FourFans

I'm neither (10 minutes of searching would have helped you there...), but please allow me to clarify: I mean millennial in only the most derogatory, degrading, and hurtful possible sense. Much as I would use the term "gay" while having absolutely no reference to sexual orientation or lifestyle. Here I mean "millennial" to reference the 5-year-old minded 28-year-old who points out injustices that are, in fact, wholly just, but that leave said millennial getting an outcome they don't like. The "millennial" response being to whine and complain instead of seeking a rational, effective, and practical solution. These "millennials" want the world perfectly presented on a silver platter, in a safe space free of insult or discomfort, at a time that perfectly suits their whimsically felt 'need' at that specific moment. To be honest, I know a lot of people that fall in that associated generation who are in no way shape or form "millennial." I've worked 6 month deployments with them. I've flow combat missions with them. They are what I profess to be: professionals focused on the employment of combat airpower. Look at any generation and you will find that the true military professionals have a hard time wholly identifying themselves with the Gen-Xers, millennials, hippies, grudge rockers, oregon trailers (my year group), or whatever other subculture/sociological term might be blanket applied to that year group. That's because we have a culture rooted in who we presently are, not an identity externally stamped by sociological academia. You sound like a whiny child instead of an airpower professional. Improve yourself. Find and present a plausible solution through reasoned and constructed argument so we can discuss it instead of just bitching how some non-specific people group wronged the world and it hurts.

Your millennial is showing. Next you'll be aiming us at a civilian organization to help us become a better employer of today's youth. Warfighting is a profession unlike any other, hence civilian organizations look and are led differently. Leaders who can't lead individuals in combat, shouldn't lead the military organizationally. Of course there are always exceptions, and you appear to be building your case entirely based on those exceptions. Edit: Ok. Having found some more time for a reply, you need to re-visit your TL, DR post. Not a single one of those arguments points to pilots being the problem. In my tenure in the air force, I have seen lots of queep get put into place, almost every bit of which was started by a "support requirement" and not from a pilot leader. You want to know what's wrong with the Air Force? Look at the MXG and MSG. In my time, they went from being pilot led to being support Colonel led, ever since we've taken a massive slide since then. Not placing cause, simply noticing outcome. There is no such thing as a single root cause to a morale collapse. The heart of your complaint is not pilots but mission focus. I would argue that is an outcome of having LESS operators (pilots or not) in charge. The worst command decisions I've witnessed came from MXG and MSG...but those were individual, and I forgot you're not concerned with them. Carry on in your ignorant bliss and enjoy your right to whine.

Service bias bleeding through during Cotton's second career. Non-flying army officers in general do not like USAF pilots. Too much hair product perhaps...or perhaps it has to do with life outlook and freedom. Pilots have the airlines to look forward to (I cringe at typing that...I will deeply miss tactical flying), while ground dwelling Army officers get to look forward to being a civilian in the Army staff they just left. Working with the Army has taught me that they embrace the service first mentality at an epic level. Asking for more money would be hypocrisy to them. Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

Go read the books "Boyd" and "Flying Through Midnight." Kick butt at UPT and go do things you never could anywhere else. The greatest regrets are the lions we didn't chase and the mountains we didn't climb. Ignore those who want to be someone, and go do something big. When you're in the jet, being a USAF pilot is the most challenging and rewarding job on the planet.

I really hope that the leadership knows this won't work. I am watching entire year groups punch out . At one base, in one squadron alone, I've heard that 9 of 12 bonus eligibles are separating after their 10 year ADSC...all instructors if the rumor mill is accurate.

FIFY

Fire for effect and don't quit. Good luck man.

Bugger, cock, bollucks, bellend, plonker NATO network ops check good.

Someone make Ram a General. He's ready.

Documentary Google for the win. The Boeing Bird of Prey was a black project aircraft, intended to demonstrate stealth technology. It was developed by McDonnell Douglas and Boeing in the 1990s. The company provided $67 million of funding for the project; it was a low-cost program compared to many other programs of similar scale. It developed technology and materials which would later be used on Boeing's X-45 unmanned combat air vehicle. As an internal project, this aircraft was not given an X-plane designation. There are no public plans to make this a production aircraft. It is characterized as a technology demonstrator. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Bird_of_Prey

Open source speculations are always fun. https://www.combataircraft.net/2017/06/23/how-did-a-30-year-old-su-22-defeat-a-modern-aim-9x/ Also a neat quick read about the red eagles from an embedded link on that page (where did Steve Davies go?): https://aviationweek.com/blog/we-didn-t-know-what-90-percent-switches-did

Clearly you meant flight engineer.

$2 for mis-use of the Walken Comma.

Does this count? https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/06/14/isis-drones-are-attacking-u-s-troops-and-disrupting-airstrikes-in-raqqa-officials-say/?utm_term=.5042b8070eee

An RQ-4 has been dispatched to continue the search for survivors.

Azimuth, thanks for being candid and honest. Rare to find these days when hearing about one's deeds and misdeeds. Regardless the story (there are always two sides), even if half of this tale is based on miscommunication and misunderstand, it still sounds like the USAF's "fact finding" investigative capabilities haven't improved much since Mollygate. A caution: Please be careful how much info you tell about these other people in a public internet forum. Right or wrong, it wouldn't be difficult for an average joe to figure out exactly who all of them are with what you've given...yourself included. (for example, no need to tell who's a swinger and who does camera porn...completely irrelevant to your story). I know it's your freedom of speech right to do so, but we also have a moral responsibility. Please don't disregard that. Tell the story, but protect the people. There are serious wack jobs on the internet these days looking for EXACTLY this kind of info.

FML. Here's the link. Bender beat me to it. https://www.jqpublicblog.com/bonus-shenanigans-expose-air-forces-lack-progress-pilot-retention/

True. No amount of worry can impact your future assignments, but it can easily distract and detract from current performance. There is only one plane phase one studs should think about: the T-6 Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

One small step for man, on giant leap for Skynet. Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

BQZip following in his mom's footsteps? https://www.whiteman.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1209105/stronger-for-it-offutt-airman-shares-her-journey-with-support-of-command-team/ This also belongs in the What's Wrong With the AF thread. We're in trouble.

Hey look, the USAF brass is trying to hide their efforts to get rid of the A-10 again. https://www.dodbuzz.com/2017/06/09/air-force-mulls-cutting-three-a-10-squadrons/?ESRC=airforce-a_170614

Well then. That pretty much caps off my horrific imagined sensations quota for the day.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

Awesome. The lead class of millennials will hit squadron command with the least ops experience, the most entitlement in the ranks, and a decade of leadership crisis paving the way for them. I know several great '06 folks. God be with you gents, I'll be looking for other employment. Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

This.