Bender

I gain satisfaction both from clearing my inbox and from deleting emails from particular sources...doesn't seem like something to automate personally. Thanks though, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I think that's what they call dynamic followership. AFPC sent some shit to my email about it not that long ago...didn't read it, but I think that was it. Leadership -> getting people to think what they want is what you want. Followership -> getting people to think what they want is what you want. Makes sense, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Proficiency and experience...okay, I'm with you on the conceptual level...good qualities that make a quality aviator. Hmm...I've yet to hear a newly minted airline guy mention how nice it is to finally get to focus on flying. Seems like they just talk about all the days off and money. Maybe I'm just hearing what I want to hear. Haven't heard how nice it is to finally have all this extra time to spend with those young first officers that have just so much left to learn about being a great aviator. Again, as has been mentioned, maybe my desire to rationalize my own choices biases me to read/hear only what fits my narrative. I'm not an airline pilot, so it's an honest question when I ask...when a pilot isn't actively flying (and totally, of course, is almost completely focused on improving the first officer's basic airmanship while they are), what time is spent focused on this that would/could make them vastly superior aviators? This other world is foreign and bewildering, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Not saying you're wrong, I'm just curious about your opinion...in what ways? Interesting you'd phrase it with "a lot of" and "vastly"... I feel like that very strongly worded generalization is unlikely, but I wouldn't doubt many cases on an individual basis. I think we miss the mark with basic airmanship often in the Air Force, but civilians have proven to be no different. Just curious, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Sure...how much of that is toward the spectrum of photographic memory that helps them studying vs. just simply can move their hands in a slower, smoother, more controlled fashion? Most get to almost the same spot with the hands by the end...with the basic tasks required of them. Why do some have it earlier? Because they're gifted with the hands or because they knew what they were trying to do earlier (even if gifted applied to that as well)? All I know is if you don't know what you're supposed to be doing or say, you're going to suck. Even if you have good hands from day 1, those hands aren't doing the right things and your super intelligent mouth might as well have a cucumber from my cupboard in it. You can have brick hands on day one and there is help for you if you can learn. If you can't learn, we'll make sure you have supervision while you take the extra time to let the lightbulb go off. Starting early is different, pros and cons to everything...but, once you start, your academic intelligence (I believe) plays a large part in your fate. Cue fighter guys/gals that claim to be stupid. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

For any one interested in track select info, take the info as a whole presented here, assimilate it, and decide what is a good idea for yourself. It's what I would try an teach you to do with aviation if you were my student anyways. You don't just take someone else's answer and use it without checking it first. If you want to do it, and you get a chance to do it...do it. You don't get a do over, opportunity breeds regret. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen, but changing your mind over some shlt knuckle(s) opinion is ridiculous. They haven't known anything else either...know about it, sure...have done it, rare. Try and find people that have been around the block...flown lots of stuff, or at least interacted with it. They aren't going to tell you don't want a -38. If you want it and you suck, they'll tell you you need to get better faster if you still want to be good going a little faster. Understand this though...you are like my 5 year old. You don't really know anything about what the real world is like. You think you know, and that is cute. You get to voice your opinion because I'm on beer 4...but when track select, assignment night, etc. shows up you can just assume I'm on beer 13 and I'm going to just tell you what's going o happen. Sometimes it makes sense, most of the time it's crazy, cause it's beer 13. AFPC drinks...A LOT. Absorption into the training pipeline is like the wife nagging the drunk AFPC while you're simultaneously asking for that new toy car you want thinking drunk daddy is in the mood to give it to you. Good luck! If you want a -38, I'd recommended being first in your class. How? I'd say it has a lot more to do with studying and knowing what the fvck you're doing than it does hands. I saw a girl track -38s based almost solely on academics. She's happy with her heavy, the dude that stuck the tone instead...probably has some questions he asks himself. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

So you're saying that history tells us we about to get seriously fvcked soon. I'm sure "we'll" figure out a way that continuing to drop those assignments is worth the risks this time though. How correlated is the introduction of our core value of "service before self" to our decline caused primarily by leaders that preserve career over forcing path change to maintain a sustainable service course (not to mention the possibility of improvement/innovation). This shit is in need of an overhaul. We've gotta be running short of people to bomb, if not fvcking bombs...maybe we can spend a day or two up top top talking about how to unfvck ourselves at the SecDef level. No? Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I did take the time to read it. You write as though you have some skin in this game...part of drafting that were you? Why are you so interested you feel the need to write all of that? To tell people it's not clear that "and/or" doesn't mean "and/or"? Your push just doesn't make sense, Bro. I'm not trying to tell you that you're wrong or right here...you just don't make sense. ------ When it says "and/or", that implies option. A lot of people (particularly people who are going to sign it anyway...shocker) take that to mean and FVCKING or. Not "and" if you want, or "or" if you want, or "and" if I want, or "or" if I want, but rather "and/or", just like it "fvcking" written. I sign again, for the higher bonus amount ONLY, with all the same other terms...and a longer term if "we" want to, in a strange case with the same amount (I guess if the bonus went down...which was specifically addressed) for a longer term. Higher amount and/or longer contract term...you are out of your fvcking gourd to be arguing this emphatically...particularly stating you opted out of signing on for a bonus. That is, unless you had some part of offering it. If you didn't, you've simply gone bat shlt crazy in the time I've been a part of this board. Don't worry, I do blame the USAF for that... I'll be honest, after thinking about it...I don't even care about trying to sign a contract for more money. It wasn't, and won't ever be the point when the money we're talking about is plain, unadulterated bullshlt. Ain't no one hanging around these parts for the money... Keep jerking people around though...with the open ended contract wording (without explanation...the God knows there are enough fvcking AFPC roadshows to be clear about it) and pathetic "increases" (where it doesn't need to be...hint, hint: monthly compensation for every last pilot you need, which is ALL OF THEM), see where it gets "you". I only say "you", in quotes, because I don't understand your malfunction...I don't know that it's actually you with the problem. That's what I think. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I don't think 13 years means anything...some people will do a legendary job. The problem is the latter part of the last quote, we pick these people due to being execs and aides and staffers and schoolers...not operational experts (or god forbid, a little of both). The pole year is crippling us. We have rigid metrics of what is important to hit BTZ, aka pole year set up. Shiny pennies rarely even deploy, the path doesn't provide time for such inconveniences. If they do, it's only to get the command box check. Check the box, check the box...what's not in the brochure is only the first three are actually boxes you check. Who likes you while you checked those three determines if you'll check the remainder. The number of dudes I've heard of getting BTZ to O-5 but then direct back to the IDE, which they didn't get before...gross. The number of SDE getting picked up candidates because they can't get people to take it...gross. It's all just upside down fvcked up. (My phone just autocorrected upside down to unpaid, it was tough to fix.) Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Not true...see pictures, photos, GIFs, etc. above. Maybe you're just too old to know how legit those are. Much celebrating was had. Stop derailing fun with reality. That is no way to get ahead in his man's military!!! Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Latest JQP speaking to the early eligible AvB extra year re-up: "It’s about a group of the service’s most fired-up officers extending inadvisable trust to their chain of command, and that chain of command proving their trust inadvisable." I signed my bonus (only God knows why), fully thinking I could resign upping the amount (during the already contacted years) and if I chose, extending the length of the contract at that new amount... It was not just early eligibles here...I have no personal input into attempts to renegotiate my agreement, because I haven't yet. I'm not really feeling like dealing with it is even worth the $2,250 after taxes, and I'm not sure exactly how happy I'm going to be when my (new) commitment expires, but things like this conversation make me think it won't be too hard of a transition. I won't even mind being my buddy's first officer at Delta, Fed Ex, or the other million places there are already at. I'm going to ing nail that first officer job! It's going to be great, trust me. So great... Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

It's the second one across the bottom that gets you...just because you saw it in a movie once doesn't mean you, yourself can pull it off. Stay safe boys and girls, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Is that a question or a statement? By ally you mean allied? That said/asked, no...I have not. Although, it would take less to surprise me with the direction we're going, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Thinking on how probable that scene is in the military as I know it, I have a renewed appreciation for exactly how gay that movie is. I always prefer to point out how little studying happens in that movie compared to flying...false advertising at best, but hey...your propaganda only has to be 0.000% true. Either way, I heard Kilmer and Cruise didn't get along on set...I think there was a couple good hate fvcks that simply got misinterpreted. Media...psssh. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

So, given an average commitment start of 22 and retirement of 65, leaving 43 working years...10 of which is already in the AF, so 33 "well used" years: I'm sacrificing 24 days a year and $6,000 a year being on active duty? If someone could figure out what it is exactly they're sacrificing for...I could see the loop getting close easily enough. What are we fighting (and potentially dying) for anyways? Kill the 365s, scale back the deployment to the minimum necessary to prosecute the "war". If it's not increasing the timeline to drawdown, it doesn't need to exist. War Machine. Hook Hand. Get the politics out of the fvcking way; 2 more bros just got popped by a "friendly" last week. Seriously, just kidding, but seriously... Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

It's amazing to see how this board has changed since I joined. Starting to escalate quickly as well... Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

That's is pretty crazy. Maybe we should right this stuff down, so there isn't a possibility of not knowing it's a thing. At the same time, since there is a check box, why is it a thing. DNP, P w/o DP, P w/ DP, DP w/o DP, DP with DP...now I can do zero work to group the top 20%. It was more like top 5% on that O-5 board, but whatever... For a system that is in one way so streamlined (get school to get school), there are some seriously weird shit that still goes on. I didn't know that was a thing...priceless. Probably said it with a straight face too... Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Would be nice if they'd just say what the reason was. It's been too long that they simply have not had to. People make organizations. Organizations make messes. People alone get into habits that are hard to get out of...messes do much worse for far longer. They don't care, dude. Not even a little. I wish it was different. It's not going to cost you money for the rest of your life, man. Because...you're going to make different decisions than you might have otherwise made. You'll be just fine. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

So when we say O-5...we mean across all the services. If we have retention issues in certain places, might be nice to pause and make sure we're putting our O-4's in the right baskets. Oh...who the fvck am I kidding...never mind. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

...if I can't trust you to do the small things, how am I going to trust you to do the big stuff? Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

I get the impression that "being good in the jet" is just an assumption. You should just do that, and the difference is how much more you can handle. How much time does that really command? I'm sure it's based on airframe...how much time does that take for an F-22? An A-10? What about a C-130J? How "good" is good enough? Is there a limit? If I just let a guy have time to do nothing but, would s/he excel? Or would they just go home to the wife/hooker? I find it hard to believe people aren't "good in the jet" based off anything other than their personal lack of give a fvck. Commanding a support squadron is pure, 100%, unadulterated queep. It's exactly like commanding a flying squadron without the flying. How many CE commanders are out patching holes? How many CONS commanders are writing contracts? None. Zero. It is also not even remotely required to understand what your people do to lead them. It certainly helps, but a good leader with half a brain can listen to the right people and sail the ship in the right direction. Things might be a lot better around this part of the woods if Bossman didn't think he fvcking knew better than the people actually doing the work, but believe people when they said things need to be done differently without concern that it was going to make him look bad to his boss. This can of worms is literally so messed, all one can do about it is laugh. The only ones not laughing are trying to straighten their shit due to non-promotion, or 1/2 BTZ school selects riding the wave of "it's all good in the hood". I can guarantee you a IPZ O-5 select is under no illusion of the disaster that abounds. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

What needs to define a "technical track", if getting passed over for O-5 and continued indefinitely isn't it? If the ACIP went up to 10k a month...I think we might find some valid competition with the airlines. How does the Air Force compete with an organization that will pay you twice as much for less than half the work, while dropping out 95% of the shitty parts? How are rated promotion rates and retention even connected? If you were punching as an O-4, who would change their mind based on a promotion to O-5? Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Please tell me that data point is not you. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Yeah...in line with your expectations of the world I hope. Disappointing, yes...surprising, not so much. Buck up Azimuth! We'll all be dead soon enough. Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Looked like 122 BTZ, all selects; 59 I/APZ selects out of 1101 I/APZ promotes. Feels like we're short on pilot Generals, not just pilots. Gotta get them to that pole year, Bendy Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums