HuggyU2

It appears the pilot crisis has gotten to the point that AFPC has decided to open up the rules and allow some pilots to return to fly jets again. As of yesterday: https://www.afpc.af.mil/Retirement/VRRAD/ I made a few calls... they are ready for applications, though they said it would take 4-6 months to get back in. Interesting to consider, but a significant pay cut. Going back to Beale would amount to $151,000 annually, if I did the mental calculations right.

My plan was to never get a GTC card. They said I couldn't pull it off. When I retired Nov 2014, I proved them wrong. Without a GTC, getting airline tickets to TDY was slightly painful for other agencies. And the looks I got at Finance when I needed help were priceless. But I made it work. One of the small victories is really enjoyed. (The other was going 8 for 8 against AFPC).

Yes, he's a great guy! I've announced a number of shows for him (and them) over the past few years.

I wish you'd have stopped by and said hi. Saturday was packed. The international beer festival that ran before the show was a huge hit, it seemed. Sunday had a more laid back feel by design. Pretty impressive lineup all around.

Just to be clear, there is no shortage in the US majors. Plenty of applicants still waiting for the call. And for the Regionals, there’s only a shortage of pilots willing to work for their salaries/benefits.

I have no sympathy for Emirates. $46M per month... I'll bet they could pay their pilots a lot more, and still come in under that figure. It's a good time to be a commercial pilot. Article below: A couple of weeks ago, James wrote about how Emirates is reducing some flights due to a pilot shortage. In the past we’ve seen Emirates sometimes store planes briefly due to decreased seasonal demand. While parking planes isn’t cheap, it’s certainly more expensive to fly them at a significant loss, so it’s the best option in those cases. Emirates’ unprecedented pilot shortage Emirates is currently dealing with an issue in unprecedented numbers. Specifically, Emirates pilots are quitting to go work elsewhere. The airline has always had some level of turnover, but they’ve never had anything to this degree. Emirates’ president said that the airline is “a tad short on pilots,” which is perhaps the understatement of the year. How bad is Emirates’ pilot shortage? Media reports suggest that Emirates will be parking 46 planes over the coming months: • Emirates will park 11 Boeing 777s and 1 Airbus A380 this month • Emirates will park 14 Boeing 777s and six Airbus A380s in May • Emirates will park 11 Boeing 777s and three Airbus A380s in June Altogether that represents 36 Boeing 777s and 10 Airbus A380s, which is about 18% of Emirates’ fleet (specifically 25% of their 777 fleet and about 10% of their A380 fleet). While it’s possible that Emirates may have otherwise stored a few of these planes, the numbers in which they’re storing these planes is unprecedented. Emirates is flying these planes to Dubai World Central Airport (since there’s no room at Dubai International), so by June that airport should look like an Emirates parking lot. Some suggest that a fairly new widebody costs roughly a million dollars per month between leasing and financing costs, as well as maintenance contracts and insurance. If that’s the case, storing 46 planes would be a loss of $46 million per month, or over $500 million per year (though presumably they wouldn’t be parked for that long). Why are Emirates pilots leaving? In the past, the contracts that Emirates offered were extremely competitive: • The salary is mostly tax free • Emirates covers housing and lots of other expenses for pilots • The pay rates themselves are quite good • You get to fly some cool planes as well; if I were a pilot I’d much rather fly an A380 or 777 than a regional jet Of course there are downsides as well. Emirates pilots work a lot of hours, and work some crazy hours (no matter how hard you try to adjust, I imagine working a 3AM flight never gets easy). You also have to live in Dubai with no option to commute — personally that’s something I wouldn’t mind, though I realize other people would far prefer a commuter contract, where they work two weeks on and then two weeks off, or something. So why are pilots suddenly leaving? Because there’s now a worldwide pilot shortage. 10 years ago pilots couldn’t find jobs at major carriers and pay had been cut significantly. Now pilot pay is as good as it has ever been, and Emirates hasn’t kept up. So either pilots are moving back home to find jobs there that pay comparably, or pilots are moving to other countries where airlines are offering incredible contracts. For example, Chinese airlines are known for their extremely lucrative contracts, with many pilots at Chinese airlines apparently earning $300,000+ per year, with the ability to commute. Bottom line We’ve seen Emirates park some planes before, but have never seen them park 45+ planes at a time, as far as I know. This isn’t just an adjustment for seasonal demand, but clearly reflects their severe pilot shortage. While I know Emirates has some pilots in training right now, it sure doesn’t sound to me like this shortage will figure itself out in the next few months, because pilots are still leaving in droves. While Emirates pilots obviously aren’t unionized, it sounds to me like there might need to be some negotiating when it comes to their contracts. What was once an industry leading benefits package is no longer the case, and things are only getting worse. I also don’t want to say that we should be worried as passengers, but ideally you want to fly with an airline that has experienced pilots with lots of hours. Emirates simply isn’t able to maintain that type of talent pool with what they’re offering right now. Emirates’ president makes it sound like this problem will be solved in the coming months, though it doesn’t look like that’s happening. This will be an interesting situation to follow as we move into the summer. https://goo.gl/QE1LWC

Do you have a unit that has hired you, or that at least is advocating for you?

Yep. On how "I fucked away my career in the most admired special-operator-group in modern history".

In this scenario, the fraternization, not the publicity of the video would be the punishable offense. It's the Guard. From what I've seen, nothing in the Guard is considered "fraternization".

Yes, it was Gump.

Like a private, homemade porn video, that somehow ends up on the internet? With a male officer and two enlisted gals?

We had a U-2 guy who came from Vipers. He lost a motor at around 25000', and I think he said he was 22 miles from China Lake. He deadsticked it successfully. Barely had the energy. Good story and a nice bit of flying on his part.

Hoss, I’m curious what you mean by this. Is the problem that they aren’t practiced? I’ve done a few on orientation rides in the Viper and they seemed really straight forward. Granted, we didn’t land on any of them.

But Havasu is plenty long enough, isn't it?

I know, Clayton. But the ramp is slammed. They are just about out of room. And I'm pretty sure the throat from the taxiway to the ramp isn't big enough for a C-17.

Take me flying when it is done!

The Red Bull aerobatic helicopter just joined the lineup at Hangar 24. Here's a video from one of their training camps with their pilot, Aaron Fitzgerald. https://bulldrive.redbull.com/dl/2TCuzHif5F

The runway is 4500x100, and there really isn't the ramp space. They will have a March ARB C-17 doing a flyover, however.

Siegzy, welcome to Beale. Lots of GA flyers there Be sure to check out the High Sierra flyin which is held annually.

I had forgotten about Rans! I flew an S-12 a few times years ago, and really enjoyed it. It even had a BRS chute on it. I'm glad to see they are still innovating, and will definitely look at their product line as an option for me.

T-Pain, I'm not arguing with you one bit. Please understand I'm not pontificating and stating you must have the job satisfaction I did. My career was exceptional... and unique.. and I spent a lot of mental time planning through various things to make it go my way. No doubt I was fortunate in things I couldn't control. Even my U-2 cohorts will tell you I had a charmed career. Had things gone for me like they went for some other people on here, I'm sure I would have separated or retired before my 28 years. I remember sitting in front of the Alconbury MPF (CBPO for you old guys) when my UPT commitment ended and the bonus was offered. "Get out or stay in?" I sat in my car with the engine running for about 30 minutes questioning the decision. In the end, I went in and signed up for 6 more years (or whatever it was). Glad I did. Here's the bottom line. My overly-long post yesterday was simply aimed at Joe's statement: "it's pretty f*cked up to turn down a massive improvement in income and quality of life to drag your family from base to base, suffering through deployments and taking a massive paycut just because you want to wear a bag and go fast." That rubs me the wrong way. Big time. I've heard this sentiment from others, and I've heard it often: that my selfishness and unwillingness to leave the military has caused my family pain and suffering, and a reduction in their quality of life. I'd be a rich airline Captain, had I separated at the 6 year point, right? And my lack of seeing the big picture financially has prevented my family from being wealthier. And my time away from home negatively affected my kids... as opposed to the 18 months I was Executive Director and when I was home, I was in my office working from 1900-2300 most nights, and unable to do stuff on the weekends. There's more to QOL than meets the eye. I really don't think that's what Joe's message really was intended to be... but that's what I hear when I read people that post "you're crazy and doing a disservice to your family if you stay in 1 day past your commitment". I've had U-2 guys seek my advice, and in some cases I've told them they should leave the AF at the end of their current commitment. If I was in their shoes, I'd certainly do it. And had I gotten the fighter I wanted out of UPT, I doubt I would have lasted beyond my 6 year commitment. It turns out the U-2 Program was the perfect fit for me. I only left because they threw me out. I do not begrudge anyone that leaves when they are done. They gave 6, 8, 10 years of their life to the country, and deserve every ounce of my respect. But don't tell me I'm fucked up because I decided to stay for 28.

I see this topic come up as "thread creep" in other threads, and figured I'd start a thread. A nice photo of an RV was recently posted. I figure there is a good brain-trust around here with the RV-line of aircraft, and others. I met a Captain building an RV-14. Sounds like the ultimate RV to me. Really interested in learning more. Do any of you have experience with one yet? https://www.vansaircraft.com/public/rv14.htm

You know, Joe, the "military life" isn't for everyone. You're certainly not the only one that has made a similar statement/post, and it is certainly not my goal to poke you in the eye. I simply have a different outlook I'd like to share. While you consider my decision to stay in "fucked up", I certainly didn't, and I "wore the bag" for 28 years. It's a "service to the country". There's sacrifice involved. And my family got to be a part of that experience. No, my kids didn't get much of a vote. The career decision was mine to make. You're right: I could have improved my "income" had I separated at the end of my 6-year UPT commitment, but more money wasn't my goal. As for "improved quality of life"... that's a personal matter. Serving as a USAF pilot was my dream... and I was living my dream. The satisfaction I had in doing my service was my "good QOL". And my kids relish their time living on base. They were very happy times. I signed up to serve. And when I got married, she agreed to it too. Oh yeah... she was a military brat who never stayed anywhere more than 3 years while growing up. I guess the lifestyle rubbed off on my oldest kid, who is now a Lieutenant, and commissioned despite outsiders saying it was a stupid decision, based on civilian career potential due to graduating from a prestigious private university. Said Lt is apparently fucked up like dad. As for me, I could have been an civilian engineer like my dad, who had a PhD. I went to 4 different high schools in 4 years. Is that fucked up QOL in your book, and is my dad to blame? I meet people now that say "my oldest is in 7th grade, so we need to stay h ere until he graduates". Really? Well, ok. If that's what they need, then so be it. To me, it seems odd when they only reason is that "they are established in football" or "with their friends". But I respect it. They know their family's needs better than anyone (hopefully). Having spent 18 months as the Executive Director of a very interesting civilian group after I retired, I can tell you the experience was worse than being on active duty in many respects. The AF isn't the only organization doing things terribly wrong and inefficient. If you want the money, and hate the QOL, then don't join the military. And if you make that realization while you're in, get out at your earliest opportunity. Many of my friends did just that. But in my case... as bad as things had become in the AF by the time I left in 2014... I still looked forward to going to work every day.

136?? Apparently, you don't fly the 737-900ER.

Quite possibly true. But now, those "participants" will not have access to a significant WMD resource. So, to answer the question you posed to me: yes.