LJ Driver

I think dtfl was referring to MC-130H's. 4 crashes in 3 years put a pretty big spotlight on them. At the schoolhouse everyone is still grumbling about new training restrictions and some other knee-jerk reactions to what happened recently. [ 19. September 2005, 23:08: Message edited by: LJ Driver ]

Hey he's finally right for a change. What a penis.

It's actually the entire sortie that is logged as O-1 time. That's how the B-2 boys chaulked up 40+ hours of combat time in one sortie.

You guys are killing me with this girl/guy ratio deal at ERAU. I went there and graduated in 1999 from a ROTC full ride in Aero Engineering (The program is ranked #1 in the country by the way). What you people are failing to mention when you announce that ERAU has a 15:1 ratio (which is true) is that you are going to school IN DAYTONA BEACH!! Who the hell cares how many girls are in my physics class? I'm going to the beach after class to study and pick up more trim then I know what to do with!

Good deal dude. Way to go. Goes to show that you should never give up. Good job and congrats. Buckle down and kick some ass at UPT.

I don't get it, what's the big deal about his email?

Wax is very correct. I chose the ROTC route because I wanted to have a semi-normal college life. Chicks, booze, parties... I am not sure you get that at USAFA. But, I will say that you will know pretty damn close to everyone and have a load of connections if you go that route. There are pros and cons to both.

So back to the original question, why hasn't flight pay gone up in such a long time? I suppose right now the AF isn't really worrying about losing pilots, but it didn't go up in the late 1990's either and pilots were bailing out in droves then. It just strikes me as odd that every other pay that I can think of (except HFP/IDP) is linked to a percent increase every year. Oh well, next June I get the fatty 6 year flight pay increase!

Hey does anyone know why flight pay hasn't increased in years and years? I am not talking about the steps as you get more experience, I am talking about the overall chart. It's the same one that's been around a long time. Seems like it should go up with basic pay at least.

There were originally 84 C-21's purchased in 1984-85. Ramstein has 13 jets, and we were considered a pretty big squadron (we also had C-20's and a DV C-9). Andrews I think has 13 jets also, and they are pretty much the model for stateside units. At Ramstein we had about 45 pilots, and with all the wing jobs the squadron did it was way too few because of the alerts that we had all the time. When I left there was a manning study being done to increase authorized numbers. We were under USAFE though, so AMC may have a different ratio.

No. It starts on your first day of class at UPT.

I heard this: When they were based in Korea, they evacuated the base so fast that they left half the ground personnel there. MacArthur decided that they would wear yellow chickens on their patches and have ZZ for a tail flash, until they distinguish themselves in a war... Don't know how true it is, but makes for good rumor mill fodder.

Mingo is the biggest tool I have ever seen. I am also really tight with some E's that are still in USAFE. There actually was a vote on this thing among enlisted people and from what I heard when it happened they were "encouraged" to vote yes, but most voted no. Kind of makes me wonder where old G. Coleman gets his "unanimous" conclusion. Total BS, this guy did more to slaughter morale in USAFE then any terrorist in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Tell your commander to give the person cutting your orders a call and demand that they put "excess baggage allowed" on your orders. It's stupid not to since it already costs thousands of dollars to PCS someone OCONUS.

When I was at UPT in 2000 we were a test class for a Tweet MS Simulator addition. They gave us the program with updated Tweet software and the Laughlin local area VFR points, rudder peddles, stick, throttle, and let us borrow a laptop. We had some research weinees from Brooks roll down every few weeks to interview and study us. I never even used it but I still have everything but the laptop. Is this still being done at UPT?

Umm, ok... I was born in Boston, raised in New Hampshire about 1 1/2 hours away from Fenway Park. Not quite band wagon my friend.

Red Sox rule! Yankees suck!

Changing airplanes within a command (ie AFSOC EC-130 to AFSOC AC-130 or whatever else) is always easier then changing planes AND commands (ie AMC C-130 to AFSOC HC-130). That doesn't mean it cannot be done. Sometimes the kids at AFPC get restless when people try to change commands.

"Boots on the Ground" by Karl Zinzemeister. Details the 82nd AD drive into Iraq, very good. "Fate is the Hunter" by Ernest Gann. A classic that needs no intro... "Masters of Death" by Richard Rhodes. One of the best books I have read about the SS-Einsatzgruppen in WWII. VERY detailed accounts of the tragedies in Eastern Europe, not recommended for the faint of heart. [ 03. May 2005, 16:01: Message edited by: LJ Driver ]

Do you guys have any suggestions on good places to buy UA stuff? I am in Little Rock now, but I assume that the internet is the best place anyway.

Talk to the Life Support people, not the flight docs. The docs don't approve what we can wear. I think there is some reg that says cotton undergarments, but I don't know which one.

During a PCS, finance takes your entire travel time, subtracts your "allowable" travel days (what they think it should take) and then charges you leave for the rest.

Get out of there now. -or- Get married stat, and make BOTH of your commanders very aware of what you want. In the future it will be easier for you to crosstrain to a C-130 then the other way around.

Hey dude trust me, I will spend many more sleepless nights there in my next life, if I ever get out of AETC! I just hope it will be up to my high standard of five star elegance that I experienced at the Djibouti Sheraton! [ 27. April 2005, 16:33: Message edited by: LJ Driver ]

Dude, don't rip the Germans. I absolutely loved those guys, hands down the best controllers in Europe, maybe even better than most in the USA. Maybe it was because we were based there, but the German controllers never passed up a chance to bend over backwards to accomodate us in every way (sts). Yeah they expect you to fly precise approaches and departures, and the main reason is because noise is a HUGE issue in Germany. If you mess up a departure, usually ATC has to pay a fine, which is why people get violated so much when they hose it up. There are noise sensors installed all over the place around the airport and departure corridor. It is this way in Tel Aviv, Israel also, just to let everyone know.