Leaderboard

This is why you don’t let non-pilots run flying organizations

Yes, combat ORM is a skill that takes a lot of time to develop and requires actual experiences (e.g. it can't be taught in a classroom), just like airmanship and judgment. But just like airmanship and judgment, combat ORM it does not require intentionally violating rules or doing something unsafe to see and understand where those boundaries are. Generally the boundaries of the black and white are gently touched during peacetime training, and it is only in no-shit combat ops (and with that combat ORM already seasoned) that you can "live in the gray area" to get the mission done. I say that as someone who had the special opportunity to wear my blues and describe my operating in the gray area to a board of rated officers.

Sure did not used to be that way. I'm fortunate that in my first AF gig as a 21A1 MX Officer I had a CMSgt who grabbed me by my scrawny neck and showed me the ways of the AF. Certainly not like the soy boy E-9s hunting for hurt feelings and missing glow belts by the time I was ready to retire.

I’ll never tell. She made me promise.

If ever there were a subject which should engender bi-partisan agreement it should be this: make China pay for unleashing this shit. Unfortunately we cannot agree on even that.

Where did the Bad Chief touch you?

I'm always on alert and constantly thinking about options should I lose an engine in my experimental single engine. Sounds like this guy was paying attention and managed to set it down safely. Pilot makes emergency landing on O.C. causeway The plane landing was quickly captured by OCNJ Drone, which is based nearby. A banner plane pilot brought merging into traffic to a whole new level Monday. Landon Lucas, 18, was flying for Paramount Air Service when he started having engine trouble as he was flying near Steel Pier in Atlantic City, Ocean City spokesman Doug Bergen said. Lucas released his banner into the ocean and was attempting to reach Ocean City Municipal Airport when he spotted a gap in traffic in the westbound lanes of the Route 52 Causeway between Ocean City and Somers Point. He successfully landed at 12:38 p.m., with no damage to the plane and no injury to himself or any motorist. Investigators are on the scene, and crews are working to remove the wings and tow the plane away. Both inbound lanes to Ocean City are open, and a single lane of outbound traffic is now open while the investigation continues. https://breakingac.com/2021/07/airplane-lands-on-ocean-city-causeway/

I gotta say I have a lot of complaints about the modern Air Force but this isn't one of them. It's pretty cool that commanders can be held accountable by the people with nothing more than a few memes and a cell phone recording. This is what accountability looks like. And I especially like that the wing cc is having to address it rather than being able to sweep it under the rug like what could have easily happened in the past.

Max's social media post was also pretty whiny. I'm pretty put off at how they bitch and whine, Toto isn't much better. Was discussing with the frau during the England/Italy game what it would be like to be a woman married someone who flops around and pretends to cry, or whines on social media about a first lap crash...from Max's Instagram "Watching the celebrations after the race while still in hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behavior but we move on" thats some passive aggressive high school girl stuff right there.

Tinker AFB 552 ACW Update: Hitch kicks out Group level leadership (Donovan wasn’t present to start with) Starts the conversation saying it will be a listening meeting versus a chatting meeting, with the intent to clarify the situation, and where the Gp/CC was coming from. Makes some jokes about if anyone has seen the social media feeds, and says he’s seen the memes. “I Don’t Mind Memes”, adds a comment along the lines of if that’s your means for expression go for it. Starts with the misconception that ABMs don’t understand the struggles flight deck has, and says it’s not true, and that “We” trust you to make the decision/on safety. “I expect you to tell us when things aren’t right”. Jokes that he has good ideas, particularly like a 48 hour exercise. Clarifies that his expectation was to launch within 48 hours, and didn’t expect the 12 hour swap from day to night lines to occur during the exercise. He was expecting to stay within the same cycle, and seemed to also have been surprised as much as the crews were. “Pills are not the answer”. He explains that he doesn’t want a dependency on drugs to be our solution to getting the rest we need, and he expects “discipline” to fix our circadian rhythm without drugs. 7 minutes in, takes the first question for a “listening meeting”. From the crowd, former AMC pilot, explains how he used to swap circadian rhythms constantly, but that the use of no-go pills was a decision that should be left up to the individual and not taken away, since it is an approved option within regulations. Real world, it’s not just showing up ready to fly, but being prepared to have a 20 to 22 hour duty day, and by removing an available tool you’re limiting our capability. “Trust us to make the decision”. No real response from Hitch here. Wing staff Lt Col, suggested alternatives to running these exercises would be the utilization of pause ex in order to prove that the crews were able to show and maintenance was able to deliver the jets, and then restart the mission back on the same circadian rhythm or flight windows the crews were already having. Especially for a self induced exercise. Hitch, response was, “why do we do exercises, to show that we can do it”. Defends with the the transition from day to night wasn’t expected and normally crews are given 48 hours to make that change (i.e. the weekend). Mentions that it didn’t “compute” for the exercise, and it was an “unfair assumption”. “You guys made the right choice, the Vice was right.” “We backed you up on that right call”. Someone from the crowd mentions that wasn’t the tone they received from the Gp/CC during the berating session. Hitch, “I think your Gp/CC is an emotional guy, and he is invested in you”. Random Co-Pilot mentions that the biggest concern was if there was going to be changes to the AFI (11-202v3) due to the Gp/CC mentioning he would be making the cancel decisions for ACs. Hitches response, “the only changes that would occur would be to bring the Gp/CC in the loop, in order to assist with the notification process to HHQ”. He blames the exercise plan again for issues with rest. FE from one of the crews reiterate that the tone from the Gp/CC wasn’t simply disappointment or looking for answers to report up the chain, but had pushed a “No Fail” perception for the exercise, and the only reasons that the crews weren’t ready to execute could’ve been one of two things. 1). They were poor leaders, 2). Weren’t taking the exercise seriously. FE continues to explain that he had zero doubt that was the case for anyone he worked with, and they were taking the exercise seriously. Hitch responds, “I’m certainly not here to defend the Gp/CC”, “Disappointment is one thing, but there are some things that are not appropriate for the Gp/CC to let out”. Later in the brief he equates this to questioning the leadership abilities of the crew members. Hitch mentions, that sometimes stress and pressure is good, you need a fine amount of pressure. “I want to know if you were receiving good or bad pressure”. No one really wanted to respond to this specifically. Female AC from the crews, “No one questioned why?” Regarding why they were not well rested to execute the mission. “What about the timeline”. Explains the min turn times, and last minute changes during the exercise that left the crews blindsided and without time to adjust from day to night. Reiterating the required 48 hours to change, and that no-go pills were needed. Hitch responds, “I appreciate that, and that’s one of the many things we’re going to look at during our hot wash”. Copilot from the crews adds on that part of the concern that wasn’t addressed was his lack of currency. That he was on this exercise flight to get current, and with that mix of tiredness and having not seen a jet for at least 30 days are factors. Hitch responds, “we do need to address a FD currency issue, it’s a conversation we need to have”. Someone from the crowd, “I want to know if he’s (Gp/CC) being told he was wrong”. Hitch responds, “He is, and whether or not that leads to an apology I don’t know, but I can tell you he cares about you and trusts you. He’s been texting me at all hours of the night, asking what should I do about this?”. “I told him to be honest, and be humble with them, admit when you’ve made a mistake. I’m not afraid to fail, I fail everyday.” I wasn’t quick enough to get every bit of conversation. Sorry some things seem disconnected. Some other items discussed - SOF program isn’t where it should be, and the decision for cancellations is a telephone game where the real story doesn’t seem to get translated accurately by the end - Reiterates that leadership trusts their flight crews for the ORM assessments, but will ask questions, mostly because they need to report that further up the chain. He didn’t get an exact reason why the 3 crews canceled from the Gp/CC. - Mentioned the Gp/CC was interested in talking with everyone after the meeting, but left it up to us to bring him in or not. He (Gp/CC) did not get a chance to address everyone. - Mentioned multiple ways of addressing lack of flight crew currency. Crowd member mentioned currency is not proficiency. Continued to talk about other options ranging from like-aircraft just for flight deck training (other 707s), dedicated tankers, moving people around and/or trickling down the PFT pipeline, even turning off a squadron. - Mentions 4 + 2 on station timeline. 4 years on station, +2 more if you’re a “shiny penny” and are picked for the 966th. Someone retorted with based on 50 - 100 hours a year for co-pilots at the moment, it would take 7+ years to have the hours for AC upgrade, let alone IP/EP. - Tells us to ask COMACC some of these questions, since it is seriously being looked at for our platforms replacement, etc. Lastly, big ticket item. Someone mentions how he’s going to handle social media, and whether or not the Gp/CC will get fired, saying it may not be the best decision since it will prove to people that social media has that kind of power. Hitch responds with, “How do you think I should do it?” *laughs from the crowd* “I think I gave it a shot, and it didn’t quite work out”. *more laughs*. Leaves it up in the air on his decision whether the Gp/CC will still be around the next day or later on. Says he will not be addressing social media on this matter any longer. “I’ve got plenty of positive stories to tell, and I ask you to do the same”. Closes out with we’ve open the flood gates of communication, and asks for help to make the Wg better. Says to make sure to talk to your Sq/CC first, and then we can talk to him.

You can blame the officers who allow E-9s to act like E-9s. A true Chief is worth their weight in gold.

Why is the E-9 lapdog opening his mouth at all about an aircraft commamders decision? STFU.

Just make sure you are on KG (Absent US) and not the civilian LWOP code. At the beginning of each FY you cross over you will still get your 120 hours of LM. I'm too lazy to look it up but one thing you could check into as well is the additional 22 days you can get of differential pay. If the orders qualify you get the difference in pay between your military pay and government pay. So you might be able to get those as well each FY while you are on orders....Another way to stretch out as much as possible is to make sure you hold back enough leave to drop a day of leave on either the front or backside of a holiday. That way you can claim the holiday as LH instead of KG......

And I was shocked that new Cos are only getting 100 hours a year in the jet. WTH, how are they ever going to get proficient, much less good at their job, with those type of hours? Talk about needing an ACE program. I flew more tweet hours than that my first year as a -135 Co.

Or Grand Forks AFB. That base should have been shuttered when the tankers left. Especially now that the Global Hawk is gone.

Thanks for sharing. I have no idea what the actual tone was in the meeting but, at least from 1000 miles away, it sounds like it might have been an honest conversation and maybe a wake up call to Hitch and the rest of leadership. Again, I have no idea if the crews thought it was just feeding them more BS or if they perceived it as a legitimate and fruitful discussion.

I can think of 4 or 5 off the top of my head that were worth their weight in gold. All are/were in the ANG with me. Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Intrusive leadership that holds people accountable just sounds like toxic leadership with extra steps.

Mid-late 90s OPS TEMPO you say? 30 day deployments, every 3+ years, with only the occasional long TDY in between. Sign me up! If I knew we wouldnt be deploying every 19-24 months, on a waste of time deployment, I would potentially stick around a bit longer.

Wing responded on facebook - appears to defend the OG : https://www.facebook.com/552acw/posts/4418864084820167 Heres the text America’s Wing, Recently there have been multiple posts regarding toxic leadership and allegations of a lack of safety culture in the 552 ACW. I would like to address these two topics briefly and reset some expectations: Toxic Leadership: There is a difference between toxic leadership and intrusive leadership that holds people accountable. Toxic leaders don’t care about their subordinates, they only care about themselves. Toxic leaders don’t care if the organization fails, as long as there isn’t a perception that they failed. Toxic leaders berate, belittle, and demean teammates to accomplish their purposes. These are NOT the leaders in the 552! Our leaders are concerned about our Airmen, they are concerned about your resources, the quality of your life, the productiveness of your training, safe practices, risk management, and your individual contribution to the success of our wing’s mission. They will hold you accountable for decisions in a teaching way that encourages sound decision making practices and leadership qualities. Sometimes they will be disappointed by decisions…this is because they care. That is not toxicity. Safety Culture: I want it to be clear that safety is a driving factor in the execution of our worldwide mission every day and the procedures we have in place to triple check ourselves back up this assertion. Additional to safety processes, we have feedback mechanisms to help leaders understand the level of risks being accepted in the execution of our duties. At times, safety and risk will collide and generate great opportunities for learning and growth at all echelons of leadership. Safety is still paramount. This has not changed nor will it change during my tenure. Please continue to upchannel any concerns to your leadership. There is not a commander in the 552 that isn’t interested in making things better. We are here, we trust you, and we want to hear your thoughts and concerns!! Tomorrow morning at 0730 CST in Fannin Hall will be a flight-crew (Pilot’s, Navigators, and Flight Engineers) all call. If you are not on crew rest or engaged in a previous appointment, I would like to see you there. Thank you for an outstanding week of training hard!!! It is an honor to lead with you!! Hitch

Lest it be missed in all the discussion. To that AC willing to stand up, stand by their decision, and get publicly shot in the lips:

Ask him what UPT base he washed out of?

I’d much rather just make the damn vaccine mandatory instead of this passive aggressive shit I see a bunch of Commanders doing. Since it’s not mandatory, STFU! I was recently asked why I didn’t want the vaccine and I produced several pages of my vaccine history from all those deployments and asked if they would want another shot for something with the pK of a fly swatter. One man’s opinion.

So where do RPA officers fall then? They’re not pilots and their machines aren’t airplanes.