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A little mean .... but still spot on and funny.

When you say "student", what exactly do you mean? What year in school? ROTC? Are you working? Need more data to compute. As for your dream RX7 FD, if you're the standard in-debt college student, here's my advice: DON'T. At least not yet. Don't go into debt for a car you can't afford. If you can't buy it outright, you can't afford it. I fully understand the desire to break the yoke of mom and dad, but dude, wait. You'll get there, but your finances as a college student are very unlikely to be able to afford a 30k loan. Bankers will say you can, but trust me, you can't.

The idea of a Chinese invasion of North America is a pretty epic leap for a country that can’t currently sail its navy more than a few hundred miles from its home shores. I don’t think we need to worry about putting AAA emplacements on top of the local big box store any time soon. Some of you guys have some big imaginations…

@JohnClark In addition to everything @Khruangbin33 said, allow me to shed a bit of light on the ANG hiring process and maybe this will help you out as well. First, everyone reads about current Pilot shortages and military recruiting target shortfalls and believes that it must apply across the board - it doesn’t. ANG UPT slots are very finite. We’re talking 1 or possibly 2 per year for a unit. (There’s been a few instances of more, but there’s way more examples of less). So when a unit announces a hiring board, they receive hundreds of applications for that 1 or 2 slots. Thus, the unit can be extremely selective. The next step is to whittle the applicants down to a manageable number of interviews. This is where your application is getting stuffed in the “NO” pile. Your very low AFOQT scores coupled with your age, and the fact that you’re not a known quantity make you an easy kill. Don’t feel too badly, as you have plenty of company. ANG units do not have the funding to dedicate a large amount of manpower to this pilot selection process full time. Consequently, the Squadron Commander/Chief Pilot is going to instruct those reviewing applications to only invite people with high scores, no waivers, low age, etc. to an interview. Now comes the subjective part. Units will often make exceptions for people with lower scores or require an age waiver, etc if they know them and their work ethic - ie Loadmasters, Boom Operators, Crew Chiefs, or possibly a high time Civ pilot, and so on. Unfortunately for you, you’re none of those either. So, the answer to why you’re not getting an interview or even feedback is because you’re low hanging fruit at this point. My unit will provide feedback to interviewees who were not selected, but that’s it. To give feedback to the hundreds of applicants who were not selected for interview would take an enormous amount of time that nobody has. This is not any different from the civilian world. If FedEx hasn’t called you for an interview, they certainly are not going to assign someone to sit down with you and discuss your shortcomings. They’ve already moved on and are looking for someone else to help them out. All this to say, while you’re doing the right thing by going to meet and greets, you’re still an easy kill. So, the question is what to do about it? First, study your ass off for the AFOQT and retake it. You only get 2, so make this one count. Second, get the folks at Bogi Dope to help out with your applications. Third, absolutely go shopping around to other units as well as Active Duty and sister services too. Lastly, if you’re dead set on staying in the NE US and have the heavy unit picked out already, Consider enlisting as Loadmaster or Boom. I realize time is not on your side, however, if you’re over 30 already, units will be looking at the age waiver possibility already, and unless you’re a unit member - who they like a lot - the chances of getting selected off the street while requiring an age waiver are extremely slim. I hope this helps, best of luck.

It isn't as black and white as you make it out. Like a teenager learning to drive under supervision, there comes a moment where you let them go drive on their own. Before you do, they might sneak out and take the car out on their own. The difference here being that we aren't going to go take back equipment or munitions which was gifted, if they decide they no longer need supervision Realize that they have support (limited, sure) from many other nations from the US who have much more skin in the game when it comes to how this war settles. I know that you don't know who you are talking to. I also know that intelligence support isn't a discussion fit for this forum. edit: grammar

I wish Hindsight was wrong, but he's not. I fear the long-term repercussions from this event are going to be significant for the warbird and airshow communities. FYI, there has not been a US airshow performer mishap that has killed a spectator since 1954. US airshow rules are actually pretty well written. For example, the 1988 Ramstein Airshow disaster occurred on a maneuver that wouldn't be allowed in the US. And before someone reminds me that 10 spectators died in the Reno crash, keep in mind that was "air racing", and falls under a totally different set of rules and procedures than airshows.

Are you going about visits wrong? No, I don't think so. Should you cast a wider net? Yes. If you don't ask (in the form of visits/applying), the answer (interview/hiring letter), is always going to be no. Your average hiring board members are juggling civilian work/life, military quals/currency, and day-to-day unit admin on top of finding people to invest in. They're going to go for hard numbers and quals first before looking at your subjective information. I would break this down into things you can and can't control. Things you can control: Your stats and quals (AFOQT, TBAS, PPL) Who you ask for letters of recommendation The units you reach out to Your interviewing and socializing skills I realize that a wider net and a PPL are financially resource-intensive efforts, so I can't make that value judgment for you, but the other aspects don't cost much to practice or develop. Things you can't control: The way units choose to sort through hundreds of applicants The way they notify individuals of non-selection Your age This is a tough path and there are no easy solutions, only tradeoffs. Take a look at how badly you want this, and what you are/are not willing to do to get there.

Flea, your concerns and logic are why the USA no longer wins wars. If we want to win, we must stop thinking about what we can’t do and stop pitting our lawyers against our tacticians.

Keep on rocking https://www.tmz.com/2022/11/14/100-year-old-man-celebrates-birthday-strip-club-dallas/?adid=social-fb&fbclid=IwAR0D96ZlQCWhXzHM38ajuHFuS6h8H1Pb0fAIdpgh5hOZBjRNjj6dQHykAG8 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe you forgot your previous post? Here: And here: And now here: That's who I'm talking to, the person who said that. And those quotes indicate a very misguided belief that "equipment and munitions" are the primary factors in Ukraine's success. Yet you completely ignored "training and intelligence," which can be thought of as multipliers in this conflict. No, we can't easily take back our equipment and munitions, but if we take the Intel and support, you're now multiplying by zero, and the result will be obvious. So you either don't know what you're talking about, or you're trying to exclude the "secret" parts by completely mis-characterizing the entire ground reality, which seems like a pointless endeavor. I hope our support for Ukraine continues until the last Russian body is dragged back over their border. We have been given a tremendous opportunity to utterly decimate, the military and standing of one of the only credible geopolitical foes, and at an incredible discount. As long as the Ukrainians are willing to fight and die for their sovereignty, I see no problem with simultaneously fulfilling a major objective of ours. But that doesn't change Ukraine's reality, and there is no victory without our continued support. The United States military is not the training wheels, it's the whole f'n bike.

They decided to fight Russia instead of cave. There were only two branches from that point: lose, or get help from us. Now that they are on that path, until they decide to return to "lose," they are stuck doing what we say. They can find another source of support, but there aren't many options. It's not fair, but it's reality. I hope we continue to support them, but that support comes with an "*" I don't think you realize how much more we are doing than just sending pallets of weapons. It is not through Ukrainian cleverness that so many high ranking Russians keep getting blown up. When we sent them HIMARS, it came with the six month subscription to SiruisXM targeting.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan highlights four "core elements of consensus" in the U.S. gov about Ukraine. (about halfway through, CTRL+F Ukraine) https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/11/11/press-gaggle-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-en-route-phnom-penh-cambodia/ TL;DR version: 1. It's Ukraine's decision when to go to the negotiating table. 2. Principles of a just peace are based on territorial and sovereign integrity (U.N. Charter). 3. Russia doubling down on annexation claims means they can't be a good faith negotiator. 4. U.S. approach remains the same - enable Ukraine to be in the best possible position on the battlefield. "And one more big-ticket item. So there’s kind of this sense of when is Ukraine going to negotiate. Okay, ultimately, at a 30,000-foot level, Ukraine is the party of peace in this conflict, and Russia is the party of war. Russia invaded Ukraine. If Russia chose to stop fighting in Ukraine and left, it would be the end of the war. If Ukraine chose to stop fighting and give up, it would be the end of Ukraine."

Get a PPL and improve your AFOQT. How is your GPA?

Big optical illusion. Wreckage was closer to hitting traffic on the freeway, than aircraft on the runway. In fairness, that too is a good thing in that it didn't do the former either btw. Otherwise it truly would be good night irene for the volunteer-dependent experimental carve out warbird flying outfits. I'd put money on that, knowing what does and doesn't make the FAA pick up their one-hammer-all-nails, petty functionary asses from up their banker's hour GS-13 desks. Some folks on the inside baseball side of this dumpster fire of a hobby, fear the plan that has been mulled for decades, i.e that of imposing de facto part 135 impositions on these experimental-ETP letter outfits, may finally materialize as a result of this mess. Which as I've already pointed out, would be exit right for everybody involved, as volunteer-dependent organizations with little in the way of insurance self-sufficiency otherwise. In non-airline land, insurance rules the roost, not the FAA.

He said he's in CA. That's like the precursor "with all due respect." Californians do this kinda stuff all the time!

ACE! Duh!

All it takes to know this administration isn’t at all about “Unity” is look at their social media. Every third post from both the POTUS and White House IG touts how great Joe is and how much Republicans suck, and the world would be such a better place if the GOP would just get in line with Joe’s policies.

We put up with their shit because we want the dollar to be the currency you pay for oil. If the KSA said let's change that policy and the other OPEC members followed suit, we'd be screwed, it is the commodity that backs up the dollar. They need us to stay in power, we need them to keep the dollar the petro-currency of the world.

Fuck this administration. The dude’s pride and joy company has been launching NRO satellites for years and now that he’s taken over Twitter and doesn’t like Biden an investigation is “standard procedure”. You mean you couldn’t figure out if he was a national security risk before he signed a contract to launch classified satellites? The hilarious thing is Musk isn’t even really a right leaning guy. Not all that long ago the left was drooling over him because he created the most successful electric car company and his personal views align with a lot of their stated climate goals. But now that he’s differed from the party line somewhere else, he’s public enemy number one. So much for the “Unity” message, but we’ve known that’s trash for awhile, and if you don’t toe the line to this administration, you are clearly an extremist.

Standing By for the national will to stand up for ourselves, governance in that direction, and a national leader who believes America is worth fighting for.

This is probably the dumbest sentence of this entire thread. Are you pretty sure? How many 46 pilots do you really think are out there that are thinking to themselves “damn, I really wanted fighters…not because they go fast and drop bombs and look cool but because I don’t like flying with another pilot. Maybe AMC will make the KC-46 single pilot and my itch will be tickled and I’ll be a real tanker fighter pilot! Call me Maverick!” You think this is the case? Or…maybe you’re indicting the whole KC-46 community over the actions of a handful of patches at one specific Active Duty wing at one specific Active Duty base? If you’re not in the community, you should probably stay in your lane. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

https://www.919sow.afrc.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3154553/draco-crew-excels-despite-adversity-in-afghanistan-withdrawal/ Here’s a great write up about a Reservist pilot and crews mission in Kabul. Hopefully AFSOC PA can get can the stories of the no shit heroism of the Draco folks involved there.