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Here is the waiver guide, I'll PM you with some more info. As far as I can tell, it is waiverable to fly but I bet that might take some time. wiaver guide.pdf

We all really appreciate the hard work to keep this place running! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is a good attitude to have. Having been in your shoes, I will tell you I didn't believe it until they sent the first guys back. But they sent us all back that wanted to leave. I like to think they will hold that promise. When I got them Norty was CSAF and made the promise going back. Welsh kept to that. My hope is the next CSAF will do the same. Time will tell. And just know attitude will most likely come into play when you do get back to a manned cockpit. Keep your head up. All of us UPT-D made it out that wanted too and didn't drink the kool aid they tried to make us drink.

Burn the witch!!!

Suposidly the CSAF signed a memo guaranteeing us a manned aircraft after this assignment. We were suppose to have said memo in hand with all the details in it "later this week". It's been 2 months. No one has any idea about the details of this assignment, 3 years? 4 years etc. MPF has no idea (more than usual) how our training and orders should be written, TDY, PCS TDY en route, PCS then TDY, I leave for the B course in a few weeks. I'll happily take my assignment and move on, UPT was a awesome expierence, and knowing the outcome I would do it all over. I however will not believe they will sending us back to manned aircraft until I'm strapped in an actual cockpit.

2 RPA's per class per base They've been told one tour on RPA's and then they get to return to a manned aircraft. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No one was ever given written guarantees. Big Blue just actually kept their promise with the last rounds of UPT-D.

I meant to add - once one develops a hernia, it's there until it is repaired (exception - umbilical hernias in newborns often close up early in life. We fix those if they aren't closed by age 5). There is no medicine or exercise regimen that will correct a hernia. Once a hernia exists, it will either remain the same size or slowly grow larger until fixed. There is also the possibility of getting a piece of bowel trapped in the hernia & having its blood supply cut off. When this happens it's a big problem - but this is pretty uncommon. They usually just slowly grow larger. Today we can fix almost all hernias with very good results. It's straightforward surgery and once it's over and healed up there is no problem with return to civilian or military flight status.

(I'm a general surgeon and AME and I fix these regularly as a part of my practice). The specific terminology is of some importance. Epigastric hernia is the diagnosis that is usually given when you have a small hernia in the midline just above or below the umbilicus (bellybutton) and you've had no prior surgery in the area. An umbilical hernia is a hernia in the umbilicus when you've had no prior surgery in the area. I mention it because although epigastric and umbilical hernias are technically different entities, sometimes they're hard to tell apart and practically it doesn't matter much regarding decision for repair or outcome (however the usual technique for repair of an epigastric hernia is a little different from that of an umbilical hernia). Usually these are small hernias that are fixed in outpatient surgery, and for someone in good health and with a reasonable BMI (certainly someone within or close to mil ht/wt standards) the operation is straightforward and recovery is quick. I'm not a flight surgeon so the DNIF question is best to others on the board, but I advise my patients limited lifting for the first couple of weeks after surgery advancing up to unrestricted activity six weeks postop. That may be a little overkill - although I don't see ejection-seat aviators. This assumes no complications with the surgery, but if you are reasonably young (60ish or less) and meet military medical standards your risk of complications is extremely low. If you've had prior surgery where your hernia is, then by definition you have an incisional hernia. If so the repair is a little more complex and the recovery might be a little longer (but you still should be GTG at 6 - 8 weeks). Good luck & if you have other Q's, feel free to ask.