Toro

April 19, 2004

PIT is pretty laid back, much more low stress than UPT - he should have plenty of free time. When I went through I flew about three times a week, but the debriefs didn't take as long as UPT debriefs. If he's a FAIP he's got the potential for proficiency advancing through a few rides as well - I think I skipped 3 or 4 - and he should be familiar with the systems, so studying isn't really necessary.

April 8, 2004

ENJJPT stud is pretty much right on.

Unofficially, the IPs have a huge say in the ranking. Officially, it is the Flt/CC who writes the recommendation, but it is after hours of consulting with all the instructors in the flight.

For guys finding out where they are before assignment night, it seems like the trend for about as long as I've known has been to leave it a surprise. When I went through, our class was told exactly what was in the drop and were we ranked before the drop. At the drop, we were teleconferenced to the other two bases (Sheppard wasn't included) and you stood up in order or ranking to pick your jet from what was available. Shortly after, they changed to keeping everything a suprise. The Flt/CC will know a couple days in advance what everybody is getting, but it's up to him whether he wants to tell the students - or even the IPs. While I was an IP at Columbus, no Flt/CC ever revealed this to his IPs.

April 2, 2004

I was a communication major. Had a buddy in my FTU class who was a marine biology major. I don't think anybody cares (except the guys looking at test pilot school applications).

March 31, 2004

Also ditto ENJJPT2B. I've never used Space A, but my wife has used it three times from England to the States. She's only been denied once trying to go there (got her flight the next week), but twice coming back she couldn't get a flight. It wouldn't have been a huge deal except that they can't tell you whether you'll have a seat until the day of and you must physically be in the airport for them to tell you - which was a five hour drive from where she was. Both times she ended up trying one more time, then buying a commercial ticket.

March 30, 2004

For the fighter guys, it depends on what and where you're flying, but around here we mostly do this on deployments. The only place I know of for shooting missiles is the Combat Archer WSEP at Tyndall AFB. On a normal schedule, I think most squadrons get to go about once a year.

In the 2.5 years I've been at my squadron, we've had about four opportunities to drop live at home station. A couple were LGB (Laser Guided Bombs), one was dumb bombs (MK-82s), and the most recent was JDAM. Similar to Archer, Combat Hammer is the WSEP for A/G drops. There are also numerous other A/G WTDs (Weapons and Tactics Deployments) that we've gone to.

A/G strafing is easier to coordinate and every so often we get a gung-ho commander who says, "Dammit, we're gonna start strafing again - guys don't know how to do it - it's a dying art!"

Then we go strafe a couple times and because we haven't done it for so long, the guns all jam and the jets come back code III. Then maintenance complains and we stop strafing for a year or so...until the next gung ho commander shows up.

[ 29. March 2004, 23:12: Message edited by: Toro ]

March 29, 2004

Originally posted by C17Driver:
crews are almost always augmented (three pilots and two loadmasters) which increases the duty days to 24 hours.

How does that work? Do you have limitations on how long you can actually be at the controls of the aircraft, or any type of restrictions on how long or how often you need to take a break?

March 26, 2004

Originally posted by Baseops.Net:
one needs to give serious consideration to Comm habits when flying overseas....Not to mention the differences in ICAO verbage (dependent on theater) and FAA verbage

That's something that takes a while to get used to in England. Take a guess what it means when the control tells you, "Expect diverse to the talkdown followed by reheat overshoot to the visual circuit, set QFE 29.80."

Translation (from the Queen's English to American English) - Expect vectors for the PAR followed by an afterburner low approach to the VFR pattern, altimeter is 29.80"

March 26, 2004

Disclaimer: I'm talking about military ATC and regs, not civilian

I think a lot of you are confusing slang with minimizing comm. In his original example, C17wannabe's example ("N11111 with you 1.1 for 3") is not slang, is a quicker way of saying, "N1111 is with you passing 1100 for 3000".

Slang is when the controller tells you to set altimeter 30.00 and you reply "Three-balls". As Hacker said, stuff like that sounds unprofessional...and makes you sound like a clown.

Originally posted by c17wannabe:
On climb out and told to contact departure. Correctly, "Atlanta Departure, N15555 is Just off of the McCollum Airport. Currently climbing through one thousand three hundred feet for three thousand feet." While that is correct you would have gotten out maybe the first line.

"Departure, N15555 passing 1300 feet" - 'nuff said.

ATC knows who and where you are and where you're going before you talk to them, there's no need to give your entire flight plan every time you check in with a new controller. Tower talks to departure before they can release you, and ATC controllers talk to each other before they hand you over; each one is passing the next your details.

Along with the brevity concept, realize that there is only one time where you must readback controller instructions verbatim, and that is on ground control. With ATC, the only things you have to repeat with ATC are headings, altitudes, and altimeter settings.

...oh, and if you lower your voice to talk on the radio, you are a tool.

March 25, 2004

Originally posted by MajorMadMax:
Not sure if it is a loophole, but most squadrons have a snacko that sell patches, coins, prints, shotglasses, etc to generate some funds

That's totally different. AAFES doesn't care about those kinds of items because they don't sell them, so you're not drawing funds away from them.

Originally posted by Animal:
Hey Toro...remember when this happened to us at SJ?

Now I do - Columbus and SJ just sort of blended together in my hazed memory. That was pretty obvious to them because they had two snack machines sitting right next to where we set up our snack bar. All of a sudden we're raking in the dough and they don't get a single coin dropped in their machines. They stopped complaining when the snack bar was out of sight, despite the fact that nobody was buying candy still.

Originally posted by Hacker:
Which squadron? Prancers?

Yup

March 24, 2004

Same thing happened to the snackos when I was at Columbus. They were raking in big cash until the a$$holes at AAFES found out about it and shut them down. We never found a way around it.

March 24, 2004

In addition to staff, there are also ALO tours that doesn’t involve flying. This can happen at any time – it will more than likely by your second or third tour if you’re going to get one. Most guys will take their staff tours no earlier than mid-level majors. As long as you’re interested in flying, you’ll generally get back in the cockpit after each of these tours.

March 22, 2004

Originally posted by Paul Campbell:
Please let me know if I'm incorrect, but I'm pretty sure that you back 10 years OR until your 16th birthday.

Depends on the question. Some ask "have you ever", some ask, "in the last 7 years," some ask "in the last 7 years or since the age of 16, whichever was shorter."

I don't know if they've gone from 7 to 10 years, but when I re-submitted mine a little over a year ago, it still said 7.

Originally posted by jtpuro:
Has anybody ever messed anything up or accidentally forgot to list something on there? Anyone know someone who has been screwed by the security clearance??? Just curious if anyone has any stories...

I'm sure somebody has. As long as it's an honest mistake, it's not a big deal - and you always have the chance to clarify things with the agent who interviews you. I don't think you can get 'screwed' by the security clearance unless somebody maliciously lies about your past. Generally if you got screwed, it's because you screwed up in the past and/or you tried to cover it up.

March 22, 2004

You will need-

Every address you've lived in for the last ten years and somebody who knew you at the last five or so addresses. This includes dorm rooms (you need the building number, street address, and room number)

All your school dates, degrees, and addresses of the schools.

All your jobs in the last ten years to include employers and supervisor's name, address, and phone number.

The names, addresses, and phone numbers of three people who know you well (not used as references in any other portion of the form).

Names, addresses, phone numbers, date of birth of all your immediate family.

All your foreign country travel dates in the last seven years - even weekend trips.

Those are the detailed questions that most people have trouble hunting down. There are also the slew of "have you ever..." questions relating to illegal activity and police records as well.

March 17, 2004

Originally posted by Dirt Beater:
Typically, how long will you be DNIF after taking a couple shots of Afrin?

The couple times I've done it, I was only DNIF until I saw the flight doc. He documented it, asked me if I was okay and if I was still feeling the effects along with a couple other questions, and cleared me to fly again right away.

March 17, 2004

Feels like a sharp needly being jabbed right between and behind your eyes? Sounds like a sinus block - I've had them a couple times and I know they can be excruciatingly painful. I'm sure F16PilotMD can give you all the technical medical jargon on why it happens, but basically it has to do with the pressure not equalizing in your sinus cavities.

One remedy is to slow or temporarily stop your descent to try to let the pressure equalize. Also, as a short term remedy, I always carry Afrin with me in my G-suit pocket when I fly - given to me by the flight doc. If I feel a sinus block coming on, I'll take a squirt of it, which generally helps out. If you land after taking it, you need to go see the flight doc before you fly again (ie you have self-medicated and have to DNIF yourself).

March 12, 2004

ENJJPT Stud, good definition of asymmetry.

March 11, 2004

Originally posted by Dirt Beater:
Okay, here's part deux...what are the most common reasons for over-G'ing the jet?

Before the C model, the most common reason for over-Ging the 38 I experienced was flying through jetwash while pulling G (now you have to apply asymmetrical G limits). Not sure if this is something the C model can compensate for, but it sucks to have it happen. We had a student flying his first (of only four) FM rides and he flew through the other guy's jetwash while doing the G exercise. He hooked the ride, obviously got nothing out of it, and only had three left after that.

In the Strike Eagle, I've most commonly seen the jet over-G'd at the beginning of BFM setups. Both jets are at 430 knots and striving to pull as close as possible to 9Gs when they go into their break turn. Throw a little bit of asymmetry into your break turn and it decreases your G available - I know a guy who over G'd at 5Gs.

Originally posted by Patriot 328
How many G's are guys pulling to pull the level 3 over G on an Eagle?

It’s not a specific amount of G, but rather a percentage of overload on the aircraft components that designates what level the over-G is. Generally, with a straight pull in standard configurations, pulling 9.0 Gs at lower to medium altitudes will give you 100% overload (not an over-G, but damn close). Throw in a little asymmetry, or higher altitudes/faster airspeed and your G available decreases. So a 7.0 G pull could now give you 101%, which is a Level 1 over-G. 111-120% is a level 2, 121-130% is a level 3, 131-140% is a level 4, and anything above 141% is a level 5…and that plane probably isn’t coming home.

I would think the aircraft can handle more than the airman. Are these G limits flat limits for a given configuration or are they relative to the payload and/or speed?

Nope, 9Gs is where it maxes out. Yes, this depends on not only configuration, but also weight, altitude, and airspeed. The jet has an Overload Warning System (OWS) which computes the amount of G the jet has available based on these factors. If you are at higher altitudes and/or faster airspeeds, your G available decreases to less than 9. The 85 and 92% beepers talked about earlier are computed by the OWS.

[ 11 March 2004, 01:02: Message edited by: Toro ]

March 10, 2004

Originally posted by Dirt Beater:
In the pointy-nose world, how often do over-G's happen? What are the ramifications for the pilot?

I'd say we average around one a week in my squadron. You can actually over-G the Strike Eagle and continue the mission in some cases - provided the over-G wasn't on one of the jet's mass items, and it doesn't exceed a certain percentage of overload.

If you over-G, you buy a CD for the bar - and yes, the WSO has to buy one as well. If it's a severe over-G, you may find yourself pulling panels with the maintainers in addition to buying them a case of beer.

Originally posted by CBStud:
What usually happens is you burn down gas, and if you don't have any controlability issues you just head back home and fly a straight-in.

Does the student hook the ride? Used to be any over-G was an automatic hook.

I can't tell you for the Fighters but I'm pretty sure the computer onboard the 16 won't let you over G.

The Strike Eagle has a system that warns you when you’re about to over-G. It has a beeper that starts up when you’re at 85% of your max allowable G, then a more rapid beeper that kicks in when you’re at 92%. My understanding of the viper was that it was a limiter which won’t allow you to over-G in normal circumstances, but with external stores, the limiter in some case will allow an over-G.

March 9, 2004

You'll fly with a different pilot/WSO every day. The only time I've ever been 'hard crewed' with a WSO was during a Flag-type exercise, and even then it wasn't completely necessary.

There is a lot more to CRM than just who runs what sensors, and there are a lot more sensors than just the radar. It also depends on what you are doing: if you're doing 2v2/4v4 ACT type stuff, the pilot will usually run the radar while the WSO monitors the SIT and targeting pod. If you're low altitude, the pilot primarily just maintains formation while the WSO runs most of the sensors. In BFM/ACM, the pilot fights and the WSO looks for the second guy who's trying to roll in and kill you.

In general, there are 'standard' roles for us (similar to stuff listed above) which are actually written out in our regs and wing/squadron standards which lay out what each guy should do in case you want to have a crew brief of 'standard.'

March 8, 2004

Originally posted by KC10Boomer:
On sort of the same note, I've heard of tanker guys clearing individual receivers to the wings, eg, "1 and 2 is cleared to the right wing, 3 and 4 are cleared left". When fighters know which wing they're going to, and we're probably screwing up the order they normally go in. Too much chatter for too little payoff.

Shack. Most flight leads, especially with a four-ship, will brief where they want the wingmen to go. It's also usually written in the standards. I'll always tell my #2 to go to the left, then I'll occassionally get to a tanker who tells him to go to the right, so now I've gotta garbage up the radios again and tell the tanker that he's going to the left.

March 5, 2004

Originally posted by Bergman:
From KC-135 T.O. 1-1C-1-3, "Except when security would be compromised, a verbal hot armament check will be accomplished between the tanker and receiver during the 15 minute prior to ARCT call."

15 minutes prior? That's absolutely retarded - ATC won't even switch you to the tanker frequency until you at least have radar contact with them (but usually they require visual contact). During the day I would say most guys turn off their radar once they're within about 1/2 mile. At night (especially with 135s, since they hate turning on their lights) most guys I know leave the radar on until the pre-contact position.

February 28, 2004

If it was a Friday, it could have been just about anybody in a fighter squadron. On Fridays, we let our life support and intel troops wear a bag.

February 27, 2004

What's your situation (what does each of you do)?

In a very general sense, I can tell you that the AF will try "their best" to get you close together, but you're likely going to make some sacrifices. I've seen several instances (including a guy in my current squadron) where it worked well and a non-flier spouse followed a flyer with very little delay to the same base. I've also seen many instances where the couple was separated by at least a state.

IMHO, the worst thing you could do would be to marry another pilot, as this is the hardest thing for AFPC to work. You can't be in the same squadron (or so I hear), so your options are to either find an MDS that has multiple squadrons at the same base (seen this) or go to seperate MDSs that are stationed in the same place (seen this attempted). Problem is that if you are able do this once, it's often tough to find a second location where this is possible. Strike Eagles are nice in that there are two different bases with more than one squadron (Lakenheath/2 and Seymour/4).

I just talked to somebody I knew who married another pilot prior to them getting their assignment. He got vipers, she got C-12s and the best they could do was an Osan/Kunsan assignment. She just found out she's pregnant and worked for about six month to get out of her flying job to be stationed with him and finally made it happened - both to Shaw.

You can't be married to another AF pilot and expect to have any sort of normal marriage.

[ 26 February 2004, 23:27: Message edited by: Toro ]

February 20, 2004

Metalhead, you're right on with your reasoning of why many students don't wash out. You wouldn't believe what a logistical nightmare it is to try to get rid of somebody who truly does not belong in the cockpit.

As far as your "Girls automatically get back in" statement, I'll concur with that one, too. If anyone doesn't think it's true, I've got specific stories of when it's happened.

Originally posted by Bergman:
While I agree that 145 at touchdown is pretty quick, aren't the -38s (and most other fighters) usually even faster than that?

Yes they are. It's not the approach speed that makes landing the jet difficult, it's the proximity to the aircraft's stall speed. Because of the 38s small wings, it has a very high stall speed - you are in constant buffet throughout the landing pattern and always very close to stalling. Land a little fast and you'll have to go around or honk on the brakes down the runway. Land a little slow and you'll drop out of the sky and pound onto the concrete.

February 18, 2004

Originally posted by Dan Foster:
can someone elaborate on the basic aircraft control/airmanship washouts? Were they simply bad pilots? or could they just not handle the T-37/1/38?

Speaking as an IP from the T-38 side, I can tell you it that it was a little of both. Only one student was eliminated from 38s while I was at Columbus, but many went to Progress and Elimination Check rides. I flew with some of those, and I flew the PC for the guy who eventually washed out.

There are generally three problems that get guys in serious trouble in 38s. The biggest is general airmanship and situational awareness. This comes from the fact that the T-38 moves much quicker than the 37, and students need to be able to think two steps ahead of the jet. Guys have trouble figuring out where there are in the area, and determing where they'll be after there next maneuver so they can figure out what the following maneuver will be. SA and Area Orientation are the most commonly hookes items on contact and formation check rides.

The next problem is formation maneuvering - close and tactical (6-9K line abreast spacing). The guy in my UPT class as well as the one who washed out at Columbus both had problems with close - just not being able to fly the jet with steady hands when they were in fingertip. Another big problem that was not emphasized enough at UPT when I was an IP and later became an emphasis at IFF was flying tactical. Guys who had wings and were supposed to be learning to fly BFM couldn't do so because they couldn't fly the basic tactical formations that they were supposed to have learned from us.

The final thing is landings. The T-38 has a very fast approach and landing speed and supposedly is the hardest jet in the AF to land. I've seen plenty of guys hook daily and check rides for landings, but I've never seen anybody get washed out. I did, however, see a FAIP go to an FEB for not being able to land no-flaps (after he finished PIT, too).

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Posts posted by Toro