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To the bar (the squadron bar if able), the strip club, sorority parties, Vegas, out on a boat... While you're at it, buy a motorcycle or sports car you can't really afford, travel wherever you can, make a bunch of questionable choices while staying out of jail. Serious advice. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

True! But there is usually a reason the mob is pissed in the first place. Many of us have been on this board since we were Lts just looking to make it through flight school. Now, many years later, we have spent entire careers either getting screwed or seeing our buddies get screwed (sts) by the AF, all the while watching the warrior ethos and camaraderie depart the fix as well. After suffering through poor leadership who spent decades treating us poorly and taking us for granted, we finally have other options. They (the generals) didn't earn or appreciate our loyalty when they had the chance, so why give it to them now? Fucking RUN fellas.

There's no justice like angry mob justice...

Viper training is going on at Cannon now? Home of the Spec Ops Fighter Pilot!

Just another indicator of how self-indoctrinated AF leadership is; pilots are saying LOUD AND CLEAR precisely what is wrong with the AF that is making them leave, and the Generals are intentionally choosing not to tackle any of those things to help fix retention. Maybe if we start poisoning the well for their job prospects on the outside, we'll keep them in. YGBSM. Fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Generals.

More A-A kills than I have. How many do you have?

Indeed, well played on the Simpsons quote! I would say that younger guys are in a vastly different position than the guys nearing the end of their ADSC. Obviously if you aren't near your ADSC ending, you don't really have a choice so almost not worth worrying about a lot of the airline banter right now. Maybe keep an eye on getting as much time now so you're ready if/when you decide to leave. Hopefully the things we are bitching about today will get fixed in the near 3-5-7 year timeframe. That could provide you with a completely different USAF experience than many of us have had, and I sincerely hope that's the case. The problem is, I've been watching this ball of shit roll down hill for a long time now, and I honestly can't think of one single thing that has gotten measurably better during my career. That doesn't give me a lot of confidence for the future, but I remain hopeful. Could not agree more. The bonus needs to be $80,000-$100,000 per year just to bring compensation into the ballpark of what you can make in 2-3rd year at a major airline. THEN start talking about all the other crap...poor leadership, never ending deployments and TDY, BS 365s, etc. I do maintain that if the other BS was fixed, losing money by staying in the AF would be less of a factor. Right now it just adds insult to injury, "You're going to treat me like shit, take me for granted, send me away from my family AND PAY LESS?" Fucking RUN fellas.

As has already been stated, I'm sure PA had him wear the hat. But honestly, how is it any less gay than the stupid ass bi-fold hats we wear now? Bring on the the squadron baseball hats!

https://www.ncscooper.com/cascade-shores-family-cited-for-viking-funeral-at-scotts-flat-lake/#.WTnE4d1-NJ6.facebook Family Cited For Viking Funeral on Local Lake Chip Day 5-6 minutes Photo taken seconds after the explosion on Scotts Flat Lake. Cascade Shores, CA — A local family from the Cascade Shores housing development is in hot water for attempting to cremate a deceased relative on Scotts Flat Lake earlier today. The Barstad family recently suffered the loss of the family’s patriarch, Norman Barstad, who had lived with the family at their Spanish Lane home. The senior Barstad, who was 92 years old when he passed last week, requested that he receive a full Viking burial on the water. The family agreed to his last wish. Unfortunately, neither the Nevada County Health Department nor the Sheriff (who answered numerous 9-1-1 phone calls) seemed to think this was a good idea. “Generally, the burning of bodies on an open and public water space is frowned upon,” said Nevada County Sheriff Keith Royal in a prepared press statement. “And although there are no specific laws preventing a traditional Viking funeral on Scotts Flat, you can’t just set stuff on fire and send it off into the lake. Especially things as explosive as this.” According to witnesses at the lake, the Barstad family gathered on the shore of the Nevada Irrigation District-owned lake around 11 AM on Friday. A large Dodge truck was towing what appeared to be a homemade pontoon boat. There is some debate about the make-up of the boat. Some said that it looked like a pile of logs; others said it looked like a re-purposed pontoon boat covered in kindling. What is not in question is what happened once it arrived in the middle of the lake and detonated. “Yeah I was fishing,” said area handyman Hank Snow in a Scooper telephone interview. “I saw these guys lower this homemade pile of sticks down the boat launch ramp. I didn’t think much of it because, well, you know, this is Nevada County and I figured it was a back-to-nature type of thing. But when no one got on the boat and then about 200 yards out it exploded into flames, I was like, ‘holy [redacted]’ and I called 9-1-1. There was debris flying everywhere. I think I got hit with a detached finger.” Jimmie Barstad, the son of the incinerated father who organized and built the cremation boat, said that he may have “overstocked” the vessel with too much gasoline and surplus illegal fireworks from the last 4th of July. “Well, I wanted to make sure that it went off and worked,” said a somewhat proud and nervous Jimmie Barstad. “So I really stuffed that thing with everything flammable I could find. I just didn’t think gasoline would explode like that. I thought it would work more like the lighter fluid on my Weber grill. So the explosion scared the heck out of everyone. We’re still picking up pieces of Dad all over Cascade Shores.” Instead of engulfing the senior Barstad in gentle and majestic Viking flames, the homemade barge violently exploded, sending bits of the senior Barstad flying over Cascade Shores. While some of the remains of Mr. Barstad immediately disintegrated from the intense explosion, some body parts landed around the development. “I heard this explosion in the distance,” said Cascade Shores resident Sherry Smith. “I didn’t think much of it at first because we’re always hearing crap like that up here. You know, shotguns and whatnot. It wasn’t until I heard a thump on my metal roof. I went outside and right as I looked up, part of a leg slid down and whacked me in the head. It was pretty horrible.” Other neighbors reported mostly wood debris in, on, and around their properties. One local family was struck by flying fragments while using their powerboat. “We were out there with the family,” said Stacy Grant of Nevada City. “We had borrowed my Dad’s boat and were tooting around the lake. We didn’t see the explosion. We heard it. We were up by the dam, which was kinda far away. We still got showered with a bunch of sticks and things. I hope they were just things.” As for the Barstad family, they have no regrets about giving their patriarch a proper Viking burial. “It’s the Viking way,” said Jimmie Barstad describing the last wish of his now incinerated father. “We were happy to pay the fine to give Dad the burial he wanted. We knew there would be some risk, but this is Nevada County and we hoped that no one would notice or care that much. Turns out we were correct, except for the Sheriff and County officials. I hope to have my burial on Lake Tahoe someday. But that will be a trickier one for my kids to figure out. I’m glad they got to see their Grandpa leave us like this. It was a special day for everyone.”

I put up with your incoherent posts and even partially agreed with one or two. In all sincerity, it truly frightens me that there are officers in the Air Force as dumb as you project yourself to be on this forum. I mean that with all due respect. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I honestly think they thought that would fix the retention problem. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

You've obviously forgoten about the memo that says we can roll up our sleeves now.

Couldn't agree more. At the beginning of my career I heard people say that they would do this job for free. I maintain to this day that that comment is one of the stupidest I've ever heard. There is something about flying fast jets that causes some of the smartest people I've ever met to make some of the dumbest comments in the world about their compensation. I now have the comfort of cuddling with my DD214 nightly, but I get pissed when I hear borderline geniuses say that it's not about the money. Someone needs to start a workshop on business negotiation. We spend over a decade getting shat on with absolutely no negotiating power and once you finally have a say in your life and a little freedom you give a HUGE concession to big blue by saying it's not about the money! Of course it's about the money. That's just not the biggest part of what it's about.

I keep hearing guys say, "it's not about the money" but that's a load of bull. It may not ALL be about the money, but at some point, money talks. The AF should find solutions to most of the laundry list of reasons guys get out, but that is going to take years. Make the bonus jaw-dropping and you'll keep enough guys in to buy time to figure out how to fix the rest. I'd bet most of the guys getting hired by the majors right now are doing it for two reasons, money and work schedule. If the AF could figure out either (or both ideally), the exodus would be far more manageable.

https://futurism.com/lockheed-confirms-secretive-sr-72-hypersonic-plane-will-be-made/

Screw Congress and screw the Air Force. They are openly saying the best way to keep us in the military is to manipulate federal aviation law, that was written with blood, to screw over military veterans. To make us less competitive with our civilian counterparts. F them. Then the Fers have the audacity to say they support the troops. Human pieces of Fing garbage.

Really? How's that? Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Former special ops... Future fighter pilot.... Does that make him a SpecOps-Fighter Pilot?

Is my fighter pilot whiskey compass off? I mean really, ditch the hat.

Guaranteed that pic shows up at his naming.

Mad dog approves.

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I wanted this to be professional, efficient, adult, cooperative. Not a lot to ask. Alas, your Mr. hatedont did not see it that way... so he won't be joining us for the rest of his life. Yes, that was a new account, and apparently created by the same person who created two others prior (which he stopped using after getting shit on). He has been put into permanent time out.

By my count, more cyber bubbas BPZ in 2017 O-5 brd (8) than any community outside of 11F (29) or 11M (28). Mostly AFSOC support and true cyber (vice base comm sq) background. It is a change, and probably a good one.

It took me a bit to digest your post, which I've truncated above, probably because I was imprecise in my original statement. To answer the bolded section directly, which applies to my post, I'll say: yes. I'm going to shit on the guy in the SQ that wants to show up and just fly..... because in MY mission set, you can't be good if you just show up to fly. TTPs, ours and enemy, change too fast. Technology changes. AORs change. Users change. If you aren't being assertive about keeping up, you're getting left behind which makes your presence on the crew a liability. And all the extra study happens on the ground, in the SQ, not while flying. When a dude says "I just want to fly" if he means 'I just want to do the flying mission' (which requires extra ground work) then let him! Become an expert, we need it! However, if he honestly means 'I just want to fly' and has no patience for the non-flight ground duties essential to refining flight skills (he's not showing up for a weekly tactics test or doesn't know the newest software, etc) then he's not the guy I want staying on the line for a career. And there are lazy pilots masquerading as line dogs, who have lost the hunger to excel, and should be purged from units incompatible with their loss of drive. Not a lot, but some, and my comments were directed only at them. as to your opening remark about money, no, it's not about money to me. I got paid enough as a major and loved being an EP & ADO, I didn't need more money to put in extra hours. I loved it. Still do. Now I hate my life and job and wouldn't continue if they offered me quadruple pay. But we're all different, and my answer is not indicative of a trend.

Ask Holder?

I've been out of the shiny penny club for awhile now. I only went to staff because I was literally the only person in the Air Force who could fill that billet, at that time. I escaped and I work well over 40 hours a week, and the chance of me commanding a flying squadron is essentially zero. I put in the time I do in the hope that I can make even a small difference to nudge my little corner of the AF in a better direction. Maybe I'm just too stupid to know better, maybe staff made me appreciate the small victories, I don't know. I do know that perspectives change with time and experience, and I'll get to re-qual "soon," life is good.

Single mission air medal

https://townhall.com/columnists/congressmanmikecoffman/2017/06/06/addressing-the-national-pilot-shortage-n2336892 I am floored this option is still being very heavily considered. And now by a congressman

It's time to remove "service before self" as a core value. In principal I agree with the intent, however in practice this catch phrase is used as a cudgel to beat complex personnel circumstances into submission with implied victim shaming and callous disregard for morale. I've never known a commander to say "service before self" to the right person for the right reason. Like the other core values, I like the philosophical basis and general direction but the folks who attempt operationalizing the message always seem to be hypocrites. Why is that? Great point, totally agree. the sad reality is many of the senior O-4 fliers who say they "just want to fly" are lazy. Sure there are good ones who stay hungry for tactical excellence, continue to study, read AARs, tweak training scenarios, and are one step ahead of real world contingencies. I like to think I was one of this type (before I was ostracized to staff). But human nature being what it is, there needs to be a check in the system like you describe above. We don't want the equivalent of tenured professors laying around the SQ.

All those jokes about "AC pay" and "IP pay" . . . why not make those a thing? Again, would target exactly the folks you're looking to retain, and would prob add up to the increased ACIP we're looking for.

And they absolutely should NOT get air medals.

Simple. Tie flight pay to hours and sorties. $20 ACIP per flight hour or $75 per sortie, whichever is greater for the month.

F-16ski https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan_MiG-33

Curmudgeon, if it pleases the court

Worth it

They can't do that when they're doing high speed brake checks to "burn off excess fuel" and catching the brakes on fire.

People say that it will be the best bonus ever. I think when you see it youll be very impressed. It will be tremendous. Believe me...

F-35 - YF-23 mash up:

I wasn't sure who it was directed at but I figured it was quality advice for a newbie regardless

This is what's wrong with our Air Force and country. Self interest rules supreme! Instead of taking two seconds to talk to the old guy, who by the way probably served himself and is in part a reason for why you are free today, you choose to insert more sand in your Vag and grind it around till the point you need a Costco sized tub of vagisil. You're a douche. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Are you serious right now?

We've got C-130s. ATC is there 24/7. So is WX and AMOPS. AFE is there to support the flying schedule...if the last line lands at 0100, then there's AFE troops there until 0200. If the first line steps at 0400, then AFE is there at 0400. I'm just curious how we have two entire groups, and multiple squadrons within the MSG, that can make this happen, but finance and MPF are "too precious" to work a weekend or stay late a couple nights a week until they get caught up. Believe me, I know about medical. They are the worst offenders with this kind of thing.

Sooooo coddled. Well, here it is folks - the reason we can't get shit done with some people.

I was worried when Chang slipped up and was outed. This place never gets boring though.

Yes, a huge disconnect. Nice straw man argument, numbnuts. What are TMO orders, are you even in the AF? I don't expect someone to keep people so late everyday that they can't get their kids. There are a plethora of ways to chip away at that work though: stay an hour late 1 or two days, have working lunch (like most of us do), cancel/consolidate "training" hours used as fluff. I even really like your suggestion - cnx PT in favor of that little thing called the MISSION; if that causes half the sq to fail the test then holy shit there are bigger problems with that group of individuals. Lots of people in Ops are single parents; unfortunately we have a lot of divorces. We have the same life issues everyone does. Yeah, I worked 12-hr days as a single punk. I'm not advocating that for everyone; far from it. That being said, treating 1630 as a sacred departure time without consideration of mission accomplishment, that's how you breed a group of non-supporters. There's a happy medium between what we have and your fairyland where everyone fails PT tests and loses their kids if someone has to work a little harder.

Burn the witch!!!

Woooo Duck. Lets all just relax. Do you need a beer light timeout to gather your thoughts and emotions? Or should I go to my "safe space?"