Leaderboard

Recognize that when people feel compelled to say “officer first” they usually mean “aspire to be a leader,” and don’t understand how that works in the flying world. Also realize that the type of leadership that happens in combat aviation is inaccessible to those who haven’t spent years studying combat aviation. A non-rated Captain with many subordinates may see a rated Captain with none and assume that the rated captain isn’t a leader. They don’t see the briefs with hundreds of pages worth of information conveyed in 65 plus or minus five minutes. They don’t see the planning process in which the mission commander coordinates for every domain, service, and discipline of physics to achieve a goal handed to him by the Army four star. They don’t see the split second decision-making that will drive success or failure. They don’t see the meaningful eye contact when you go over something one last time because ing it up will be a disaster. They see a tired Captain with messy hair, who’s never officially supervised anybody and therefore can’t possibly be a leader. That’s not the non-rated officer’s fault; their exposure is movies about aerial combat that’s portrayed more like boxing than war. Give them time, and they’ll get it eventually... or they won’t, and they’ll be sent to tell you that aircrew aren’t leaders. Be a leader; scoff the people who want you to prove it in a silly way. Fly, fight, and win. Don’t apologize for it.

Sounds like a bunch of nonners validating their life. Nothing wrong with not flying if it doesn’t work out, but it’s the best job in the AF if it does.

Pilot or bust.

Anyone who tells you they would rather not be a pilot in the Air Force, but is in fact a pilot in the Air Force can go f*ck right off. I might bitch about shit constantly, but I love flying. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like you’re an aggressive, competitive dude who is questioning your goals based on those around you. This is where BO.net excels, a mechanism for like-minded individuals to support and encourage each other. **Alibi** My conclusions are based on the limited information provided. But it appears you are not like the people giving you advice. You want action, they can live without it. You thrive on challenges, they exist never exerting over 50% of their potential. Life is uncertain. Maybe you leave it all on the field at UPT but fall short of standards and fail. Or maybe you fly first then chase another challenge (commanding a Mx squadron, etc.). Maybe you get your wings, master your craft, but get worn out and separate. Ok. All of those things could happen and life could still work out just fine. But if you don’t try your hardest for what you really want, the experience will become a mental stumbling block the rest of your life. Don’t let people with incompatible personalities advise you. Their advice will be irrelevant and distracting.

When I was applying to OTS, my recruiter asked what other positions I'd like to put on my application. My words to him were "you can just put pilot down 3 times". He responded with "well putting other positions down shows the board that you're willing to do anything to join" and my response was "I'm not joining to be a nav. If I can't be a pilot, I don't want to be in the AF." I was selected for my pilot slot a few weeks later. Bottom line, don't put something down that you are not prepared to be doing for the next 6-9 years. You'll realize quickly that no one will look out for you but you.

Some words from his OH-58D pilot brother: “If you can keep your head, when all about you, Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too... If you can dream and not make dreams your master... If you can meet with triumph and disaster, And treat those two imposters just the same... And lose and start again at your beginnings, And never breath a word about your loss... If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve you long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the will which says to them; “Hold On!” If you can walk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings—nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you, If all men count with you, but none too much. If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And—which is more—YOU’LL BE A MAN, MY SON!” Years ago, Kage mentioned to me he liked this poem, “IF” by Rudyard Kipling. I read it and instantly fell in love with that poem and scribbled it into my green Army notebook. I’ve reread that poem probably 1000 times. Kage embodied the very essence of Kipling’s exhortation. He was ever-composed and brought calm to any situation. His stoic nature drew men to him and he was able to lead without ever losing that common touch. He dreamed and strove diligently to fill the very measure of his creation. Not too long ago, we brothers met up in uniform and honored the passing of our WWII vet grandfather. We were all in tears while we folded the flag over his casket and knelt to deliver it to our sweet grandmother. Soon, Jacob and I will stand over another casket, at another gravesite... Kage will be between us yet again. But this time he won’t help fold the flag, he will be draped in it. We love you Kage. Always. You aren’t just my kid’s hero and my rascally kid brother, you are a MAN, and a beloved son.

LOL. Nope. Jest aside, that question is moot. It's a distinction without a difference. The small denominator of course will make anything look "competitive". It's a small bowl, only two squadrons, belonging to the same ADCON wing. [AFRC only, don't know the status of the B-2 Guard boondoggle these days]. Well three, but the FTU doesn't hire off the street anymore, well unless you're somebody's husband or golden-key holder (aaaand I digress). Flying/rigor wise? Meh, it's just another droning-heavy job, but you build a heck of a lot less TPIC than 11M assets. Post-TFI really ruined whatever merits were left of that job, ask me how I know. As for the rest of the 'draw', I have enough SA than to have the temerity of waxing poetic to my former A-10 co-workers I Cos-played permissive "CAS" from 30,000feet. Honest day's work driving the bus. Fighter UPT board slot it is not. Good luck with the job hunt.

From my experience, so take with a grain of salt, yes. But at this point I would argue all units are competitive.

Dude absolutely go all in if it's what you want to do. I've been exposed to other AF jobs while doing staff and they certainly have their appeals but I LOVE being a pilot. I love calling myself a pilot. I love that I get five free points of credibility when I walk into a room simply because I'm wearing a flight suit. The AF was built by flyers. Our heritage is flying. Our future is flying.... Well maybe for a short time longer, damn drones. Anyway, being a pilot in the AF is incredible. I've gone more places, met more people and have seen more things than 99% of Americans. You will see a lot of bitching and moaning and people getting out as soon as possible. They are NOT getting out because they hate flying. They are getting out because other aspects of the job degrade their life. All careers in the AF have that issue. As a pilot you are better off because you have a transferable skill set that actually gives you a promising option to get out. Last note, it's possible some people advising you were just trying to manage your expectations, and they are not wrong. Pilot slots are extraordinarily competitive. You should be prepared for a path in life should it happen that you can't get one or qualify for one physically. That said, definitely go all in until that point where you are told it's never going to happen.

Pilot or bust... that's one of the benefits of applying for OTS or the guard/reserves.

Too true, but why do I keep having to do some shoe clerks job for them? If I do their work, can I at least get their pay as well?

And also don’t be a dickhead. We’re equally guilty of being ignorant and often more guilty of believing that we’ve earned that right.

With anything in life there are downsides and sacrifices, but from the time we walk out to the flight line to the time we shut the plane down it’s absolutely awesome, only thing in the world I would trade it for is my family, they always come first. I didn’t do great in high school, mainly a motivation issue. Keep busting your ass, don’t take no for a answer, and never give up. If flying is your passion and military flying just isn’t possible there are lots of other flying options.

Last one I’ll share. There are more, but I’ll leave it at these: So, I guess sleeping through the night is a thing of the past now. There are too many emotions, too many memories, too much pain to sleep. Didn’t see that last part coming. I mean, I’ve lost friends in combat to death’s heartless and seemingly arbitrary embrace. Those deaths left me numb and clinging to the denial stage of grief. But Kage. Not with Kage. I LONG for numbness. Instead, it’s a serrated knife to the gut. Physical pain that coils me up and chokes my throat and it’s only Sara’s arms around my shoulders that bring me will to even reopen my eyes. I don’t know how his wife, Hannah, is remaining so elegantly composed. God’s grace I guess, what else could it be. I have to admit something. And forgive me for doing it, but there is a phrase that is appearing in newsfeeds and broadcasts that angers me deeply. “He died on a routine training flight...” Routine? ROUTINE? ROUTINE?!!! How dare you. I know there are strategic implications in all this. I’m no neophyte. I was just in Europe a couple months ago for NATO exercises. Got it, things with Russia are tricky. Calling it routine really alleviates some of the baseless conspiracy theories. But how about this, let’s call it a “training flight.” Done. Kaput. Fini. KAGE was the consummate aviator. He had his private pilots license within months of his drivers license. He earned his spot on USAFA’s flying team, went to Chile to serve God for 2 years, then came back and earned a spot on the flying team again. He was top stick of his basic flight training class. Top stick in fighter training and he flew as a recreational pilot on the side in weather conditions that would have me shaking in my boots. He packed more takeoffs and landings and aerobatic maneuvers into his short career than I have in more than a decade. Nothing KAGE ever did was routine. He was articulate, precise, deliberate, and razor sharp in everything he did and I have no doubt he did not see his last flight as routine. He was passionately and tenaciously honing his skills to be the absolute best weapon in America’s Arsenal. While he and I were both separate from our wives, before he died, he called me and we had a nice long brother chat. We made fun of politicians, laughed about mutual friends, talked about my kids and my dog, shared ideas about how to have a long distance video date with his wife. Then he said something I’ll never forget. “You know Chaz, every time I strap into that cockpit I think, ‘this could be it. This could be my last flight.’ I am pushing the envelope like I never have before and I’m flying with some of the greatest pilots I’ve ever seen. You know what, if I do go down in some big ball of flame, I don’t know, it’s kinda copacetic. I’ve done about everything on my bucket list, even found Hannah.” I laughed and brushed it off, said he was gonna be awesome as always. But I hung up feeling worried about my kid bro. I knew he was giving all he had and that he cared immeasurably about not letting anyone down. I read this comment at the bottom of a news article. It speaks to me. “My brother is a commercial airline pilot (Jet Blue). Those flights are essentially 99% routine, slightly less predictable than that but nevertheless, it is safer than any other form of travel, statistically. Fighter pilots are not comparable to that really at all. Although their training is something that most people cannot imagine without going through it, they are test pilots on every flight. They do limit the unpredictable, but at those speeds, dynamics, environments, unknown variables that are trained for even without any warning when they occur, it's unbelievably dangerous...It's honestly a new reaction, and experience not-had-yet, every minute. It's danger level is basically infinity. My father was an aerospace engineer at GD for 35 years. F-16, F-111, Atlas. Those pilots have 4 years college before they fly a fighter (generally speaking). They're the best of the best. Razor sharp. Crashes aren't accidents. My dad would say "There's no such thing as problems; only unresolved details." I don't know what unresolved details were involved here, but I do know that pilot couldn't fly that craft another foot before ejecting. And likely the last thing he thought was "What can I do to keep everyone safe before myself?" Heroes defined.” I watch the sunset then, hours later, I watch the sunrise. Then I come out of my room and find my boys laying on the ground staring at a picture of their beloved uncle KAGE, their Eagle driving fighter pilot. Their little shoulders tremble as they weep. Nope. There was absolutely, positively, no way my brother’s death was “routine.”

More: “If words could make wishes come true, I’d save every day like a treasure and then, again, I would spend them with you.” -Jim Croce (one of Kage’s favorite songs) Not all know it, but my youngest brother, Stephen, has Down’s syndrome. He is the sweetest kid, we all love him and he loves us. But he and Kage were youngest and second youngest in our family and incredibly close. If possible, Stephen would have joined the Air Force right along Kage so he could be a fighter pilot too! Stevey struggles to communicate, his words come out a bit mumbled. No one can really fully comprehend them, not even mom...but Kage could. Kage was our go-to interpreter. He and Stephen were just bound together, best of friends and kindred spirits. No one is taking this loss harder than him, the poor guy. Kage was his protector all through school and Kage, no one teased Stephen if big bro Kage was around. He was his best friend, always will be. We love you Kage, thanks for showing us what unconditional kindness and love looks like.

More words from his army brother: Eagle Driver. Fighter Pilot. Airman. Warrior. There were many titles Kage sought after and achieved. But a none-too-hidden secret was his status as both favorite son amongst the siblings and favorite uncle among extended family. Honestly, none of us minded. We sorta had to accept that his status as favorite was well-deserved. A couple years ago my sister named her baby son, “Kage.” I just shrugged and was like, makes sense. He was just so doggone good to everyone around him. One second he would be twirling around with a toddler and telling silly jokes, and the next he would be—literally—discussing Astro-physics with adults (my Dad, not me, obviously). In these pics you see Kage in his element, even flying a mission with my other Air Force brother, Jacob, as he refueled Kage’s F15 on a sortie. Kage was just a magnanimous, thoughtful, yet lethally capable fighter. He did everything 110%, he would love you with all his heart and might and he poured passion into every endeavor. God has a plan for all of us. But, as far as I’m concerned, He took this one too soon.

My .02 cents as a former T-38 and A/OA-10 IP. If you are interested in working hard and improving, your IPs are interested in working as hard or harder for your improvement. If you don't care or give up, they will care for a little while then they will give up. So, stay in the fight and keep busting your butt, asking questions, asking for help. I was always impressed by the hard working students that didn't quit so I didn't quit them. What happened yesterday or 6.9 seconds ago is history. Easier to say than execute but don't let past mistakes create future mistakes. You have a jet to fly NOW and a mission to complete. You can discuss errors/corrections in the debrief. Never walk away from a debrief without a thorough understanding of what went wrong and how to fix it AND, as importantly, what went right to reinforce that knowledge/skill set.

Say you're Lori Lightfoot and you're trying to explain to your police force exactly where that "distinct" line is, how would you do it? Once you've explained it to them, how effective do you think the police force you've openly lambasted and critqued are going to be at enforcing the policies you'd like enforced against people who are clearly on the other side of the "F the Police" movement? My next door neighbor is a childhood friend and 20 year city cop. We've talked for hours. They're getting tired, depressed, and morale is at an all time low. What you believe is right or wrong doesn't matter much if we lose the ability to enforce it.

I'm reading this that it is illegal to defend yourself anyway possible in the City of Chicago. So she wants you to call 911 and more or less be put on hold while your getting a beating from a rioting mob. Also if you do defend yourself your going to jail as soon as you get out of intensive care , I guess she doesn't want any of her voting base killed. Change my mind . Yes Chicago is my home town . https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/mayor-lori-lightfoot-denounces-vigilantism-in-chicago-after-white-men-patrol-neighborhood-streets-with-bats/ar-BB152S4r

I'll add this too. Don't be afraid to speak up and ask questions, even seemingly stupid ones. For some reason a lot of people in UPT, myself included, get weird there. We forget it's supposed to be a training environment and focus more on the competitive aspects. Then we get this weird idea that we don't want the IP to know that we aren't sure of something or we might be making a mistake so we just stay silent about it and hope it goes away or works itself out. If that's you dude, speak up. You might get lambasted once or twice for weak GK but often you will find the concepts you struggle with, or the things you have difficulty retaining, so did many others. Even something simple like an ops limit, speak up. Maybe that IP also struggled memorizing that number and he will tell you a stupid limric or story that will make you laugh, but guess what, you'll never forget it again . Furthermore, better to nip those lose ends in the bud when they expose themselves to you early, than to let them build until the end of a block or a check ride. If you get to the end of a phase and still have basic questions you are never going to catch up. Ask questions early and often. People have way more patience for stupid questions with a week 3-4 trainee than with a week 20-21 trainee. I dunno. Maybe that's common sense but for me it took like 6 years in my career to figure that out and I looked like an ass every flying training program i went through.

I didn't know you were a cyber guy.

The problem is that C-17s never had anybody to tell them to put down the landing gear

I respect helos, that being said, I’m a fighter guy so here ya go. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Pictured below: me, an AFRC CSO, reading this thread. But seriously, no shame in only putting down what you want. The AF is a giant machine that will use you as another cog in the wheel... You don't owe it X number of years doing something you don't want to do like it's your wife or something. The process of joining is where you have max leverage over your own fate. 2 on everything jice said, and 2 on going Reserve or Guard...