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Yup So it’s about 175 flight hours (not counting sim time) that we’re talking about here and that’s 75 shy of an FAA commercial instrument certificate, 75 hours, in the grand scheme of the things that’s not that much. That would have to 75 QUALITY flight training hours but the point is there, it’s not that much. If there is to be a public campaign, it needs to show the penny wise pound foolishness of this whole situation. No pilot would legally be allowed to operate for hire without the requisite minimum amount of training/experience, why is the AF allowed to cut corners? Now, if the Air Force wants to argue that it can’t afford a platform only used as a multi engine trainer, ok, I think that’s hard to believe but if you want to run with that then create a program that you build to have operational capability that you use also as an experience builder before other MWS assignments in AMC, AFSOC, etc… AETC pays for the type training, AMC flies / instructs these newly winged pilots in this short tour then onto their career assignment. There’s always a demand signal for light airlift from/to major bases, ex KSUU, KSAT/KSKF/KRND, KDOV, etc… pick any major base/concentrated military presence and there will be valid movement requests, buy an affordable, small regional airliner (Do 328 for example) that can serve as a utility transport for regular pax, cargo and medivac missions. Air Land only, no other specialized training, experience and reps while moving pax and cargo is the objective. Fly them for six months+ or so there, then move on to the assignment awarded out of UPT. That easily exceeds the missing 75 flight hours in their training, likely gives them 200+ hours in a transport category aircraft before operating a more complex, expensive mobility aircraft in a demanding training program and serves as an extension to the UPT system, thus keeping pilots from wasting time just waiting for an FTU.

The VA’s VR&E (Chapter 31) will also pay for pilot license and ratings. It’s a better deal than the Post 9/11.

Valid concerns. You guys are both on point, and I don't disagree. This is just my opinion. It sounds like @wikz understands the implication of using the GI bill for flight training. I don't think $60K is that much debt, but then again, I'm an airline pilot now who's biggest concern is when I see nearly $9,000 withheld from half my month's pay. It's effed. So my blackpill is trying to keep as much of my money as possible. Colors most of my opinions now-a-days. On that note...if anyone has any bright ideas for hanging on to more of my money...I'm all ears.

Not to mention, you could come up with some pretty wide spectrum comparisons for GI Bill usage. The high end being some Ivy League private school with a yellow ribbon financial incentive, the low end being a trade program, or in this case ratings. Everyone's GI Bill usage is going to be different. The most important part is that it gets USED, which, tragically doesn't happen in a shockingly high statistical rate. For the record, I was on the MGIB during school, before the rates started rising. $465 a month baby! Good news is that I got a year plus up under the P911GIB...which I intend to use for a rotary wing add-on 🤙

@ViperMan Valid points again, but devils advocate is using that logic he goes into WAY more debt early in life, betting on the premise his hypothetical future wife and/or kids will need his GI bill for a degree. I know how well my “in 20 years this is where my life will be” thoughts worked out - probably similar to everyone else! The hypothetical scenario is certainly realistic, but is it worth the gamble and taking on a shitload of debt right now? I don’t think there’s a right answer, but it is a large point to consider. Also depends on one’s view of college in general or what they think their future kids are “entitled to.” Some of us max out 529s and encourage our kids to go to college, some of us think college is mostly a for max profit bullshit scheme and useless outside of specific career tracks where it’s a hard requirement. If one is in the latter group, who cares about saving the GI Bill for kids.

His wife or kid could use it for a degree too. Buy a house and rent it to his kid, who can pay for the house with BAH. This might also be in the future where college, and houses, will likely be even more expensive than they are now. I'm really just offering a perspective that says, "hey, realize you're getting less than about half of what it's worth if you use it for this." Of course people gotta make their own decisions based on their circumstances. Many times, though, I think people make less than fully informed decisions.

@wikz If you’re good with commercial flying being your career (even if you never get hired to fly ANG), then the plan is decent. Personally I would use GI bill towards ratings, as it sounds like it’s not necessary to use it towards the degree you’re currently working on (is that correct?) keep in mind major airlines will require turbine time (and usually PIC turbine), so you will likely have to either move on from CFI-ing to fly for a local commercial company who flies turbines, or you’re doing two jobs simultaneously. Either way, it’s going to be bumpy road of low pay (relatively) for a while, but if you truly enjoy aviation (and teaching when you get to that point) it’ll be a fun journey and you’ll be somewhere you really want to be soon enough (199th, HA, etc.) Sure beats the hell out of sitting behind a desk every day!

Springer subtly slipped a name in there with a fascinating story, if you didn’t notice. I had the honor of hearing Dale Stovall (HH-53 pilot that flew the rescue) tell us about Locher’s rescue at a squadron function many moons ago. Glad he was able to get home and go to UPT with you. Here’s a quick synopsis. Legends! https://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/oyster-1-bravo-evasion-and-escape-in-vietnam/2/

42 years later, and still in the conversation!

Instead of limiting who can vote, a better solution would be a government that couldn't tax our productivity in an uneven manner, thereby redistributing my precious and limited time on this Earth to other people. In lieu of that, however, the next best solution is to limit voting to those who materially participate - and to strip it from those who are merely along for the ride. What that looks like specifically can be debated, but the philosophical point some have made on this board is pretty clear. I admit it's a re-imagining of our idea of "democracy," but then again, so is the fact that 40+% (nearly 50%) of my time is stolen from me in some form or another and "redistributed" to other people. That's not the system any of us signed up for either. Rather, it's the end result of a perpetual creep from our originally envisioned government instituted to help us secure our life, liberty, and happiness. For a long time, voting was the best means to guarantee everyone's collective, long-term goals. Now it's become a means by which certain groups use the government to disenfranchise other groups. Voting ain't it anymore. Voting is a nice-to-have. Voting is a mechanism, it's not fundamental to a good life. A good life is me being able to keep what I produce. As soon as voting has become the way whereby I'm made a slave to other members of society, it has ceased being a necessary part of our society. We're all familiar with the meme about two wolfs and a sheep voting on who's for dinner...that's where we are and where we've been for some time. You have millionaire SS recipients who take 12.4% of my wages and spend it on whatever, instead of selling their million-dollar homes. Instead, they're going to deed their estates to their heirs, and use my wages to bridge the gap to their end-of-life. 12.4% of my time enables old people to make choices they otherwise couldn't (or wouldn't) make. In a two-week period of Mondays through Fridays, that's (more than) one whole day of my time. My commute. My gas money. My wear and tear on my vehicle. My time I could spend doing whatever else I want to do. Instead, my time is spent going to work for the retired. 30% of my income to income taxes? Well, you can do the math on how many days that takes up. You have EBT recipients who use their benefits to purchase luxury goods. You have school lunch recipients who throw away literally 100% of the food they receive into the trash. Every. Single. Day. Again, that's my time being thrown into the (literal) garbage can. The examples go on and on and on. I don't lament people's shock and disbelief that people could advocate for something as seemingly undemocratic as taking away people's right to vote. I understand those beliefs rest upon a hopeful, childish, but ultimately naive view of how our government and society function. i.e. a view grounded in a high-school-civics-level conception of our society. It only seems gross when it's juxtaposed against the cartoonish view of what we're programmed to think. When it's held up to a holistic view that encompasses how money, time, and productivity are actually redistributed throughout our society, it's the obvious answer.

It's been a few years since I instructed in the T-38 but the guys with flying experience, including WSOs (usually #1 in their class) but not Navs, did better than those with no flying experience. More flying hours in anything is better than no hours. No matter whatever you end up doing, once you get to UPT, how you did things that one time in band camp is irrelevant and annoying. Listen more, talk less.

Do you know how many times I have had that exact same conversation, my PTSD just kicked in, thanks bud.

Truth. I gave an I-ride to a crew chief, briefed him exactly what we were going to do and he was gung ho and normal as shit for the whole experience........ Riiiiiiiiiight up to about 5 seconds after brake release. Full AB and off the ground shortly after that, 5-bills at the end of the runway and into the vertical. He's hyperventilating for the acceleration which didn't seem that abnormal. At the start of the pull up he starts "ohhhhhhhhh" and then as we're vertical he says, "Sir, I want to go back." I level off at 10K and offered to just be an airliner and we could do some sight seeing and take it easy. He just kept repeating that he wanted to go back in a scary, panicked way. I started to get pretty concerned he was going to do something crazy, so I told him to put his hands under his thighs, don't touch anything and I'll have us back on the ground in 5 minutes. Should have done a straight-in but I wanted to get down fast. He almost lost it when it put some G on the aircraft in the pitch out. I figured out he no likey the Gs. Not an experience I'd care to repeat. Absolutely no fun having a panicked human trapped in your back seat with access to some fairly "reactive" handles and actuators. 0.1 KPAM-KPAM 🙃

Sure. That's a "holy shit, the rabid tiger escaped it's enclosure and is about to pounce on a 3-year-old kid - shoot it!!" solution to a problem that was avoidable 10 minutes earlier with a simple 360 or a "no circle to 33 with a helo on route 4" mandate. There's lots of blame to pass around. But saying the solution lies in the last 30 seconds of the event is not very realistic.

Are you guys high? You trust the government to handle that kind of power over us? I want to completely outlaw any and all spy type equipment (sounds like y’all want the patriot act on steroids) used to monitor us.

I honestly don’t understand the implication here. “Power move?” How so? Trump: “Hey look, we have B-2’s and F-35s.” Putin: “yeah, I know. Cool.” Is the implication supposed to be “watch out, cause we just might use these against Russia?” Putin knows there’s zero chance of that happening. Besides, I think he’s probably much more worried about drone swarm attacks, like the kind that took out most of his bomber fleet, than he is about fat Amy. This is classic Trump. Using the military as a symbol of strength to try to mask his weakness and ineffectuality. Putin is going to get Ukrainian territory out of this, and Trump is pressuring Zelensky to surrender it to him asap. But yeah, cool air show. “Vlad, look at these static display F-22’s. Badass, huh? …..Now, go enjoy the Donbas.”

I think cameras should just be installed on public roads and if a vehicle is recorded illegally/dangerously passing, speeding more than X over, etc. the registered owner gets a $1000 fine in the mail (or whatever amount with graduated cost vs. incident numbers). Copy camera can’t prove the owner was driving, but doesn’t matter because it’s their vehicle and they control who drives it. No need for cops wasting time at speed traps, expensive UAS, etc. Also to be clear, big proponent of privacy and limited gov, but there is no right to privacy in public spaces. And I have zero tolerance for self-absorbed asshole drivers.