rescue

This is a great story in ADN about PJs serving in OEF, recounting one day during Operation Bulldog Bite. It was a phenomenal story to hear first hand, and the ADN reporter actually did a good job. This is what should be in the press, not some all-female crew flying a KC-10. Makes me wonder if any shoes at Bagram had any clue what was going on outside the wire while this was going down... ADN Article

The application process for ANG rescue units are the same as any other ANG unit. Check when the units are having UPT boards, apply and interview. The AK ANG holds a 24/7 alert. NY and CA do not hold a traditional alert like AK, but can/will respond to missions when needed if able. -Rescue

Young's quote of "Afghanistan is such a benign environment now that dedicated CSAR fleets would not likely be needed if a rescue was warranted." just goes to show you he has no &^#$%*^ clue about what CSAR platforms are doing over there (excluding the MEDEVAC mission). It's not just about picking up the fighter pilot on a bad day. Take Luttrell's situation (Lone Survivor); just one example of a Combat Rescue performed by USAF Pavehawks. What a moron. I offered a view...

Photos were requested after the applicants were selected for an interview...there not used in the selection process. When your interviewing 20+ dudes, photos help keep 'em straight.

Scooter14 pretty much summed it up. Also, we have to make a copy for each board member and the reason we don’t like bound/laminated/non-removable applications is because those things make it a pain in the ass to copy (pc load letter...WTF). The most annoying thing that we had to deal with was applicants not following the detailed instructions that we posted on our advertisement. Our board did require pictures of the applicants though.

I sure hope it's all NVG compatible!!! Oh yeah, I can only imagine that brownouts (and whiteouts) are going to be a bit more problematic with all the downwash. I'm glad I won't be riding the hoist either!

ren - What unit are you going to? The average time studs were home varied from a couple of weeks to almost a year. From what I was told...Yes, helo slots are fewer than fixed-wing...only about 4 each year for the guard. Once you start in the pipeline, (Phase I, I don’t think IFT or AMS count) you stay on active duty orders until you are done with everything, including your home seasoning. If it's a long break between pilot training bases, they'll keep you at that base (or PCS you to the next base) doing admin-type work. I was halfway done with Phase II before I got dates to Rucker...and halfway complete with Rucker before I got my dates for Kirtland. Basically, you'll just have to be patient. Rainman...I don't know exactly why only 90 days. We come out of Kirtland (equiv to FTU) fully MQT. It's a 6+ month long course so they throw a lot at students. Studs start tac training (very basic) while at Rucker now (NVGs and tac form) too. So, maybe that's why only 90 days home seasoning to get LMQT (slings, day water, night water, etc.). It's hard to get/stay proficient with only 90 days. Plus, there’s only one place with a Pavehawk sim, so we can’t even practice at our home unit.

Talk to the folks in your unit...especially the ones that have recently gotten back from Kirtland. PM me if nobody will help you from your unit. Unlike what the other posts said, I had a week between my graduation from Laughlin and when my Rucker class started. I had about 10 days between my Rucker graduation and the start at Kirtland. The dudes in my unit now that are starting UPT went to AMS and came back home before beginning UPT. The time they had to wait between AMS and UPT varied from person to person. Just be patient cause when it's all finished and you are done with your 90 days home seasoning orders, you'll be scrounging for work. Basically, Tweets/Texans were fun but there's not much practical application in being proficient at doing barrel rolls to doing a live hoist off a mountain top 7,000 ft in the air. Just put up with stuck-wing stuff and get through it (you don't have to be the top in your class...I used to joke by saying that I had to hook rides cause if I didn't finish in the bottom of the class, they wouldn't let me fly helos). Flying the huey was a blast. So much history behind that aircraft. Your first auto will feel much more like a rollercoaster than any acro in a T-37 or T-6. Maybe by the time you get there, they'll have the TH-1H huey (glass cockpit, new engine, etc)! I had the best time at Rucker. Then you go to Kirtland...no comment from me there. Then you go home, get 90 days of home seasoning. It's awesome flying and being in the rescue business is rewarding.

PilotKD, I (as well as the FAA & AOPA) gotta disagree with ya here. Here’s an article from AOPA that addresses the issue. “Logging PIC time” by John Yodice (AOPA Jan 2005). Here is a subtle legal concept for you "hangar-flying lawyers." Did you know that there is a difference between acting as pilot in command and logging time as pilot in command? Our discussion of these requirements presents a classic case that illustrates the difference. Let's assume that we have a private pilot with a single-engine land rating who is getting training in a complex (or high-performance, or tailwheel) airplane. May the pilot log the time as pilot in command? The answer is yes, as long as the pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls. That's because FAR 61.51(e) provides that a pilot may log PIC time of an aircraft for which the pilot is rated as long as the pilot is the sole manipulator of the controls. However, from our discussion above, it is clear that the pilot may not act as pilot in command of that very same airplane until the pilot completes the training and gets the instructor endorsement required by FAR 61.31. As I say, subtle. But if you are getting the training we have talked about you may log the time as pilot in command assuming you are rated for that aircraft. The flight instructor is actually pilot in command. There's more in the FARs if you want to read further into it...but I don't. The FAA has also put out answers in relation to this same topic (search the FAA's site or AOPA's).

Rescue is all about heart, not location. Besides, the natives (nobody calls them eskimos) may be crazy but when you've been working with PJs, it's all the same. We are also the busiest rescue squadron in the entire AF and have the best personnel in my opinion too! Where else can you do mountain ops, water ops, live fire ranges, slings, shipboard ops, etc. Hey, if you don't get it by now...get lost (we'll find you)!