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I can confirm. My favorite quote: Pilot 1: "Who thinks this is a good idea?" Pilot 2: "Dipshits on the staff, that's who." Staff monkey: "Pilot 2, as a member of the staff, please look me up on Global and give me a call. This is a complex problem and bumper stickers do not work."

So, they have to start a bunch of briefings with "I'm the dude who drew the dick in the sky.", then get high fived and free drinks all night.

Those Growler bros who drew the sky dick messed up in their message. Right away, it should have been a post on their social media: "To show solidarity with the Movember movement, we did our part to raise awareness for men's health." BOOM - it's a movement. Use the social welfare BS when it suits you. At trial: "WHAT? YOU'RE AGAINST MEN'S HEALTH??? GENDERIST!!!"

Yes, a none CAF guy can teach an SP to land and keep them from hurting themselves. As several posters above have pointed out studs are getting to IFF/B-course and they can't think or even fly tactical. This isn't a pissing contest. It's a matter of experience. Can a heavy guy go learn to fly a -38, yes. Have there been successful cross flows before, yes. Is it more likely a stud will be better at thinking/flying tactical if he flies with IPs who have been doing it for the last at least 4+ years, or from someone that did it for 5 months at PIT (rhetorical)? On top of that there is a different mentality from students when they're taught by CAF vs. non CAF IPs. If you doubt this ask any -38 IP, or SP for that matter, the kind of growing pains studs go through after moving from 99.69% non CAF IPs in T-6s over to the -38 side. Also, the majority of heavy guys coming back as -38 IPs right now are being given additional rides/instruction in TI because it's very much needed in some cases.

Not a single line IP should say the word time line. That's for DOs/CCs to argue about, maybe. If the line IPs aren't holding the standard, we're all fucked. There's a bar, either hold people to it or go get some remedial training on being an IP.

What we have right now is completely unsat, and the staff is kicking around ideas like cutting phase 3? Fuck you staff. I can't believe what were getting out of the FTU...not a spear at the bros teaching or the FNGs, but at those making the decisions that think this kind of shit is acceptable. I am truly concerned about dudes killing themselves, don't even get me started on combat capability. I've experienced what Jaded referenced; it's a trend across multiple squadrons, and will only stop when the ass clowns running this ship aground call a spade a spade and go back to valuing quality over quantity.

You know what was fun recently? Flying dedicated formation rides, in an F-16, at an operational squadron, because the student had passed the B-course without a basic proficiency in formation flying. Stuff like this just kicks the can down the road.

It would be a huge step back as an advanced trainer. And the slow spool from idle to mil (9"-12") will kill a lot of students. I suppose you could get Aero to build us a bunch... but I really don't know where you'd get the number of airframes we would need. I like flying it. And I know the Eastern Euros use it extensively. I just don't believe it's even close for what we expect.

As a current L-39 IP, I do not see this as a reasonable option. Too bad the AF wasted all that money on C-model, PMP mod, and Martin-Baker seats. How many hundreds of millions of $$$ was it? That would have been a great down payment on the T-38 replacement, and it would have been fielded by now.

I guess I wasn't able to snuff out calling line formation tactical when I was in white jet world, too bad. It's a term I have only heard at white jet bases, which tells me it needs to go.

Ironically, the Squadron Commander of that Growler unit is....drum roll Commander Brendan "Tess" Stickles.

Unbelievable. This is one for the record books, under all time stupid ideas

Here's my take: AETC wants to evaluate whether or not UPT in its current form can withstand a change when it comes to CAF-bound pilots. Maybe it'll be a paradigm shift. Data points: - The T-38 replacement decision was recently delayed by at least one year - Pilot shortage - Changes in how fighter aviation is going to look in the future (think: how the F-35/F-22 are employed vice traditional "VMS 2/4-ships") - Budget constraints I wouldn't be surprised if they're hoping to go to a one-airframe UPT that's bolstered by sims to transition CAF inbounds to "fast jet" flying. I don't think it's a good idea, but we shall see. Hopefully the IPs for the "test case" students (4 Tucson F-16 B-coursers, from what I hear) will HOOK THE SHIT OUT OF THEM and this will end.

Update: I was hired by my #1 unit. Now my package is going to be sent to the next AFRC board in January. Any tips would be helpful with that. Thank you.

Don't worry they are also trying to "suggest" aka force, more PA's in training as well. So lets eliminate Phase III, PA more of Phase II and when they show up to PIT do the same thing. I don't see a single problem with this at all... It's okay its like my PT test, when times are FAT I have to slam my chest on the ground to get a push up counted, but now that times are lean they count any motion I make no matter how slight. Training is being shaped to fill the body requirement, actual ability and skill level be damned. Also if your an IP don't even dare open your mouth unless you have "Data" to back it up because you know we all sit around collecting ing data points in addition to our additional duties, and primary duty. .... Yup winner winner.

My understanding is that our spare iPad will be assigned to each jet and kept at the ops desk. 1COs will ensure they're charged and kept up to date an handed out at step. I could be off on that, my discussion with OGV was a few drinks in before a roll call.

Wow, that is the quickest I've seen any bureaucracy take action

When the timeline or bust mentality is pushed by leadership the only people getting anything remedial are the "raving lunatics" trying to push back and hold some semblance of a standard.

It's depressing the number of times I've heard IPs arguing against giving an unsat with the reasoning of "Is this good for the timeline." The standard at UPT, on the -38 side at least, has been on a sharp decline for the last year or two, because we're more concerned on graduating everyone on time so the masses can keep the "100% on-time graduation" OPR bullet. We're sending SPs to fighters that can't fly TAC to save their life. UPT flt/cc's are sending dudes to fighters because "it's not their job to decide who is good enough to fly a fighter and who isn't, that' IFF's job." Then the studs that can't even fly TAC pass IFF and on down the road the can goes.

Good grief... are we that bad at running an AF we are really considering this? Flew the mighty T-1 back in the day but I am guessing the T-38 Phase III program is about 75 flight hours + 15 sim hours or so, so at 10K per T-38 flight hour and just figure 2K per sim hour (WAG) that comes to 765K per 38 stud. Now let's say you fly them in the 16 at 22K per hour and just guessing 4K per hour on the sim and you give them half the time for dedicated basic airmanship / systems (37.5 flight & 7.5 sim) that is 855K. Will that be coincidental with the mission employment training and there by save some flight hours in total? Maybe but my calculator, my experience and my common sense say probably not. You're going to pay more per stud and wear out your 16s faster more likely. Non-concur. Flight hour cost ref: https://nation.time.com/2013/04/02/costly-flight-hours/

I flew with him as a young nav and ran into him again as a 38 stud at DLF. I saw him in the hall not 15 minutes before we stepped to fly on Monday and we talked about hopefully flying 4-ship together for old times sake. One of the most gregarious, over the top, talk your ear off for hours larger than life guys I've ever known. F*ck, this one hurts. I'll miss you brother.

You have been exposed to the wrong community of the military if you believe this. The best officers I've served with have a lot of "fuck you and your fucking bullshit order" in them, and the best generals I have known, know this. Apparently though, you cannot draw sky dicks.

First In Jawbreaker Horse Soldiers If you haven't read them, they are 3 great books that cover the first few months of the war in Afghanistan. First In was written by the first CIA officer on the ground in the days following 9/11, and Jawbreaker was written by his replacement. They cover the killing of Mike Spann and the friendly fire incident during the Battle of Qala-I-Jangi, to name a few. All 3 books have some overlap but tell some amazing stories.

the navy should worry about not running their ships aground and into other shipping traffic instead of getting beta-cucked by a cock in the sky

When I carry I prefer the M&P 9 with a Sticky Holster, but like you after 15-20 minutes in the car It bugs me so I put in the gap between the seat and the center console, stick up just enough to be a fast grab but easily concealed by my legs. I have no illusions about stopping a shooter in one of these situations but if there is merit to brief suppression in order to allo my family to escape, regardless it is better than fighting back with a chair or dying like a sheep.