Yuengling Brother

Right down the road is AFSOC HQ. Hurlburt is also home to the 4 SOS. One of the largest combat flying squadrons in the Air Force. Call the squadron, arrange to meet non-instructor crewmembers who will give you another viewpoint. Tour the plane, squadron, etc. Other than flying an actual training line, this would give any student a pretty good glimps of the AC community. The great thing is, the 4th flies most of their training lines at night making it easy to head over there after class and finding someone willing to speak to you.

The reason I asked was because someone from that class said he was #1 but didn't get the F-15E or B-1 that topped his list.

Did any of the top grads surprise anyone by not getting a fast mover, i.e. F-15E or B-1? Specifically, did a top grad get an RC-135?

My process went something like this: Sent in a military resume, RIP, and OPRs. Was invited to a UTA to meet the guys. During that UTA we sat around and bullshitted, went to lunch, bullshitted some more. At the end of day one I was told the CC wanted to meet me. I walked in, he put out his hand, and welcomed me to my new squadron. All things in life should be that easy.

I owned 2 planes while in the AF and leased them back to a flight school. I can sum up the experience in 2 words...never again. It is far cheaper to rent from an individual owner or your local FBO than owning outright. The outflow of money with ownership never ends. I'll admit, my eyes weren't fully open when I bought my first plane. The excitement of being an owner blinded me to some of the pitfalls. I was smarter about it when I bought the second one and that plane made money for me. However, that profit had to cover the losses I suffered with the first one. With renting, you are only paying for actual use. When you're an owner, you are paying all the time. The loan, insurance, mx, FBO fees. You never realize how often things break on a small plane until you own one. Rental pilots don't give a shit about your plane either. They manhandle your instruments, spill Coke on the seats, and leave their McDonald's leftovers on the floor. Are they good pilots? Can they make a smooth landing? Maybe. But I believe they all performed carrier quals with mine. I fully understand the love of flying and the desire to own your own plane. Isn't that every pilot's dream? But the reality is it's better to just toss the keys back to the FBO when you're done flying and let them take care of all the headaches.