Lord Ratner

Better study up for your next eye exam... Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

My recommendation, don't do it. You'll have to get some small modifications done to the car, mostly the headlights and getting a fog light added to the rear bumper. Depending on the shop you take your car to this can be done very poorly or in an okay fashion. The real problem is that your steering wheel is on the wrong side of the car in a country where the roads are already not exactly laid out to optimize visibility. Keep in mind also the people in Europe do not view their cars as importantly as people in America do. If someone dings your car or bumps into it when parking, don't expect them to do anything about it. That's not to say they're all sh*t bags, they just don't care as much. So if you really like your car and want it to look perfect, I wouldn't bring it to Europe, personally. That said, there are plenty of people stationed here who have American spec cars, and they seem to do just fine. I personally am happy to not have to think about whether or not my cars going to be damaged, because we just bought two used cars when we got here. Size is also an important consideration, as you mentioned with parking. You don't need to drive a Smart car to find a parking spot out here, but it helps. There're some people out here who have pick up trucks, and personally I don't how they do it. If you have any other questions about England feel free to shoot me a private message. Or ask here, it doesn't really matter.

Not a factor in this case I think. Speed wasn't an issue when the pilot selected FLCH, so the throttles had nothing to do. By the time speed became an issue, the pilot had already clicked off the auto pilot.

I never had one question an item grade, or a hooked ride for that matter.

No, it's the logical extension of it. If everyone is a winner and individual achievement unfairly demoralizes lower performers by ignoring their contributions to the winner's feat, then individual failure is merely a symptom of a group failure to support the failing individual. From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.

You're not a victim, you're a survivor.

I respectfully disagree. The only way they're going to learn their lesson is if they're forced to stick to the original plan. Going DNIF forces them to use the people who are staying (people like me), making it more likely they'll realize the s*** storm they put us in. Letting them deploy you after VSP is no different than staying late to get ready for an inspection you were told "you don't need to get ready for". Sure you're helping out the bros, but you're allowing the Air Force to kick the can further down the road.

It's not.

Cool dude. Since we don't do that in KC-135s, you can put your fighter boner back in your pants. Unless Azimuth recently started instructing at the B course, that is... But I doubt it.

It would be a boring thread for your FTU. You get put into a transition class with 2-4 people, and every sim and flight is 90% talking about different bases/assignments, and 10% being told "you already know this stuff, you were a FAIP/C-17/F-15/MC-12/C-5/whateverelse pilot before."

Background - prior T-6 FAIP at Columbus AFB. UPT isn't new. You aren't needed for anything, because the system is designed to accommodate terrible SROs. I'm going to disagree with a few people here, but some of this is more AF-general advice (for a low level superior) than UPT specific. Leave and special events - It's not your job to approve/disapprove leave, it's the Flight/CC's. If they don't make the policy clear in the first week (most will), you can ask for the overall policy and relay to the class. You won't get in trouble for asking if you do it with the required respect, so always ask. Good deals don't often go to those who don't ask. Think of yourself as a union rep, at best. It's always your job to advocate for your class, and never to limit them. The IPs will be more than happy to take care of the dream crushing. Make sure you are the one asking though. As union rep, it should all be funneled through you. SNACKO - The squadron should have an actual SNACKO, your class will be the slave labor. Do what you're told. Not much to say about this, really. EPQs, GK, Stand-up - The program is run by the USEM. Don't cheat. That's the standard disclaimer. There is a history of cheating, but the tolerance for such activities is unpredictable. Make study guides, or if you have someone in the flight who is a study-holic, see if they will make them. Arrange for study groups, practice sessions, etc. The weak students won't always seek help (shame), and some will not like being singled out, so create group opportunities that your class can take advantage of (union rep). Don't force anyone. UPT is an individual challenge in a group setting. Here's the most important thing you can do as SRO - Make sure everyone is where they need to be on time. Most of the time you can't have people showing early or staying late for crew rest reasons (you'll be taught all of this), so you have to be vigilant. Tardiness is an easy kill, so stomp it out. If your class is always lined up in the flight room when the door is kicked, with the correct uniform, patches, briefing built, and chores completed, you'll be in great shape. Oh, and a good offering won't hurt. Not sure if it's the same everywhere, but at CBM the studs would normally build a pyramid of import beers at the back of the room on day 1. It's also a great first AF lesson in identifying the "not-required" things you should do anyways.

Valid, but the stats for both are scary.

I'm not trying to compare the military demographic to DC, but if you want a shocking look at just how common aids is, take a gander at how many cases there are in the capitol city.

Haha, I would die if they put the rotating, flaming email gif on the portal

I know it varies by base, but many have www.gmail.com blocked, but mail.google.com is not. You know, because I'm sure Google is less secure than our cracker jack assembly of 1990s-era websites.

Be advised, JFTR 5116d prohibits personally procuring tickets for trans oceanic PCS. you may get away with it, but if they know the regs, you'll eat the cost. Bottom line, 11-217, 11-202, 11-2X-### vol 3, JFTR. Know them all.

I won't impugn the pilot based on one article. But in a hypothetical scenario based only on the facts laid out in the article, the hypothetical pilot seems to have made a couple pretty bad decisions. And if navs were real people, that hypothetical nav would have good reason to be pretty pissed for the bonus lifetime of back pain. Glad they both lived, hope someone had beer waiting for them after that one. Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

Yup. And operating out of a forward operating base in addition to the AFCENT lines. It's a different Mildenhall than those days I've been told. It's OK, we just got rid of the TDYs to compensate. Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

I fly visuals into airfields at night, and sometimes it's because I'm too lazy to brief the ILS. Not quibbling, I'm actually agreeing with your main point. You don't have to go through all the 202/217/11-2X-XXXv3 procedures to throw an ILS in as a sanity check. Hell, most planes let you program a visual approach into the FMS in about 10 seconds, no briefing required. I hate ILS approaches, the long vectors, controllers in training, looking at mini TVs instead of outside the magical flying machines we operate... They represent everything I find awful and boring about flying. I'll confess to laziness and get-home-itis motivating me to request a visual to the opposite direction runway, all in the name of landing sooner and saying less, but even I'm not too lazy to glance down at the MFD when I turn onto what I think is final approach. But I'm not the brightest bulb, so it could just be me.

Asian Date? Gotta say, they seem to have figured out this demographic pretty quick... Posted from the NEW Baseops.net App!

You have reached the rank and position where all but your brashest subordinates will give you honest feedback about your policies and leadership. It is not as simple as asking; most will apply the safest translation (for their career) to anything you say. The only way you can convince them (assuming you are being honest with your intentions) is through action, over and over. Each time you don't act in accordance with your word will have 10 times the effect of each time you do.

It's an allowance, so it should have no effect.

I bet if you have $60K+ to send their way, they have a .25"x.25" silhouette of a herk.

Yeah, we have a few named people at EGUN. On the less surprising side, when our copilot exec let us know we were having a "roll call" on Friday afternoon, a boom sarcastically asked if someone would be taking actual roll... Because no one would be dumb enough to think you actually call out roll at the start of a roll call... Oh how they laughed and laughed.

What about watches that get the time signal from one of the atomic clocks? I bet there are a fair number of those.