Lord Ratner

I'm just a dumb O-3, and I'm having a hard time staying conscious with all the big words being flung around, but: Is anyone getting "combat pay?" I get "Hardship Duty Pay" which according to Google (who has multiple AADs) is for places "where living conditions are substantially below the standard compared to the continental United States." Ok, so it has nothing to do with flying (everyone here gets it), and RPA guys in CONUS wouldn't qualify, just like finance or SF or medical or flying guys wouldn't qualify in the US. Next is Imminent Danger Pay, which again according to Google: "A member is entitled to IDP when assigned to a designated IDP area." Ok, so you get it for being in a certain location where presumably there is imminent danger (the weekly IDF attacks should cover that). Again, nothing to do with the flying hazards. You either are, or are not in an IDP location. Yes, the UAV guys are very much fighting a war, but no one I know is getting paid extra to fight a war. That's kinda the job description for "military service." I don't think it's fair that guys in the UAV field who already got a pretty raw deal are getting shafted on promotions and what not, but that's another discussion. If the UAV guys want Air Medals and additional pay, then move the control trailers to one of the bases in-theater. There's plenty of room. The argument in the article that flying is no more dangerous in-theater than it is back home is irrelevant (and wrong) since we don't get anything special for flying here or there. Either that, or I'm getting hosed. EDIT: I missed Huggy's Air Medal criteria, and moving the trailers to AFG wouldn't qualify them for Air Medals. So put the trailers on stilts as well.

Reading the book now. Crazy stuff. I think my mind exploded when he started talking about a sextant. Well, that and the whole being-captured-and-imprisoned-by-the-Soviets thing... but mostly the sextant.

Are we calling Strippers "artists" now?

Who ain't real? The student, right?

Or in some cases, 700-800+. Not bad for 7 months

Touche.

Wrong. It was an Aileron Roll. Why rated pilots are having a hard time distinguishing between the two, I can not fathom.

More importantly, hopefully they were shit on by the other FAIPs with less head-in-ass time. EDIT: Only one year late to the party. Oh well, stupid timestamps.

Or when you're one of my students trying to stay in the MOA using "ground references"