C17Driver

Depends where you spend your casual. I've seen casual Studs in BDU's and Flight Suits...

http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Nov28/0,4...ceCrash,00.html Air Force Jets Collide, but Crews Safe SHUQUALAK, Miss. — Two Air Force jets collided Wednesday during training flights over eastern Mississippi and crashed, but all four crew members ejected safely, an Air Force spokesman said. The T-6 Texan 2 primary trainers collided around midday and crashed near a Columbus Air Force Base auxiliary airfield in Shuqualak, a wooded area about 10 miles from the Alabama line, said 2nd Lt. Craig Rasley, a base spokesman. Air Force investigators are probing the cause of the crash, Rasley said.

I've noticed that TSP tracks my tax free contributions, but my understanding is that everything compounded off of those contributions is still only tax-deferred. I say that because the TSP website says: "You receive no direct tax benefit from contributing pay to the TSP which has been excluded from gross income; however, the earnings on those contributions are tax-deferred." Full text can be found here: http://www.tsp.gov/uniserv/features/chapter03.html It would be awesome if I were wrong because as is the case with most of the AMC guys here, I have a pretty good tax-exempt amount in my TSP.

For the most recent C-17 exchange assignments, the exchange pilots came from Altus (FTU instructors) and were by name requested by the host nation (since that is where the host nation received their initial trailing, it makes since!)

The prefix 'K' also means instructor...at least in AMC...I figured it was the same across all commands? --- Actually, after reading through some of the explanations, it looks like the prefix could be different based on command. Try this link http://www.e-publishing.af.mil/shared/medi.../afi36-2101.pdf The table that breaks down Officer AFSCs starts on page 74. -------- Edit: Try the link below. It actually has a list of what each prefix is for. (T = formal training instructor; K = instructor) http://fromtheinside.us/docs/afman36-2105.pdf

Maybe they could use a variant of this...

We will not be getting a "limited" airdrop mission anytime soon....at the last meeting where it was discussed, it was mentioned that it would be 3 to 5 years at best, if ever.

Maybe I've been lucky, but I have never had the numbers used in that way. The only conversation I've had about fuel planning with my DO was during an operational mission when my DO was also the Mission Commander. He asked me if I was onloading fuel at Cairo after we dropped our DV...I said "no". He said, "ok". Now STAN/EVAL on the other hand...They are always asking about fuel planning...but not referencing the TACC website. But again, if you can stand up and give a logical explanation on why you did what you did, then no one cares!

I hate to say it, but I've drank the kool-aid when it relates to fuel conservation. A couple ago, the C-17 community was bad about fuel planning and I remember landing with way too much fuel quite a few times...Rarely have I had a flight manager plan the long sorties with too little fuel since the FCIF got released. Landing in the 20s or low 30s is respectable and more than enough fuel!

I would say it's a 50% chance. The Commander of the squadron at Christchurch that runs the C-17 mission is Active Duty (62d). The 62d and 446th split the requirement when it comes to crews flying the mission. I was a "62d" guy but have since moved on. Honestly, I can't remember any space A's on the jet on the way out or on the way back. But if you want to give it a shot, good luck! I'm not sure who you talked to or what you mean by the jets being empty because the stuff is already down there. When the jets swap out (how it used to work), the space in the back was split between cargo and swap out folks. Personally, based on the experience I had with DEEP FREEZE (the enroute portion --- KTCM - NZ and back) and other worldwide missions, I wouldn't try to Space A. I'd just buy the plane ticket and enjoy more time down there. Last year, on the way out and the way back, we never knew if we were actually going to get the jet or where we were going to end up that day or when we were going to get home until the morning of the alert. On the way home from NZ we got "stuck" in Hawaii with no jet (of course we didn't complain, but it would be painful if you were trying to get home Space A).

You'll have to get a passport. (blue one) No, there is NOT a lot of traffic between Christchurch, NZ and CONUS. Last year, the only time a jet came into or left Christchurch from the CONUS (during Operations DEEP FREEZE) was during the crew swap outs which only happens every 3 to 5 weeks (normally) and usually have very little room for Space A's.

We already have to do this on the west coast. It actually surprises me that other airframes in AMC are just now talking about this. A little over a year ago an FCIF came out in the C-17 community concering fuel conservation. Depending on how much extra gas a crew wants, a request for a waiver goes up to a 1 star at TACC. There is some room to play and I've actually found that the planners are overly generous! Someone else asked if tankering extra gas is actually that big of a deal...Yes, it is! When you have the capability to carry more than 200,000 of gas, tankering just to save time on the ground is not worth it (in most cases). I don't have the numbers in front of me, but the extra cost is significant. I look at it this way, if I ever want more than what was planned, and I have a good reason, then I'll make the request knowing I'm right. If the request is refused, then my crew doesn't fly that day. I've never had a request denied (and I've never met anyone that has -- as long as the request makes sense).

Pilots in the C-17 community tend to cross-flow to tankers after going to school (ACSC) or participating in one of the Phoenix programs. The pilots we get from tankers tend to have done the same thing (flew tankers for a tour to two, then went to school, then came over to the C-17). Most of them go to or come from KC-135s. I've only met a handful of people that came from C-130s (mostly higher up types like group commanders) and a couple KC-10 types (squadron commander types).

Another popular one...

If you haven't tried, stop using your computer 30 minutes or more prior to trying to go to sleep. The "instant" grab of information can keep your mind from winding down.

I'll join the chorus...how did you pull off the 8 year commitment thing? Thought it was 10 years for everyone still...

I actually got the same freakin letter (or Memo or whatever the hell it was). I was supposed to respond to it about 2 weeks ago but I was TDY...

Sitting on the ground at Pope during a JFEX at halftime (middle of the night). A maintainer (female) working on a -130 across the ramp with a stuck mic on the ground freq. She apparently had quite the night of getting drunk, eating pizza...and "messing" around with her roommate...

While I won't say it's a bad idea to get a place in Seattle, just realize at some point you will get a job in the squadron and driving 1 to 1.5 hours each way to work is a pain in the ass.

Warhawk, Co-pilots are "fighting" for trips when home (as in, when the squadron isn't deployed). You'll want a place to live, not just to crash. Currently, guys aren't doing more than one trip per month (max)...Probably closer to one trip every 5 weeks or so.

Hawaii has an airdrop role. We are being told that Elmendorf will also. Travis does not participate in the airdrop arena. All bases play a role in the airland mission. Operation DEEP FREEZE (Antarctic Mission) is owned at McChord and will probably continue for the forseeable future (due to crew and aircraft requirements). We won't talk about the "nuke" mission as this is not the appropriate forum. Charleston is the only base with SOLL II. Hopefully some of the Travis guys will jump on to answer any specifics on those questions. The DEEP FREEZE mission is normally reserved for experienced crew members (IP's) with at least 2 or more years left on station. On a case by case basis, other's do get to go. DEEP FREEZE does require a special qualification. The missions normally run from late October through the middle of March (summer time in the southern hemisphere). I would not anticipate participating in a DEEP FREEZE mission in your first tour (at least not in the first 3 years), although it does happen on occassion. It depends. I am AC Aidrop qualified and would say less than 50% of my time is spent with airdrop. However, as you increase your airdrop qualification, your locals will consist of mostly airdrop. (For example, very rarely do I fly an airland local training mission. There are so few AC airdrop qual'd pilots in my squadron that we are needed to fly the airdrop lines and JFEX lines). On the other hand, 95% or more of your overseas missions will be airland only. Very few guys (although the number increases weekly) have performed a combat airdrop in the C-17. The airdrop qual will keep you from flying as many overseas missions because we still have to meet any requests the army has at Pope (among other locations). Overall, the Ops tempo in the C-17 has decreased drastically from a year or two years ago. The 2 EAS system has been great for that. Guys at Charleston and McChord can expect to "deploy" for 120 every other year. Most can expect to be TDY 150 to 180 every year with deployment years being a little higher (200 or so). We are being told that the smaller bases will start playing in the two EAS system (deploying), but I'll believe it when I see it. Let me know if you have any other questions (or PM). [ 18. December 2006, 21:01: Message edited by: C17Driver ]

Unless you take part in some questionable actions, it shouldn't matter. You'll just have more stuff to fill in when filing for your security clearance (keep good records now...it'll make the process much easier later)

So I tried the "contact us" link at the bottom of the AF.mil website, but everytime I hit submit, it times out.... "2" on the new low of PA. Just another reason to never talk to them. ever.

It's become a "standard" call taught at the school house due to all the "collisions" that took place over the last couple of years. I think some use it to tell the other crew members (and more importantly, the cockpit voice recorder) that they are in fact stable (no closure) and ready (ready light on -- light on the AR annunciator panel that says the system is armed). [ 08. December 2006, 00:12: Message edited by: C17Driver ]

In a given month, it depends (you should have expected that). If you fly an overseas mission, you might get between 40 to 60 hours. If you don't get on an overseas mission, it all depends on where you are at in your qualification level. Most new guys don't try to get on locals so they fly once every two weeks or so. If they really wanted too, they could probably fly once to twice per week depending on the number of training lines available, checkrides going on, upgrades taking place, etc.