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Flaco

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    125th FS Hiring 1-2 Traditionals

    in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves

    Posted

    Here is some information up front:

    - This is not for UPT applicants.

    - We are looking to hire 1-2 current / qualified F-16 pilots. We would consider a TX course for fighter drivers from other platforms or if non-current.

    - This is for a traditional Guardsman position within the unit. There have historically been good full-time opportunities for pilots joining the unit, but it is not guaranteed.

    - We have a 50 mile rule. You must reside within 50 miles of Tulsa IAP.

    - We fly Block 42, MMC 5.2+ jets with -229's.

    - If interested, please PM me with your contact info.

    1-star fired as head of Ariz. Air Guard

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Before you dig the hole deeper, you should probably take note (and correct me if I'm wrong) but Rainman is a Guard guy.

    What hole? Do you disagree with my statements? Or do you believe I dug a hole because I challenged Rainman's one-sentence misguided assessment of the Guard?

    I have been reading Rainman's posts for a long time so I am aware he transferred from the AD to the Guard. Much of the time I couldn't agree more with his assessments. Sometimes he misses the boat completely, as in this case.

    There is the highest and best use of people and assets part of the Guard that is invaluable.

    There is the Goofy Grape tribal inbred self centered self serving self dealing crazy aunt in the attic part of the Guard that is disgraceful.

    If you are unfamiliar with the latter you are lucky but you also have no SA about the Guard.

    So yes...seriously?

    Glad to see you retract your statement that the Guard standard is "Goofy Grape". Every organization has its strengths and weaknesses. If you don't understand why politics happen (and are sometimes a necessity) in the Guard, perhaps it is you that's tumbleweed.

    I'm still interested in your response to my original question: why do you believe so many AD bros are jumping ship for the Guard?

    ANG Fighter Pilot Lifestyle

    in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves

    Posted

    You guys are harsh.

    I'll add a little different tone. The LPA is small in an ANG fighter squadron. I think it is hard to be a Lt in a Guard fighter squadron, especially if there are a bunch of old school full timers milling about. The Lts get sh!t on to do things you would expect from a normal AD Lt. Things like...clean and stock the bar, paint a patch on the wall in squadron room at Red Flag, answer the EP of the day, show up and hang around the ops desk before every mass brief so we don't have to go looking for you (or worse, cancel a sortie) when someone calls in sick or forgets they had a trip. So, from the Lts perspective, they get their dream shot, go to pilot training where everyone tells them how lucky they are because they are in the Guard and don't have to compete for anything. They are cut all kinds of slack in all their training because no one cares about the Guard guy when he screws up, it's their unit's problem to fix them over the next 30 years.

    So a kid finally walks into his squadron feeling 10 feet tall with 508 seasoning days ahead of him and the impression he is God's gift to aviation. He dreams really are coming true. He is positive he will get offered a full time position when Joe Bag-o-donuts full timer retires in two years. There are all these airline guys hanging around talking about their great lives in front of him (the Lts don't get to listen to the quieter conversations when the guys huddle in the Flt CCs offices and ask each other if they think their A/B funds are safe or if the stock options will ever be worth more than $1.10 a share or if the company will still be around in 18 months or how the work rules have become so tough that it is really hard to even think about walking away from the wife and kids for 1/2 a day to get a fight-tank-fight at the "F-ing Guard" as their wife likes to call it). The Lt is sure that his fantastic squadron mates with their airline pirate stories about far flung drunken travels with Jack and Coke and super hot hostitutes will personally introduce them to the chief pilot of every major airline the very day he gets enough hours.

    Then they walk into the blast furnace. It's not really a blast furnace but it seems like it to them. They see AD patch wearers coming around to interview for the full time positions and the Lts think they are getting screwed by the unit for not offering them the full time job. They also find out that there are not enough days coming down from the Guard Bureau for everyone to get their sorties. All the commanders talk about is "where are we going to get the days for this and that"...suddenly the hopes of "Guard Bumming" are dashed and that expensive new signature "That's right ladies...I'm a FIGHTER PILOT" sports car, Top Gun motorcycle, expensive boat and three bedroom house seem like a bad idea.

    To top it all off, they are getting sh!t on for...not being on the right freq, when they are on the right freq they say the wrong thing, not being in position, missing the target, making switch errors, not knowing the threats, screwing up the EP, not being at the ops desk, the bar is dirty, we're out of beer, why aren't you in the vault...

    The intensity of the crap seems to go up as the number of seasoning days gets shorter. Now it looks like I won't become a flight lead before my seasoning days are over. My Flight Commander is asking me what I plan to do for a job in four months when the unit cuts the cord. A job? Are they serious? Am I really not going to get paid to come in and study and fly and drink beer anymore? This is my job! I'm a fighter pilot! Haven't they seen my car and motorcycle and boat and big ass house? WTFO?!

    Maybe I can go on active duty for a year or two and get some upgrades and then come back to the unit to compete for one of the full time instructor positions. My flight commander thinks that's a good idea and he gives me the phone number of the fighter assignments guy at Randolph. What, you're not taking Guard Babies into the active duty fighter squadrons...in fact AD guys are allowed to Palace Chase into the Guard at will right now? Wait a second, when I was "on active duty" during all my training everyone told me how lucky I was to be going to the guard. Why won't they let me suck up the bad deals on AD?

    Holy Crap, this isn't how my dream is supposed to end!

    That's what ANG fighter pilot life can be like for a young guy.

    Pure gold. I can't believe it took me 6 years to find this post. Any of you that are applying to a guard fighter unit, read this. Twice.

    A wise old sage once told me "Being in the Guard is a marathon, not a sprint."

    What's in your CD player?

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Bela Fleck and the Flecktones if you like blue grass - some of the best musicians I've ever seen live.

    2.

    If you're a fan of Dave Matthews Band (or the Flecktones), check out their live performance (more of a jam) of #41. Pure musical inspiration.

    Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xirXesR2Ik...ted&search=

    Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0YUSD6dZ_g...ted&search=

    Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yXD2n3ShrI...ted&search=

    Flaco

    T-38 landings

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I just had my initial solo in the 38 yesterday. It's a tricky airplane to land, for the reasons that Toro said. The numbers that Toro gave were for touchdown speed. I'm not sure about the numbers that Fluff gave, unless he's flying the 38 C model and it has different speeds.

    In the A model, full-flap and 60 degree flap final approach speed (or bug speed) is 155 plus 1 knot for every hundred pounds above 1000. Below 1000 pounds total fuel, approach speed is 155. Final turns are flown at 20 knots above bug speed. Touchdown speed is computed at 25 knots below final approach speed.

    No flap finals are flown at 170 plus one knot for every hundred pounds above 1000. Again, with fuel below 1000, 170 is used. Final turns are 20 knots above that.

    Here at Sheppard, the T-38 washout rate is relatively low. I don't have statistics to back it up, but if I had to guess I would say that on average each class of 25-30 coming into 38s (STS) would lose 1-2 studs by graduation.

    Flaco

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