DirtyHerk
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Posts posted by DirtyHerk
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Why would they move the FTU base to anywhere but Altus? Granted I understand politics is the determining factor, but just from an outsider looking in doesn't it just make sense to replace the aircraft at the bases they are already at?
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If I can swing a Non-A letter I get $88/day for lodging $56/day for food/beer. If I refuse gov't quarters I only get $34/day for everything
Not exactly. Refusing government quarters just means they will only reimburse your lodging and Per Diem up to what it would cost them to keep you on base. I don't remember the exact rates at LR but it sounds like on base lodging is $34 a day...therefore you'd be reimbursed up to that rate. Now if you get a Non-Availability letter your rate will be increased to what is listed on the Non-A, what that rate is just depends on the hotel they are trying to send you to and what the government rate the AF has worked out with them is. (Just because there is a hotel listed on that Non-A does not mean you have to stay there, you can stay anywhere you'd like and be reimbursed up to the listed rate on the Non-A) So if you get a Non-A you have a bigger pot of money to work with to try to score a nice place. But even on $34 bucks a day you should still be able to be reimbursed up to around $1020 ($34 x 30 days), but the catch is that money will only go towards the rent...so you'd have to have utilities and furniture worked into the actual Lease Agreement to be reimbursed for it. Otherwise you will have to pay them out of pocket. Refusing government quarters does not "cancel" your Per Diem. Now back in the day it would have reduced it to the on base Per Diem rate....but if I remember correctly LR went to the new DFAC system last year, which jumped all the prices at the DFACs, and eliminated the reduced on base per diem. But don't quote me on that, you will have to do a little digging for that when you get there. In the end though you will always receive Per Diem no matter if you get a Non-A or not. It's just a matter of what the actual rate will be. The last bit of advice I will give you is don't let them play the "move back on base when we have a room available" game. I have no idea why they try to pull that, but every time I have been to LR they have tried that game with me. Unfortunately they won my PIQ round due to my ignorance, but the JFTR only requires you to check availability once. So if they don't have room when you show up, make sure they gen your Non-A for your entire time there at LR. All in all there are plenty of options. If you have any other questions let me know. Hope this helps!
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An iPad in a fighter cockpit is a ######ing joke. That's what the HUand the MFDs are for. The last thing you need is more shit flying around during a threat reaction or an unusual attitude recovery.
Point taken, an EFB adaption to existing MFD's may be the best option for fighters. But for us fatties it is a pretty convenient tool. Even if we still have to carry paper copies for the "what if" scenario" I am perfectly happy rolling the Pubs kit out to the plane with me, and dumping it off in the back "just in case." Meanwhile freeing up the flight deck from just a little bit more junk to trip over.
Can't see the bottom part of this chart. Are we supposed to scroll up and down as we fly?Thats actually one my favorite features of the iPad. The ability to drag/scroll/zoom/resize with your fingertips, really helps when navigating through the charts and FLIP especially in really busy airspace. You can view the documents at their normal size, as well as zoom in on the smaller harder to read sections. No more squinting and guessing what the MDA or Wx mins are. If I can't read it, just zoom in. Having a backlit LED screen also squashes the "where do I have to hold this thing so my lip light/flood light may actually light it up well enough to read it" game. On the mobility side of the house I've found it to be a pretty advantageous tool, just my .02.
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They'd have to allow us access to the network with them to update/download/ect.
Not necessarily true. I've been able to get any pub I've needed through either our Group Stan/Eval CoP (granted that required a CAC reader for my home computer) or through loading the Pub to a personal online server from work and downloading it from home. Either way pretty quick, and makes Pub access in flight MUCH easier. All in all its been a huge SA builder, and is well worth the effort to jump through the necessary hoops to get this approved for use.
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I am pretty sure they will not cover/reimburse your costs for your pets. But I'd imagine since your dependents are on your orders your government rate (which is what they will reimburse up to when you decline government quarters) should be higher than the standard $39 a day. Even if all you received was the standard $39 a day (which equates to about $1,170 a month) I'm betting you could find a place to rent that would allow you keep your dogs with you and your family. At the worst you may have to eat into what you are making per diem or your base pay, but even that is likely to be less than the cost of kenneling. Now how far that $1,170 goes is also going to greatly depend on your TDY location. Good luck!
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I'm currently flying slicks and heading to the J initial qual TDY course next week. Any gouge on what to bring with me...ITS, pro gear, copy of flight records maybe? Kind of in the dark, any info is appreciated. Thanks.
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And when it is in service, A400M will have a 'right-sized' hold for more of today's and tomorrow's loads than the cross section of the -130 allows.
Now granted I am rather biased, but I think the C-130 cargo compartment size is just fine, especially now with the J-model's stretch variant being the new standard. The complement of the C-17 working in conjunction with the C-130 appears to be plenty adequate. The C-17 is a great mass mobility operator with great performance allowing it to get into some pretty tight places. Unfortunately the sheer size of it plays a rather large limiting factor, which is where the smaller C-130 plays in great. Now granted I don't know the dimensions of the A400m, nor its performance and it may be argued that the A400m can still get in. But I have already been a few places where I was nervous just taxi'n around, not too sure how a bigger plane may have fared. I know I am still pretty new to it all, but it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to figure out a quarter doesn't fit real well in a dime slot. Just sayin...
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Apply to OTS or a Guard/ Reserve unit about a year before graduation. Minimize the BS and still get the career you want. Feel sorry for your ROTC (to an extent) and Academy peers that you got to the same place they did without all that pain.
Going to have to disagree with you there. Not knocking our Guard and OTS bros, but personally I think the ROTC/Academy gigs are the better routes if you're shooting for the pilot gig. All will get you to the same place in the end, but just looking at the numbers the majority of slots are allocated to those two paths. But I will admit I'm a little biased, I enjoyed my ROTC tour. In fact it's pretty much what kept me at my school, you just gotta look past the BS and enjoy the opportunities it does provide you. Just my .02 though. Now as to deciding where you want to go, I completely recommend basing that off your school preference first and foremost. Not the Det or the awards they have recieved. Especially since most if not all ROTC Detachment awards are based of the queepy admin side of the house. As opposed to the daily cadet life it provides. In fact I would even argue that aspect isn't really even taken in to consideration. I just know that I have plenty of bros here on the active duty side of the house that had an amazing college experience at schools without any fancy awards or "noteriety", and guess what...they are doing exactly the same thing I am right now. Not to say I didn't enjoy my time, I just think I would have really enjoyed goin to a large D-I school. Anyways, just some ramblings for those of you up in the air. Take it or leave it, and see ya on the other side!
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Though this is splitting hairs, I'd say the fact it has digital displays of its flight instruments qualifies it as a glass cockpit. Maybe not the latest and the greatest but glass none the less.
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The comparisons used for calculating your NSS are based off students in each respective squadron. So -35 dudes are compared to previous -35 studs, and vice versa. Its all about timing, and hoping you get an On Wing who is Santa Claus with the grades. But really both squadrons have their advantages and disadvantages, I'd recommend -35 if you have the option. But ultimately both squadrons are gonna get you your wings!
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Today's drop for class 08-03 out here at Corpus:
1 x AC-130U to Hurlburt
1 x MC-130P to Eglin
1 x MC-130W to Cannon
1 x Slick to Pope
2 x C-130Js to Little Rock
2 x Slicks to Dyess
2 x Slicks to Yokota
needless to say it was a pretty solid drop for us!
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I wish the no earlier than 730 show still stood in VT-35, practically every "on wing" flight I had was a 530 or 600 brief. Oh well at least for the most part we beat the crappy weather! But ya, for anybody incoming I pitch try for C-12s the squadron is money. And if thats full, I say go A-models merely for the fact that they seem to progress through the syllabus at a much better pace/flow for VT-31. The C-model dudes seem to have long breaks of not flying for various reasons. Just some advice, take it or leave it. Glass cockpit is nice and all, but flyin the steam gauges ain't all that bad either.
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1. C-12s = enough, T-44s = more than enough
2. Steam gauges all the way, but we do still have a GPS which is nice. And they say we have a Wx radar but I'm convinced its just a back up Atari monitor, so the IPs will have something to do once killing our engines becomes boring.
3. I think they are at 9, and only one sim. Definitely the lim-fac of their program.
And no, the C-models are God Box free. But I believe they still have the circuit breaker set-up similar to the C-12s. Though apparently they can't do partial panel work as far as I know since the back-up system is all inclusive, which I'll leave up to you to decide the advantage/disadvantage of such qualities.
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It doesn't matter where you're from. Its all about slots that have to be filled, sure if they can cut down the travel cost its a bonus. But its not really a consideration I have ever seen them take.
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Dude, FT is going to be exactly what you want it to be. If you go in thinking its going to be the gayest thing ever, guess what...its going to be the gayest thing ever. Or you can not be a giant vag, realize that you have to roll with the bad to get to the cool, go make some good friends, and have a good time doing it. Hell the Air Force could tell me to go make a snow angel in 4 feet of snow wearing a damn speedo, and in turn they will give me a shot at learning how to fly jets...and you will see my shivering fat ass in a bright red speedo with a smile ear to ear rollin around in the snow. Its really not a big deal, its mandated so don't let it be a waste of your time. Just go in with a good attitude and mentality, jump through the hoops and earn yourself the commission.
CSAR-X
in General Discussion
Posted
"ACC is getting the Kings faster than AFSOC is getting the Commandos"
False. AFSOC has already delivered the first plane to their 2nd squadron, meanwhile Moody's first plane is still working its way out of the factory.
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