Pancake

My grandfather was a captain at Eastern, my dad a captain at Midwest, and I intend to do the same thing. I have a pretty good grip on how the industry works. After blowing my GI Bill on an in-residence MBA at U of AZ and attending the higher-end job fairs, I concluded that working for "the man" would suck. Do you think red tape, favoritism, "can't do the job but gets promoted" doesn't happen at GE or Amazon or wherever? BS. And guess what, enjoy your 12 hour work days in a windowless office staring at balance sheets all day. I'll take the 4 day trip followed by 4 days at home (or even 3). I often wonder if the airline critics on this board have checked out the retirement numbers on APC.com. I doubt it. Criticize the airline hopefulls as being naive... How about you do the math to convince me that the hiring wave won't happen? With one exception, I've listened to dozens of separating/retiring pilots swear up and down that they won't go after a job at a major only to have them ask me where I did my ATP. I know one dude that separated and didn't do the airline thing. He went to medical school. I don't know about you, but the only thing we pilots are qualified to do other than fly (and still potentially make some serious $$), is project manager. Even then, you have to convince a company that isn't in "the know" about pilots (Amazon, GE, and Accenture are in "the know") that you are a capable leader that is competent with accounting, finance, marketing, etc... Sorry, but "Air Force pilot" doesn't carry much street cred in the non-flying corporate world. I agree, but the numbers can't be ignored (or even scoffed) either. As far as oil spiking, terrorists blowing up airplanes, etc... It's happened before (several times in fact) and will happen again. But guess what, the industry survives because business survives. The great airline demise of 2001 had little to do with the events of 9/11. Instead, the events of 9/11 were used by airline executives as an excuse (or get out of jail free card) for horrible management. Rapid expansion, poor business models (give away the store with free luggage, meals, entertainment), and the fight for "market share" (with planned negative profit margins) put the airlines' financial viability on life support well before 4 jets were hijacked and flown in to buildings/the ground (yet people still get on airplanes). The events of 9/11 gave the airlines a badly needed excuse to void their burden of debt and accept government handouts. Scoff that all you want, but do the research first, please. Scope? Air Wisconsin was flying 100-seat regional jets (BAe-146) for United (under United Express colors) in the late 1980s. I won't go into the nuts and bolts of the recently approved Delta contract, but scope has always been an issue (generally stands at 76 seats and is tied to number of airframes at the mainline partner). Heck, my dad lost his airline career due to poorly worded scope, but that won't to deter me from the industry.

Mid-90s hiring was sparked by expansion. Attrition will drive this hiring wave. Have you looked at the numbers? Tell me how Delta, United, etc plan to fly jets with 400-800 pilots (each airline) mandated to retire every year starting in 2014? You're right, they'll probably just park their jets. You're right, why work for a legacy airline when you can work at GE or Amazon (or name your fav corp) as a junior executive putting in 60-70 hours per week and make the same (or less) than a 4-year FO at Delta? Guess what, you're not going to see your kids M-F either...

Hiring boom, pilot shortage... Who cares it's called? Either way, hiring at major/legacy airlines is going spike within the next 12 months. Those at the front of the wave are going to have very lucrative and secure careers. BTW, that "Yawn" thing is stale. It was funny a couple of thousand posts ago. No matter how hard you try, it's an internet forum board... there are no cool kids here.

Retired or ANG/AFRC? Do you know how many sponsors (if any) they had? Total hours? When did they submit their apps? Thanks for the info, Pancake

And good on him-that's integrity. My point, however, FS/CCs and OG/CCs signed her Form 8s. Before you jump my shit, I'm inferring that if she was unsafe to fly, FS/CCs and OG/CCs may have tied their progression to her progression, which is equally or more egregious than accounts of her personal actions. Otherwise, IPs, FEs, and CCs along the way all said she met standards when they signed her passing gradesheets/Form 8s. You're right, I can't imagine elected officials calling to check in on an individual pilot. And like you said, it got to the point where pressing the issue would have ended the careers of some great Hog pilots. So, WWROD? I'm not chucking spears at or criticizing anyone other than to acknowledge that at some point we're all careerists looking out for our own hide. Flame away...

Dude. I deleted the post you referenced because it's pointless to engage in a discussion with you. My single point is that her flying mistakes have nothing to do with her viability as a candidate. The way she handled those mistakes and other adversity (or favoritism) is what's important. People that want to attack her singularly because she wasn't Robin Olds in the jet and says she was are missing the point. BTW, Antenori and Kelly are doing the same thing (Green Beret and Marine rifleman, respectively). Yeah dude, I get it. You can afford to throw spears because you know her. I've never met her-only heard stories about her from people like you. So I'm not going to throw spears in a public forum, especially about someone who I know only through lore. My point is that her calling in to go toe-to-toe with Chuck Norris says a lot about her as a candidate. Since you were there, I'll let you highlight all the reasons why someone shouldn't vote for her.

Taking off with no gas is a huge mistake. Singularly, I don't think it qualifies anyone as a bad pilot. If an event like that does, we have an Air Force full of shitty pilots based on all sorts of flying buffoonery, from FEs to WGs, I'm aware of in my 10 year career as an 11F. Every pilot has a few instances in their career that could have led to an FEB. Assuming it's not criminal, learn from it, move on, and become better (in the words of G-Lo, "Mess up, fess-up"). It's good technique to look in the mirror before throwing spears at another flyer. IMO, poor form on anyone who would crucify another flyer based on one mistake. It's especially poor form to project a flying mistake on other aspects of a person's life. BL: Taking off with no gas has nothing to do with McSally's run for Congress. A lot can be learned from the call yesterday, but her performance in the jet is completely non-sequitur to her candidacy.

CAP on steroids...

How much seasoning can a transitioning TR expect? What kind of upgrade timeline does the unit expect (for instance, previous fighter IP upgrading in new fighter)? Do units put TRs on orders during upgrades?

The Ft. Smith and Ft. Wayne folks recently transitioned from F-16 to A-10, but I was wondering what it's like going the other way (STS)... A-10 to F-16, for instance. I know a guy making that transition this summer, and I'm wondering what perspective/experience the Viper FTU/AFRC/ANG bubbas have on this. Heavy folks, please chime in as well... Fighters to -135s, for instance...

Any insight/experience/words of wisdom to those of us changing airframes in our transition from AD to AFRC/ANG? How much seasoning can a TR expect going from one fighter to another? Looking for responses from all airframes...

From today's AZ Daily Star (Tucson's newspaper): http://live.azstarnet.com/Event/Chat_with_CD_8_Republican_candidate_Martha_McSally

Although Johnny B actually worked in my hometown, he's been in Illinois too long. These girls get it right...

No, you got it backwards. It's "Yaaa derrrre heyy!" If you're gonna rip on us Cheeseheads, get it right.

Where in Wisconsin do you snowboard? I spent my formative winters in Wisconsin blasting my '87 Chevy Celebrity through snowbanks and doing donuts in the mall parking lot. Now that's good, harmless fun!

I recommend going to a Service Academy Career Conference, even if you're not a grad. Tag up with someone who can get you registered and check it out. Lots of good resume/interview info and a great place to at least test your marketability. An engineering degree is a huge plus. And yes, your undergrad GPA matters. The San Antonio conference was more regionally focused than I expected. There's a conference in DC next May (?). Companies don't seem to be interested unless you're inside 6 months of separating. Maybe they were trying to be polite... Also, be ready to answer canned questions: What is your leadership style? What do you bring to our company? My opinion, there are a bunch of great jobs available with great companies. The trick is finding a "good fit." Rainman seems to have mastered his post-AF career. I'm sure he could provide some great insight (also, try the search function; lots of threads on this topic).

Got it, not in the private sector. However, I did an MA in Diplomacy (International Commerce) through Norwich (online) and an MBA through University of AZ (in-residence). In my job hunting experience, the MBA is what interests companies. 1) Lots of finance and accounting - companies care about numbers, less so feelings... 2) An MBA is tangible, an MA is fuzzy. Good luck and enjoy.

Russia and China. Invading Iran had (has) greater consequences than invading Iraq. In Mar '03, the US already had forces, prolific sanctions and support from Middle East neighbors to contain Saddam. Besides sanctions, attacking Iran would have meant a significant shift in forces (from eastern to western Afghanistan/cross Iraq to get to Iran), a three-to-five front battle (Afghanistan, Iran, sympathetic Iraqis, the rest of the Middle East, insurgents), and a near-direct affront to Russia and China, causing who-knows-what.

Agreed, we've lost our will (and SOFA) in Iraq. Bases worked to contain Saddam. However, the spread of terrorism in the region (Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, possibly Iraq) obviously wasn't stunted by our regional presence. Iran's proxy war (Hamas and Hezbollah) with Israel also indicated that despite us "being there," Middle East terrorism was growing and spreading. IMO, WMD was reasonably palatable to the American public as cause to remove Saddam and take control of strategically central Iraq. Or not... Notice how Condi, Cheney, Rummy all have different perspectives on what we were doing and what the end state was in Iraq? Something tells me members of the Bush Administration weren't all on the same page, ultimately projecting a "quagmire." Not until the surge did Bush really take the reins in Iraq.

IMO, we went to Iraq for similar reasons (Iran, Syria, Yemen, HOA). Iraq is the "Heart of the Caliphate," and strategically placed to make or break a "Terrorist States of the Middle East" alliance. We'll see how it goes in the next few months, both in Iraq and Afghanistan...

Yeah. And have that STO, forgot his name (circa 1999), go base-to-base TDY to administer the thing. If you thought the complaints/failures are bad now...

IMO, that book is a total waste of your money and time. Let me boil it down for you: 1) Pay off your debt, working from smallest to largest, 2) Build an emergency fund equaling 6 months salary, 3) Save/invest for retirement, in that order. BL of Dave Ramsey's philosophy: Pay for everything in cash; if you can't pay in cash, don't buy it. That means buy used cars, don't go on vacations, buy store brands, be a frugal as possible, etc... It's common sense. On the other hand, I don't see a problem with occasionally splurging on trips, dinner, some decent clothes, etc... Just make sure value > cost.

It is easy. However, math intimidates most people. Everyone should have a financial mentor. Parents, be financial mentors to your children.

Really? Effective Interest Rate ($$ you earn through an investment) > Cost of Capital (cost of the loan) = Profit. My cadet loan had a 15 or so month deferment; plenty of time to put that money to work. All it takes to make money is about 5 finance equations and a few hours of research per week to find investments, such as stocks or property, that are undervalued (ie. FCF > Market Cap). Building wealth with loans is effectively the same as corporations selling bonds. After receiving your money, the company invests in a project with an NPV > 0, returns your money with interest, and pockets the remaining revenue (profit). This is the simple version of "How to Make Money with Loans," but it's basically the principles of Finance boiled down to 2-3 sentences. Consistently investing on gut feeling ("I feel like company X has great potential") is dumb, although you may occasionally get lucky and make a decent profit. Using basic finance principles to determine the current price of the future value of free cash flow is how I invest. It's not difficult, and it's sort of fun, especially when you find a stock that that is undervalued.