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My CMS case to adjust to the $1000/mo for 10+ years aviation service is in today. We are trying it as a test case. Currently at $700/mo per the new tables effective Oct 2017.

Completely anecdotal but worth mentioning: In my Fort Rucker class we had a guy we'll call Ryan. The kid just could not hover. Maybe his instructor wasn't the right match, couldn't make the right connections for him, whatever. Or maybe the syllabus didn't afford Ryan the time and free space to focus on his weak area when we had a full list of other contact maneuvers to work on. Trying to be a bro, I invited Ryan over to put on my HTC Vive and I spun up the most accurate flight model for a Huey I could find (DCS Huey for the record). We spent a good hour drilling the required control inputs and hand-eye exercises demonstrating the various aerodynamic phenomena involved in hovering (and make no mistake for those who haven't flown a helicopter, hovering is all experimentation and feel till you get it.) No shit, within that hour something finally clicked and Ryan was getting it. The next day we saw that kid hover the way he was meant to in the helicopter and it wasn't a problem from then on. I bring up this story because I can see how as a function of part-task training, you could easily accelerate learning for very specific skill sets in undergraduate training using technology. To the extent that these accelerative events would add up to producing an extra pilot (or however many extra pilots) without sacrificing quality is obviously the big question. I'm just saying that I can see how there is value in holding the experiment.

Actually changed my mind. I’m shooting for a school slot and directly into leadership, thinking maybe I’ll start as a DO, but definitely BTZ to O-6 (to catch up with my peers). I realized they never deploy, never do anything worthwhile and mostly spend their days forwarding emails. They also get to pretend to care about people and come up with cool catch phrases like “mission first! People? Yeah we got those too”. I’m “all in” now. Just picked up another strat for my O-5 board and if I play my cards right I should be able to be the Wing Exec after the last ass kisser moves on to ACSC. All in all, things are looking up for the Duck-nasty.

Given the millions that he paid for each divorce, I'd say a direct cash transaction was the smarter business decision...

It's been said over and over but there's simply no way to replace the inherent stress of the actual cockpit - heat, sweat, JP-8 exhaust, noise, G's, shitty radios, garbaged up comm, and on an on. And of course the knowledge that if you screw up you could wreck an actual machine or kill an actual person, including yourself. Simulation can certainly teach some skills, but you just can't replace the experience of being in an aircraft with all the external and internal stressors. Sure, you can safely fly an airplane with fewer hours but your experience bank will be that much smaller and you'll be a worse pilot for it. Bad bad idea. And it will be hailed as a great success.

They're not whores. Fucking is their Job.

It's that time again . May drill will be our next UPT board. The rushing window is officially open - Feb 23-25 and Mar 9-11 are upcoming drill dates for visits. April drill the squadron will be on the road shooting missiles at Tyndall so get your visits in soon. Resumes and coordination still go to 122fspilothiring@gmail.com C'mon down!

Draken is expanding fast. The euro stuff is all locally sourced pilots so far (apart from management). Don’t know if that might change. Seems to to me that they want full time guys then want all part time, back and forth. Agree that the pay isn’t competitive; it’s really for dudes that just want to keep flying fast jets. As that stands the dudes running the show at Draken are good people.

Instead of focusing on "shithole", focus on the "why". "Why do we want all these people from shithole countries coming here?" "We should have more people from places like Norway here" As if the nation of your birthplace determines your capabilities and your worth. The implication of his statement is those that come from a nation with a bad economy, or a horrible government are not worth letting in, but those from a Northern European nation are good to go with no needed justification. Why does someone from a poor Caribbean nation have to give more of a justification as to why they want to be an American than someone from Norway? Maybe that comment isn't about race (though it's an odd coincidence he specifically picked out nations whose populations are black/brown as undesirable nations, and specifically named a nation whose population is 97.3% Caucasian as an ideal immigrant). Maybe that comment was more about those coming from poverty. Taking that one statement doesn't necessarily paint the President as a racist. Taking his past statements and actions, then we can start forming a picture of who he is an what his ideals in regards to race are. 1- His real estate company avoided renting to black people and gave preferential treatment to whites in the 70's. 2- His statement on black employees in his casino: "Black guys counting my money! I hate it.... I think the guy is lazy. And it's probably not his fault, because laziness is a trait in blacks." 3- The Central Park 5. He was still arguing in 2016 they were guilty despite DNA evidence proving their innocence 10 years before. 4- Mexicans coming into the U.S. are "rapists". But some, he assumes, are good people. (nice backtrack) 5- The judge in the Trump University case couldn't be impartial because he is "of Mexican heritage". 6- 15,000 recent Haitian immigrants "all have AIDS" 7- The 40,000 Nigerians "would never go back to their huts" in Africa after seeing the U.S. 8- His quickness to highlight crimes by those of color, while remaining silent on hate crimes committed by whites. 9- Puerto Ricans, who have criticized the hurricane response, are "ingrates". 10- He has often retweeted white supremacists. 11- But that doesn't matter, because amongst white supremacists are some "very fine people" 12- When Indians wanted to open up casinos, which would compete with his casinos, he took out ads stating that "...Indian record of criminal activity is well documented" and that "organized crime is rampant" on Indian reservations. 13- "Pocahontas" 14- Referring to a Hispanic Miss Universe contestant as "Miss Housekeeping" 15- Wondering, out loud, why a Korean-American intelligence analyst was working on Pakistan policy and not North Korea policy. I'm sure there are other examples out there. You can dismiss, or excuse away any or all of them. But to others, the pattern is quite clear. "

I know several guys who fly for Blue Air and are relatively happy with it. At least out in my neck of the woods, they're supporting the JTAC school/CAS training, and are looking primarily for former A-G fighter dudes (Hogs seem to be preferred). There appear to be several spots in the CONUS where they're flying, and pilots airline travel and ferry the airplanes to/from the locations. Like what was posted regarding Draken, nobody's getting rich doing it, but retired mil guys with the pension and Tricare seem to be satisfied with the company and the work.

@EvilEagle ?

As for Draken, no full-time gigs, they very much insist on part-time work (there's your sign). Pay day-rate is pretty paltry compared to corporate day rate in most turbine equipment. Retirement and healthcare benefits are effectively non-existent from a military or even airline benchmark. Essentially you're paid to play fighter pilot on a day rate basis in mil retirement (it's assumed nobody without a second income would agree to the rate) for a paycut. But there's a niche for those interested in that agreement. My source was mostly speaking about their Florida and SW operation. No SA on their OCONUS pay or work agreements. Good luck!