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Sad to hear how much of UPT has eroded. I can understand the immediate logic behind cutting sorties for T-1 students but the reality is the AF always made better pilots slightly above the cut of the civil sector because we focused on building good airman (in the occupational sense of the word) first. You may never do a loop in your RC-135 but the concepts behind energy management and visual ques translated over every platform in a multitude of other skill sets. More than that, you instilled fierce confidence that graduates were able to take airplanes and fly them at their performance envelopes. Simply put, there was a time where the Air Force cared about making great pilots first, and then finding a weapon system for them. Now the emphasis seems to be getting them to a weapon system, and we'll worry about the pilot stuff later.

I agree with you in general terms. Older generations tend to think they had it harder, uphill both ways, new kids just don't get it etc... But many of us have personally observed UPT get watered down in very measurable ways in the last 3-4 years. We're not talking long-term generational bias here. I saw the syllabi get noticeably shorter and less rigorous over the duration of one assignment. Just some T-6 examples since that's what I know: No more ELPs No more formation landings No more advanced aero for T-1 bound students Lower check ride MIF on a multitude of maneuvers 30% fewer sorties overall 50% fewer checkrides 50% fewer solos Now we can debate the pros and cons of each, but I think it's undeniable we are plainly doing less total training time and events. I've always said that if you get enough ADOs in a room who are worried about timeline, they could come up with a reason to waive any sortie in the syllabus. "What's one sortie after all?!" "Is the pattern-only solo really that important?" "Does this T-1 bound kid really need to form solo? Lets just waive it." This thought process is insidious and has resulted in a gradual whittling down of our core training. And it happens in all of the perfectly well-intentioned syllabus rewrite conferences too. Everyone is looking to "improve efficiency" because there isn't an OPR bullet for holding the line and keeping quality training the same. VR training was never intended (by the people developing it) to replace regular UPT events. Or speed up the pipeline. Or fix the pilot shortage. It was intended to improve training by providing an additional resource that was more accessible than standard sims. Having been involved with it from the very beginning, it's incredibly frustrating to watch the air force twist a good thing and pitch it as their silver bullet solution for problems they created.. But I suspect I am very much preaching to the choir. \endrant

Embrace the changes people. Technology has improved safety, efficiency and lethality therefore we can update our training to match. Half the stuff I grew up getting hammered for learning to fly fighters 18 years ago is N/A today. That’s the stuff that is getting cut and I support it. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

The T-1 Nav Check was by far the longest friggin day in UPT. It was all downhill from there.

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Alright understood I’ve done some digging, but haven’t come up with anything yet I’ll do some more. I’m in the southeast. Good luck on your board!

Looks like Flynn is back let the conspiracy theories solidify. Time for Deep State to be revealed, just give it some time. DOJ/FBI just unbelievable if true, we’ll see. Once we get the economy rolling forward again it’s time for Mr. T do his work.

My first Oshkosh was '76; I was in the stroller then. Have missed only 1 year since. But I had a family connection; my grandfather and EAA founder Paul Poberezny served in the WI ANG starting in '48 and were livelong friends. Gramps actually ran the crash crew for the first fly-in back in '52 as a favor for Paul. 250 would be a sight to see; guess I was going off the roughly 100 listed on the aircraft list. https://ww2flyover.org/participating-aircraft/

The attitude is easy to fix - they get kicked in the balls with increasing force until they change or are forced out of the community, whichever comes first. The intangible flying experience only comes with air time, so they’ll continue to be shitty/dangerous in those realms until they learn enough lessons through experience; that timeline will be individual-based. All of us will shoulder the risk. A real lose-lose situation.

To be fair, this has been corrected in the AFI. There is definitely a nuance to the report language however. Here’s the guidelines I’ve been given (from an O-9) and what I’ve been using ever since: 1. NEVER strat anyone “top 10% of xxx” - put a number on it. 2. Typically strat only the top 10-15% of your folks. 3. Dont strat as FGOs or CGOs - strats rate folks against groups of Peer rank (xx of xx LtCols, Captains), Peer Job (x of xx Flt/CCs), Peer specialty (x of xx IPs) - in that tiered order of preference. 4. Exception: If you don’t get stratted against the other Sq/CCs when you’re a Sq/CC - you’re not in the running. Put another way: if you have a report as a Sq/CC that strats you as a LtCol instead of a Sq/CC... especially in your second year of command... then you’re not in the top - even if you’re the #1 LtCol as a 2nd year Sq/CC, that’s a second tier strat and it sends a message. 5. Push lines - they include Job, School, Staff/Command (whichever is next). You cannot push Sq/CCs as Wing/CCs - but you can push them as Vice/Group CCs (i.e. the next step). 6. Other than a top strat, Ownership - as in “personal-note on the OPR-style-wording” is the best possible message relayed on an OPR. If your senior rater says “My x/xx Captains” that’s good. If they rewrite a top or bottom line to say: “Read carefully: the most talent, maturity, and leadership I’ve seen in a Major in 28 years: a must for Sq/CC, then JS & SDE” - that draws attention. 7. GOs know when there’s speeding on OPRs or PRFs. If they see it, they’ll call the speeder out on it - or they will disregard the records that individual pushed to the board. I’ve seen both happen (epic asschewing!) and it doesn’t work out well. So you if you know what to look for, you‘ll know where you stand. Some dudes have flat out amazing records - theyve DGd everything, did the WIC, always been number 1, went to IDE, etc etc. Theyre unicorns. The vast majority have records that build... You get to a base, turn a few heads, the next year you upgrade, get a strat, maybe get a group job, then get a wing strat, etc etc. Almost nobody shows up and starts pulling #1s out the gate. They instead build a record of performance and a reliable reputation. Guess which cohort the vast majority of the GOs come from? Unicorns burn out; they rarely stay. The service is run by high performing dudes who were always in the running but not quite preordained as the next CSAF. Anyone who says otherwise hasn’t seen their records. YMMV, but there’s a method to the madness. Chuck

I get what you're saying, and I get what joe1234 is saying. I managed to do almost 22 years and never had a position that wasn't flying, instructing, or evaluating and my thoughts have been all over the map on this issue. There's always been the constants in the Squadron: A few stick and rudder guys that just nailed everything, few GK gurus, a couple deadbeats, and then... everyone in the middle. For whatever reason, I marked 2012 as the year when I saw a notable decline in the middle of the squadron's "give a shit" attitude and emphasis toward flying skills. That's also around the time I noticed a massive increase in complexity of simply being a pilot/member of the Air Force. It was around this time when the Great PC Witch Hunt occurred, more inspections, budget sequestrations/less flying, new finance policies, etc. After a while, every checkride/training folder began with conversations along the lines of "Hey, I'm just trying to get through this. I've been working on MICT checklists for the past month and have been cancelled for MX/WX/Ops six times." And they weren't lying. So then I go to the SQ/CC with my concerns and he says, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I just got back from a conference and had to jump on a line and seat swap with 2 other pilots last night to get my one to/app/landing for the month. Maybe we should schedule a GK/tactics briefing this week to up everyone's game." Surprise, no one dropped their deployment prep, CBTs, OPRs/EPRs, Wing staff circlejerks, training summary reports, FEF reviews, travel voucher puzzles so Petey Patchwearer could lecture everyone how to calculate a tactical descent profile into Baghdad international. So I would debrief the flight, I'd try to offer techniques, get in the weeds a little, and they'd rapidly nod while checking their watch. They all had to make slides for the next morning's staff meeting, send an email, meet some sort of deadline for more important matters. My point is it's a math problem. I don't think the quality/character of the average pilot of the squadron has declined. But if you increase the complexity of the job and therefore reduce the time available to dedicate to improving flying skills, the result is the result. On top of that, the Air Force doesn't require or reward you for being better than you were yesterday in your primary duty. I 100% agree that everyone should strive to be better than the minimum. Challenging oneself and being the best pilot you can be for your country and coworkers should be reward in itself, but it still competes with, and is secondary to, the other time and tasks the Air Force requires.

Alright ya'll figured I'd offer what I have. I spent at least a couple weeks trying to get in touch with a pilot at the 199th fighter squadron. Finally managed to get one of the AD pilots who passed me the email of the squadron DO Lt Col Horton. I emailed him and he informed me that the HI ANG does not keep a set schedule on their boards and the only way to get board information is indeed to go through the recruiters. He put me in contact with the recruiter that deals directly with their boards MSgt Manalo. PM me if you are interested and I will give you her contact info. I sent her an email and she reached out to make sure I had all the prerequisites done (AFOQT etc.) and then she sent me the requirements for the application package. She has a database started and will shoot out a mass alert to submit your package when the submission date drops for the UPT board. The 199th, 203rd, and 204th run joint boards so she will be the gate keeper for all 3 if you are interested in something other than the F-22's as well.

Since its internal "in house" rules I'd still take it with a grain of salt. The recruiters are trying to get people to commission NOT to get people to become pilots. Don't make my mistake from the 19OT03 board. If the recruiter says you have to put down anything beside pilot find a different recruiter (you don't have to work with the closest one geographically fyi). Everything is held up right now with recruiting where I am but still planning on applying to the July deadline (August) board pilot only.

Fixed that for you.

I’m with di1630 about cutting outdated things. I only hope that the instrument phase isn’t cut back or watered down because all the friends I’ve lost in my career were the result of mistakes in instrument flying or physiological mishaps.

Maybe they “fixed the glitch” with me and next they’re moving me to the basement?

I called them a few months back. The unit recruiter I spoke to said their focus is local applicants, and pretty much said without saying it outright that being a non-local will be extremely difficult to get an interview. FWIW.

I rushed back in (unsuccessfully) 2011 and I know back then they wanted guys who were from the area. One of the biggest issues with getting people from out of state is that Hawaii (I live here) is very different than every other state, culturally, and it's almost like another country. Add to that, a very high cost of living, and unless you're financially prepared for that and with a career that pays well, it can make moving and living here difficult. I'm not sure if they have a lot of opening for AGR slots, but it's never a bad idea to assume that after seasoning you're going to be a traditional guardsman. Guard-bumming can happen, I'm sure, but it's best to have a reliable income source, especially with COVID. You don't want to lose a security clearance because you went in debt.

Tough to say, and I doubt you'll find any hard data on that. The quote you're using is the answer. Apply and find out. Give the POC a call, reach out in whatever way you can. Show you're serious and visit.

Based on my recollection, for every 90 days of qualifying sets of orders, you can begin receiving your ANG/AFR retirement paycheck 90 days earlier than your 60th birthday. It amounts to a substantial sum of money. Details are on the ARPC or VPC website which lists which orders qualify. Search for "Reduced Retirement". You have to sign up, get approved, get access to the online worksheet, upload, have it reviewed, processed, and approved. The whole process took months for me. Definitely start now and here's a pro tip: Don't try to figure out which orders do and do not qualify. I downloaded every individual set of orders from AROWS that were listed as "potentially qualifying" on the RR worksheet. I went all the way back to 2008, even for short 2-3 day TDYs. (With the exception of State "ST" orders). I renamed all the files with my name, date of the orders, and some official sounding keywords such as "Activation, Contingency, Deployment, Afghanistan, etc..." Then, I uploaded every individual file to the Reduced Retirement worksheet. Over 150 orders and it took 2-4 minutes per order - a real ass pain on a gov network. It took days. Apparently, an airman sits there and downloads the .pdfs and reviews every set of orders to determine if they qualify - or do they just look at file names and descriptions? I don't know. I'll say nearly all of mine were deemed "qualifying" and i will begin receiving my Guard retirement 2.5 years earlier (if the country is still solvent).

F&@$ that. That is all.

The CNO wants Crozier restored to command. https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2020/04/24/navys-top-brass-want-fired-theodore-roosevelt-co-restored-to-command/

Ok, so we are all in agreement for more robust social safety nets and a baseline of healthcare to keep people alive and out of bankruptcy? Lots of pearl clutching here. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes...regardless of which political party you are part of. Luckily these people are a very small group of folks and most have enough sense to social distance to help end it faster. I saw this on twitter...I enjoyed it.

Are we really arguing whether getting vectors to final or not makes you a good IP? Forget that whole mission part in the middle...

Sounds like a lack of passion, lack of duty, lack of responsibility, ok a whole bunch of lackey that needs to be driven out by leadership top to the bottom and Instructors are where the rubber meets the road. As a former instructor I relished the responsibility given to us to motivate and propagate that passion, etc above to maximize training events with vigor and realism with imaginative “what if” moments to our crews and not so much if, but when you find yourself needing to push the flight envelope/long duty periods during crisis/wartime events. (Nice run on sentence) Granted it was a lot easier right after 9/11 broadcasting this sh*t is for real and folks are counting on us - better yet you need to count on each other to stay alive. This is only from a former 141, but mostly my C17 perspective. Went from lackadaisical 2+ hour locals maybe some tanker time, etc. to 4,5,6+ and 8.3 being the longest which was definitely excessive and thought I could have been to Germany by now eating Schnitzel dammit; nevertheless we did double of everything (Tanker run, LLevel, Day Assaults, Grd Ops, pattern work, LLevel, back 2 tankers (dusk), NVG Assaults, Grd Ops, night pattern work dog tired) Definitely pinged the Higher Risk levels and we didn’t do it often, but it’s something when you prove everyone can do it and we weren’t even doing airdrop - kudos to you guys. Learned a lot from former SOLL II guys who pushed us on those extra parameters (legal for them/not for us) which was quite impressive and just more tricks in the bag. So much queep/extra duty/filling squares/CBTs, etc. pushed to the forefront when it needs to be sidelined for your pilot skills which need to be honed/sharpened. It’s not airline flying, you are the tip of the spear when something does rear it’s ugly head and lazy instructors are giving you the shaft. Judas Preist it’s not good when currency is overvalued and not proficiency which has been a cyclic issue. Commanders do your job, IP’s pass your skills, AC’s demand proficiency beyond up and downs, co-pilots push to fly. It’s sad when a few folks become seagulls and you gotta throw rocks at them to fly. I even see that in long haul in the commercial sector which is dumbfounding. Screw it, I want to fly and will steal legs when hesitation presents itself. I want to be up front, that is where the wizardry resides and I want more. “Always play a better tennis player when given the chance.” Apologies, it truly sucks when I hear Instructors don’t give a $h*t. No cents given, just common sense as you all understand. Thanks for the time.

But, much like Pearl Harbor or 9\11, this is an event that is disproportionately affecting those particular locations more than others, which can make it hard for those on the outside to grasp the gravity of the situation. For my Manhattan firehouse, nearly 20 of the 65 people assigned have or are recovering from COVID, with nearly 20% of the entire FDNY out on medical leave with it. Bros are having to quarantine in hotels away for days/weeks from their families to avoid bringing exposures home. Our work chart is changed to one that hasn’t been used since the days after 9/11. They’re told by the FDNY to report to work EVEN IF THEY TESTED POSITIVE as long as they’re not showing symptoms because manpower is so dire. CPR calls and home deaths, usually around 20/day throughout the whole city, are well north of 200/day. It appears those deaths are not being counted as COVID, at least initially, because they haven’t tested the deceased to tie it to that. I guess I’m saying that, just because it seems like this is a ridiculous inconvenience that’s overblown in a lot of other areas of the country, it certainly is capable of being way worse and having much further-reaching ramifications if left unchecked.

On a separate note. I am weird perhaps, but it’s kind of nice not having to shake hands without a glare. I understand our human requirements for contact/social greetings, but as many airport bathrooms I have been in (many countries), it’s disturbing how many do not wash hands so definitely a point there. Jeeesh.

In current UPT: Sim Check, Trans Check, Nav Check T-38 tracked studs do a form check T-38s: Trans, Nav, Form No idea for Toners Legacy syllabus had a: Mid-Phase, Final Contact, Inst, Form. So only T-1 studs get less T-6 checkrides