C17Driver
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Posts posted by C17Driver
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I'll bet that the good ole phrase in 11-202v3 in regards to fuel requirements to the IAF, going missed, etc., was mistakenly not read when the TACC decided to pull all this fuel conservation crap!!
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!
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C17 driver- what do you think our chances are of getting out of NZ in the following scenario... Leave TCM on Dec 12, stay a week in NZ, then look for the first flight out of there. I will be on 30 days of leave so the way I see it is that I will have about 3 weeks to catch somebody going to the states. My no sh*t date back to states is my RNLT date 18 Jan to Little Rock for the RTU.
I would say it's a 50% chance.
I've also heard that alot of the jets are relatively empty because it is the middle of the DEEP FREEZE "season" if you will and most of the shtuff is already down there and won't be coming back full up untill later in the year. Just curious if you are a 446th guy or 62nd. Does the 62nd even fly DEEP FREEZE?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).
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I've tried searching this and still have not found exactly what I am looking for. Okay, here goes...
I am taking 30 days of leave to go to New Zealand space A from TCM with my wife in about 8 weeks. ( I am an AD LT and she is obviously my dependant) Anyway, the more that we try and wrap this thing up we keep getting hit with these different issues. The current one is passports. So...
Where is the best/cheapest/quickest place to get a regular passport
I am at a AETC base right now, any chance I could get a mil. passport for free
Is there anyway around dropping $400 to get a passport we'll only use once (like maybe we just need to carry a mil ID and birth certificate)
Also, side note. What do you guys know about the Ice mission out of Christchurch, NZ? Is there alot of traffic going back and forth to the CONUS?
Thanks for the help.
barney
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.
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Whatever it is that you were fearing is here at CHS.
We have little local reports that we have to fill in at Base Ops upon landing including starting fuel, ending fuel, and time spent training. I'm not sure if someone is actually scrutinizing the reports in order to accuse Capt Gas Guzzler of landing with too much fuel, but I think they are moving in that general direction.
I believe that we will have to start using CFPS to calculate fuel required the day prior and then order up that fuel for the tail to even get it that much closer.
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).
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How often do people switch airframes (i.e. C-130 to C-17, F-15E to A-10, etc. or even heavies to fighters and vice versa)? How do you do it and under what circumstances do people switch from airframe to airframe?
Thanks in advance...
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).
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Another popular one...
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By the way... since it's 3am and I'm still awake
does anyone have any suggestions to get to sleep?Ideas?
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.
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I know I've got the 8 year commitment, but the clock doesn't start until I show up at my first operational flying unit, which means it'll really be about 10.5-11 year commitment.
I'll join the chorus...how did you pull off the 8 year commitment thing? Thought it was 10 years for everyone still...
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So my personnel record in the Air Force dates all the way back to 1999. But now for some reason, according to the AF, I don't have any proof that I am a US citizen and I have to track down an original copy of my birth certificate or I get derported I guess. BTW, my family came over from Scotland in the 1700s and I never left the US until I was 21.
Pretty impressive even for the MPF if you ask me. Anybody else have this problem.
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...
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.1) Now that Travis and Hawaii are being stood up with Alaska coming online in the not too distant future, what roles (airdrop/airland/antarctic/nuke/spec-ops etc)...are those respective bases going to play in the grand scheme of things? For any Travis guys out there, there are quite a few slots to Cali in our drop so any info from you would be great.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).2)A few wondered about the Antarctic mission at McChord...who typically flies it (experience levels etc..), how often, are there any special quals needed etc...?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).3) For those who are airdrop qualified, what percentage would you say of your flying focuses around airdrop vs doing some of the other airland missions and trips...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 ]
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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)Obviously, I want to work somewhere 'friendly,' but even with that in mind, how would that affect security clearances in the future (not only for the military, but as I plan to work for the gov't as a civilian)? -
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.
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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 ]
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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.So on a given month, how many times do you fly/flight hours do you get? -
You're right. It is getting back to the sustainable ops tempo. But you know how it works...the word filters down to the UPT studs and they hear they are going to get to fly 1000 hours per year and not do office work. Then they show up and it's not like that. They are flying maybe once every month and a half (operationally) and then they are being asked to do "volunteer" stuff around the squadron the rest of the time.How many hours did C-17 guys get before 9/11? If 400 to 500 is closer to that number then all these changes seem to have done what was intended. I think that getting the force back to a sustainable tempo that is closer to normal is a good thing even if upgrades take "longer" now.Is that not the case?
[ 06. December 2006, 13:59: Message edited by: C17Driver ]
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It has helped a lot in the way that guys are home lots more. However, in some ways, it has now swung the other way. Don't come to the C-17 community expecting to get 600 - 900 hours per year. It's probably closer to 400 to 500. The upgrade pace has also dropped drastically (since guys aren't getting the hours).
Overall, the deployment change of last summer has probably been a good thing for the community. Guys are home more often and the schedule is more predictable.
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Into the Mouth of the Cat; The Story of Lance Sijan, Hero of Vietnam
by Malcolm McConnell
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The pilots in my squadron are being told to expect 4 year tours (with exceptions made as long as you have more than 3 years TOS).
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T-37: My IP (DO at the time) and I rode the bus out to our row and started our preflight checks. I started to climb into the jet and looked over and noticed he didn't have a chute. I waited a little bit to see if he would notice. After he climbed in and sat down, I asked if he always flew without a chute. --Of course it didn't come up in the debrief.
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No way! For C-17 guys, the "air refueling" basics they teach at UPT are about the most you are going to get until you get to your flying squadron flying an operational mission. With no "training" those new copilots would be worthless for their first couple night AR's over the black sea at night in and out of the WX. At least now they at least know what IP, CP, etc. mean and the importance of being precise.you could easily cut out 3-4 transition rides and about 6 nav rides and all the airdrop/refuel -
Which makes sense. If you're thinking about what you should have been taught on the ground when you're up flying, then you aren't thinking about flying the jet.bottom line. most of the guys who track 38s in addition to gettin the better 70% on flying, also have their sh&t together in the academics...And don't forget about TIMING!
Fuel Burn
in General Discussion
Posted
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!