BFM this

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/amc-commander-lays-out-mobility-manifesto/ Long time ago, a former CH-53 crew chief told to me that his training syllabus included a landing. Nothing fancy, here's how you set down if the need arises, nothing more. My guess is that future booms are gonna get some landing practice, just for funsies.

Peter Zeihan suggested several days ago that the energy crunch in Europe is going to have substantial knock-on effects in German industry, leading to an economic contraction over the coming year(s) while they redo their grid. Added to @torqued 's citation, a possible outcome is that the Germans find themselves unprepared (unwilling?) to foot the bill for the next round of austerity.

For some, it makes sense, and they seem to be making the ideal decision. I was fortunate to have a formative commuting experience during my first foray into 121, and it was about as bad a commuting situation as I could imagine, two legs to uncommutable pairings...wife was on board to do whatever we needed to in order to avoid commuting. "OMG you're going to uproot the kids? How awful, they will be so upset!!!" was the chorus from extended family and friends. 🤣 Kids were way more excited to move than we were (probably has something to do with not having to do any of the moving work). My worthless advice, have the discussion, don't cherry pick the data, look at all of the pros and cons of living in base. I can do things living in base that commuters have a difficult time following: In base reserve (the biggest benefit, imo)(eta: coincidentally also topping the list of reasons I left the ACMI sector. I spent six nights away from my own bed last month, and blocked > my best month at my last gig 🤘) Schoolhouse or other HQ staff gigs (if you choose to live near the mothership for your carrier) I can sit around and cherry pick premium/pickup/trade trips at my leisure, without the added tax of looking at loads/wx/connections of a commute, just suit up and drive. My wife's favorite phrase while sitting reserve: "Honey, I got put on a turn tomorrow" I bid a line long before I had the seniority to specifically hold commutable lines. By the same token, if your family is rooted near the extended support network of family/friends/spouse's lucrative job, then that might tilt the equation the other way. My wife's job (home office) was portable in our case.

It might, but that dude is busy as fuck at the moment.

That seems like a careless statement. I wouldn't go so far as to call it extremely careless...

The Homeless Industrial Complex would like a hit of that budget dust, for sure. Oh, wait, did you mean you wanted to curb homelessness? Sorry, way to lucrative a business for anything like that... https://newrepublic.com/article/166383/los-angeles-echo-park-homeless-industrial-complex Back to the Shenanigans!

OPR bullet?

Wait… Did you just quote Office Space as a snarky reply? That’s actually funny

Doesn’t quite whistle like the 6k# Dog Whistle it was based on, but still looks purty in flight.

Not rock bottom, but about 12.5k at a 15k legacy. 6 nights out of my own bed this month, in base. Should improve next year going to WB/FO. No ang/res as I'm a proud member of the check of the month club.

Yeah that audio is …just wow.

BBC’s Ukrainecast explored some of the creative accounting the Russians are using to hide casualty figures from the Russian public in their episode from last Wednesday. Contractors recruiting from prisons to start with. But yeah, this one is going to affect their society for generations.

Makes sense. I mean, since you can launch a Maverick on the ground, of course you could shoot a HARM.

"the Air Force surgeon general has recommended the waist-to-height ratio as the best method for assessing body composition instead of the long-used tape test." Jimminy Cricket, it's about friggin time!

"Instead of punishing [the] individual and holding them accountable, the airmen are now required to attend more pt so no one else is in the same situation to fail," Glad to see time honored traditions of AF leadership are alive and well. When one idiot shits their pants, we all wear diapers. Bravo. 👏

Based on the ADS-B track, CP was on his third training sortie. Started with a jump run, went to the pattern, two circuits, then headed for RDU and declared, implying the second bounce went wrong (hard landing, etc). Ref: video I'd posted earlier

Barring further evidence coming to light, the most likely working theory is that this was an attempt to visually check the damaged right main while in flight, gone horribly wrong. Anyone who has ever been anywhere near an open Herc ramp in flight, wouldn't think of doing so without a harness attached.

Targets drive the weapon. Threats drive the tactics. The audience drives the Movie Tactics.

Is this another General Chang thing? We being trolled again?

In legacy initial last year, having taken a COVID victory lap at the ACMI... Sim-P is a crusty old dude, mid 70's, with plenty of stories. Started out at Air Cal, mentioned this 6-9 times every day we worked with him. Great guy, easy to get along with. Walked with a cane. Took quite a while to get down the stairs to the sim bay, so if one of us needed to hit the head mid session, he'd just toss us his badge to get in/out of the door vice walking out with us. He was there...because he felt he needed to. His was the standard "timing is everything" story, with maybe one divorce, maybe one ill-timed change of carrier, but otherwise he caught the triple furlough whammy. Came home and told the Frau that our financial goal, beyond anything else, was NOT to end up in a similar situation.

I cringe whenever I hear this bullet point mentioned. Step 1: Age 67 passes, and with it additional screenings required, including cognitive. Step 2: Courts weigh in on age discrimination, as at first Step 1 only applied to 65 - 67 Step 3: All ages subject to new screenings, including cognitive. Step 4: some pilots who had previously been in the clear at Step 1 find themselves running afoul of the new screenings (think 59yo experiencing what might otherwise have gone undiagnosed early cognitive decline) Step 5: HUGE PROFITS!!! Here again, whoever is pushing this agenda is counting chicks way before they hatch.

I think this nugget from the Good Idea Fairy isn't going to hit reality intact. Sure, there's going to be a few individuals with the healthspan to make it to 67. They will likely be eclipsed by those who want to, but fall short, driving up LTD costs for starters. Likewise, at least at my carrier, can't take the sick bank with you, so the older segment spends their last few years (if otherwise healthy), burning down their sick bank; again higher cost per productivity widget. It's going to be an exponential cost increase that in the end will squeeze only a few drops of productivity from the least productive segment of the pilot population.