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Reading this thread surprises me that this many people want/care to attend school.....

that's a Q1E in the ISR world well done sir! expert POL with some pretty darn good zoom/focus/visual ID.

Half the original guys were top dudes and the other half were booger flicks. Those booger flicks caused some problems that are still being dealt with today. And honestly, they weren’t that good. The community now is so far beyond where they started it’s pretty unbelievable. The part that has always cracked me up about the original dudes is that they always talk about being all about the mission. However, they had such an insular, “Cowboy”, and flat out dickish culture that they stifled true mission hacking IOT stoke their own egos. Not true in all cases of course, but a lot of the original guys were their own worst enemies.

A whole lot of legwork/networking and my penchant for annoying a whole lot of people, honestly. Pretty sure my recruiters (yes, had to work with a couple) hated me and continue to stab voodoo dolls of me, even in their retirement. But, it got me to where I wanted to be. I wish I could offer better advice, but it really was just a whole lot of luck, my own hustle to find info, and getting in touch with the right people at the right time. I had the same luck with my AFOQT/TBAS scheduling, too. Judging from a lot of folks I've talked to recently and posts on here, a lot of the openings (FC1, AFOQT/TBAS, etc.) to be able to do a lot of that stuff have been closed. Pipelines are jamming up with pilots, so the chance to just shuffle people in for that stuff seems to be greatly diminished. So, my apologies for not being able to provide specific details, but it really was a lot of hustling on my part, networking, and chance that isn't an exact roadmap that will work for others. The main thing I can advise is to do a lot of your own work getting boxes checked, if you really want this. It's easy to get frustrated and die on the vine if you're always waiting for someone else to tell you what to do next, waiting to hear back from someone, or waiting for someone else to schedule something for you. Research the hell out of everything you need to do, network and ask questions, and handle as much of it as you can by yourself. It'll pay off two-fold; first by proving that you're serious by taking the initiative and second by getting the networking wheels moving. No one cares about you getting this job as much as you, so do what you can to prove you want it to those that you encounter in your path to wings. Good luck!

I’d describe mine as more of a “sexual tyrannosaurus” mustache.

I was so pissed by the time that movie ended I wanted to dig Johnson and Mcnamara back up and kick their ass just for good measure. As many of them pointed out, that was a complete shit-show from the beginning. Respect for the men who fought with their hands tied behind their backs! I became an AF pilot because of those men who fought in Viet Nam. In 1973 as a 10 year old I got to sit in an F-4 (18th TFW deployed) at CCK Air Base in Taiwan and speak with one of the pilots and it was game on from there.

I agree -- under-rated flick, partly because of the ridiculous political-pop culture "controversy" about the lack of a flag-planting scene. Well researched and well filmed, sort of reminds me of The Right Stuff in feel, but obviously much smaller in scope and more intimate. My problem with First Man is that Gosling plays Armstrong like a robot in an attempt to show him as intellectual and introverted (both of which were undoubtedly true). Does Gosling even smile once in the movie? I think that really portrays him a bit unfairly, as he is emotive and funny in the public appearances I've seen. Period interviews -- and even ones from later in life -- show him differently.

The movie has been out for a while now, but First Man is so underrated in my opinion. Not a typical sexy Hollywood movie, but it features a lot of quality actors, great acting, and many many memorable scenes. The thing that resonated with me the most is the dangers and the pains associated with the flight test community. I still remember the roads at Edwards named after the test pilots. Brought back memories of sitting through the TRBs and SRBs, and the pre-briefs before stepping... Can't stop watching this sequence over and over again.

Have your lawyer draft the agreement for her taking sole possession of the home and refinancing under sole ownership in a set amount of time in the decree. Did this with my ex and made it nice and clean and protects you in court should she fail to do so or pay.

You heard about that?! Thomas Johnson 2020!

And then we want pictures.

If she wants the house, she can get a mortgage for it on her own. Agree with the others, do not allow any part of your new finances to touch. Don't worry about the kids, they're like cats. Two hours in a new house and they think they own the place.

Ummm, no.... that’s really cute though

Spin it to let her keep some equity in return to help fund the refinance. Do not stay financially tied to that chick at any cost. Get the f-ck away from anything that ties her spending to something that affects you or gives her leverage. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Curious what you mean by “full on stupid.” Yes, by 2013 we had successfully crushed the culture of the cowboy, plane crashing early days. That was on purpose. By 2013 we were better at the mission and more lethal. Quantifiably. Nowadays they’re better than we were in 13, and isn’t that the objective of leaving something better than you found it? We should all want the new guys to be better than us, and we’ve failed if it isn’t so. What they did in 06-early 08 worked for the reason you described (small teams, selected by name) but that mission environment was unique and those guys mostly weren’t good at building it bigger when that was required. Things had to change. Free whisky on me if we cross paths. Good stuff too, I won’t go cheap on you!

Calling total fucking bullshit on this. We all know the type of culture that existed in the Block 10 days and while it may have been fitting at the time, I'm certain that even the greybeards who came back in leadership capacities were glad to see that it had changed. Facts are facts: UPT direct accessions changed the age distribution, the program became more inculcated into the normal AFSOC hierarchy, and the "cowboy" culture disappeared. What remained was a more highly skilled group of aviators who knew when to push it up and how to do it properly. You know damn well the type of skeletons that linger in the U-28 closet and a lot of those black eyes haven't been seen recently which is for the better.

Now you have DRACO guys running from the MPs and being followed back to your compound by the PTDS.

I'll add something a bit different here. The above advice is solid, especially not drinking. Remember that everyone you deal with other than your wife and kids has seen this a million times. When a judge/lawyer/mediator asks what you want, it's just a test. You're getting half. If that's what you ask for, they know which party is acting in good faith. "I want my children to have a great relationship with both of their parents going forward, and to split the assets we accumulated while married right down the middle." Don't date for now. You have kids, I didn't. But they won't understand I'm guessing, and it sounds like the soon-to-be-ex will tell them if she finds out. You're going to get so much ass it'll make your head spin, so be patient. Write down everything that was wrong in your relationship. You determine the detail, but it should include what she would do that you didn't like, why you didn't like it, and how it made you feel. For bonus points, also write down the things that she didn't like about you. Trust me on this. When you meet that flight attendant that turns your stomach into butterflies, if it ain't written down, you won't remember it. Make sure the woman you decide to make into your kids' second mom isn't a recycled script. Do not trust this to your memory alone. The smaller brain is always an optimist. Think about how many people you know. Then think about how many of them are good friends. Then think about how many of those are best friends. The friend you can go on a month long backpacking trip with and not get annoyed with or tired of once. Pretty rare, huh? Now add sexual compatibility to that. If you find your forever-mate after 3 months and a few tinder dates, you'd better be buying lottery tickets too...

I you haven't seen Spitfire (available on Amazon Prime Video), you are missing a helluva good documentary! Pure flying porn!

Why do we have fences and gates around our military bases then? Why do prisons have walls, cells and locks? Why do banks have safes? Why did civilizations build castles and forts? Why is the Vatican surrounded by walls, as well as most "celebrities" homes?!? Walls aren't perfect, but they do a helluva better job of keeping people out than places without them.

I’ve been sitting reserve oct 18 through present. I’ve worked zero actual hours. I’ve been paid about 360ish hours. So about $62k gross with zero actual work. Zero. We’re currently overmanned on my plane in my seat. I’m on year 2. Its been wonderful. My effective hourly rate for actual work performed in 2018 is up around widebody captain. The grass is greener.

There’s always 1 or 2 workaholics in every squadrons, they usually become SQ/CC and promote their likeness.

I'll counter and say that commuting is a manageable hassle that allows you to live wherever makes the family happy, rather than forcing a square peg into a round hole. For most of us, we are only going to spend about 50% of our nights sleeping in our own bed. Our spouses and kids sleep in those beds, in that house, in that town, basically 100% of the time. For my family, who followed me all over the world for 20 years in my AF career, it was time to let them decide where it would make them happy to live. All this with the full knowledge of what time is lost commuting...and that was an acceptable tradeoff for my family. Personally, I look at the ability to commute as a gift rather than a hassle.

You forgot: prior to this...sim takeoff out of Missouri, sit in sim cruise for 14 hours, press sim button, sim cruise 14 hours home.