Leaderboard

Completely invalid and caustic attitude. You don’t justify unnecessary risk by saying “Well, some people choose to do dangerous shit anyways. So this should be fine.” You sound like leaders trying to tell everyone to overlook their shitty leadership by saying “well, Marines in Nam’ had it harder than you guys, so don’t complain”. It’s lazy and it’s no excuse for crappy decision-making or leadership. No, you don’t love flying more than pilots without unsafe attitudes. As a pilot, you should have enough maturity and judgment to override your enjoyment of flying, when presented with undue risk.

I keep finding uses for this...

They must just not be very patriotic. Or, at least, that's what some doofus in AF management once said.

"Cars didn't even have seat belts back in my day, and I'm still here!" Such an idiotic line of reasoning.

Will leadership be the first ones to fly the aircraft that passed the TCTO's? I mean, they're pilots, right? They're leaders, so I'd imagine they'd never put their subordinates in a safety laden hazard due to their drive to get the timeline back on track.

We start flying tomorrow at Vance with eleven planes. Eleven. Because those are the only aircraft that passed both TCTOs which scrubbed the OBOGS and the emergency oxygen systems nose to tail. We're not flying on ambient air (yet) because testing, airworthiness review/certification, etc. is still ongoing. Will we eventually fly in that configuration? Maybe, but not without the procedures & training necessary to mitigate the risks involved. I just don't buy the argument that the Air Force is "rubber stamping" this one to produce more pilots. Are they motivated to get these planes back in the air and start flying student sorties again? Of course, that's their primary mission! I'd question their leadership if they weren't searching for any and every solution to end this stand down. But we've had the capability (i.e. the hardware & proof of concept) to fly while breathing ambient air for weeks now. If this was a knee-jerk reaction to get planes back in the air, we'd already be flying. I agree that Vance leaned too far forward in January, trying to "catch up" to the timeline. Hindsight is 20/20. I also think that this time it's being done right. So far. Only time can tell if that will continue.

Wait, the o2 system is broken and you cant detonate the canopy from the outside? This SIB is writing itself.

I don't have a dog in this fight. However, the above sounds like "Normalization of Deviance." Lots of stuff out there on the web. From one link: https://pressblog.uchicago.edu/2016/01/07/the-normalization-of-deviance.html The sociologist Diane Vaughan coined the phrase the normalization of deviance to describe a cultural drift in which circumstances classified as “not okay” are slowly reclassified as “okay.” In the case of the Challenger space-shuttle disaster—the subject of a landmark study by Vaughan—damage to the crucial O‑rings had been observed after previous shuttle launches. Each observed instance of damage, she found, was followed by a sequence “in which the technical deviation of the [O‑rings] from performance predictions was redefined as an acceptable risk.” Repeated over time, this behavior became routinized into what organizational psychologists call a “script.” Engineers and managers “developed a definition of the situation that allowed them to carry on as if nothing was wrong.” To clarify: They were not merely acting as if nothing was wrong. They believed it, bringing to mind Orwell’s concept of doublethink, the method by which a bureaucracy conceals evil not only from the public but from itself.

Sounds like we have a volunteer to fly the T-6 in its current configuration. He ain’t scared of no CFS burns to the face or high altitude ejections with no O2. He doesn’t mind breathing in acrid smoke and fumes. Dude I’m sure we could get you orders soon and we need the help. Sack up. Great line by the way. You sure you’re not leadership?

My CC hasn't heard anything yet. Could still be with Gp/Wg. Hopefully tomorrow.

A part of me wishes I hadn't looked at the forum tonight, now I'm gonna be freaking out!

So no one else has heard? Do you have more details Dreamin?

My PCSM isnt great still, thats the lowpoint of my app. Below average compared to last years average. Done about all I can to improve it, vice spending 15k+ racking up another 140 civilian hours.

I can tell you that as a Strike WSO with an RCH over 900 hours, it has no bearing/impact on my PCSM. It all boils down to AFOQT, GPA (mine sucked as an egnineer, no rated slot from USAFA), TBAS (yeah give me a break on how that shows airmanship) and civilian flight hours. Ill be on my third AD board this year and it seems that PCSM is weighted very heavily over other "qualifying" factors. I was able to improve my PCSM slightly for this years board, however I finished my PPL, so it will be interesting to see how that will play into things. It seems to be more of a pipe dream at this point, and at the end of my ADSC the air force will probably shed another frustrated rated aircrew. Cheers for tomorrow, im going back to my scotch.

Georgia State Senate and Lt Gov threatening to hold up $40 million in fuel tax offsets to Delta over this. Delta yesterday put out a "What the PR department meant to say" statement yesterday. Decisions can have consequences. FEDEX appears to be saying "we don't care one way or the other" and ignoring the SJWs.

This was just getting entertaining, though.

Yes. And IP's at Vance have supposedly had to explain to higher ups why people were ORM'ing out (mind you this was during the 20 days straight of working). Keep in mind that's just rumor, I was gone during that. But it wouldn't surprise me given there was a time when Deputy OG's and Sq/CC's were wondering around and QC'ing schedules.

You’re not serious? So because I have questions on the risk mitigation and safety issues the Air Force is ignoring in favor of pushing the timeline and creating more pilots I don’t like flying? Dude, none of us would be in this profession if we didn’t love it. We just want an aircraft that does what it’s supposed to do and don’t want another Air Force rubber stamping everything and putting band-aids on major aviation and physiological issues.

Can you ride that motorcycle home without a helmet or safety equipment? Or without taking a motorcycle safety course on a recurring basis despite being licensed by a state? Even if your personal risk acceptance level says you're okay riding without a helmet or additional training? No, because the AF has set a level of risk it's willing to accept. Keeping with the motorcycle analogy, the T-6 OBOGS fix is the AF essentially saying "ride with this cracked helmet, it should be good enough and we, AETC HQ, accept responsibility for the increased risk. The chances of you falling off your bike and needing the helmet to protect your nugget is slim anyways, so get out there and ride. If you don't want to ride under those conditions, you'll be labelled a non-team-player and there will be negative repercussions on your career. "

Yup, the UofA is getting f’d Right now, possibly their own doing but whatever dynasty the program has may be going to way of Penn State. It’s too bad to see as a local, but this isn’t a one off. I have a few friends who know inside these programs and tell me they all do it, UofA just got caught.

Sounds like the DNC platform

Any cyclist out there?

This is 100% accurate. Worth the read. https://www.aviationbull.com/2018/feb/26/airline-pilot-second-year-review

Never, ever, ever believe the glossy brochure.

the ugly ones fück the best

College football and basketball at the top schools has lost all semblance of amateur athletics. At this point, IMO, the only solution is to create a semi-pro farm system for the NFL and NBA. Let schools that want to be part of that opt in and pay their players. That way we can at least stop the charade.

I think it has something to do with general work ethic. We have had the same lady work at the front of the simulator building for probably 20 years and she generally has a pretty decent read on all the students. She was talking to a few IPs and mentioned how she's noticed a significant decrease in practice time that studs are putting in when they're not hard scheduled when compared with just five and ten years ago. That being said, I do think the students have more to learn than I did only seven years ago. Most of my A/A syllabus was notch-to-defend with a brief into into drag. For PGMs I had one flight devoted to GBU-12s and 38s. They're introduced to significantly more than I was at the same point in my career.

I don't get it.

All that time spent learning how to get ATIS by yourself...wasted.

This chick agrees!

So I read I read your post and (and a few others) that seem to throw heavy guys who tracked T-1 maybe not under the bus but definitely into oncoming traffic, at first I was pissed (not that it matters) but after gonking a bit I realized it is just a reiteration of a theme I have heard before in muted tones, that we are basically inferior as pilots and I will assume that attitude carries over to us as officers as by your anecdotes we're lazy barely trainable retards. I wish to dispel you of that idea. I'm not going to get into a dick measuring contest with you on quals, instructor/evaluator time, chief of shop(s), FTU cadre, air medals (single events or cumulative), times shot at, times actually in danger or all the other shit that goes into a military flying career over multiple operations, AORs and other missions but sufficient to say when I look back at mine and other "fatty" pilots (actually I like that) the idea that we are stupid, lazy ignoramuses is complete bullshit that needs to stop. I realize that the power of that intellectual statement is overwhelming so I will expound... 1- We tracked T-1 because that is how the order of merit at Track Select placed us and some deliberately chose T-1s. Not me, I wanted to 38s but I didn't place high enough so I gratefully took my T-1, worked hard, enjoyed it and look back with pride on what I accomplished. Sometimes when you have a group of really strong, fast runners the difference between first and last is actually not that much, it is just that in that competitive a race, the 0.1 seconds make the difference, it is not that number 3 or 4 are slow or weak it is just that the race was that competitive. 2 - We worked hard in T-1s and accomplished a difficult syllabus that was not spoon fed to us and we were expected to perform, held to high standards and had the motivation to perform well as we all wanted as you said "pick their top choices based off location and lifestyle". If by our T-1 order of merit we were higher ranking, then we got to pick a better assignment, I can only speak for my class and the others I had friends in but no one slowed down because no one wanted to get stuck somewhere they didn't want to be doing something they didn't want to do. That was going to happen to somebody as there are a finite number of the "dream jobs" but everyone I knew worked hard to have the most control over there own fate, we would have greatly have appreciated having a lazy turd in our class to be a target for a less than desirable assignment but alas we all worked hard and hence kept all of our class working hard. They were not allowing T-1s to track bombers when I was going thru (2000 timeframe) but had they been allowing it, I would have worked my ass off for it. I worked hard, didn't get my first choice but not my last either. I look back and realize my job was not glamorous but important to do well, didn't expect a backslapping recognition for doing it as best I could and moved on. If your community (I assume B-1s) didn't get product they were completely happy with don't stereotype us all. It could have been supplied thru a poor selection process, thru a selection process deliberately fed misfit toys to get rid of them or just not taken seriously by the releasing command(s). 3 - We fly aircraft that take airmanship, intelligence and a strong work ethic to learn to operate, manage the missions, lead the crew, support the team and roll with the punches when things go south. This is recognized and why several friends of mine (all T-1 tracked, heavy drivers) have gone on to fly U-2s, attend TPS, flown for the 89th, exchange tours and the like. Yours truly is a mediocre officer and I rate myself average yoke operator but I was cut from the same training cloth as those other heavy guys who have done more than me, the example of what they have done should give people pause before they have someone all figured out.

If you're going to publicly call some dude out for being a terrible pilot and having a terrible attitude, back it up. Otherwise, don't do it.

Going active duty instead of direct to the guard/reserve.

It was a comparison of how trivial the argument is. As I stated before, I’m clearly in the minority here. If someone offered me an enrichment ride on day one of the new procedures I would gladly accept. I’m not a company man, but I do love flying so thank goodness there are several types of us out there. Last post in this thread.