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All signs point to a tomorrow afternoon phone call [emoji102] [emoji102] May the pilot slots be many, and your celebratory mugs full [emoji481] Sent from my SM-G986U using Tapatalk

https://news.yahoo.com/media-ukraine-downs-russian-50-225508185.html

The hangar situation across a lot of the US is a total disaster - main reason I don’t currently own a plane. Really sucks.

I don't have a problem with a bunch of my deserving contemporaries not getting sent to fighters when the war needed pilots to fly other stuff. I think institutionally we need to get away from the MWS tribes and gate keeping and realize that what you get out of UPT shouldn't define/exclude your career the entire time. If you want to see some funny stuff, look at some of the UPT grads scores that went non-fighters from the 07-09 year group and then compare it to a guy in the mid-teens that did. You'd rather take a guy who's sole talent is fogging a mirror into a Viper than a thousand combat hour U-28 kid that had the misfortune of bad timing? I know it's more complicated than that but that's always bugged me.

Speaking of the ridiculous allegation that Trump is somehow pro Putin, I wonder how happy Putin was when Trump went to Europe, and immediately began twisting arms to get our NATO partners to pay the full 2% that they agreed to when they joined?

She won

thanks for explaining how it works kid. i think your personality would be a huge hit in a fighter unit!

Agree, aside from a few speciality assignments an O-6 command at UPT would be awesome. Unless you're a political creature unable to leverage that assignment into someone's front office in NCR. But for a pilot, it's one of the best gigs for an O6.

Not a poke in the eye, this statement just got me thinking. When did we start looking at flying in the weather and pushing it hard in training as a bad thing? It's the military. We're supposed to be able to deliver anytime, anywhere, in any conditions. In my last 5 years before retiring last year, I saw anything that even approached that attitude as being reviled. In a different world (think Cold War...which we're in again...) this crew MIGHT (depending on what actually happened) have been commended for bringing the jet all the way back and mostly in tact despite what appears to have been an airborne fire. Instead, the default now is 'who's to blame' and 'why did we take so much risk'. The military culture used to embrace risk takers. Go look up documentaries of how the British SAS/SOE used to train their operatives. Death was normal and expected. Hell dudes in the USAF in the 50's used to routinely crash jets. Not abhorant, just expected and normal risk. Save your life, save the jet if you can. Get yelled at. Go do it again tomorrow. Do difficult and dangerous things specifically because doing those things makes you better. Now...not so much. Observation, not critique.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens if a DEI hire in the future plows a fully loaded aircraft into the ground; reference the Atlas Air crash. That whole story should be a big red flag to the industry. Honestly kudos to Mesa, often known as a bottom feeder regional, for refusing to upgrade that clown. It’s not hard to imagine why Atlas was maybe afraid to fire him. All this to say, it doesn’t matter what skin color you are, gender you are, etc… to be able to competently fly an aircraft. But if you use purely immutable characteristics as your guide to hiring, you will eventually get a poorly qualified candidate at the controls. If you want diversity in aviation you have to start at the ground floor. You need to get kids involved who are from communities that have little or no aviation ties. One of the coolest things I’ve done is be involved with Young Eagles and CAP in the SoCal area. We got lots of kids up in the air and around airplanes who otherwise would never even gotten near that opportunity. Hopefully a few of them stick with it. The problem is, those long term changes take 20 years to show up in statistics, and no CEO is going to let his or her follow ons take credit for something they could fix in a few short years with just biased hiring practices.

As usual, luck and timing are everything, and there is no justice.

You can do anything once. (See articles regarding crazy mechanic at Horizon.)

Might want to look up light sport vs experimental and basic med.

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/did-you-know-a-man-bought-all-the-spare-b-2-windshields-and-used-them-in-his-daughters-tree-house-the-usaf-had-to-buy-them-back-to-replace-a-damaged-spirit-windshield/ Wonder what the Ops-Mx mtg slides said? Parts plus 1 tree house disassembly and 1x blank check?

Is he a white male? Just curious. Because he should step down in a sign of honor to those less privileged.

She’s bulletproof now. Sorry pipeline bros who have to pass her through every step, regardless of performance. I hope she actually gives a shit about being a pilot, works her ass off at it, and accepts responsibility for her performance. But, also won’t be surprised if none of that is true.

She knew what she was in for. No way she didn't.

I would say it’s 69% how well you do and the rest luck and timing. There was a track where they were making people go T-38s because they couldn’t fill all the slots and (more common) there have been tracks where there were multiple people who didn’t get 38s who wanted them. There is no shortage on T-38 tracks in UPT right now, and the timing couldn’t be better for the drops (exclusively fighter/bomber/faip) with Buffs going to the T-1 now. I interviewed at quite a few guard/reserve squadrons to no avail but ended up staying AD and am in 38s now. If you’re a late to rate dude it’s even better because they won’t FAIP you.

You just found the problem with our whole thing. How do we fix it?

But you don’t ever pay for it, because the nature of AF moves means no one will ever be held accountable for decisions that provide a short-term benefit with worse long-term outcomes. Big decisions on acquisitions and personnel don’t come home to roost until the people who devised and approved them are several assignments in the future. There’s no personal or institutional financial penalty because the budget always goes up and the bad decision makers always get a defense gig afterwards.

How is that not the dream job?

He’s actually right. Our demographics will lead to economic decline without immigration. The problem is we need immigrants who follow societal rules, bring solid skills, and pay taxes…not exactly what is happening right now. The kind of immigrant we need isn’t sneaking across the border in the middle of the night.

Vance 89-09

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/hitler-comes-to-power They (Woke nerds) should read how Hitler came to power. It will make their job easier as they are doing the same thing. They're just using white males as the Jew this time. They also need to learn a little bit about the methods of Joseph Goebbles. It will make the brainwashing quicker. 1. Find a scapegoat for everyone's "problems". 2. Call out the Jews (Privileged) for causing said problems. 3. Isolate them. 4. Re-educate the non beleivers. 5. Make laws to punish the Privileged. 6. Lock them up. 7. Take their belongings. Maybe I should get a job as a DEI agent?

Don’t be a hot 2Lt and try to be Miss America? Copy—I’ve lived by this code my entire life and will continue to do so.

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, With conquering limbs astride from land to land; Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" And this is what we end up with...

Not just a fighter pilot, but a Top Gun fighter pilot!!! https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/madison-marsh-miss-colorado-may-become-top-gun/ What was Rainman's #1 rule again? I guess the USAF PAO is pushing this!

RE-apply?? Sounds like SWA sub-contracted their HR/ People Dept to AFPC.

If you pay United a few extra carbon footprint dollars, they’ll put it straight into Scott Kirby’s pocketbook and fly you just the same.

Sounds like a similar stress level to being home with my 4 kids.

RUMINT in the bomber community is a very serious EP (jet on fire) prior to the approach. Weather was an eyelash above ILS mins. First day back flying after Christmas/New Years. Helluva first day back…

Remember kids …. You can be the best of what’s left !

A real OPSEC warrior wouldn’t even tell Russia we had bombers.

Just sayin'...

Now you gave a team playing where their coach was suspended 2x this season and still under investigation by the ncaa. not a huge bama fan but should UM been allowed in?

Thanks again guys. Unfortunately the CR did not go the way I had hoped. This is definitely not how I had envisioned this journey ending when I started it 6 or 7 years ago, and it hurts about as much as you would expect, but I’m gonna try and still be the best officer I can be wherever I end up.

I feel your pain man. I also battled for years to get to UPT (to include ETP for age/rank/TAFSC), had periodic struggles while there, but got through Trans, Nav, Form and Mission phase. Then on graduation week, with my parents, retired O-6 uncle and family friends already in town, I hooked the check and the 89, didn't get reinstated and was done. A couple of years later, I still don't truly understand it and I know I never will, so I've found peace through consciously refusing further futile attempts. My advice to you: Whatever your support system is (God, family, friends, girlfriend, etc), lean on it. I got essentially no support from within the USAF, either locally at the UPT base or from my ANG home unit, but my parents and other family members let me know that they loved me regardless, and that helped. I've since transferred to a different unit to do a different job. I may not be "loving life" professionally a la viperdriver's roommate, but I can sleep at night because I know I busted my ass 6 and sometimes 7 days a week for a year and at every juncture I made the best decision I could with the information I had. It seems you have also given it your best shot. I won't BS you: if you're male and caucasian, your time as a student pilot is finished. If not, you may have a shot, but either way it's time to think about, first, how best to navigate the likely upcoming stages of grief, and second, what you'll seek to do for the rest of your career. I commend your willingness to share your difficulties with what can often seem a harsh and not empathetic forum, and I certainly wish you the best moving forward. Last, if it would help you any to have a conversation with someone who has traveled this path, feel free to shoot me a DM.

@di1630Hey screw me for having a dream, huh? If you wanted to be a pilot but got offered a CSO slot would you take it in hopes for a cross train ETP later on or something? Or would you keep going for a pilot slot since that’s your goal? Then maybe don’t hate on me for trying to do something that gives me the best shot at accomplishing a goal. If I want to be a fighter pilot why would I take an AD slot if they’re not giving any T-38 tracks? It’s all risk calculation, if I get a heavy then so be it and I won’t be a piss baby about it, but why would I set myself up with worse odds from the start?