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This is a good start to your biography Biff.

I stole this from the interwebs.

I dunno…not permitting 100’ of procedural control deconfliction as the norm would have made all of this irrelevant. TCAS, ADS-B, visual separation, etc are moot if you delete the ability to put aircraft this close. When it comes to commercial aviation, we should never rely on decisions made with only seconds to spare…that’s unnecessary risk. Let’s assume everybody on that fateful night did everything right: the allowable error in altimeter equipment may very well have still resulted in a collision. It is shitty airspace deconfliction. It seems like every time I fly I’m getting traffic callouts, and my clearance to continue climbing or descending (while IFR) is always contingent on being well clear on radar. My call to the controller with “traffic in sight” is never trusted and these examples highlight why. While it might give them respite from seeing two targets merging on the scope, it doesn’t absolve them of their shared responsibility.

Im not sure about Army Helos but most USAF helos have VHF. VHF wouldn't have helped in this accident. If they had the 33 traffic in sight, they should have turned or hovered. The lack of SA (from all involved) plus an altitude deviation at a critical moment caused this. It's nearly impossible and dumb (in my opinion) to try and fly under landing traffic to 33. I know from experience. Edit: @tac airlifter makes a good point in a future post regarding this accident. The CRJ shouldn't be faulted for this. The lack of SA (from Pat and tower) plus the altitude error caused this.

Most people here are ridiculous. Airmen weren’t even aware the gig line was no longer a thing. Or hair touching the ears. This is just adjusting the books to the culture that always was, nothing more. Secretary Hegseth is spot-on: unity is the message, and that is crystal clear throughout Air Force formations. Agree or disagree, we are moving forward with the right focus and message.

Boeing is HORRIBLE! There is a constant battle over proprietary versus government owned software. At one point after 9/11 there was an effort to put Hellfire on the AC-130U. Rockwell owned the mission system on the U boat and wanted $100M to open the code and incorporate the munition. I was later told a similar effort on the Predator cost $2M. Lockheed did the same with the OEM software on the C-130J when AFSOC wanted to add additional SOF functions to the aircraft, they wanted $100M for access to the EOM software. AFSOC in their infinite wisdom decided to install a new stand alone computer box called the SOF Mission Processor, the idea being to have a gonkulator that could perform certain functions (numerous mission SOF functions and to integrate things like JTTRS), when on mission you could flip a switch to push those functions to the green machine glass and get around the OEM displayed data....at last count AFSOC has spent $300M and it still wasn't right. The worst was BOEING, when I was in the HQ there was a big push to keep everything government owned. Our engineers at Warner Robins had worked on Gunship code for many years and they contracted with Boeing for additional engineering support. One of the engineers came to me with a print out of the code where Boeing had gone in and put "BOEING PROPRIETARY" labels on code the government had written. I called the senior Boeing dude in for a meeting and he denied it. He was a retired AFSOC O-6 and actually friend. A few days later went around me to the AFSOC/CV to complain that I was spreading falsehoods about Boeing. I had the Warner Robins Engineers drive over to HRT with the code and show both the CV and the CC, the labels came off the next week.

Whelp, UCT spot got moved to UPT slot! Now I’m just anxiously awaiting training dates like the rest of you!

It doesn’t really matter if the RJ had TCAS or ADS-B In or Foreflight.. the helo should have had that stuff. I have no first hand knowledge of their equipment.. but it sounds like the standard Army 60s don’t have it. These 12th AB/VIP 60s should, especially if they are flying in that airspace. And if they don’t have it, they shouldn’t fly in that airspace til they do have it. And.. even worse, maybe they do have the equipment, but fly with it disabled because of IMHO blown out of proportion OPSEC concerns.. which is what AMC is doing. Drives me nuts that I fly my Herk around busy Class B and C airspace with ADS-B off because.. China. It’s a crock of shit and we will have a mishap one of these days because we aren’t using equipment that could keep us safer in the non-tactical environment.

This. On one checkride, I observed a Pilot blow through the ILS on base to final. He had no idea how this could have happened. So I intervened, to let him know that he forgot to check that he had the right course dialed in and that this was a direct result of the the Pilot neglecting to check his gig on the downwind. This created an electric phenomenon, causing the aircraft's ILS to malfunction. It was a shame, the dude was a good Pilot, but I had to teach him a lesson. Unfortunately for him, he did this during a checkride so my hands were tied. The only man I ever saw cry during a debrief. The last that I heard, he transitioned to be a woman Pilot flying rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong.

The problem has never been adhering to the grooming standards. The problem was the standards themselves. Beards can have standards. Mustaches too, without looking like a butthole brush. There are more ways to look professional than a high and tight. Set the rules to a reasonable level, then enforce.

Trump revoked Biden's security clearance today.

I have zero issues whatsoever with the army response. There wouldn't have been the need for the Army to withhold the name to give the family time for damage control if Trump hadn't painted them into a corner with his completely out of line comments. Everyone else is still trying to get the facts straight and pull bodies out of the Potomac, and we have the leader of the free world talking out of his ass in the least possible productive way during a crisis. DEI is toxic, but even more toxic than that is blaming a crash on DEI less than 24 hours from the accident when you have zero facts to support it.

Sat in a wing staff meeting yesterday, wing leadership is all in on it. When he started to give the "if I can't trust you to wear the right patches, how can I trust you to make the right decisions in the aircraft.." speech I swear I could hear the boots song playing in the background and my desire to reach out to the embassy kicked in. 1 more year of this BS.

Not vain at all and a valid concern. Dude shows up for his first airline interview and tries using the military hr conversion factor and the airline is like “wait, you went to Embry Riddle just like that civilian guy over there. We only give mil credit to Navy and Army trained guys now.”

I can't imagine why someone would turn down their UPT slot but that's awesome man, congrats!

Not even remotely the same. Ukraine didn't send a bunch of thugs into Russia to rape women, randomly kill people, and literally throw babies into bonfires. If Ukraine had done that to Russia and Russia invaded Ukraine as a response, I don't think you would see anyone here advocating helping Ukraine. Keep in mind that Hamas was elected by the people. They knew the type of people they were putting in power. The Palestinians celebrated Oct 7th as a victory. Women and children beat hostages and cheered as they dragged the bodies naked dead women down the street. What's a reasonable long term solution? Clearly the status quo isn't working and is only going to lead to more death and suffering. Palestine was offered statehood in Gaza and they rejected it. There will be no long-term peace. This is one sad situation where there doesn't seem to be any middle ground and so it looks like it is going to be a winner-take-all solution. If that's the case, I support the side that doesn't celebrate throwing babies into fires. As far as the region, the leaders of other countries in the area only pay lip service to supporting Palestine. They don't like or want the Palestinians and I would bet that if they could get a good excuse to look the other way while Israel takes over Gaza, they would do so happily. Only reason they pretend to support the Palestinians is because it would look bad to their people to favor Israel.

Most likely GLS. Pretty cool and virtually transparent to the operating pilots. We're encountering more and more in the international realm. Uses a highly accurate GPS ground station at the airport to tell the airplane exactly where it is. Same freqs as ILS without the transmitter sidelobes, so no false glideslopes. RUMINT has it that Russia started using a several of these because they are easier to install and maintain in remote locations...but long-haul pilot RUMINT worth the price you pay to get it. As to Trump's comment, it seems like he doesn't make stuff up completely out of thin air. He simply overhears a conversation that he knows nothing about, then turns around and talks like he knows everything on the topic. So basically the same 10% rule surrounding every pilot story ever told.

Uuummm...it absolutely does, and maybe in this situation, have an influence on TCAS. Big question: what was the altimeter source+setting and broadcast altitude method used by each leading up to the collision? They could have been different. From FAA: "Can you please explain the altitude and velocity reports that ADS-B provides? ADS-B reports two kinds of altitudes: barometric and geometric. The barometric altitude transmitted by the ADS-B is actually pressure altitude which is the altitude seen on your altimeter when the altimeter setting is set to 29.92. Geometric altitude is calculated by GPS as the height of the aircraft above the earth ellipsoid. These two altitudes are not the same, but having both allows for applications that require one or the other as an altitude source and provides a means of verifying correct pressure altitude reporting from aircraft. ADS-B reports horizontal and vertical velocity relative to the Earth. This velocity is useful for air traffic control functions and ADS-B applications. ADS-B does not report vertical or horizontal airspeed. Airspeed is provided by other aircraft sensors." So theoretically ADS-B provides better, more accurate GPS based altimetery than without, so TCAS can make a better TA/RAs and decrease aircarft seperations becuase of better 4D info. And if both were utilizing ADS-B through TCAS, then the decinfliction is that much more harmonized, and better as standardized/equal starting point. Riddle me this on low altitude/WAAS environments!? Why does "ADS-B will require at least one Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)-capable GPS receiver connected directly to the transponders." https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/technology/equipadsb/capabilities/benefits https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/technology/equipadsb/resources/faq

"At the close of 2024 fighter pilot retention rates have hit historic lows, with some airframes reporting bonus take rates as low as 29%." Keep moving forward with that message, it seems to be resonating with the force. Soon you won't have any pilots to screw over.

Don’t you put that evil on Greenland, Ricky Bobby.

If mode C altitude was incorrect then ads-b would have been incorrect as well in all likelihood. Just because an RA is inhibited below 1,000 ft doesn't mean that you can't look at the screen and see where the aircraft is. Everything that has mode C shows up on the screen. The helicopter showed up on the screen in the regional cockpit. But because the helicopter did not have a tcas system (or even just TAS), they had no display to look at, or they would have seen how close they were to the regional jet. Would it have stopped this crash? Who knows. What would have stopped this crash is if we didn't keep making exceptions to rules just because a certain airspace is "important." You would never see them flying helicopters this close to aircraft on final in places like Atlanta or Dallas or San Francisco. But because the congressmen want a short drive from the airport to their office, we just pretended for years like it would all be okay.

If those Israeli settlers agree with or would celebrate the rape and murder of Palestinian (or any) women and children in their homes, then yes, they should be disqualified.

If your'e old enough to remember this

There was an executive order issued today to initiate the protection of the Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/02/protecting-second-amendment-rights/ By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1. Purpose. The Second Amendment is an indispensable safeguard of security and liberty. It has preserved the right of the American people to protect ourselves, our families, and our freedoms since the founding of our great Nation. Because it is foundational to maintaining all other rights held by Americans, the right to keep and bear arms must not be infringed. Sec. 2. Plan of Action. (a) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Attorney General shall examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights of our citizens, and present a proposed plan of action to the President, through the Domestic Policy Advisor, to protect the Second Amendment rights of all Americans.

This is the key aspect.

I knew where this would end up and still loved the journey and destination.

This is not correct. TCAS II aircraft like the CRJ get full TA/RA indications as long as another aircraft has Mode A/C. It doesn’t matter what the other aircraft has, just as long at they have Mode A/C. ADSB has no bearing on TCAS. ADSB only helps other GA aircraft and provides a more accurate picture for ATC. Media will latch onto this topic, but for this accident… it’s a red herring.

You'll get a sq full of flawless gig lines! Nothing makes an airman fly better than perfect uniforms backed up by endless quarterly meat gazzing parties. As a former Evaluator, I used to line up the crew (crews for formation) outside of the briefing room to take a good look at their crotches. Some of the best aviators I knew had perfect gig lines. Perfectly lined up shirts, belts and pants equaled an instant EQ! No need to fly. I knew they were good. Edit: The one piece flight suit made gig lines pretty easy to evaluate. I hooked a guy once because he had a mangina zipper. The two piece flight suit was more fun, you could really get into the nooks and crannies. I only allowed them to put on their body armor once the lines were properly gigged. The gig line check should be incorporated into the before landing checklist AF wide. The last step. Gig Line.................."Checked" Before landing checklist...... "Completed" Even you fighter guys need to be checking your gigs before landing. Flight leads are responsible for the lines for the formation. Also, we will add the gig check as a step into your ingress and egress checklists. This should stop the accidents and increase lethality.

These articles about the Blackhawk not transmitting ADS-B (as if it didn’t have a transponder at all) are just click-bait for people who don’t understand that Mode C still exists as it did for years, and provides all the relevant squawk information for this scenario. Also there’s a 99.6% chance that anyone writing these articles (or having the conversation at the congressional level) could not tell you the difference between Mode S, ES, 1090, and 978 UAT. What GA sees on an ADSB In display would have been a glove save, potentially, but should be a separate discussion from the doom scrolling “Blackhawk wasn’t transmitting omg fr fr” bullshit.

Get ready y'all... we're living out the book "Catch 22."

“Character of war…must be fully prepared to execute operations from austere and challenging environments…our airmen represent a key competitive advantage over our enemies”…you know what really captures all that into one succinct package? Uniform inspections like we’re in ROTC! Fucking idiots.

It's the classic Jurassic Park illusion of control. You use a shitty website to search job listings that you have the quals/year grp/knee pads for, and rank your top choices. If the CC who posted the listings also swipes right on you then you get a match. AFPC takes this match and does the following:

Either way, she was going to be accused of being a DEI hire no matter what her history/performance. We can crow about how rules should always be followed, but then get pissed when we/family/friends don't get "exceptions" when we feel they're warranted. I feel like giving the family time to lock down the social media from the coming onslaught was warranted. Highly likely the family has already been doxed on some forum/site and is starting to receive threats. Or not, can't know for sure. I can't speak for the process, or reasons by the CC's/big army. I assume good intentions by default, worked well when I was in charge (and still does). Same as allowing exceptions when I could was a good tactic. Just trying to be empathetic to a family who's daughter/sister was a pilot who's now dead and being looked at as the cause of the worst air disaster in decades. Shit just sucks all around.

I am thoroughly confused as to what ‘problem’ 19th thinks it is solving with Future UPT (it’s all FUPT up…). They are sending students TDY to these locations, and they are paying the schools. That isn’t cheap. It will take longer to get through the entirety of the program from start to earning wings. I suspect that 19th will only count the T-6 to wings portion and declare ‘look we produce pilots so much faster!’ I highly doubt the product will be better by any means. I’d rather train up someone zero to hero entirely within the UPT structure….it has worked well for decades. So we are getting a worse product, that takes longer and is more expensive. Sounds smart. Once 19th started tinkering around with UPT, it induced all the issues. They haven’t let a year go by with any of the syllabi recently before introducing a different one. It has just been constant flail in a never ending state of change. If we want to incorporate civil training, I’d say do it after T-6s. Send the T-38 studs off to do their thing. Send the rest to (insert sim company) and get a king air rating or something similar. I’ve been through both Flightsafety and CAE simulator training for military aircraft, it was outstanding training and would be a good top-off for studs heading to heavies. ….or just buy some T-54s…. /semiannual rant off Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Investigators will have access to everything that was deleted. This is the internet, you can't make it go away in a day. But it does keep people like you and me from seeing it. And I am 100% okay with that. The chattering class can wait for the report. I have no problem with us having this discussion in this forum, but we do not have an inherent right to unlimited information just because we want to know earlier.

If it was my daughter I'd do the exact same thing. Imagine losing your daughter/son and stepping into the social media world to see every possible evil conspiratorial thing being said about your child. Whatever can be done to lessen the pain and stress would be done if I were them. Regardless of how many hours she could have had, it's not going to stop the fucktards from dragging him/her down. I rarely flew on a sortie that had a crew full of 1,000+ hour folks. There is always going to be a low hour guy on board getting training. Why is there no talk about the instructor/evaluator on board?

Hardly, It's coming from the top.