Leaderboard

As of spring ‘22 the -46 couldn’t be used on CED deployments, only TDY trips. It’s why the -135 crews were getting worked hard in EUCOM. I think the AMC/CC should focus on getting that fixed first before worrying about something like this.

Nope. Leave the pilot in the plane. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

BTW This topic deserves its own thread. Huggy, On a good day from point A to point B, one could probably fly a KC-46 with a single pilot and a boom operator. But why? I’ve flown tankers for close to 20 years now. Air refueling missions range from the mundane C-17 training mission or two ship F-15 CAP to complex Missions where you have multiple tankers talking to each other, ATC or C2 and to the receivers that may or may not be showing up at the same time/when they are supposed to and may or may not be as English proficient as we would like. When you have multiple tankers and multiple receivers you need everyone listening up on the 3-4 radios and dividing the duties. It’s a lot, especially when there’s external factors like a retrograde, TIC, etc. A jump seater or an extra boom is a welcome addition in these scenarios due to task saturation. Someone (maybe in another thread) also alluded to some of the additional capes (datalink, etc.) and the discussion that ensued tried to delineate if these detracted from the mission or enhanced the mission. IMHO, they are designed to enhance the core competency of air refueling when utilized properly but, if we are not careful they can easily distract the crew or the squadron from the fundamental mission of a tanker. In an emergency/non-normal situation as well, there’s a lot to accomplish. In our sims, we train with two pilots and the sim instructor plays the boom or we bring one in. Are we bringing a boom into every sim now since they will now have to train for every EP? Will they be running pilot checklists while the only pilot maintains aircraft control? I guess flight engineers used to (never flew with one but I know they were integrated up front) so now the boom does it? I’m ok with that, I implicitly trust the booms but again, why not just have two pilots with the boom backing us up. Maybe I don’t have the big picture. I’m all for innovation but besides possibly ferrying aircraft in a wartime situation to either survive them or get them to a frontline unit where other pilots are executing a near peer fight and we need all hands on deck I can see no good reason to try and fly a 767 with one pilot. I see this as a distraction from the mission and not an enhancement to the mission.

This is based on a scenario where you would have more jets than crews available to fly to jets. And unlike WW2, I don't see industry (Boeing) being able to crank out jets faster than we can train replacement crews for combat losses (about a 3 year lead time to build a KC-46, and they still are being delivered late). Can a KC-46 fly single pilot? Probably on a good day. But throw in an emergency, and you can start to run out of hands pretty quickly (or just not be able to physically reach items), because the jet just wasn't designed to be operated by one pilot. Are we good with letting the autopilot fly with no pilot in the seat? Because eventually you're going to have to pee, though I guess you could use a piddle pack. If there's an operational need to look at this, generate the requirement, kick it to DT to verify single pilot procedures and OT to validate line crews can do it in an operationally relevant environment.

Another not so “latest” movie that I just watched for the first time: Whiplash Stars Miles Teller (you know, Goose’s kid) and a yolked JK Simmons (yeah, the guy from the insurance commercials). Well shot, well edited art-house style film that never stood a chance at the box office when the public’s preference is overwhelmingly “more superheroes please”. But the story is apropos to the current plagues of participation trophies and helicopter parents and the general acceptance of mediocrity. Indeed, one of the best quotes from the movie is JK Simmons’ character stating “there are no two words in the English language more harmful than…..’good job’”. It’s a story about drive, commitment, and the human condition. You don’t have to be a jazz fan to “get it”. Anyone who’s had a passion about something and experienced a coach or mentor who knew how to squeeze every last ounce from them, or anyone who’s been in the other seat as a parent or a leader, will understand what this film is getting at. One of the best films I’ve seen in a while. Recommend. Here’s a clip:

There is a workload evaluation org in USAF...I think it's hiding somewhere in AFMC. Scenario. You're 4 hours into oceanic and suddenly your FMS dumps flight plan, W&B, CPDLC and autopilot turn off. You have the aircraft. 🤣

The last RQ-4 Global Hawk left Beale recently.

Scooter, well presented case and thanks. No argument from me. The mission complexities supersede the "savings" of single-pilot ad that's where the AF should focus their effort. Certainly, a discussion on single-pilot ops is in order becomes it generates this sort of valuable discussion... and input. I hope the General considering this listens to the full range of mission impacts.

As much as I want to trust that random Facebook post that looks like the 22 ARW/CC or AMC/CC exec wrote, I don't. The MAF is more concerned with pilot retention than TTPs. What good are TTPs if you don't have the crew members to execute them? This is nothing more than floating the idea of only needing half of the pilot force to fly the same sorties. If/when we go into a recession next year, and the airlines slow down hiring, expect this "good idea" to go by the wayside because retention is up and the USAF will claim they fixed that problem....until the next hiring flood.

When I was a new boom in the -135 there were Block 30 and Block 40 KC-135s. Block 40's had GATM, CPDLC, and sat phone, Block 30s didn't. I went through initial qual on Block 30s, where you had to leave the data card with the flight plan in the reader all flight, Block 40s would save the flight plan in the FMS, so you could pull them during the flight. My crew had been flying a lot of Block 40s out of Manas in Afghanistan, so we used to pull the data card sometime during the sortie since it was one less classified thing to remember to take once we landed. We were flying in southern Afghanistan and I pulled the data card and heard both pilots up front yell "What the fuck!" I had pulled a the data card on a Block 30 jet, which immediately dumped the flight plan, which then just said "Map Fail" on the MFD's. We tried to get the flight plan back, but didn't happen. We ended up somehow flying back in non-standard formation, which if anyone remembers the controller Dushanbe...he wasn't happy with that, with another -135 back to Manas. Lesson learned.

This is a unique question to me due to having a lot of experience in the tanker world, -46 world, MAF, and aircrew training world. I'm also currently writing a dissertation for my doctoral program focusing on if automation is atrophying pilot aviating skill. My reaction is not that I don' think overall this is a bad situation to investigate, but that having non-test people do the first dry run of it as an extremely poor idea due to their lack overall lack of experience, especially for such a radical concept. Huggy brought up that while he doesn't think the "mechanics of flying" of a -46 with one pilot is an issue, I'll add on to that. I don't think it's an issue if the single pilot has a lot of experience of flying. I'm sure we can agree that the commercial aviation and military worlds have vastly different definitions of what is considered an highly experienced pilot. In the MAF the highly experienced people are getting out to go to the airlines/cargo. That leaves very lightly to middle experience as the "highly experienced." The unique part of the -46 is that on the pilot side the program seemed to have pulled a lot of the shiny pennies from other MAF aircraft. We can all agree that the usual motivation for the shiny pennies to crossflow isn't to learn how to fly and eventually employ a new aircraft. It's to do staff job/get schools to get promoted. In my experience those PHOENIX products also weren't good pilots to begin with, now they're crossflowing to an aircraft they have to learn and will continue to be mediocre pilot until their PRFs are written and they get school/staff. There's a thread on this forum that brings up good points about the changes at UPT/FTUs and how the quality of product is much less than it was 10-20 years ago. I agree and I don't blame the students, they're only there to learn and are a byproduct of their training. However, those byproducts are now AC/IPs in the -46, whom will probably be the ones tapped for this single pilot ops plan. We could probably also agree that flight training gives you a baseline of how to fly, but actually doing the flying and tactile learning is how you become experienced and good at it. Unfortunately, the MAF likes to shun those who want to be better aviators and rewards those who shirk flying to barely maintain currency. In the -46 there are non-Edwards test units (there's a Test Ops Sq at McGuire for example), but the pilot I knew there just got out and he barely flew enough to only be a copilot in the -46. That's why it should go to Edwards. The test pilot and booms are extremely experienced, some of them helped early on designing the -46 during DT. They would be the SMEs to conduct this testing. I don't know how other MWS's are at Edwards, but the tanker folks came from line squadrons/taught at the FTUs, and have good mix of recency and experience in the MAF. Like I said, I don't think it's a poor concept, but I think really experienced aviations need to DT/OT it first. Having a main operating base send a waiver up to the MAJCOM/CC to have their not as experienced aviators dry run it is a poor decision.

All fun problems the staff never thinks about. Separately there is an article going around about C-130Js experimenting with single pilot. What problem are we trying to solve? Or is this another potential lucrative deal for a bloated defense contractor at the expense of safety and readiness?

Only cowards act that way to people that they know can’t fight back. It’s like taunting an animal at the zoo from behind the glass. Knobs like that certainly aren’t walking down the sidewalk telling off normal people.

Is there a public reason behind this request? I suspect that tanker capacity given crew capacity must not be enough to meet certain taskings. If that’s the case, I say good on this General for thinking outside the box and attempting to find a creative way to meet requirements. If it’s for some non-combat related reason, then I don’t get it. Beyond the 2 pilot certification, is there a reason that you actually need two pilots up front? Human factors of gear actuation or something? Can the boom sit right seat during admin portions and back up the pilot? I don’t know what level of training boom operators have so that may be a stupid idea.

Second to last and last page.

Single pilots ops waiver for the 46?

Baby steps. For starters, let's get the FAA (and everyone else) to agree that it's ok when two pilots are flying, if one decides to take a nap, in the seat, at cruise... while the other pilot stays awake. Why is this such a big deal? If we cannot get past that, then being OK " with fully RPS big jets doing cargo" is a long, long way from reality... and really shouldn't be discussed much until the former issue is solved.

Analogy from a trigger puller.

Related.... https://www.popsci.com/technology/merlin-labs-air-force-cargo-planes/ C-130J...go figure, wonder how well Merlin can fly a Day Vis LL? Or Max Effort LDG? Now with a UPT2.5 graduate upgraded AC in min time who is also a fast burning, minimum flying WG/CCE??

Not sure where you live, but there is a "Canard flyin-in," on Rough River Lake in Kentucky (2I3). Looks like it's 23-25Sep this year. Never been, but I'm guessing it might be worth a visit...you'll likely get tons of info, get to know the community and probably find a few leads on a few EZ's not on the mainstream market. Also, if Huggy's link doesn't work, I've reached out to an acquaintance of mine whose owned one for a while to see if he'd chat with you (I'm sure he would love to talk EZ, I just haven't got a reply yet). Dude just finished up a trip around the Caribbean with a few other EZ owners.

Give Kyle Fowler a call. He knows the plane well. I don't really know him but knew his dad... and I have no doubt Kyle would be a big help. https://longez.ca

And well worth it! This is from a stop at a local grass strip for a piss break.

Galaxy brain level genius here if he thinks this makes him look good and Kinzinger look bad... These people have worms in their brains.

Grand Forks is a Global Hawk base, so no worries.

Imagine sitting in that thing for 8+ hour missions on a regular basis. How much storage does that thing have for piss bags? The best solution was turning the Dornier into a do-everything platform.

The left has defined themselves over the past few decades as the crusader party. Problem is, they ran out of crusades. The causes will get progressively dumber as they chase the high they felt from fighting racism, securing gay rights, protecting the environment, etc. How ironic. They created a better world and are miserable in it.

can we all just grow the fuck up and be done with this woke virtue signaling nonsense? this is the fucking military take your bull shit to some other government organization. i dont care if you're a gay pilot, woman pilot, trans pilot, they/them, just be good at your job. is that too much to ask? do whatever you want in your private life i don't care but stop pushing what sexuality you prefer/fuck in public JFC. rant over.

Yesterday's reflective belt is today's preferred pronouns in the email signature block.

The USAF is getting a free lesson right now on why the artificial tanker gap caused by early KC-10 retirement is at best a criminally negligent act and at worse a root cause for a loss in a shooting war. Even against a second-rate opponent. The real question is whether they’ll admit mistakes or implement a solution.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Don't trespass, break down doors, shatter windows and hop barricades clearly meant to keep you out and you likely won't get shot...easy as that. Hard to feel sorry for someone like this.

Happy Father’s Day!

Not a tough as training to be a special ops fighter pilot.

Meg Ryan was the hottest chick in the orginal

The White House just announced the President's nominations for the next USSTRATCOM/CC, USAFE/CC, and AFSOC/CC. https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3056641/general-officer-announcements/

She was straight up murdered. The cops own statements show that.