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Gonna hang it up next year and make it an even 30. 23 years AD and 7 in the Reserves. I've always said that when the bullshit outweighs the benefits, I'd vote with my feet. Apparently I have a higher tolerance for the bullshit than I ever imagined. Like some have said, it all comes down to what right looks like for you. It wasn't right for me to take a pay-cut and alot of time away from home for a couple of years to get the ultimate benefits that the airlines offer. I loved what I did-- flying the A-10 and being in a position to teach young pilots has always appealed to me. I executed my career MY way, to the detriment of promotions on AD-- did a great staff gig in Europe but refused to go to ACC or the Pentagon. Got passed over for O-6 on AD but picked up immediately once I joined the Reserves-- best thing that ever happened to me. I would have been tossed around like a barracks bunny on a Saturday night as a full-bird on AD. Had to wait to pin-on with the Reserves, but got a great opportunity out of it that worked out well for my family. Through it all, I was able to do what I loved and provided great opportunities for my family. And now my beautiful bride has decided that she doesn't want to leave our current location and so that means it's time to hang it up. Assuming I don't get myself fired in the next 8 months, I'll have had a chance in this seat for far longer than is normal for a command tour. I enjoy being in the trenches and leading from the front, and I found a way to do that. It cost me some opportunities, but kept me true to what I valued most career-wise. I deployed six times, flew on some pretty high-end real-world missions, earned a WIC patch, got to command a couple of outstanding organizations, fly the A-10 longer than the eleven-year old version of me who started this dream could have ever imagined, but most importantly, got to coach my kids' sports teams for 12 years and help my wife start a number of successful businesses. But I never felt like I had to sacrifice who I was and what I truly believed in to further my career. Maybe that's why I tolerated more BS than I thought I could. Hell, it's only a lot of work if you do it. Turns out you can still be a fighter pilot in today's Air Force. Then again, I've joked that I'm not really in the military-- I'm in the AF. And I'm not really in the AF, I'm a Hog Driver. Don't use these stories as a recipe or a map-- what worked for me and others won't necessarily work for you. There's nothing wrong with getting out-- if you're doing it for the right reasons. And there's nothing wrong with staying in-- if you're doing it for the right reasons. Just make sure the right reasons are still with you when you hang up that smart-looking uniform for the last time. Now the hard part: I have to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

We should. We’ve been invaded.

Russia sucks

Gotta make sure that H model Herk gets out!

That’s a hell of a lot of conspiracy theory there. Not to say there are no things that would benefit his companies, but to address a couple of those points: Starlink is a significant force multiplier in many ways - it is an excellent product that will continue to increase our military capabilities. It’s a better investment than much of what we’ve thrown at LM, Boeing, etc. USAID is complete garbage, not even a shell of what it was originally designed to be. Same applies to many orgs/sub-orgs that DOGE highlighted. The regulatory bureaucracy filled with unelected bureaucrats must die - it is not a negative to target those things for closure.

Early today Ukraine Special Forces working with FPV drones launched a massive attack on the Russian Air Force. Early reports indicate as many as 40 Russian bombers have been hit, many of them TU95s. The destroyed aircraft include Tu-95 and Tu-22M3 bombers, and at least one A-50 airborne early For context, prior to this attack Russia had an estimated total force of 60 TU95s, 27 TU-22M3s (30 more in long-term modernization status), and 6-10 A-50s. Bomber2.mp4

Have you met the Senate?

I think it has a lot to do with his Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, she is no nonsense and he seems to listen to her. He was certainly more (relatively), disciplined during this election. Supposedly she has drastically reduced access and the ability of his family and far right influencers to simply walk into the Oval. My wife hates politics and rarely watches any coverage but together we watched part of one of his speeches in the Middle East last week. The minute he went off script and started dropping the "most powerful, rigged election, horrible people" comments she couldn't help herself..."can't he just keep his mouth closed and enact his policies." Tapper used to be a journalist, I used to watch his segments on CNN, sad when he converted to mouthpiece. Joe Scarborough is the worst - “I spent, as I’ve said before, two and a half, three hours with Joe Biden in the White House, all over the White House, talking at length, at length and in depth about foreign policy matters. And he was as sharp as anybody else I’ve spoken to and spoke actually like a man who’s been doing this since he was 29 years old and knew world leaders.” The GOP seems determined to investigate what happened at the end of JB's term, yesterday senior DNC folks suggested any investigation should be stopped now that Joe has been diagnosed with cancer. I hope they continue, not as retribution but I think we as American's deserve to know who was leading the country and how do we stop that from happening again. The mainstream media is finally acknowledging what happened and they are using Tapper's book (Original Sin), a recent summary - "The inescapable conclusion is that party leaders were well aware of Biden's diminished capacity and were more than willing to mislead the voters."

The post calling this forum/its members racist for disagreement of opinion has been removed. If people are wondering where the line is, here’s an example.

That’s fucking hilarious when the current immigration problem was largely caused by a far left political movement that believed that importing as many dark sinned people as possible was the ticket to winning elections. Because apparently skin color has everything to do with how you vote. Now tell me who’s racist? By the way, pulling the “you’re racist” card is the most clear way to know the person you’re arguing with is not someone worth spending time on.

It was planned in and programmed before he was elected president. The Army was always going to celebrate its 250th birthday. Clutch pearls harder and get outraged the next flyover you see while you’re at it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I always sigh when I hear Jan 6th. The day was 1000% WRONG but as you very correctly point out it was not an insurrection. I get the dictionary definition but I have always viewed an insurrection as trying to overthrow the government, QAnon Shaman with his headdress and American flag were never a threat to our government, no one tried to seize power. A lot of left wing sites even call it a attempted coup. Does anyone truly think control of the American Government was ever in doubt or danger? That being said, a bunch of morons running around the Capital Building is wrong and makes us look like a banana republic. Also, as bad as that day was only three people died that day and none of them were killed by the protesters. Ashli Babbitt: An Air Force veteran who was shot through a door by a Capitol Police officer while trying to enter the House chamber. Kevin Greeson: Died of a heart attack on the sidewalk west of the Capitol. Rosanne Boyland: Died from an accidental overdose The really ironic thing, and any of you who spend time on the Hill will know...ANYONE can enter the Capital. If you fly to DC tomorrow, you are free to go through security and enter the People's House...wander the halls and go to the office of ANY elected representative. It is important to note the Capital was closed on Jan 6th at the request of Democrats because they saw large numbers of Pro-Trump supporters "walking around". Kind of rich given Crazy Aunt Nancy turned down the offer of extra security in the form of the National Guard. Obviously you can't enter the capital after hours or when it is closed and you MOST certainly can't push past police, enter restricted areas and commit acts of vandalism. I take both sides with a giant grain of salt but clearly with the Biden Administration in control in charge of the Justice Department we never got all the answers about what really happened and I think we the American people DESERVE to know the truth. I still have a lot of questions about the actions of the FBI, several agents and numerous confidential informants. Will Kash Patel get to the truth without bias remains to be seen but there are some KEY facts that are known to be true As matters of fact from the Jan 6th report - there were a total of 26 confidential human sources in the crowd outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, but only four of them were assigned by the FBI to be there. One of the four confidential human sources tasked by the FBI to attend the rally entered the Capitol building, while the other two entered the restricted area around the Capitol. Did they play a part in inciting the acts that happened? It was a dark day for our country and I hope it never happens again, one of the best was to prevent another occurrence is to FULLY understand the truth about what happened.

Is that frowned upon now?

Two thoughts, equally important: What the Air Force is doing to you and, by extension, to the country, is a travesty, and the generals responsible should be fired publicly and shamed as examples of pathetic and impotent hubris for the remaining days of our nation's existence. Also Suck it up. You don't get to pick the path, only the destination, and sometimes not even that. If this mockery is how you become an Air Force pilot, so be it.

disaster seems like a strong word. at the end of the day it's just UPT. things could always be worse. first step is to immediately stop the bolded part from happening. stop the heavy drinking. start working out more. hang with the bros vs isolating. don't let professional frustrations derail your personal life. second step is to not quit. if air force flying is what you want, go get it. you'll be thankful you did later in life.

Don’t quit, shit sucks sometimes but usually gets better. This is 24 years of AF service from a 50 year old realistic optimist. I had some tough times at UPT too, but quitting is likely to lead to later in life regrets you can’t quantum leap back and fix. It also closes the door on what could be an awesome career. My assignment out of UPT was Grand Forks, not my first choice mind you but I just got off the phone with a bud I’ve been friends with now for 24 years, we flew tankers together and I still have friends from all my AD assignments I keep in touch with. The professional & personal satisfaction you’ll share with the guys you fly with and the camaraderie is something you can’t find anywhere else, I’m on year 3 at a legacy, I like my job but it’s not the same, not even close. My first assignment was my best even though it was damn near bottom of the list. I got to fly multiple aircraft, deploy and be part of historical events in some way and be part of an overall great organization. I was down at some points too but I tell you, your career in the flying business is like the stock market, if you consistently invest in it over time the trend is upwards. Finishing UPT is the best investment you can make in your aviation career in my opinion.

And, since we must make fun of everything...

Recent visit feedback: Leard can’t read a room, was tone def, and avoided answering most questions. My professional concerns: 1. We don’t have enough applicants for UPT. Forcing more USAFA/ROTC grads to UPT will just result in more DORs. Problem not solved. 2. USAF doesn’t recognize FAA ratings and doesn’t seem to plan to do so. So to drop critical things like instrument training/checks is a massive failure on leadership. It is a wild abdication of our training and qualification that is unacceptable. 3. MAJCOMs don’t have the ability to absorb more inexperienced pilots. FTUs are backed up. Training is being pushed to ops units with wild experience-inexperience ratios. 4. IPT is not faster, cheaper, or better. Nor will it produce the 1500 pilots/year that they think. But as already stated on here, they don’t want to hear that. There is no backup plan for when this doesn’t work. 5. I expect higher attrition rates. Is AETC going to lower CTS when IPT isn’t producing the magical number of pilots? When everything else changes, that is all that is left. Unacceptable. Finally, and we are already seeing this, Q3s and accident rates are already climbing (this is before IPT even started). We are not flying enough nor experiencing pilots at a sustainable rate. SIMs are not a 1:1 equivalent. People need to fly. Throwing more inexperienced pilots at the problem isn’t going to help. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Like gun control, the restrictions you mention will only restrict lawful operators.

I hope the US Air Force is paying attention to this and has countermeasures in place. If the PRC attacks Taiwan and doesn't do the same thing here in CONUS, they would be fools. Doubtless there are already PRC agents in place given our lax border security and student visa program.

Appropriate for this Memorial Day... World War II Bomber Crash Left 11 Dead. Four Are Finally Coming Home. As the World War II bomber Heaven Can Wait was hit by enemy fire off the Pacific island of New Guinea on March 11, 1944, the co-pilot managed a final salute to flyers in an adjacent plane before crashing into the water. All 11 men aboard were killed. Their remains, deep below the vast sea, were designated as non-recoverable. Yet four crew members’ remains are beginning to return to their hometowns after a remarkable investigation by family members and a recovery mission involving elite Navy divers who descended 200 feet (61 meters) in a pressurized bell to reach the sea floor. Staff Sgt. Eugene Darrigan, the crew’s radio operator, was buried with military honors and community support on Saturday in his hometown of Wappingers Falls, New York, more than eight decades after leaving behind his wife and baby son. The plane’s bombardier, 2nd Lt. Thomas Kelly, was to be buried Monday in Livermore, California, where he grew up in a ranching family. The remains of the pilot, 1st Lt. Herbert Tennyson, and navigator, 2nd Lt. Donald Sheppick, will be interred in the coming months. The ceremonies are happening 12 years after one of Kelly’s relatives, Scott Althaus, set out to solve the mystery of where exactly the plane went down... (Full story at the title link)

I’ve been doing a lot of reading/listening/watching content discussing the science of manipulating people’s brains to create “social mania”. In the last 10-15 years there have been countless examples of the herd believing and amplifying whatever the new mania is overnight. Some examples being the #metoo movement, BLM, systemic racism, Covid lockdowns, Nazi’s, trans, Biden’s cognitive ability, Russia Russia Russia, etc. It really is fascinating to read how the media and politicians exploit the natural instincts in human beings to fear things and in turn negatively react to emotional stimulus. It is pure propaganda and it is extremely effective. Dan Crenshaw (who I don’t care for) did a podcast with Arthur C Brooks about it. I’ve linked it below. It’s a fantastic listen and worth the hour and a half of your time. Lionel Shriver has written extensively about this as well. I’ve posted a link to one of her articles. The problem is, there are real negative effects on our society and how we interact with each other. Police officers have been killed due to policing hoaxes, 2 people were just shot and killed in DC by a guy shouting Free Palestine, Trump was nearly assassinated, etc. The endless race hysteria has created “black fatigue” which hurts race relations. At the very least, this mess puts people in boxes and those that believe the hysteria rarely, if ever admit they fell for the hoax. “a social frenzy seldom subsides because its agitators announce they were addled, just as the masses of ordinary people caught up in the derangement seldom acknowledge having been led astray. Everyone simply moves on, only to become consumed by something else.” - Lionel Shriver. We see this time and time again with people on this very board. People leave or never post again rather than admit they were wrong. Those that stay, often double or triple down on their opinions even when faced with the eventual historical truth. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hold-these-truths-with-dan-crenshaw/id1498149200?i=1000634300667 https://unherd.com/2024/04/how-to-spot-the-next-mania/

C-130s have four engines.. it’s made in the good ole USA. Easily modified. Lots of room. Can go almost anywhere. Cruises at a zippy 320T. I’m sure Lockheed could fit two VC-130Js in the que. Gen up a new comfort pallet.. easy peasey. Give POTUS his very own noise cancelling David Clark’s with sheepskin comfort liner.. luxury flying.

Obviously Contact Time……

Only a fighter pilot could make going to jail for banging a student worse by adding a second dick to the party. Even Biff knows better than that!

Those are just mostly peaceful protests!

I'm not thrilled with the idea of using the military to get this under control but the city, county, and state leadership are unable or unwilling to use law enforcement to prevent destruction of property and attacks on Federal personnel executing their lawful duties. Democrats have pandered to these people for so long, they think free speech is throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails. FAFO.

Cool. Now do Covid circa 2021 Or speaking at school board meetings, same time frame. And numerous other free speech actions, not twitter spats, but government actions taken to thwart free speech. I'll take Trump blustering and https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/ice-arrests-top-100000-under-trump-as-officials-expand-detention-efforts/ar-AA1GayKQ?ocid=BingNewsSerp for $200, please... Not high enough numbers, but a start combined with record low border crossings. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/25/trump-southern-border-crackdown-impact/83733347007/ And I'll put another $200 on that high horse you ride to win/place/show.

Come on, it’s not like we let our adversary buy large plots of land adjacent to our military facilities… wait… it appears new information has just been handed to me. Fuck.

Nonsense...I'll take Oct 2001-August 2002. "Reaper 69 - Killbox 175B is yours, Cleared Hot!"

Not enough drones to target all of pilot social media influencers

If OSI and others aren’t interested in watching self storage places around Dyess, Whiteman, etc they are truly F’ing up. Stop worrying about catching Joe for throwing a few bundles of bottled water in their Dity move, and worry about actual threats to mission. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Vance 25-11 AM/AF (T-1/T-38) T-1 XPW: C-17 JBER x2 KC-46 Pease ANGB KC-135 Eielson HC-130J Gabreski ANGB KC-46 McConnell C-130J Ft Worth C-5 Travis C-130H Reno C-130H Rosecrans ANGB C-17 Pittsburgh ARS T-38: T-38 FAIP x2 F-35 Jacksonville Guard F-16 Holloman C-130J Yokota

Two’s blind, good luck lead.

Not required, it was crystal clear what he was talking about for anyone who has the capacity to listen.

Converting billets for the new SpecOps Fighter Pilot Career field.

And a shooter isn't helpful if there is no good intel/recce to get them where they are needed. Or better yet, to get the intel so early that you don't need the shooter after all. You appear to have a very myopic view of what "ISR" is. We don't operate in a vacuum, and we are often able to integrate with bomb droppers. It's been proven time and again that attempting to bills an aircraft that "does it all" is foolish. Yes, there are some ISR platforms that can go kinetic. And there are a lot that those platforms cannot do, WRT ISR. Had they weaponized the U-2 when they considered it many decades ago, the political implications would have been very limiting: there are a lot of sovereign nations that likely would have never allowed us access to their airspace. No one aircraft does it all. The U-2... still... has some very unique capes that other ISR platforms don't have. There are numerous instances where a non-kinetic U-2 was the only ISR platform over Americans, and it resulted in great success. One of our smart WIC grads could certainly explain this better than I, but I completely reject your assertion that we should be armed to be effective.

OMG…I meant Pretty! I guess I was drunk last night!

Perhaps you're right. The follow-on Boeing gigs have really sharpened up that company...getting that talent even earlier ought to really pay off for the civilian sector. Same folks who've "led" for Iraq, Afghanistan, Houti bombings I, managing the procurement of a new AF1, T-7, M10 "Booker" not a tank tank, LCS class ships, Boeing space capsule, no food at US Army posts, black mold in barracks, so much time on DEI, renaming installations, etc, etc, etc. Finest kind, I believe is the phrase.

I call bullshit. Zero percent chance a helo driver passes on a lifetime of threesomes, even if it's a couple legs short.

Oct 7 eliminated the possibility of the two state solution for the next 35 years. The odd part is that was about how long the Israelis kept offering it to the refusal of Arafat and the rest of the Palestinian leadership. At this point, you’ve demonstrated for greater than a half century your inability to govern yourselves, so now the offer is assimilate or die in your open air prison. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There’s also an assumption here that he’s spent some huge amount of time on this topic. I doubt he’s spent much time at all on it, and therefore all these statements of “he has bigger things to spend time on” are just pissing into the wind. I don’t think it’s realistic to think he personally has spent shitloads of time at a desk solely devising plans and then executing them himself. That’s not how it works.

If it doesn't require SECDEF energy, then it doesn't require my energy / attention. Fair enough? Get rid of all the DEI nonsense. I never want to here another peep about it. I'd rather have a competent CSSs and finance shops than read another email from the CSAF or SECDEF about some eye-roll BS.

I remember partying with Tripp when he was the CO out in Osan and we did a 3 or 4 week det from Iwakuni. He was up playing some of their songs on stage and one of our guys went to the bathroom, wrapped himself in toilet paper, then lit himself on fire. He ran out, slid across the bar and we all threw pitchers of beer on him to put it out. We called it a "flaming carrier qual." Tripp stopped playing, said "Never has another squadron come into our O'Club and taken it over. This is your place tonight guys!" Hell of a night.