brabus

10 hrs straight in a helo - ouch. Nice work to all involved.

It’s accurate, and a good point. Timing and luck matter - fighter UPT slots are probable scarce for the next couple years at least. It’ll swing back, but who knows how long it’ll be.

Based on age and the amount of effort you’ve put in without an interview, I don’t think enlisting is going to move the needle at all. Find a job you truly want to do in the ANG and go for that, but do not take a job because you think it’ll get you a pilot slot. I understand completely the desire for mission and something greater - go find that kickass E job and run with it for as long as you still enjoy it.

Clickbait - 100% on the PIC. I’ve let many “unqualified” people fly an F-16, would have been 100% my fault if they had done something that resulted in a class ____.

Several ARTs I know have tried and failed. The only way a couple of them were able to succeed was quit your ART job, get re-hired into another ART job a couple months later, then you can sign up for the $30k bonus. Obviously a few stars have to align to make all that happen.

Not shocking. Corporate cubicle farms can be huge, and with a big company I doubt it was even a blip on the radar when she didn’t scan out.

No. Sounds like we’re from different corners of the AF; once every 2 weeks flying sounds terrible, I’ll l give you that. But that is not what’s killing the AF. It’s all the other bullshit in conjunction with dickless leadership who doesn’t give a fuck about winning. Enough of that horseshit makes a guy move on. Period.

Sure more hours would be nice, but that doesn’t fix the pilot bail rate. It’s not lack of flying hours that’s pushing guys out the door.

I have seen more than one guy get FEB'd for non-flying related actions. It sounds like whatever you did to receive an LOR is bad enough they don't want you flying, and that's their prerogative. Really do some introspection here and determine if this is something worth spending a ton of money and stress on. It's very possible you really fucked up something in life/officership, and if that's the case, I'm not saying incriminate yourself further or not lawyer up, but also I wouldn't burn yourself out and drain your bank account to fight a losing battle. If this hypothetical is hitting close to home, then learn from the past, do what you need to improve, and move forward on a new path in life...flying is not everything, despite what we all think in our 20s.

2006 - sat for 6 months prior to UPT, followed by 13 months until IFF. 19 months of golf and gallons of beer…there’s worse things in life!

That can’t be true, makes zero sense….wait, never mind, par for the course. But seriously, even the math doesn’t add up - how long is a “heavy” FTU + MQT, seems like nearly a year would be burned doing that. The MAF squadron wouldn’t even get one deployment out of the guy before he left for the fighter b course.

This whole thing is the perfect example of the initial horrible-idea-fairly is long gone by the time the disaster outcomes of their shit ideas come to full fruition. And then the current recipients of said shit have to pretend like none of this could have been foreseen. Classic GO level performance.

Had my Fenix for 3 years now, have beat the shit out of it, and it’s still flawless function. Definitely worth it.

New round of Garmin watches and knives - best use of EOY funds I’ve seen.

I think the Blk3 Rhinos basically fit that description. Let’s just concentrate on those and speed up F-35 fixes/new shit 10x. Take NGAD tech and work what you can into F-35/Rhino. Start over for 6th gen with an IOC of 2035 - you’ve got 10+ fucking years acquisitions and industry, make it happen.

That’s what NGAD started as (open architecture, rapid adaptability, etc.) and then the mil industrial complex kicked it into 6th gear and fucked it all up. I don’t blame the AF for taking a pause after seeing some of the more recent costs and demands from industry. Acquisitions and industry - For the love of God, just fucking produce something that is relevant, adaptable, at least realistically affordable (even if still a rip off), and doesn’t take 20 years. Why is this so hard?

@Lawman Good call - now it all makes sense.

SOCOM, including AFSPECWAR, is playing an active and important part in EUCOM and PACOM, it just doesn’t look exactly the same as the last 20+ years in CENTCOM. It’s crazy I know about this as an outsider to AFSOC, but apparently leadership within AFSOC doesn’t know what their own people/immediate joint partners across SOCOM are doing today. How are they that clueless?

What’s not applicable? Special Operations?

@HeloDude Agreed, just like to make them actually articulate their viewpoint, but as expected, it was dodged via a re-direct/non-answer.

Are you arguing business owners have increased their margins at the expense of employee pay, and that’s the root cause for non-owners feeling the significant financial squeeze over the last few years?

Totally agree. We shouldn’t have done it in the first place.

I’m betting we gave them as much training as we’re willing to give a country like UKR. Up to them to sort the rest out.

Terrible to hear about Macho. Great dude and while I surely didn’t know him as well as others here, I enjoyed the times I worked with him and all of our conversations throughout the last several years. RIP dude.

Generally we do not work for the sake of work/“punch a time card.” You’re there to get the job done, then go home (or hang out in the bar, gym, etc.) Nobody should be working long days unless that’s what is required to get the mission done.