Leaderboard

Pakistan is worried. Guess they shouldn’t have been working with them for 20 years

All we did was create a nation of dependents. I listened on the radio today as Afghanis claimed they have been abandoned. The Taliban want it more, so they will win. This should have happened 15 years ago. We had a reasonable expectation that the Afghans would taste freedom and sustain it with our aid. They let us down, not the other way around. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Sort of..... again. When you have a trip that starts or ends with a deadhead, the company buys you a ticket between your domicile and the city where the trips starts or ends. If you choose, you can deviate from that travel plan. The ticket they buy gets cancelled and you can buy your own using money from the cancelled ticket. They don't move the starting airport. You can start from wherever you want. For front-end DHs, there is a deadline and by deviating, you're agreeing to take on all responsibility to get your ass in place on time. If you want to buy an airline ticket, JS on company metal, hire a limo or any combination, it's up to you. If you have money left over, you can use it to deviate on another trip by adding to the bank from that trip. There are guys who hold double dead-heads (front and back) who almost never go to their domicile unless they have recurrent there. All the frequent flyer miles and the benefits that come with them are yours. I never drive to/from the airport. 100% of the time I hire a car service on Uncle Fred's dime. If you commute, there is really no other way to do it.

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

We couldn't do it with the full weight of the US logistical system and unlimited money. Afghan govt won't last 2 months.

WTF, that and still having issues of finding the flap handle does not give me a warm fuzzy as a retired non revver. I commuted 1200 miles for 25 yrs never missing a trip but in this age of packed flights, no way would I commute today. NERD

Every one of your arguments is founded on reinterpreting concepts and quotes from the literal authors of the source material. A link to an article explaining CRT is not compelling when compared to the authors of CRT. Remember way back when I posted the article from the second largest teachers union in the country supporting Critical Race Theory? Your retort to that was to post something else from secondary sources and surveys. Why on Earth would you take that over the literal stated position of the teachers' union? Because it doesn't fit your narrative. An organization run by Marxists with Marxist principals on their website (until they became headlines) is somehow not actually Marxist. Lol. That's mental gymnastics. I also love the idea that you have to go to communist Russia for some reason to learn about a German ideology... Seriously do you know anything at all about the topics on which you opine? Honestly, the most amusing part of arguing with someone like you is that you capitalize MARXISM as though anyone is treating it as a boogie man. It's not. It's a fairly old, fairly persistent, and fairly dangerous ideology that rears its head repeatedly over the years. It's not fuzzy, the concepts are very well understood by both sides. But because you can't fathom a situation where your political opponents aren't just a bunch of backwards hick redneck religious nuts, you have to caricature their argument into something it's not. You go ahead and Google a bunch of sources that try to make CRT something that it's not. Pretend like anti-racism isn't what it is. I'll just continue to cite the authors of these doctrines when speaking about their ideas, rather than relying on a completely fabricated alternative explanation that better fits my ideology. Imagine the chaos that would ensue if Republicans started espousing the merits of Nazism, but every time you referenced Hitler or the Holocaust, the republican explained how Nazism is more of a nebulous concept that covers lots of things, and did that "trained Nazi" actually go to Germany to learn about being a Nazi? Your posts have become almost as audacious as the press secretary getting on national TV and claiming that um, actually, it's the Republicans who are the party of defund the police! Why are you blaming democrats?! I could be wrong, but your posts read as a well-meaning but completely ignorant liberal who's just caught up in the mythos that is being told to you about the other side. Pretty much the same thing that's happened in the Republican party in a lot of ways. But it's a pretty solid strategy, because it stops you from thinking critically about anything that "your side" is doing. And right now, the democrats are doing some amazing stuff. Conversely, your almost deliberate refusal to use the source material when defining these concepts seems like a little bit more than casual ignorance. It's incredible that not a single Republican politician has met with white supremacists, read from their books publicly, or donated to their causes, yet we're still fed the bullshit line that the conservative movement is aligned with white nationalism. But even the most casual link is distorted and misrepresented as some sort of full-throated endorsement of a hateful and racist ideology. Democrats however jump fully in bed with people espousing the most fatal ideology in the history of humanity (yes, your favorite bogey man, Marxism), quote them publicly, join them in protests, and defend them fiercely from any sort of criticism, but don't you dare call the Democratic party Marxist. And don't you dare call them racist either, because only white people can be racist in America (another real claim by White Fragility author and leftist darling Robin DiAngelo).

Can you define CRT? I ask because I find that the people quickest to defend it are either A) the propagators or B) liberals who have no idea what it is. You are the latter. A Marxist plot... Yes. Yes that's correct, because the people who created it, as well as the biggest propagators (e.g., BLM) are open Marxists. Critical Race Theory is a race-based evolution of Critical Theory. Critical Theory is literally Marxist. From Wiki: "it argues that social problems are influenced and created more by societal structures and cultural assumptions than by individual and psychological factors." Conversely, "CRT recognizes that racism is codified in law, embedded in structures, and woven into public policy. CRT rejects claims of meritocracy or “colorblindness.” Sound familiar? So yeah. It's a real thing, with a real definition, with real proponents pushing it in real life. Your ignorance, which is evidently substantial, does not change that. Take a step back from your bubble, which *exactly* like the republican bubble has trained you to reflexively dismiss anything you hear from the other side, and realize that just like there are factions within the conservative side of America, there are factions within liberal America. One of those factions is very powerful in politics, media, and academia despite having nearly zero presence in middle America. Yet they are whispering in the President's ear, and he is dutifully repeating their garbage.

Holy smokes dude, if anyone is chugging down propaganda from media shills, its you. Antifa has gone more quiet because a leftist administration that has worked to advance many of the things they demanded is now the regime in power. The notion that they are just hippies that don't like neo-nazis is f*cking laughable and makes me wonder if you aren't just trolling. Or maybe you really believed that the shit that went down over the summer of 2020 was just a "summer of love". Hunter's laptop story was effectively silenced by big tech. And the whole Hunter Biden story only continues to get richer (just like Hunter Biden) as anonymous buyers pay massive sums for his garbage art, sums that not even established artists could pull down for their works. Wonder where that money is coming from? BLM as an organization that simply wants black lives to matter as much as white ones is a flat out lie and a quick scroll through their own website will tell you as much. It has literally been defined, linked to, etc.. multiple times in this very thread.

Sort of. FedEx allows you to "deviate" from a planned deadhead. If you get a trip that starts with a deadhead (riding in the back), they will switch the starting airport from your hub/domicile to wherever you want, as long as the cost is equal to or less. But they also have a "bank" I believe where you can store up the cost difference of cheaper deviated deadheads for when the deviated leg is more expensive than the original deadhead. With AA, if your trip starts or ends with a deadhead, you can switch it to a deadhead from/to your home city. Cost doesn't matter, but unlike FDX, it has to be on AA metal. Very common tactic for commuters.

Your #3 needs to be your #1. Seriously. This is a different job when you commute. The biggest foot stomp advice I got as a wee lad thinking about applying to airlines was "Don't commute!" As someone who lives in base but isn't senior enough to hold it, I can tell you my morale and will to live is completely different on trips that I commute on versus trips I pick up here in base. Things to consider when commuting: 1. Making sure there are flights that have empty seats to get you to your base 2. Booking at least 1 hotel per trip, maybe 2 if you get delayed or extended 3. Packing an extra pair of clothes for an extra night. This seems trivial but it makes a difference when I'm trying to shoehorn all my shit into my 737 approved roller bag. 4. If you have a late start to a trip, do you commute the morning of or the night prior? Spending all morning commuting just to start your pairing later in the day is probably the biggest kick to the crotch there is. If you commute the night prior, there's an extra hotel you have to pay for. 5. Weather delays or diverts. They happen often. So when you divert to Burnt Scrotum, NM as a commuter, it's on you to get home. As a non-rev passenger you're the lowest man on the give-a-shit scale for the airline. 6. Running through the terminal to catch the last flight home, only to watch it push back. This is my favorite. The list goes on. There are 6900 different factors to base your airline decision on, but if you know where you want to live, pick the airline with a base there. Upgrades, money, time off, etc all mean jack shit if you're commuting. Just my opinion.

I'm no SWA sunshine pumper, but this is all a bit of hyperbole. 1. 73 for the rest of your life? "Like anyone can even know that." We have no idea what's going on tomorrow in this company, so it's a pretty bold statement that we'll be flying the 73 for the next 30 years (assuming you're ~35 years old now). I'd put a round of Boilermakers on us having a different airplane in the fleet in the next 30 years. 2. Multi-leg days? Sure. I don't know many guys/gals that do 1 leg a day, no matter the airline. And if you do, it's probably a long leg. I'd guess the duty days are about the same. Give me three 1.5 hour legs over one 7 hour leg, but that's just me. I've had plenty of trips with only one leg in a day. 3. Same towns? Doesn't every airline fly to the same towns? We have ~120 destinations and no one has added more in the past year than we have. If you think SWA isn't going to grow even more in the future than I don't know what to tell you. When looking at seniority, it really means jack shit if you can't hold the base you want to hold. Looking at retirements only tells part of the story. Can you upgrade faster at AA vs. SW? More than likely. But I'm assuming you'll be stuck in NY or MIA or whatever the junior CA bases are at AA. Just like you'll be stuck at OAK or LAX if you upgrade at SW. SWA isn't a bad place to work. Yes, it's all narrow body flying and that's not for everyone, but as a Herk guy who has a 3.0 ass, it's just like flying in the desert. Except no one is shooting at you and the loadmasters look better (sometimes). Only having one aircraft in the fleet is good and bad. As previously stated, if you want to fly something else, you can't (for now). At the same time, if I want to trade away a trip, I have roughly 4500 other FOs as trade partners. I can pick up extra flying as a reserve holder and even trade my reserve for a trip if someone is willing (supposedly most airlines don't have this option). 99% of the CAs I've flown with have been really great dudes that generally don't give a shit about how you fly as long as you get us there safely. On the other hand, the ra-ra OnE LuV shit is wearing off. We're all "one team, one heart" until they threaten furloughs 2 weeks before Christmas, knowing they had no intentions of actually following through with them. One thing that came out of it is our pilot group and Union are stronger than ever (this coming from the mouths of the old guys). The company thinks pilots will choose to come here versus others because we treat our pilots better and "we've never furloughed!" but that's all now bullshit. We get paid less per hour and we generally work harder. I'd advise anyone to do homework and pick an airline that fits your lifestyle. Also look at seniority at your desired base, not just company wide.

Don’t forget back in those days when the “poo pond” was alive and well, if the winds blew from the west… the smell of crap would stick to everything. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

“I'm just an old worn-out Major I can't count the places I've been And I can still tell a good story But the truth is somehow wearing thin And this drink in my hand, it is fadin' And there is no chance I can stay So I'll bid you adieu And wish I was you Back in the LPA” Oh those were the days 😂

Classic scene that’s obviously farsical, but the part that I’ve come to understand more as I’ve gotten older is the line of “someday this war’s gonna end” and being dismayed by that. I haven’t gone overseas in a few years and I can’t believe that I miss it. Looking back on it, I really enjoyed my 3 Afghanistan trips and really felt like we accomplished some good things in the tactical sense. It’s all a ball wash in the grand scheme, but being there to help out some young Rangers or even just walking to mid rats at Dragon with the Bros was truly a great time. Queue up Dos Gringos “Back in the LPA” while I fill out these TPS reports.

Logically I know you’re right. But emotionally, after 10 deployments there, I want to stay and smash every enemy forever. I felt similarly watching the first departure from Balad after 5 trips there. Alcohol with bros will be how many of us cope having spent years of our life doing something that sporadically felt necessary but mostly filled me with anger at endless tactical success but no victory. All while my kids grew up and I stupidly went back. In the end I chose how to spend my time and have no one to blame for my decisions but me. However I will never forgive or respect senior leaders who could not win. Why should any of us believe any of them about the “big shift” and GPC when they’ve lost this one? probably time to wear my veteran hat and move into a camper near the base pharmacy… 🥃 🇺🇸⚔️

June 19th 1865 only relates to Galveston and Texas specifically. Most slaves were freed as the Union Army advanced at various dates. In fact the last slaves weren't officially free until December of 1865 since the Union states of Kentucky and Delaware did not outlaw it during the war. I think I agree with Congressman Roy. "Juneteenth should be commemorated as the expression of the realization of the end of slavery in the United States - and I commend those who worked for its passage," Roy said. "I could not vote for this bill, however, because the holiday should not be called 'Juneteenth National Independence Day' but rather, ‘Juneteenth National Emancipation [or Freedom or otherwise] Day.’"

Today, I flew an airplane without training wheels for the first time since 1991. All went well. Even caught the #3 wire on the first one... The differences in technology, ATC, and what else is in the air is hugely different and sometimes difficult for an old guy to process. Fcukin' children of the magenta line...look outside. That said, the ability to enter/enter/direct and have George point the way home is pretty cool. But fcukin' look outside and stop staring at the screen. Being in the taxi mix with an MQ-9 and in the pattern with same is pretty weird. But then I remember rotary dial phones with the 12 ft cord twisted all to hell and back. What the hell happened to all the VORs? (kidding, I'm aware). When did every middling airport get a control tower? I am quietly getting drunk now. No doubt Biden will stay awake longer than I will tonight. 'Scuse me, there's some pesky kids on the lawn...

Brabus summed it nicely and you have outlined some fairly strict constraints so it may work for you. I looked at a partnership but ultimately decided I want full control and access. I've heard and seen several nightmares associated with "renting" your aircraft including the one outlined in the video below.

Random thought experiment to play devils advocate. Try to justify unbridled inheritance under the pretext that all men should be created equal - a decidedly American value. Not so easy, huh? Equality of opportunity, right? Inheritance doesn’t really translate to a meritocracy. Also, good luck trying to convince Americans that public schools, regulations on drinking water, improvement of soil, and abolition of child labor is bad just because a Marxist said it.

Yep. When I joined the Bill Gates fan club I got my little orphan Annie secret decoder ring and have been receiving messages from the Gates-Clinton-Soros cabal ever since with Marxist talking points attached. SMH. Simply giving my opinion that this is just the latest boogeyman for the right out of a long list of things that have really turned out to be not much. Example: remember ANTIFA? I thought they were taking over and that due to their highly organized and dangerous tactics we’d all be mandarin speaking marxists by now. For such an existential threat to our society they sure seem to have disappeared quickly. What about Hunter’s laptop? I thought there was devastating evidence that was seemingly continually about to be released. The shills on the right seem to have lost interest in that one. The list of right wing phantom threats goes on and on. Somehow all of them seem to be Marxist in origin as well. What’s with that? From my perspective nobody seems to be able to define CRT. Many of the people advocating for it appear to be arguing for nothing more than adding a dose of realism to the history that is taught in our country. The right seems to be very good at defining and demonizing many of these movements. BLM: A simple idea that Black Lives Matter as much as white ones? Nope. It’s a Marxist plot to overthrow the American way. ANTIFA: A bunch of hippies who don’t like neo nazis? Nope. It’s a Marxist plot to overthrow the American way. Democrats: A sometimes overly sensitive group of heavy spenders who nevertheless want to see The United States improve and succeed? Nope. A Marxist plot….well you get the picture. CRT is just the latest leap the right is making in order to keep its base energized. It’s all getting a bit stale for those of us non-Tucker, non Alex Jones consumers.