busdriver

Some of those cliffs are seriously dangerous during storms. Sucks.

My experience with flight med has either been a solid "meh" or outstanding. Our current doc isn't technically assigned to our unit, but he's in the building and hangs out with the bros, and is constantly running around helping whoever he can. The good docs I've had have always made a point to have us call them first, they'd then fast track us through the machine/ fit me in between appointments/ etc. The good docs seemed to get that their job was to take care of people while facilitating them doing their jobs, how do you train a cadre of docs to understand that? I don't want you to auto DNIF me for everything, I want you to help me find a way to keep flying without fucking myself up long term. There's a reason most flyers won't admit to problems unless shit gets really bad....

That's unfortunate to hear from you, especially since I think squadron commanders should basically be demi gods allowed wide and free ranging authority to meet their doc statement however they want ( with the caveat that if you fail, you're done). Then again, I've probably been tainted by too many years in the 57th wing. I admit I'm probably out of touch.

Why would you want to be a CC? Simple, to make a difference. How awesome would it be to be in the position to actually say "that's queepy bullshit, we're not doing it" and the consequence? Who gives a shit, there is no better job after SQ/CC so it doesn't matter. AMC is fucked up six ways to Sunday based on the recent firings, hopefully that shit doesn't propagate into the rest of the Air Force.

Lawman can elaborate further, but the AH-64's primary fly at night sensor is a FLIR slaved to the pilot's helmet. They didn't start flying with NVGs until recently, and even then it's an either or thing, usually the co-pilot on NVGs intermittently with the TADS.

Maybe, but regardless the B-1 crew should have been able to stop that chain. Likewise the JTAC should have known better as well. Can you see IR strobes in a pod? Really?

There are these things called maps, just saying....

I was thinking more along the lines of Afghans in a very conservative and quite frankly racist town, at least amongst the old money there.

meh, just go to valdosta... On the other hand, 120 Afghans roaming around town, that could be interesting.

MX actually under OPS or not isn't really an issue. The issue is communication. If MX is under OPS, the comm is forced, but it can still exist if separate. In other words as the OPS guy I explain to MX why I'm doing what I'm doing, and what my priorities are, he responds with how my schedule may impact follow on lines and if I stick to my schedule I may in fact be fucking myself. If I say I'm willing to take that risk, then I've accepted if they can't deliver aircraft for those follow on lines it's on me. Chasing metrics is counter productive, it doesn't show the importance of one set of sorties over another and it doesn't allow ops and mx to make real time calls about where to put the weight of effort. Metrics are useful to track trends but not as a measure of merit.

What kills me about MX playing stats games is that those stats should help highlight things like under-manning and acquisitions problems. Guess it's better to hide the problems and kick the can down the road.

I'm not sure I buy it. Another news source questioned the source of the "fatwa," since FGM is not prevalent in that area. But then again, most of those extremists have a weird aversion to women.

This argument could not be any dumber.

Be a bro and a peer leader. You should strive to be the best you can be, and that means bringing those up around you. If your peers are struggling, you should be helping them, if you're struggling your peers should be helping you, Foster the type of peer environment that you and your bros are on the same page and everyone's goal is to make the group better. The team gets better, then the Air Force gets better. The rest is just careerist asshole stupid shit.

GE is claiming something like a 20% increase in thrust on top of the 414's increase on the 414-EPE due to improved hot section durability blisk magic, well according to wiki anyways. i know I've read some Navy articles lamenting about the Navy not buying the EPE engines.

I guess I'll ask this then: if you lost the sustained G of the Viper but gained the high alpha of the Hornet, is that a net gain or loss in your mind?

Promotion isn't a reward

I didn't forget about the vertical, I just didn't address it as I was picking and choosing, just like the single data point that is the publicly released spec. i have no doubt that the F-35 is draggy pig however, it sure looks the part. But that's actually what I'm talking about, if you look at empty weights (yes I'm going to use wikipedia here, I don't have anyone's dash one available), combat radius examples from that same crappy website and a baseline 2k lbs ordnance load (ballpark 6xAMRAAM) I end up with a wing loading for the F-35 that is comparable to the Super Hornet and the thrust to weight ratio that is comparable to the legacy Hornet. While not eye watering, it ends up being right in the middle of the fourth gen aircraft kinematically. In other words, the F-35 is not an improvement in fighter kinematics, just more of the same. Is that OK given the improvement in other areas? EDIT: Sorry I said i wasn't going this far outside of my lane, but napkin calculus and afternoon lager got the better of me.

As a fellow slow kid unable to choose when a fighter tries to shoot me I appreciate the ability to run away. I'm rapidly getting away from my area here, so I'll leave with this: I'm skeptical of the internet pundits who decry a reduction to 4.6g sustained since that is one data point that doesn't tell the whole story. As an example on paper I can pick a point where an H-60 can better a Viper in sustained rate and radius. All that said, it does look like a chubby fucker when it's in the same hanger with an F-22.

To be fair, Sprey/Boyd/etc didn't want any radar on the F-16. The mindset was that air to air radar was useless based on Vietnam experience because radar missiles didn't work, ROE would always require visual ID, and we had no effective airborne early warning. "They" said the E-3 would never work, the goal was to flood the sky with mk1 eyeballs and BFM the shit out of the enemy since all aspect IR missiles didn't exist. What does out turn it really mean? They down graded the sustained turn requirement at some altitude and weight that we don't know and increased the allowable acceleration time in the transonic regime. That says exactly nothing about corner velocity or acceleration below the transonic regime or high AOA performance. Sustained turn circle geometry is a very basic way of looking at aircraft performance, one that the AIM-9X+Helmet combo royally fucks with my students.

I get what Sprey is saying, but goddamn that man distrusts technology to a level that is almost absurd. If he had his way, fighters would be day only no radar BFM monsters, CAS aircraft would be standby pipper gunfighters and everything else is who gives a shit. He bases all his analysis on WW2 and Vietnam.

I'd say as long as you don't really have any real job to do that's fine. But once you enter training, knock that shit off and be good at your job. If you have as much of a head start as you seem to, finishing it should be cake if the pendulum swings again. Moseley said "If we want you to get a master's, we'll send you." That changed with the next chief. I think the current chief's message has a bit better chance of sticking (get it done on your own time, but we'll change the timeline) but we'll see. That said, I know a retired O-5 who said the AAD question came up when he went looking for a job within the defense industry when he got out. Considering he described his salary as "silly money" it may be a worth while investment in time if you aren't looking for an airline gig.

I would tell young dudes to get CMR first, then start your masters. Don't overload yourself, take breaks if you need them for upgrades, or whatever. If you start early you can string that shit out over multiple years with no fear. At the minimum that puts you in a decent spot to be able to surge if the pendulum does swing back. In other words, don't be me. I'm at the point I would have to double up on classes to finish before my O-5 board, saved by the CSAF I guess. Edit: I skated by the O-4 board, meant O-5

Well, this too: Kurds Seize Kirkuk

Saw that this morning, was wondering when it would hit the major news networks. I also wonder when the Kurds will say enough is enough, that's pretty close to their home turf.