M2

Metal MAW was in one of the two regs that 10-248 replaced (can't remember which, I think it was 40-502)...so, bottom line, MAW no longer exists for AD, you have to worry about the tape! Cheers! M2

AFI 10-248 implements Air Force Policy Directive (AFPD) 10-2, Readiness, and supersedes all guidance provided in AFI 40-501, Air Force Fitness Program and AFI 40-502, The Weight and Body Fat Management Program. So all you need is 10-248... Cheers! M2

Guys One thing I have learned over the years is that it is never too wise to have everyone sit too far to one side in a lifeboat. If everybody does it then the damn thing will tip over, and we will all end up in the water as sharkbait. Some people will always want to sit to one far side or the other, but luckily most other folks are willing to sit somewhere in between. It balances everything out... By the way, that story has nothing to do with lifeboats, in case you hadn't noticed... :rolleyes: Cheers! M2

Diet and exercise, everything else is just a fad... The fitness program reg is AFI 10-248 (I think), you can download it at the Air Force reg page. I can't access it now due to my hack-filled Belgian ISP, but I was just looking at it today as we were having a similar discussion at work. There are two "failures," and depending on how bad you fail you will be enrolled in two separate programs. I used to administer the weight management program while a commander, and as long as you made progress within the standards (I think it was a pound a week, something like that but don't quote me as I always check the regs when administering them), you were fine. However, it only takes a few failures to make progress to initiate discharge. In my experience the biggest problem with folks, other than those who just didn't care, was they tried a fad diet or some other extreme. It doesn't work, sorry. Adkins and all those have drawbacks, and if you don't exercise you won't make the required progress. The Health and Wellness Center (HAWC) provided all the guidance a person needed, if you can contact them I highly recommend it. I hate to tack this on but I never had anyone survive the weight management program once they started to not make progress standards. Maybe the ding was too much for them, but once they got their first one each and every one of them ended up going out the gate. Unfortunately that included a lot of good people who otherwise had good careers, but the fitness program is no different than any other requirements in the USAF...either you meet them or you get out. That may be brutal but it is a fact of life... Good luck, a positive attitude is the first and foremost requirement for beating this! Cheers! M2

IFR No, leave them at home, you can't use USMC BDUs in the USAF. They will issue you what you need. Good luck at Maxwell, but I am sure you will do well... Cheers! M2 p.s. By the way, I thought there was no such thing as a "former" Marine...once a Marine, always a Marine! You'd feel right at home where I am, we work for Gen Jones...

C'mon, what ever happened to the classics?!? "What does a fighter pilot use for birth control?" "His personality!" ...and a few more because EVERYONE always love a good joke...don't read any further if you are easily offended...EVERYONE gets offended in the following jokes, so I consider them equal opportunity for all! "Why does Mike Tyson cry during sex?" "Because mace will do that to you!" "Why is divorce so expensive?" "Because it's worth it!" "What's the difference between a girlfriend and a wife?" "45 lbs..." "A blonde, a brunette and a redhead are all in third grade...who has the biggest boobs?" "The blonde, because she's 18!" "Why do men find it hard to make eye contact?" "Because breasts don't have eyes!" "Why is driver's education on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in redneck schools?" "Because they are using the cars for sex education on Tuesdays and Thursdays!" "How do you get a sweet, 80-yr-old lady to say the F... word?" "Get another sweet, 80-yr-old lady to yell 'BINGO!'" I'll be here all week! Cheers! M2

Here are the ones that I know... Former Weapons School Division = New Weapons School Squadron Command and Control Operations Division = 8th Weapons Squadron Special Operations Forces Division = 14th Weapons Squadron F-16 Division = 16th Weapons Squadron F-15E Division = 17th Weapons Squadron Intelligence Division = 19th Weapons Squadron HH-60G Division = 34th Weapons Squadron Support Division = 57th Weapons Support Squadron A-10 Division = 66th Weapons Squadron B-1 Division = 77th Weapons Squadron Space Division = 328th Weapons Squadron B-52 Division = 340th Weapons Squadron F-15 Division = 433rd Weapons Squadron KC-135 Division = 509th Weapons Squadron B-2 Division = 715th Weapons Squadron C-17 Division = 57th Weapons Squadron Don't know the F-117 squadron... Cheers! M2

I am not a lawyer nor did I spend the night in a Holiday Inn, but you might want to check on that a bit more closely, as I don't think you can just 'declare' a state of residency without having lived there or established some form of residency (PO box, owning land, etc.). This wouldn't be the first time a finance office was doing something that wasn't quite legal, but if they are then take full advantage of it while you can! Most people switch to a state after being stationed there, and as a lot of people go through UPT in Texas, it is common for them to switch. You might want to be careful as some states (such as Texas) do require that the tags on your car must be from the same state that your drivers license is from. Hence, if you do get a Texas license, then you need Texas tags. Was a big problem when I was in San Antonio, as people would run out to establish residency and get a license, but they wouldn't switch their tags over until they expired. Cheers! M2

c17wannabe You did right. As a rule: - I always stand when someone from my chain of command or someone higher in rank to me comes up and talks to me - I always stand when my commander enters the room - I always stand when a Colonel or higher enters a room, unless there is already someone of equal or higher rank in the room - I appreciate it when people junior to me stand when I address them and I am standing - As you get older you will find it is less "jumping/snapping to attention" and more "politely rising." Don't want anyone to hurt themselves... - When in doubt, stand up. You will never be wrong in doing so (just don't call a room to attention when there is someone of higher rank already in there. I've seen that happen on several occassions. Unless designated, or when it is completely obvious, let someone else do it). Cheers! M2

We had both of our dogs chipped here in Belgium, and they both got the AVID chip. It does only hold an identification number, and you have to register your animal with PETrac (a member of the AVID group) in Norco, California. You can choose either a one-time registration fee of $40 for up to eight pets, or $15 for a single pet. There is a $6 information change charge, such as for changes of address, but they have special rates for military personnel. By the way, at the AVID site I noticed... "On the chip side, you can purchase AVID® microchips that can be read only by an AVID® scanner or you can purchase AVID® microchips (called EURO Chips) that can be read by our competitors' scanners also. The price of the chips is the same." (source) Hope this helps.... Cheers! M2

You will have to take a Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF, http://www.msf-usa.org/) course, either the basic or experienced rider versions. They are both free, but as flyinjunky said you will have to track down your unit or wing safety officer to get info. Also, the USAF version do not provide bikes as the MSF courses do (since they are free), but if you don't have a motorcycle I guess you can always take the civilian course. Either way, the MSF web site has tons of good info on what you'll be learning. Good luck and have fun, but be safe! Cheers! M2

I just read in Air Force Times that Gen Jumper is getting rid of his 750 Magna for a new FJR1300! Cool or what? :cool: Cheers! M2

Not matter how dumb the show is, the Marine chick is pretty hot, if you ask me! :D I think Jordan has a pretty good idea, if you can get a Guard unit to pick you up, then get to UPT through them, then you will have more of a choice of what type of a/c you want. Once you are done with UPT and mission qual'd, then start law school. As Jordan said, it ain't gonna be easy, but if you are motivated it can be done. Good luck, but I gotta tell you when it all works out and you are a pilot/JAG, be ready to catch shit as people will always associate you with that TV show! Just give them the standard response... (complete with smile, of course!) Cheers! M2

Kerpal You can always have a full career as a pilot then become a lawyer afterward, that's been done before. However, if you go the pilot route you will be committed to fly for the first ten years if the USAF wants you to. Not everybody gets to fly their whole career, so there will always be a possibility that you could go to law school down the road. To be honest I don't recall every meeting a pilot who was a lawyer (except for my bu dthe ex-Eagle driver, and than he only went to law school after his flying career was over), I would suspect that the USAF would want you for your legal skills if you have got your degree. However, again, not that it can't be done, but I think you are putting yourself at a disadvantage waiting to apply to go to UPT. My free advice to you would be to apply for OTS your last year of college (is it to late for AFROTC?) and see how that pans out. If it doesn't, then head to law school. If it does, work on your law degree down the road. You will (hopefully) always have time to pursue that law degree, I have another bud who is taking law classes right now (he's a Lt Col). With TA there is nothing to stop you for furthering your education while on AD, but you have better devote your time to your primary job first, especially if you want/will become a pilot. Last bit of free advice, go see a recruiter and get your physical so you will know for sure if you are even pilot qualified. I don't think there is any obligation to do so, and you may want to pursue seeing if the USAF will send you to law school if that doesn't pan out. Best of luck! Cheers! M2

Kerpal Sure, almost anything is possible, but it is a long way to look down the road. I knew an ex-Eagle driver (USAFA grad) who later got the USAF to pay for law school after he no longer flew (for medical reasons). I think he may even be the PACAF/JA now, haven't keep track of him for a while. Do you know if you are even physically qualified to be a pilot/nav? Might want to find out early, color vision disqualifies a lot of guys, as does just your general eyesight. So, to summize, it's possible but I would focus on the nearterm for now! Best of luck at 'Bama! Cheers! M2

Most NATO designations are not meant to be flattering...FISHBED (Mig-21), FLOGGER (MiG-23), FARMER (MiG-19), FAGOT (Mig-15), HIND (Mi-24), HIP (Mi-8), GROUSE (SA-18)...they just have to following the naming convention ('F' for figher, 'H' for helicopters, etc). It wasn't what the Soviets named their aircraft...

Jeff I jumped with the Slovak Special Forces out of Mi-2 HOPLITE helicopters in the Tatra Mountains... (no, they don't normally smoke like that, I just found this photo on the web and thought it was appropriate!) Talk about a scary aircraft, but the worse part was the guys flying it were out drinking with us just a few hours earlier! They didn't share our love of safety standards (this was 10 years ago), as a matter of fact, they joked about how over-cautious we were (we sent one of their teams to jump with 10th Mountain Division at Ft Drum). There was no better feeling than when the Slovak jumpmaster indicated we were at the minimum altitude to jump in case of an emergency...I would have probably gone out the door anyway if that HOPLITE gave any indication of a malfunction. Still, it was a blast and I highly recommend it, even if you can't jumpt out of Soviet-made hardware. Cheers! M2

It's like stepping off the side of a very tall building and falling, then you either pull your ripcord or your static line does it for you, then you find out if you put all the straps in the right places. After that it is like floating, very calm and relaxing, as long as no one is shooting at you. Enjoy this time while it lasts. Then the ground rushes up and you find out if your PLF technique is correct or not. If it isn’t, hopefully you’ll be lucky (better to be lucky than good any day!) and none of your injuries will be permanent. Then it is all over. I hate heights, but jumping is how you find out if it is a fear or a phobia. If the former, than you can easily overcome it. If it is the latter, then you will likely never go out the door. Last bit of free advice, do it while you are young. It will take its toll on your knees and ankles, so it is best to do so while you can still recover from it in a reasonable amount of time. Have fun! Cheers! M2

Nope, it's got nothing to do with your head and feet being separated. I had a VietNam-era AC-130 crewdog tell me it was because usually the feet/boots are least likely to burn in a fire. I honestly don't see many people doing it anymore, now that we have DNA tests and all that. Cheers! M2

HercDude Having spent a little time on the ground in that part of the Republica Srpska (albeit not after being shot down), and knowing what I know about the B-Serbs, I can tell you the reason for O'Grady not being captured had nothing to do with his E&E "skills." If they wanted to find him, they would have found him. The B-Serbs had what they wanted, the media attention from shooting down a US DENY FLIGHT aircraft. However, as I have said, he didn't do anything wrong the day he was shot down. That was just a series of bad circumstances. Cheers! M2

By the way, WTFO is with this "retired" shit and O'Grady?!? He only served 12 years, and I don't recall him ever having sustained any injuries that would have qualified him to a medical retirement. Is his "legacy" of buffoonery still haunting us? Cheers! M2

Ragansundowner I just got to USAFE when this happened, and was staying with a bud from college who happened to be the chief of air/air defense at the IN. We discussed it in great detail, and where many feel O'Grady is an idiot (and have good reason to do so), he didn't do anything wrong the day he was shot down. Sorry I can't go into detail, but he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now, many of his subsequent actions during his E&E time are a different story...as are many of his actions before the incident. However, 2BKC135Pilot, I gotta disagree, O'Grady played it up afterward with the book where he snuffed the title (there was already a book with that title by Medal Of Honor Recipient Colonel George E. “Bud” Day) to his appearance as a Miss America judge. O'Grady was no hero, the only *** he saved was his own, and he did a pretty bad job of it as well. However, the US had to put a spin on the fact that a B-Serb SA-6 crew had knocked down a US airplane, hence the media reporting. I recall someone from the Triple Nickle saying afterward it was time for O'Grady to go home. Luckily Zulu has faded into obscurity. By the way, I believe Wilbur Wright is an O-6 at Ramstein now, can anyone confirm? However,

When the grunts in my office give me shit about the tiger-stripe BDUs (spit), I fire back with this... If anyone wants to **** with the Army....errrr....look more into this fine program, then go to http://www.goarmy.com/btg/index.htm and fill out the Operation Blue to Green Information Form. It does top out at O-3, so I am SOL. So are you, AirGuardian! Plus, they'd probably want me to cut my hair! Cheers! M2

I have discovered the secret to making a small fortune... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...first, invest a large fortune. Then wait. :eek: Seriously, my Merrill Lynch mutual funds, which were suppose to have provided a reasonable and steady return, have gone nowhere over the past five years. But, I bought and sold a house in San Antonio all in less than three years and expected to take a large bath on it, but in the end (sts) I made an easy $18K. If you have the time and can afford it, I would advise looking into real estate as a diverse area to also invest in. We also have a condo outside of Baltimore that we recently got an offer on, should stand to make a cool $54K on it. We've owned it for about eleven years. Not spectacular but when I tried to sell it about seven years ago I was looking at losing $12K. Just some free advice...and you get what you pay for...don't invest money you aren't ready to lose! Be sure to tuck some away into a savings account or somewhere as well, you may need quick and easy access to it. Cheers! M2 [ 08. July 2004, 11:38: Message edited by: MajorMadMax ]

BS... Source: ]http://arpc.afrc.af.mil/ja/sgli.htm