pain of court martial and/or dishonorable discharge. The FDA confirmed the presence of squalene in the anthrax vaccine by using a more sensitive test than one used by the Pentagon. Squalene is NOT an FDA-approved substance and its consequences on health are unknown. As a vaccine booster ingredient, it is thought to increase immunity, but its use has been denied time and again by the Pentagon. Con…

https://www.wtkr.com/news/military/la-fi-bunker-buster-bomb-20111117,0,7519435.story Pretty cool, but by my math that's over $15M per boom. I hope we're getting more than just 20 for our money.

https://www.foxnews.c...test=latestnews Him, Him

If someone wants to post up the link from the AF Times, but they're finally doing something about the worst placed sewage ponds in the world. Over the years I've logged over a year and a half smelling that crap at Kandahar! Finally fixing it hopefully.

... at a mass safety briefing, non-the-less. https://www.latimes.c...0,6328265.story

I would really like to get a local chapter of Women in Aviation International up and running in San Antonio (the only other WAI chapters in TX are in Dallas and Houston). To do so, we would need at least 10 WAI members in the greater SA area. Also, does anyone know of any other aviation-related websites where I'll have a chance of reaching potential members in the SA area? Thanks, VCQ

"Air Force Reserve Command Public Affairs Office 11/26/2012 - Robins Air Force Base, Ga. -- A new proposed Aviator Retention Pay program for Air Force Reserve aircrew is expected to begin in 2013. The ARP plan focuses on retaining aircrew officers to meet basic mission requirements for the reserve. The offer will target only locations where significant shortfalls in rated officer manning exist and will offer a $30,000 bonus over a three-year span. Pilots and combat systems officers who have completed their initial training commitment including those eligible for retirement but excluding those in the 16 to 20 years of service wil…

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/12/27/gen-norman-schwarzkopf-who-led-coalition-forces-in-persian-gulf-war-dies/ Him Him.