Runr6730

I received an interesting email today. AF/A1 has amended the 7-day option for DE selection. Essentially, those selected to attend DE in residence will be notified of their selection and given the option to decline without being forced to separate. 3 weeks later, the actual school locations will be released. At that point, if selectees choose to decline school, they will be forced to separate. This is to prevent "self before service" (people only accepting school if it's to a location they want). The good news: those who don't want school can stay in. The bad news, those who do want school must be all-in.

Average I've seen from 2 assignments in the tanker is 2 - 2.5 years

Just met my first look, but was not pushed by my SR.

I'm one of those that's on the fence about staying in the AF and not particularly inclined to fly for the airlines, although I may reconsider if FedEX or UPS were hiring at the same rate. I love serving my country and despite the fact that flying has an ever-decreasing role in my career as I get older, I still love my job and the people I work with. However, as a junior Major 11M and an IDE candidate out of my board I'm now staring down the barrel of several big decisions. A $25K/year bonus is laughable in the face of a 365, so that will be a "no" unless it's increased substantially. When it comes to IDE, I have don't have any desire to attend in residence because of the associated 3-year commitment tacked-on after graduation. I have a top 25% record and I've heard that last cycle the AF exhausted the entire alternate list and then some yet still didn't fill all of the available IDE slots. If I get selected for IDE, I'll most likely 7-day opt due to the associated ADSC. I may be looking for the unicorn in the room, but has anyone out there successfully managed to avoid competing for IDE without torpedoing their career by telling leadership they don't desire to compete for IDE?

If you have an ADSC that extends beyond your pilot training commitment, does that affect when you are offered the bonus?

Your statement about EGUN not sharing equitably is dated by at least 4 years. EUCOM tanker crews are getting tasked at rates equal to or greater than their AMC counterparts, and they aren't good deals. Up until recently, 21 hour augmented duty day sorties to beautiful Africa were a daily occurrence. Hell, we're even being augmented by the ANG/AFRC and AD to fill the lines. Are there good deals? Yes, but they are fewer and further between.

No need to get snippy. I'm merely pointing out that out of the 13 AD assignments, 4 were FAIPs and 2 RPAs. Certainly not as RPA heavy as years past, but still significant.

Ouch...rough drop

Anyone know if they plan on having another board for assignment to the KC-46 in the next year or if it will become available through normal assignment processes?

Nothing to see here, just another rudder malfunction on a 55 year old jet

The most valuable experience I took away from my 2.5 years as a squadron and group exec was how to look after the people I supervise to help them succeed, which is something I wish I had gotten from my Flight Commanders when I was younger. I had the opportunity to go straight into a Flight Commander position immediately following my exec tours and took every opportunity to mentor my young Lts, NCOs, and Airmen, push them for opportunities to excel, and ensure their OPRs/EPRs/award packages were the best they could possibly be. This, IMO, is where the value is in being an exec. Not the strats.

I'm a big fan of Capital One's Venture Card. 2% back on every purchase which you can use for any travel expenses. No foreign transaction fees, and best of all, they waive the annual fee if you mention the Military Member Service Relief AcT.

Ooh! Let's get into this debate again!

Call it what you want to, just don't drag poor TIB into this. They're mission-essential, or so I've been instructed.

I'm a big fan of my BriteStrike. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0058K80O0?pc_redir=1411899469&robot_redir=1 160 lumens, takes 2 rechargeable AAAs and easily fits in the left snapping leg pocket. Highly recommended!

Had a '11 Ram 1500 4x4 Laramie before my OCONUS PCS. I can't sing it's praises enough. Not only did the 5.7L Hemi pack a powerful punch, but it rode like a car on the streets and, IMO, is the best looking truck on the market

How inspiring, Mr. President

https://www.eutimes.net/2013/08/putin-orders-massive-strike-against-saudi-arabia-if-west-attacks-syria/ Not sure if this is real or not, but certainly a new twist to the story...

Another fantastic example of why the system is broken is the ribbon chart. Anyone familiar with these atrocities knows what I'm talking about. At my base, they are required for mid-level Captains and above and include basically a stoplight chart for: AAD, DE (corr), DE (res, DG), Flt/CC, Exec (level), Special programs (High Flight, PHOENIX, etc), MWS IP/EP, Staff, Etc, plus your last 3 OPR push lines. I've literally seen instances where the ribbon chart was the sole thing the CC used to push people for special programs, etc. While I understand that your record is what gets promoted, things like this take the lead out of leadership and only serve those higher-ups who don't know their people.

Liquid sounds like a certain AMC higher-up who told a contingent of aviators asking about ops tempo relief and more time with their families after last year's super-surge to "Get out if this isn't what you want because there are plenty of people lining up to replace you"

Memorial service info released: https://www.facebook.com/FairchildAFB?fref=ts

An on-line fundraiser has been set-up. All donations will go directly to the families of Capt Tyler Voss, Capt Victoria Pinckney, and TSgt Tre Mackey and will be evenly disbursed among the families. Link: https://www.youcaring.com/help-a-neighbor/honoring-shell-77/58326

Moving to Mildenhall this summer and looking to live in Cambridge. Can anyone recommend a good rental agent to help me find a house for rent out there?

awfltdoc, thanks for the advice. I will get it checked out when I get back (im actually on leave right now for the holidays). The symptoms are nearly (95%) gone, but I can still hear a difference in the early morning and evening. Is this something that I should get checked out even if the symptoms go away?

My class recently went through Aerospace Physiology. During the chamber ride, I had no issues on the ascent and descent to do the hypoxia demo, but upon final descent back to "ground level" I was having trouble equalizing my right ear. It became a bit painful but I did not say anything because 1)I could hear the ear equalizing slowly and 2)I didn't want to have to repeat the ride. After the chamber, my ear hurt for approx 10 minutes at which time it finally equalized. For the past week, I have had no pain whatsoever, but a slight muting of the sound in my right ear (not all the time) that I cannot seem to shake...sounds like it would if I were to have water stuck in there after swimming. At this point, a week later, it is minimal but still not completely gone. Is this something to be concerned about? I would prefer not to have to report it if this is something that will go away. *This is the first time I have experienced this problem