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Techsan

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Posts posted by Techsan

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I guess your perspective in the AF really depends on your community because in mine, I would say most guys in mine are in the stay till 20 category, however about 75% are considering not taking the bonus in exchange for the ability to punch if the next assignment involves a UAV or a 365.

    I really would like to know what the percentages are of those that are completely fed up with the AF and those who aren't. If I was a young guy reading most of the threads here, I would be pretty scared about joining up. I guess I haven't been kicked in the balls hard enough to share the same sentiment of a lot of guys here.

    Radio etiquette

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Good to hear there are heavy dudes that are annoyed by lengthy and ridiculous radio transmissions. Reading War and Peace on the radio is so f'ing terrible. I once flew with a T-1 crew out of Ft Worth Alliance that departed and flew on VHF (they were UHF equipped), when I asked them why, they told me they didn't want to step on airline traffic. F'ing unbelievable.

    Yeah, what is wrong with VHF? Especially if 90% of the other traffic out there is using the same. Even when using UHF, we would try & pull up the associated VHF freq...not necessarily to prevent stepping on the airline bubbas, but more for the added SA of hearing everyone else out there.

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Famous last words alright. You do realize your flying days are in your rear view mirror right?

    Not necessarily, as my unit was several O-5s that have gone 20 without a single nonflying assignment. My current flying assignment will just about take me to 15 yrs of straight flying. 50/50 chance of a staff/flying gig next. Keeping my fingers crossed.

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Keep in mind, any bonus you sign is not intended to benefit you in any way unless you are in it for the money (which really isn't much). All the bonus does is obligates you to Big Blue, it does not obligate Big Blue to you. In other words, while you can't get out of your "10-year" deal, Big Blue can release you at any time from your 10-year deal no questions asked.

    Brand new 2LTs should know this as well. Hell, anyone that wears the uniform should know that it is like any other job out there where its not guaranteed.

    Personally, I am strongly considering taking the bonus if and when it comes. My nuts have been kicked in very minimally these last 12 yrs, so Im thinking another 8 couldn't be that bad. (Famous last words, I know).

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by Techsan

    Here's my question...who is actually getting tagged with UAVs these days? I'd be interested to hear the breakdown of the experience level. I know a lot if the guys in my 2001 year group that are not coming near the bonus only for the fear of getting tagged with a UAV. Are MWS IP/EPs getting UAV assignments?? I think I could deal with a 365, but getting yanked out of the cockpit scares me more.

    Apparently having "good hands" no longer matters....

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I try to hand fly from parking to level off, and from TOD back to parking. Then again, my autopilot is older than I am. The airplane itself is almost older than my dad.

    Have you flown any of the newer RNAV arrivals into a busy Class B airspace? We have a few into DC (Freedom 1 being one of them) that will totally kick your ass if you are hand flying. Hell, they'll kick your ass if your jet isn't VNAV capable, since they'll always give you the "descend via".

    C-17 lands short at Dover

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    You got it all wrong... an FE with two Masters degrees who just cross flowed from a 130J landed gear up flying solo in a C-17; turns out he was sexually harassing the gay singer from Tops in Blue at the time that he was planning the Christmas Party with when he learned he got passed over for a second time for Lt Col and got non-continued. Now he doesn't know what to do because he wanted to sign the bonus that got delayed and isn't sure if he can still transfer his GI Bill to his kids. All of this happened while landing at the wrong airport in Tampa when he was supposed to be landing in Benghazi, but just as he was manually calculating TOLD he got a call from both Obama and Clinton telling him not to go. He was planning on getting out any day now anyway when the Airlines start their massive hiring wave! I guess they already had the court martial and he got convicted by a bunch of shoes on the jury, but a 3 Star overturned the verdict. So when all was said and done... it was pretty much a long week for Rainman!

    Sounds legit.

    C-17 lands short at Dover

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Issue is on most modern airplanes you don't run TOLD, it's calculated for you by the airplane...and checklists are flows...

    True, however there are AF airframes that have an FMS that calculates TOLD, has checklist flow patterns, and still has an FE.

    C-17 lands short at Dover

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    All I know is that in the KC-10, I would choose 100% of the time a shit hot FE over a shit hot copilot any day & twice on Sunday. An FE that is slow as shit running the checklist and doing TOLD is just brutal. With an idiot for a copilot, I can easily fly & work the radios while he sits on his hands.

    • Upvote 1

    C-17 lands short at Dover

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    As an exercise in time management I ask the audience to type your MWS into Google and then hit the 'space' bar and see where Google thinks you might be going with your search next, aside from giving you something to do, it may be cathartic if you try searching other folks MWS's.

    The reasons you're citing when you bring these examples to the table are valid in that they are endemic to a culture of careerism during a decade long war (they are true things), but they do not establish the conclusion that they are causal. I share your sentiments to some degree, but only in the way that some AFA or A&M grads are arseholes, and others are really good dudes. I've seen cross-flow, FAIPs, C-21 dudes join my community and become experts rapidly much the same way that a young FP can be upgraded ahead of peers. Additionally, at least three of the major incidents, wrong field, t-storms, c-5 crashes short had nothing to do with ACIQ MWS newness. The entire crew force is less experienced due to having been 'gut' in 2005-6, and again in 2011.

    Careerism is a problem, but early upgrades are just symptoms, driven from the top down. Get rid of AAD (UPT WAS my friggin advanced study) and add an unmasked 942 (yep, lift up your skirt boys and girls), then separate pilots from the rest for major's board promotion, two simple ideas to help fight ops cancer.

    As a side note, and for the love of all things Marlboro, please mother Air Force stop putting the word 'Innovation' in front of me. Innovation--the word in and of itself--is not the solution to our problems even if it provides a little serotonin kick when said by those past 0-4. This, let's do less with less spiced up by the innovation mantra is putting the entire AF on final below glide path--no one quite knows whether to speak up because no one really knows if the dudes driving have SA on what they mean by that word (do they know WE are going well below glidepath?). Hey bosses, a sustainable future is NOT in sight, f#6K!ng go-around. How about some professional common sense as a solution to our problems on short final.

    We're gonna go to Tampa, we're gonna go to Dover, we're gonna go to Bagram, we're gonna go to Alaska and then we're gonna wash up, we're gonna wash up and then we're gonna go to Scott, walk up in that office and chop that motha f#6K!n desk in HALLFFF....BYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!

    Safety checks, getcha' sum!!!

    Preach on brother.

    This madness has got to stop. The line has to be drawn between being an officer and being a GOOD, PROFESSIONAL, EXPERIENCED, KNOWLEDGEABLE, CURRENT, MISSION READY, pilot... Yes, careerism is a cancer.

    I'm by no means a careerist, and consider myself on the professional pilot side of the line, but it is possible to be both. It sure as hell isn't easy, but it can be done. There are about 50 O-5s in my squadron that can attest.

    C-17 lands short at Dover

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Hours vs. experience in the C-17 very often have nothing to do with each other. You take a FAIP, C-21 guy or a cross flow... either send them through a direct left seat program or upgrade them in min time to AC... 2-3 trips later with multiple pond crossings they have enough hours to technically go to IP school and off you go! Next thing you know you have an "IP" with only about 300 hrs in the jet (half of it was in the bunk or at FL350 trying to stay awake talking to Gander) with 2 "First Pilots" with about 300 total hrs each flying combat missions; so essentially this experienced IP (sarcasm) is flying combat missions solo. If it happens to be a cross flow golden boy from AMC/Intern... it is almost an all our race to get them to be an IP if not an EP. Welcome to the C-17 community...

    Rusty,

    Welcome to many other MAF communities as well. The C-17 isn't the only airframe that has an ACIQ program. The KC-10 is exactly the same. I flew C-21s before I flew the -10 & went through ACIQ. I had a grand total of TWO pond crossings under my belt (both Pacific) & 200 hrs before I was sent on the road dragging A-10s across the world with a new copilot with about as many hours. So, believe me, it happens to other communities as well.

    Not to flame you bro, but you sound kind of jaded toward the ACIQ bros...one of them step in front of you in the IP school line?

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