herkbum

Great pics. It's funny, I have some of the exact same pictures, namely the predator with only one Hellfire and some of the Russian aircraft. I saw the WB-57 in it's shelter at OAKN, but I didn't know what it was. Thanks for the info. Chuck, what was up with the off kilter -17 that sat at OAKN for a few weeks? [ 30. September 2006, 19:55: Message edited by: herkbum ]

I'm not saying MPD folks can't do this, I'm saying they NEED to be doing this. They are qualified to fly in both seats, but it is what you do or how you perform in said seat that really matters. As I stated earlier, performing left/right seat duties also refers to what you do outside of the airplane as well. Spend your time in the right seat, learn these things, then worry about moving to and making decisions in the left seat.

There is so much more to being an AC than just sitting in the left seat!! Flying from the left seat is mainly different in the t/o&landing picture, nose-wheel steering, sitting closer to the throttles, and flying with the opposite hand. What makes you an AC is the ability to make decisions. Not only decisions in the airplane, but how to take care of a crew during RON's and on deployments. MPD or CP doesn't make a rat's ass difference if they don't have experience as a CREWMEMBER! You can't learn how to be a crewmember in 35 hours @ LRF! This comes from flying the line, learning the mission by actually doing the mission; seeing different situations and what decisions were made to remedy those situations. That is why a pilot needs to spend about 1000 hrs in the RIGHT seat, learning the Herk and it's mission. Then you can move over to the left seat and the decision-making that goes along with having the A code behind your name. What is a good copilot, what Linda stated above is an excellent start. Coming out of LRF as a copilot, I knew how to file an 1801 & how to read a Form 59, but I was a prior navigator. Otherwise, I would have been clueless. You need to spend your time in the right seat learning to do these things, in addition to know about oceanic clearances, position reports, talking on HF, checking dip-cleared routing, expecting what controllers (both foreign and domestic) are likely to clear you to. Help the nav plan the flight, get with the loads and learn the Form F and how they plan on loading the airplane. Basically, as I said earlier, learn to be a crewmember before you lead the crew.

You are not too old, but you do need to get started immediately. You are going to be hard pressed to get everything done, but you have to try. Follow all advice above, particularly using the search function. There is tons of info on this site! You just have to find it. We will help as much as we can. Take your AFOQT, find a unit you are interested in and contact them, this should get you started in the right direction. Best of luck.

Don't be so hasty! You can fly quite a bit in the Guard. I was talking to a friend from UPT the other day, who happens to be AD; I have twice as many hours as him. He was floored how many hours we get in the Guard. The good thing about Guard flying is you can fly as much or as little as you want. Typically, when we fly locals, there are only two pilots on board. So you can bang out a ton of work in two hours. Our co's are getting as much time as they want. Talk to the Guard unit and find out how much flying they are doing before you make any big decisions. Also talk to some AD units and see how much flying time their co-pilot's are getting. You might try floating the question on the General Discussion board, I'm sure you will get some pretty good insight. Basically, do some research and see what you want to do. Don't make any decisions based off one question on a message board. Edit: I guess I need to read the General Discussion message board first. Wicked27, I didn't realize you were talking about fighters. I can't give you any accurate info on that side of the house. My post deals with the -130 side. Sorry. [ 01. March 2006, 21:42: Message edited by: herkbum ]

Last I heard- ANG to AD pilot is not possible. I believe it has to do with the overage the AD guys have now. You can check Air Guard Homepage -but this will have to be done from a .mil server. Go to Jobs, Title 10 Vacancies, there is a recall to AD section at the bottom of the page. My unit is on the BRAC and I called AFPC/ARPC when it was announced to ask this same question. That is where I got my answer- no recalls at this time and none scheduled in the future. Again, this did pertain to C-130's, I can't speak for other airframes, but I imagine it's the same story. Hope this helps.

That's funny. Every AD co I have talked to is complaining about the lack of flying hours they are getting. If he is not getting the hours at the Guard unit, he needs to sign up to fly more. There is no shortage of daily line flying with the units I have spoken with.

We had a TFAP guy assigned to us. He received a letter about half way thru his tour saying the program was being cancelled. He is now at the Rock, back with the AD. This is a great program because in the Guard, the co's get more flying time. I was talking with a bud of mine that I graduated Little Rock with and I have twice as many hours. Co's in the Guard get lots of stick time. I was shocked to hear how little AD co's are flying.

Why in the hell do they wear flight suits?! Is their computer going to catch on fire?

Play nice! Remember this board is to help people, let's not get in a pissing contest. You will lose.

Don't know anything about FW's way of doing business, but most of the UPT selectees I was commissioned with and went thru UPT with were non-prior service. My unit does not require prior service, eventhough it does help.

There are numerous guys in my squadron that have had the Herc over FL310. The highest I've heard is FL370. And yes they say it is a pig up there.

If you are an Aircraft Commander in a current C-130 model, then there shouldn't be any follow-on training. You are qualified to fly the herc. If you go to a Guard unit, the chances are you will start off in the right seat. This gives the unit a chance to evaluate you and see what kind of guy/pilot you are. It is not a knock against you personally, this happens to everyone. After being in the right seat for a while (time frame can vary greatly), the unit will cert you, again, as an AC. Although, you timing may not be the best. We find out the results of the BRAC this week. If it goes thru as is, there may be a shortage of C-130 cockpits in the Guard/Reserve. Everyone keep their fingers crossed that the Herc world is not turned upside down. We are hearing the results could be posted as early as Thursday evening.

KIPP, Great analogy! That is going up on the squadron wall!!

I believe most of STR1CK's comments pertained to heavy units and Rainman's were obviously pertaining to fighter units. I have been in the Guard tac airlift community for 13 years and I totally sympathize with STR1CK's comments. The AD herc units do send their co-pilots to AC school with 800 hrs and this can be waived down to 700 hrs. These are total hrs and not herc hours. I personally feel this is too early for someone to be sent to AC school. Especially, if the majority of these hours were obtained in the desert. By reg the AC is supposed to land the airplane in a combat environment, hopefully the AC are allowing the co-pilots (against the reg) to get the stick time. You can see how this can cause quite a bit of rust for the co-pilot. I don't know if the AD has hurt its relationship with the Guard, I know many Guard members that would help out there AD counterparts as much as possible. Rumor is that we will here something as early as 15 Aug. Let's hope the right decision is made.

I also flew with this instructor and feel he is one of the best "hands" guys I flew with. Flew many of my formation rides with him and felt he was a great at getting his instructional points across without being condescending, but he was a hammer as the USEM. Would sit you down in a heartbeat, especially when one of the students wants to "hover his Tweet at Marble". Also thought he was a stand-up guy and I still believe it. I don't know the particulars of the case and I don't want to know. It sounds like a mistake was made, and unfortunately, he is going to pay for it. Best of luck Brimestar!

That's classic! I'm at Delta now and might try that, eventhough I don't drink coffee.

I hear they will be a huge "Wheels Up party" in September.

Rainman, I feel for you bro! Sometimes I forget the little luxuries of the airlift world.

I bought 2 UA shirts while in the AOR, black and brown. I wore them when we flew during the day and they were a lot cooler than cotton t-shirts. I like how quickly they dry. 100 degree heat, with the flak vest, you tend to get a little warm. Once leveled off, remove the vest, unzip your flight suit and aim the AC vent to hit you square in the chest. The shirt would dry in a few minutes. I highly recommend them!

I had a trailer stolen while at Baypoint. Luckily, the motorcycles were in the garage. All of my buds that lived on the island, loved it. The traffic situation can suck, but the probably have the JFK finished by now.

The Guard has a state, as well as a federal mission. 90% of the time, we fall under the governor of the state. We are "federalized" by Presidential Mobilization and various other activating sources. We are held to the same standards as Active Duty (as a -130 Guard guy, my flying requirements are exactly the same as an Active Duty guy), but we have multiple ways of getting paid. This is only a brief overview of what the Guard does. Do a google search or go the Air Guard's website. This really depends on what career field you decide to enter. Could be as short as 3 months or as long as 1.5 years. I believe basic is still 6 wks. and tech school lengths vary. AMS is 6 wks, with varying lengths of schools for officers. Call a Guard unit near you and talk to the recruiter and ask generalized questions.

I keep a paper logbook. I make sure what I put in the logbook matches the -781 (hour for hour, column for column). This way there are no discrepancies. I log the hours after every flight. I never want to get behind again, it's a pain in the a-- to catch up.

Hey F16PilotMD, Are there BP meds that are OK for flight? I heard there might be 1 or 2 now. This will probably be a player for me in a few years (family history). Controlled now thru exercise. Thanks.

You are right at the limit. As far as I know, the age limit is still 30 by the time you start UPT. It would be a tight timeline for you. My recommendation is- put a thorough package together and apply to many units, when you turn-in your package, stress that you are "age critical". Make sure you have all you ducks in a row (all requirements met- PPL, etc.), because you will not have much time for leeway. If you don't go for it, then the answer is definitely "no". You will always regret it if you don't make the effort. Do everything you can do to make yourself the best candidate. Best of luck.