General Discussion

First of all, I searched for a similar post and found none, which is why I started this one. This being my first post here, I'm trying to abide by the rules. Now for the hard question. Are former military aviators required to disclose their involvement in military aviation accidents/incidents to potential civilian employers? If so, how much can/should they disclose? Informed opinions, guidance, and recommendations would be greatly appreciated...

So a little while ago we had a WG/CC call. Part of the show for the day was the presentation of two Bronze Stars. Both to LRS types. In neither citation did I hear one mention of enemy fire. The closest thing I could discern was that one guy might have been present in a mortar attack. This is not the first time I've seen and heard of the BS being awarded to guys who were not under fire from the enemy. Am I missing something, or is the BS becoming less of a medal for actual achievement, and more of another "thanks for playing" feel-good medal, similar to the Air Medal?

Can anyone provide a brief overview of how the Air Force mitigates against low-level bird strikes? I seem to recall from a trip to Seymour Johnson that there was a service which highlighted low-level routes where birds might be more prevalent at a given time of the year. I also believe that there was a grading system for risk. Are these systems still in effect, and are they integrated into Falcon View or similar? Is it down to the discretion of the mission commander to avoid these, or are the AFIs that mandate flagged areas be avoided? TIA

Virtual Wall

I'll be crossing the pond soon and was wondering if any Herk guys had some good gouge on crossing the Atlantic. Thanks!

Does anyone know the length and location of schools for FE's headed to C-130 U's at Hurlburt? Currently flying C-5's but AFSOC is calling my name!!

Is the AF getting the Harvest Hawk package like the USMC for their C-130s? It would be an added plus for the airlift fleet and bring more fight to the enemy. Tac Air isn't needed as much when the largest enemy vehicle is a Toyota 4x4 in Afgan. Let the C-130s drop the Candy and see who picks it up. If it's the bad guys, fire them up. Perhaps the CoS being an old AC-130 guy will find the funding. How much would one F-35 cost anyway? Bet you can get 5 Harvest Hawk packages for the price of one F-35. Are there any AF C-130 crews that would like to pickup that additional mission? Better than flying a RPV in getting kills.

LtGen AP Clark, instrumental in the Stalag Luft III breakout that inspired The Great Escape, and former Supt of USAFA, has died at age 96. He helped set up the POW archive at the USAFA library, and used to speak to cadets in History 330 pretty regularly. A Supt who Steve McQueen tried to be like. Here's a toast.

Don't vote in a poll that was posted 6-9 years ago when you add nothing substantial to the thread. All it does is bump it to the top!! Choke yourself before you consider doing this in the future. And to make this thread slightly better than useless...

Here's the link: https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35678731/ns/politics/ It seems the reliable numbers are hard to find, but it seems unlikely that we'll get as many F-35s as we need to replace the F-16, F-18 AND A-10 if the cost is really that high. I wonder how the "partner nations" are taking the news. I wish defense contractors and the government could build more realistic cost growth estimates into the acquisitions process so that we don't keep paying 2x as much for a system as we originally were told. It makes the whole bidding system just seem dishonest when you know contractors like Lockheed have been building weapons systems for hundreds of projects and know …

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if you get a pilot slot and are committed to 10 years AD in the Air Force, aren't you pretty screwed if you decide you don't like it? While it seems most people like flying for the AF, not every job is for everyone. I just don't see this discussed a lot, and it seems like a major issue. Am I missing something?

Prayers for the crew and family. Fox Link

This very bird (Tucano #7) crashed this afternoon in Brazil during an airshow, with the loss of the pilot... https://www.airliners.net/photo/Brazil---Air/Embraer-T-27-Tucano/1669582/L/

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.

OK, I've searched about nine different ways and can't find a previous thread. I've been using a three D - cell, LED Maglite for years. I've just moved to a new jet and my bag is now stuffed to the gills with charts for said airplane. I'm looking for something smaller that will still illuminate all the dark crevasses of a large airplane, with a minimum amount of bag space. Any suggestions? Thanks!

It looks like there's a new member in the Muammar-Qaddafi-Batshit-Crazy-Muslim Club: Karzai to lawmakers: "I might join the Taliban" If this isn't a journalistic misquote, I think we need to have a Pred pilot earn a DFC for this idiot.

Good Day, A few of my co workers had a visual passage of two F-22's and a Tanker near Edmonton Alberta (YEG). I'm curious if this is a common practice when transiting foreign airspace instead of a fuel stop due to the sensitivity of the aircraft? Will this experience likely happen again over Alberta with traffic moving to Elmendorf? I would love to have seen it. Thanks Barry

Great SR-71 story... https://gizmodo.com/5511236/the-thrill-of-flying-the-sr+71-blackbird

Thoughts & Prayers to all the family & friends and squadron mates of those killed in the USAF CV22 that crashed west of Qalat in Afghanistan. Your sacrifices were not in vain. Rest in Peace and Godspeed Guys. ISAF: 4 killed in U.S. aircraft crash in Afghanistan By the CNN Wire Staff April 9, 2010 -- Updated 0655 GMT (1455 HKT) (CNN) -- A U.S. aircraft crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing three U.S. service members and one civilian employee, a statement from NATO-led forces said Friday. The cause of the crash of the Air Force CV-22 Osprey was not known, said the International Security Assistance Force statement. Several other service members were inj…

Just saw this on CNN: A military training jet crashed in a north Georgia forest on Monday, killing at least one person aboard and setting several acres of woodland ablaze, local and federal authorities said. FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said the crash of the twin-engine T-39 trainer caused no injuries on the ground, and it wasn't clear how many people were aboard. It went down just north of Morganton, Georgia, about 80 miles north of Atlanta, Fanning County Sheriff's Maj. Keith Bosen said. The mountainous area is ringed by national forest land, and the the crash caused a fire that was estimated at as much as 10 acres, Bosen said. The T-39, a military version o…

Anyone know her?

anyone know if Big Blue will approve ADDS for wx products?? the FAA released an AC certifying the web site as an approved wx source. I might as well answer my own question though and say we'll be 10 yrs behind everyone though. sigh

In light of the much talked about AF "bullsh*t" on Active Duty as well as the seemingly inevitable stint in a UAV, I'm considering the Guard route instead of AD. For those of you that are Active Duty, do you wish you went Guard/Res, assuming you would keep your airframe? *Sorry if this belongs in the Guard/res forum. I just thought it would be a little redundant to be asking Reservists and Guardsmen if they wished they were Reservists and Guardsmen.*

Breaking News: Shooting in Wichita Falls Don't know how valid this is, but my friend said some of the people gunned down were service members. If you have any friends or relatives over there, might as well be safe and check on them...

Good news, especially for you AETC folks in Texas and Vance: The Million Air FBO's at Hobby and Fayetteville Arkansas just got the military servicing/fueling contract. Although EFD is close by, swing into HOU next time you're in Houston. We went through Hobby back in Feb, and it is top shelf: good flight planning, professional line crew, free snacks/drinks,... even the crew car is a BMW 5 series. FYV probably has the same, as this is a Million Air standard. The movie theatre is impressive too. The tower guys at Hobby are great, and give you whatever they can. Hobby has 7600', and Fayetteville's 6000' of runway. You T-38 pilots are out of luck at FYV, but HOU…