Toasty

Easy boys, this is teetering on OPSEC. Don't talk about what our CMDS can or can't do here.

Also went to school with Sean. He was a f****** awesome guy. Instantly likeable by everyone. There's an unofficial fund set up for his wife and son at this link: https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/0fsd9/ab/12amx1

Figured that out on my first JFEX as well. Night 4-ship with full sticks at Sicily. We were three, and we see #2 balloon up about 3/4 through his pass...saw some chutes get pretty darn close to our props. I, also, don't recall any extra briefing for heavyweight large stick drops and forward stick. The Herk only weighs ~130k, so when you lose 15k in personnel, it likes to pitch up.

Actually, that's exactly what happened. Your exit is that-a-way.

Still carry chutes in the Herk overseas, but you'd have to strap it on in front of the 60+ armed Army guys sitting in back who don't get to leave. Good luck with that. We're taught that jumping is more survivable than a water landing in a Herk, since the wings are above the cockpit. That being said, I'm not sure how you're gonna deploy those life rafts anywhere near where you jumped out, so it may be a moot point anyways. Early in the war guys would wear the vests every mission too- but I can almost guarantee the #1 reason no one wears chutes is comfort, and extremely low likelihood of ever needing it.

http://www.stripes.com/news/europe/us-military-plane-crashes-in-kyrgyzstan-1.219366 I know it's not likely, but a MANPAD may still be on the table. God speed.

Initial ADSC is correct re: date of application. However, your functional is likely to not release you if you've got 5 years ADSC remaining. When I left AMC last year, you had to have under a year ADSC to be considered.

Ya know, in the Herk we joke about -17 guys being gucci airheads...things like this don't help! On a more serious note, it sounds like there's quite a few fighter guys just saying "Man up and fly a visual right", and that's just not the way to approach flying a heavy. It's too much airplane, too much inertia, too much risk to squeeze in maneuvers or events you didn't plan and pre-think ahead of time. Yeah, these guys were wrong in every way possible, sure- airfield ID, DME, hell look at the fucking ground (you didn't fly over water, you're not there yet). We're fortunate enough to have 4 guys up front, all crosschecking each other (and would you believe it, it works?). As a nav I look at this kind of incident and sigh. But on an even smaller crew like the -17...the PNF has got to EXPECT the other guy to be 6-9 seconds away from fucking something up, every day. We've got 4 people in the Herk, plus two LM's (who DO catch shit), and we still lose things through the cracks. On a 2-man crew with a whole lot of airplane, you've got to be on your game, every time. There's no excuse for flying to a major airfield and NOT having an approach ready, or a waypoint built, or the fucking DME tuned, and using them to the max extent possible. Our planes are too big to be fucking around in, and we've got too many lives riding in back. And having said THAT, yeah, some buddies of mine put a Herk into Khost instead of Salerno a few years back (technically only touch-n-go'd). They all got Q-3'd, and admitted that "SCNS was correct, but we didn't follow it because we thought we saw it." Use your fucking systems, guys. In my experience, SCNS (or equivalent) is usually right, and your eyeball is usually wrong.

Prayers for our boys out there. We (the WYANG) got activated to start fighting two weeks ago. Saw a source that said NC was up at CYS too. No word yet on the crews.

Yeah, they shouldn't be taking your CAC at outprocessing. After all, I'd bet nearly everyone is taking terminal leave, and they can't destroy your CAC if you've got another 3 months until your actual sep date. But like Crosswind said, they still will replace your card when you get to your unit. Never understood that, especially now that all CACs are identical. You should get the 180 days of tricare, like mentioned.

If you want to make just as much in the Guard as you did on AD, you can. But you have to work for it. To make $60k, I'd guess you'd have to log at least 2.5 weeks a month in the squadron doing doubles.

I second gearpig. I left AD in October and fly with Cheyenne now, and its everything you wished AD was. Fly as much/little as you want. Deployments are sparse (AEF cycle, and requirements are only falling). A single Captain makes about $125/man day take-home. Working about 4-6 days a month, you can make $1000-1500. There's ALOT more available if you can commute/fly regularly. I try to do drill plus a trip or 2-3 days of extra flying every month, and it pays the bills so I can focus on my civi job. Oh, and I finally live exactly where I fucking want, aren't slated to PCS to a shit-hole ever again, and aren't subject to the REMFs and rules of AD. Its a blast.

Just to clarify, the first level of approval is Wg/CC, not SQ/CC. The SQ/CC has no say in the matter, other than what the Wg/CC asks him. So while it behooves you to have SQ/CC support, its not required. Also, Wg/CC cannot disapprove valid applications without explicit justification. In other news, if you're a C-130 nav looking for a job, Cheyenne needs 'em!

This is not true. I submitted my application to PC while I was deployed. There is an exception in the Palace Chase reg for contingency deployers (pretty much all mobility guys) since we are deployed for nearly half of every single year. They tried to kick mine back, but I had to point-blank highlight the reg's exception for the Sergeant processing the application, since they're so used to seeing enlisted or non-mobility apps. Push, push, push.

Just found out my second PC application was approved. I'm an '06 Herk nav and got just under a year of ADSC left. I heard that's the magic number. But with the VSP, half the Herk community is going to up and vanish before our eyes, so who knows... On my way to Cheyenne!

Dyess J-copilots can expect to deploy with the 41st if they want any flight hours anytime soon. We do have a schedule for getting more J's, but its a slow trickle and we've already got 20 J-co's sitting around not flying enough. Every new C-130 crewmember is airdrop (we call it mission) qual'd. IMO, you're kind of worthless in the Herk world if you're not mission qual'd.

Correction: Only cargo pilots can refer to themselves as "bus drivers".

Just under 2 years (1 year 11 months). Not sure if my recent graduation from instructor school (which is driving the ADSC to Sep 2012 right now) had a negative impact on my application or not.

I submitted the paperwork on vMPF in mid-July, it reached AFPC on 18 Aug (ie received stamps of approval from SQ/Wing levels), and received email notification from AFPC on 24 Sept. Takes a while!

I lol'd.

My PC application got denied last week, so they still aren't releasing navs from the Herk community.

Someone got hit by a truck on that road? WTF? There are sidewalks on BOTH sides. Last I was there in February, no reflective belts while on the Rock, only when leaving to goto the LSA, etc. Honestly, I think Salem is the hidden secret for us. Hard billets, private bathroom in your room, screaming fast wifi, good gym, its relatively quiet and a small base for a deployed location, no mortars, very regular/predictable flying schedule, and the food improves every time I go there. I'd rather be there than any other base in that area.

Not sure, but if it does become an issue, you can always request a DOS of one day after your 4 year limit. I know they are recouping TA funds given out on active duty.

Whoa whoa, when did they start charging for the movies? They've always been free for the last few years, even after the sound upgrade. Salem's a pretty decent place to be. Pretty clean, not as big or queepy as the Deid, and the LSA's got some kick-ass food. Internet is superb!

I'm working the process right now. There isn't a whole lot of guidance out there- everything is now done through vMPF, so good luck finding help! My MPF straight up told me they don't have a person to help. I'd look to your future Guard unit for assistance...ie, how the hell do you fill out the 1288? What goes in the justification memo you have to attach to the online application? What does the standard one look like? Let's build some gouge guys. If you have 1288's, 780's, and memos that have been approved, I'd love to see 'em!