Hacker
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Posts posted by Hacker
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6 hours ago, ClearedHot said:
Perhaps not professional
I never bought into this new-agey idea that profanity is somehow not professional.
It is just one of the tools in the professional's toolbox. One that can be highly effective.
What is unprofessional is when that tool is improperly used, and unfortunately it often is.
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14 hours ago, pawnman said:
Funny that a guy who bitched so much about applying violence that he brought a lawsuit is now upset that we are taking care of our airmen.
Clearly you/her and I have very different definitions of "taking care of our airmen."
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10 hours ago, Waingro said:
Apparently someone is deeply triggered by CMSAF's Facebook page. Imagine having enough time on your hands to file a lawsuit over something like this.
Ya gotta admit, though, his FB post that started it was pretty damn funny.
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10 hours ago, MyCS said:
What happened to not taking people down for making dumb mistakes or decisions?
When you see people blame "the cancer in AF leadership" for the retention debacle, this is one of the cornerstones of that cancer.
At some point in the last 20 years, it became fashionable for commanders to be as "tough" on mistakes made by their subordinates as possible, in a combination of showing they're "no tolerance" or whatever and in an attempt to never allow themselves to be questioned by their superiors about a decision they made. CYA, essentially.
Which, obviously, is a 180-degree turn from where AF leaders once were, mentoring and protecting their subordinates and being screens for them.
I laugh at the fact that on DD175s, we used to put "on file" in that personnel part of the flight plan, partly in an attempt to protect our own AF pilots against adverse FAA action should they make a mistake. Today, I'm sure Commanders are practically eager to facilitate their pilots getting FAA violations so they never get accused of trying to cover something up under their command.
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My violence is "principled", and your violence is "terrorism".
Protest should make people uncomfortable....unless those people are elected representatives of the people, in which case it is illegal.
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Hate to say it, but if you want to talk about "fundamentals", just about all the major passenger airline stocks that have been artificially kept aloft for the last 10 months are kind of short on "fundamentals" as well.
Trying to play that card to somehow make the Gamestop and AMC price increases invalid is thoroughly intellectually dishonest.
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7 hours ago, FDNYOldGuy said:
Gamestop/AMC/Blackberry business models, financial pictures, and/or operating environments didn’t drastically change in the last month, so the absolutely astounding increases aren’t based on anything fundamental.
Yep...and all of the failing banks and investment houses that were bailed out with taxpayer money in 2008 were also not based on anything fundamental.
Still gets back to manipulation being okay for a certain group of people, but not okay for others.
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20 hours ago, SocialD said:
they'll need 100 WB Captains due to all the early outs we have.
I think this will be the fuze that really kicks off the next hiring spree -- not just at DAL, but industry-wide due to numerous places offering or incentivizing early retirements during COVID.
There's a lot of pent-up demand that is hiding under COVID fears and governmental restrictions. What remains to be seen is if how rapidly that demand is allowed to translate into ticket sales.
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Sweetness was also the CC of the 435th when you were in Valdosta in '05, wasn't he?
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19 minutes ago, pawnman said:
I don't think so. This guy was talking about recent job gripes in the AF. I thought PYB was removed from the Air Force after some conscientious objecting/protesting related to drone strikes.
I love how these rumors are born and bred.
For one, Rick actually *won* his case where he objected to what he found to be an unconstitutional order to kill an American citizen, and was reprised against by his local chain of command for that objection.
Second, he just retired....not any "retirement in lieu of" or any of those shenanigans, but a regular ol' retirement. IIRC it might have been a couple years less than 20, when they were offering early retirements 5-ish years ago.
Dude had/has his issues, but wasn't kicked out.
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30 minutes ago, Negatory said:
But you’re blinded to it’s bigger long term disparity effects because you “got yours.”
Envy is an ugly emotion.
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8 minutes ago, Negatory said:
Tens of millions are suffering and the top 1% or .1% were disproportionately (and ironically) the group the poor people’s wealth was “transferred to.”
Except for the fact that the pie size is not fixed....especially in a time when so much "free money" has been pumped into the system by the Fed.
So, no...someone getting richer does not mandate someone else getting poorer.
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Okay, thanks for clarifying that.
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On 12/24/2020 at 11:02 AM, hindsight2020 said:
The experience of these old timers is moot. This is about these "it's a big effing club...and you ain't in it", "foundations" sub-culture getting that limited/experimental passenger for hire exemption to their airplane type certificate pulled. Which, just like it did for IFT in the USAF when they went to IFS, dries up the gig for these cabals overnight. That's what this is really about.
Everybody fly safe out there. Happy new year!
Perhaps I didn't ask the right question in my previous post, so let me ask from a different angle.
Is your comment is a criticism of the gatekeeping that exists (and has long existed) in the warbird community which is a barrier to new people getting involved, or a comment on the Collings organization, specifically, with respect to how they operated their Wings of Freedom Tour?
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19 hours ago, Hopefulflyer389 said:
Are there warbird sims that can be used for training/EP Sims/type ratings?
Not that I'm aware of with the fidelity required to be of any value.
Most of the checkout and annual re-examination processes rely on actual butt-in-the-seat experience. We are actually somewhat fortunate that in the last 25 years there have been a bunch of fighters that have been modified into 2-seat, dual control versions which allow real hands-on instruction in them.
Before that, the traditional method of getting checked out to fly any of the big piston fighters involved a whole bunch of time flying the T-6, and a checkride where you takeoff, fly, and land the T-6 from the back seat. This was apparently supposed to provide such a poor view on takeoff and landing that it simulated the long nose of Mustangs, Corsairs, etc. Even flying the T-6 itself is considered a "harder" airplane to fly than most of the pig piston fighters because of some of its bad habits both in flight and on takeoff/landing. The joke in the warbird community is that to prepare yourself for flying the T-6, go get checked out in a Mustang or a Bearcat.
In the larger airplanes, the multiengine stuff, the key is still to have relevant taildragger experience prior to getting checked out....but you still need time in the seat with the engines running to actually get a checkout.
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1 hour ago, Negatory said:
Yeah. When BLM was focused on police brutality it was a much more tolerable movement. And no one’s a racist for thinking that.
Which is kind of the core problem, IMHO.
"Black lives matter" as a concept is really not controversial in any way. Yes, anyone who believes that all humans are individuals and of equal objective value philosophically can confidently agree with that. We might disagree on the degree to which the statement relies on an unproven implication that society inherently values the lives of individuals with a certain skin pigment less than other individuals with a different skin pigment, but that's leading us down a different path of discussion
Unfortunately, "Black Lives Matter", the organization and movement is something that is completely different and stands for something that is completely different than the plain English phrase means (as evidenced by their now-deleted "what we believe" webpage.
So, just like with a lot of sophistry used in the name of advocacy, not being in support of "Black Lives Matter" (the organization) gets to be weaponized against whomever states it as "racist" (or whatever other word from the deplorables litany one wishes to arm themselves with) by intentionally co-mingling the concept with the org.
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18 minutes ago, drewpey said:
Do you think the law treats everyone equally?
There are bad actors who make bad decisions in the judicial system, that have resulted in unequal and unfair treatment, obviously.
To distort that to mean the system itself is fundamentally flawed, or that the system is rigged against a particular identity group of people, is not a logical step.
Even worse, to declare that the current system is so broken that it has to be torn down and replaced with something more "fair", without being able to specify what exactly is broken with the current system, or what the specifics of that other system that would replace it might be, is a bunch of postmodernist nonsense.
BLM isn't at all interested in simply ending police brutality.
QuoteEvery day, we recommit to healing ourselves and each other, and to co-creating alongside comrades, allies, and family a culture where each person feels seen, heard, and supported.
We acknowledge, respect, and celebrate differences and commonalities.
We work vigorously for freedom and justice for Black people and, by extension, all people.
We intentionally build and nurture a beloved community that is bonded together through a beautiful struggle that is restorative, not depleting.
We are unapologetically Black in our positioning. In affirming that Black Lives Matter, we need not qualify our position. To love and desire freedom and justice for ourselves is a prerequisite for wanting the same for others.
We see ourselves as part of the global Black family, and we are aware of the different ways we are impacted or privileged as Black people who exist in different parts of the world.
We are guided by the fact that all Black lives matter, regardless of actual or perceived sexual identity, gender identity, gender expression, economic status, ability, disability, religious beliefs or disbeliefs, immigration status, or location.
We make space for transgender brothers and sisters to participate and lead.
We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.
We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.
We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.
We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.
We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.
We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).
We cultivate an intergenerational and communal network free from ageism. We believe that all people, regardless of age, show up with the capacity to lead and learn.
We embody and practice justice, liberation, and peace in our engagements with one another.
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10 minutes ago, drewpey said:
I think that's exactly what the BLM protests were about.
Not by a long shot.
BLM is protesting for a forced Marxist-style transfer of social power and financial wealth from whom they perceive are the "haves" to whom they perceive are the "have nots"...in the name of "equity" (e.g. equality of outcome; where we all have the same social power and we all have the same financial means).
That has absolutely zero to do with the status of being "equal before the law", which is what actual "equality" is in a western democracy. Equality and liberty in a free society comes with no promise of social status or financial wealth, good or bad.
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There have already been positive ripple effects from this accident.
The warbird organization I fly with has twice in the last 12 months tightened up its training and qualification requirements, and changed its supervisory/oversight strategy and responsibilities. They have even implemented their plan to have Big Blue-style "no notice" on-site inspections of individual units' compliance with organizational and FAA regulations.
Of course, there are some key leadership positions in that organization who are retired USAF O-6s, and their solution to the problem (the problem of the FAA whipping out their speculum and hysteroscope to inspect other warbird ride operations) is to bring over the regulatory and supervisory mechanisms that "worked"(?) in the Air Force.
Personally, I don't mind; I'd rather deal with a little Big Blue-style bureaucracy than have the FAA go all full retard and basically stop most warbird flying like has happened in the UK and elsewhere.
The fact is, if the LHFE goes away a significant number of flying warbirds will never fly again. I know of several famous, rare warbirds that go barnstorming every summer that, without the money from rides or a Paul Allen-style benefactor will never fly again.
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On 12/24/2020 at 2:02 PM, hindsight2020 said:
This is about these "it's a big effing club...and you ain't in it", "foundations" sub-culture getting that limited/experimental passenger for hire exemption to their airplane type certificate pulled.
Do you have personal experience with trying to fly for Collings? If so, I'm curious what the circumstances of that were.
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On 12/22/2020 at 12:52 PM, Stoker said:
The pilot in this incident had 7300 hours in this particular B-17. I think he was likely the most experienced B-17 pilot, ever.
I think we have to be skeptical of that number based on the evidence that is out there from the investigation. To wit:
QuoteOn January 2, 2019, the captain reported total flight time of 14,500 hours on his FAA medical application when applying for his second-class physical. He reported flying 450 hours in the past 6 months and his total time represents 2000 flight hours since he last reported his flight time on his FAA medical evaluation form in January 2017.
On the FAA medical application dated December 28, 2012, it indicated 5,800 hours of total flight time with 200 hours in the past six months. One year later, on December 20, 2013 he reported 11,000 flight hours with 200 hours in the past six months. This was an increase in 5,200 flight hours in a one-year period.It isn't outrageous for someone to claim 1,000 hours in a year; I know numerous airline guys who hit this number somewhat regularly. Definitely unusual for a non-military, non-airline guy to be getting that amount of hours, but I wouldn't find it impossible to believe.
It is, however, not possible that he flew 5,200 hours in one year. This would mean he was logging 14 hours of flight time per day, every day, for 365 days. And since he reported only 200 hours of time during the "last 6 months" of that year...well, apparently Mac was logging augmented crew time while he was sleeping.
But, even that first number has to be taken in perspective of other evidence, like:
QuoteA review of the B-17 maintenance logbooks revealed it flew 838 hours over a three-year period.
• January 15, 2016 to January 18, 2017 = 286 hours
• January 18, 2017 to January 23, 2018 = 292 hours
• January 23, 2018 to January 16, 2019 = 260 hoursSo, if the B-17 was flying under 300 hours per year total, even if you make the assumption that Mac was flying every single one of those hours (which we know he wasn't - I personally know people who flew 909 during that timeframe, and not with Mac in the seat), where were the other 700-ish hours per year coming from? This would require him to fly *double* the amount of hours he was theoretically getting in the B-17 in some other aircraft on the tour.
Remember, Mac was not a professional pilot at any point during his career and Collings was the only flying he was doing.
The evidence here shows that there was some amount of "Parker P-51" time going on here. How much? Tough to say...but it could be a substantial amount based on the self-reporting from the FAA medicals. He had to understand that the hour report to the FAA on your medical is an official attestation of your flight experience.
I admit, I bought into the Mac mystique too. The way he was spoken about by other pilots, as well as the way he spoke and carried himself, I'd have thought he was some old 'Nam vet, or old fire-bomber pilot, or retired airline guy. I was surprised to learn in this report that he'd only had his multiengine rating since 1999, and that he'd never actually had a professional flying career.
The data here, as well as his actions during the emergency, give me many many questions about the authenticity of basically anything said about his credentials or experience.
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18 hours ago, drewpey said:
we just want folks to be treated equally.
The root of the issue lies in what people interpret "treated equally" to mean.
The philosophers upon whose tenets western society has been built interpret that to mean "all individuals treated equally before the law".
Unfortunately that is not a definition that is shared across the political and philosophical spectrum, and that is the crux.
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On 12/23/2020 at 9:58 AM, slackline said:
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/equity
“the quality of being fair or impartial”
Maybe I’m misunderstanding the point you’re tying to make.You are.
It isn't about the dictionary definition of equity.
Just as how the social justice crowd has re-defined "racism" to hinge on power, "equity" has been re-defined to mean equality of outcome, usually with respect to money but also frequently with respect to social power. So, when the term is used in the context of that video, they are talking about social power, and not fair treatment in front of the law.
It is a loaded codeword that is intended to sound like "equality" to those not paying attention.
This new definition is used commonly in the social science sphere.
Here's what Bret Weinstein, a self-identified progressive university professor says about equity:
QuoteNobody's going to define the term equity for you. Do you know why? Because it's not a word. Equity to most of us is supposed to be a word. It has a definition and it has a lot to do with equality. But because this is effectively a plan for rapidly gaining power for effectively transferring power and wellbeing from one population to another, the term must never be defined.
What you will get are examples. If we had equity, it would look like X and so you'll be given an example that seems like nobody could oppose it. There's a cartoon you will see circulated with kids looking at a baseball game, and there's a short kid and a medium-height kid and a tall kid. The short kid can't see the game and the medium kid is on his toes looking over the fence and the tall kid can see it. Then, there are some boxes and there's a distribution of the boxes that renders everybody able to see the game. Who could oppose that?
But what is implied is false. What they really want is to turn the tables of oppression, and it's not even the real tables of oppression. They want to turn the imagined tables of oppression so that those who were privileged are now subordinate and those who were, in their own minds, most oppressed, will be the most well resourced and powerful. If they were honest about that, nobody would listen. It's obviously a preposterous plan.
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11 hours ago, Negatory said:
The context that’s missing is that, immediately before this clip starts, he says “If we can not make significant progress on racial equity, this country is doomed...” He’s saying the country is doomed if the growing minority groups continue to be treated unfairly, and they need to work together if they want to fix it.
That is not what "equity" means. It has nothing to do with "fair treatment".
Equity means "equality of outcome".
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What's wrong with the Air Force?
in General Discussion
Posted