Leaderboard

The C-130 is an A model and all are gone as far as I know. The KC-135 is an A model and all are gone as far as I know. An argument can be for the B-57 as NASA still has three flying, but all the WB-57s are F models and the one pictures is an E model. If you care B-57E Tail #54244 is on display at Strategic Air and Space Museum, Offutt AFB, Bellevue, Nebraska. An argument could also be made for the BUFF, but that looks like a big tail and they are all gone. Fairly certain all the Tweets are gone, unless some dictator is South America or Africa has one in his garage. That leaves the F-86, several privately owned owns are out there and a company was using them to pull darts for you pointy nose drivers. Now you made me miss the early bird special so GET OFF MY LAWN.

This is what you sound like to me.

Several news sources (Fox News, Bing, CNN and others) are reporting Astronaut, MiG killing fighter pilot, World War II vet & former senator John Glenn has died at the age of 95. Glenn's politics aside, Godspeed and well done sir. Him, Him

This song was found in a box of papers in the squadron. Also in this box was some stuff from Castle AFB and a manual on how to be an AC in SAC. In 1974, Mr. Elmer W. Martin Jr. penned "The Ballad of the -135", and it was just as appropriate for 1984 as it was ten years before. To the tune of "This Old House". The Ballad of the -135 This old tank won't last much longer, This old tank won't fly much more, Aint got time to load much water, Aint got time to trim all four; Aint got time to pour the oil That keeps running out all four; Aint gonna need this tank much longer, Aint gonna pass the gas much more. This old tank won't take the water, Struts are leaking, tires poor, Keep getting scratches on the windows, Holes are showing 'round the doors; Rudders creaking, cables wearing, Corrosions eating up the floor; This old tank won't last much longer, Push it through that phase just once more. Radar screen just sits and flashes, Doppler seldom works much more; Sextants all have 90 C.E.s, HF sounding mighty poor; TACAN sits there sad and spinning, Center reads us one by four; This old tank won't fly much longer, Red X showing more and more. But the parts keep right on coming, And they cannonball for more; And those ghostly orders echo- "Put her up again once more!" As the B-1 lands the last time, And it's crew looks out the door; There's the tanker there to meet them, It will get them home once more. No this tank won't fly much longer, No this tank won't fly much more, But you know it will fly however, Or that's how SAC sees the score. So keep those maintenance troops a pushing Round the clock, or maybe more, 'Cause this bird has got a mission, Can't buy a late time anymore. So the next time you must fly her, Gently push up one through four; As you carefully check the EPeRs, Push the water switch once more; And as the overrun passes 'neath you And you pull her up once more, Thank God it won't fly much longer, And pray you'll land once more!

Also the NASA Super Guppy is a modified KC-97 Not necessarily "in service", but you can see the F-86, F-100, HU-16, A-37 (close enough), and Constellation still flying in private hands. Info stolen from another site: This photo appeared in Air Force magazine's Golden Anniversary issue, dated 5/57. Here is the caption: Nearly all the operational aircraft—for combat and support—in the US Air Force are shown in this "family portrait" made at the Air Proving Ground Command, Eglin AFB, Fla. Here's the full list: Sikorsky H-19 helicopter Cessna T-37 jet trainer F-86D Sabre interceptor Lockheed F-94C Starfire jet interceptor Lockheed EC-121 Super Constellation Boeing KC-97 tanker Republic F-84F Thunderstreak jet fighter North American F-86 Sabre jet fighter Convair F-102 Delta Dagger North American F-100 Super Sabre Martin B-57 Canberra Douglas B-66 Destroyer Boeing B-47 Stratojet Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker Boeing B-52 Stratofortress Convair B-36 Peacemaker Douglas C-124 Globemaster II Boeing KB-50 Lockheed C-130 Hercules Grumman SA-16 Albratross Northrup F-89D Scorpion McDonnell RF-101 Voodoo

At least the Navy is willing to fire these guys instead of protecting their investment, no matter how bad the decision turned out to be.

Behold:

OMG! This is how an engineer describes how he had sex the night before

The B-36 was also the testbed for another kind of "nuclear bomber" - the NB-36H flying nuclear reactor.

I've busted my knuckles on 4 of them.

I still think the theory that makes the most sense is that the updated bonus was designed to make stop loss more palatable to Congress. It allows the Air Force to say, "See, we tried to give them more money! There's no other option except for stop loss!" There's no way that anyone actually believes that even $50k/yr solves the retention problem, but it would give leadership an "out" in 2018 (the same year that RAND predicted a stop loss).

Every pilot who sticks around the AF is a pilot not working in the private sector. Imagine how pissed you would be as a chief pilot who suddenly looses a significant number of his line flyers who dropped mil orders because the government just out bid his company's paycheck. I'd be sure to send my senator/lobbyist a very sternly worded email. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

@Weber5416 @bb17 @WVU11 @black hills tj @FalconAg @Mshaw628 @12xu2a3x3 @Fly4five I talked to a friend of mine who graduated in September. Some advice is in the OTS-Prep document, and things we need to know/have memorized are in the OTS Study document. See y'all in January. OTS-Prep.docx OTS Study.docx

Know a guy who jumped to the officer (non-rated) side at about the same point. He's now 28 years in and just got picked up for O-5. He's never been a school select or a squadron commander so he'll probably top out there but he's doing just fine.

2 Not sure if it was on this forum or solving the world's problems over two beers at the Bra but the rationale to that I have heard is that once they have found the right guy they have to make sure he will be the right guy for the next promotion, select opportunity, recognition, etc... the attitude expressed to me, not one I accept mind you, is that the AF considers the sunk cost once it puts a person on the path to power and it is very reluctant to cut loose that investment even when evidence to the contrary that said person was a good pick comes up... F'd up reasoning in my humble opinion, good coaches and investors cut their losses if they see problem that is perennial, not fixable, getting worse and or all them. They don't wait to see if the problem will just go away on its own, they cut it out... not saying at the first problem a leader at any level should get his/her walking papers but as an institution if it is apparent that they have gone as far as they can go or should, then for the good of the team take necessary but likely unpleasant action. In reference to the second boldface point, they don't (big shocker) - from the attitude of you are replaceable from the CSAF himself, the detachment from the mission / day to day environment is incredible. To some degree I think this is unfortunately probably an unavoidable trait of air forces in general not just the USAF. We have lots of people, the vast majority are not in operations and of those in operations, only a small percentage participate in direct combat, combat support or other operations in a tactical environment where there is an appreciable amount of risk which has a tendency to keep the mind focused on that which is truly important. The other members, God bless them, just may not realize this on an intuitive and conscious level and hence you get shoe clerks who believe some meaningless CBT, whose training has no real world value, is the most important weapon we wield. It would really be a cultural shock but greatly limiting the rank available to certain sections of the AF might be a feasible solution, not easy as the entrenched shoe clerks would fight like hell to keep the status quo, but keeping their ranks high enough to manage their people but low enough to not cause trouble with make work projects could be done.

We get killed in the GO Joint billet competition because our fast burners only have 22-24 months of Joint time. We lack credible Joint FGO time (compared to other services), plain and simple. It has zero to do with education, PME or otherwise.