Lockjaw

Sigh

Short Ukrainian produced documentary about the helicopter resupply/CASEVAC runs in/out of Mariupol. All the interviewees are ground force guys, but there is some pretty good footage taken from the helos starting at around 21:00. Here

Same person who signed off on the PAQ IP details.

I was wondering that too. When I left my Tech/GS position, there was nothing about a commitment of any sort.

Wow. Who wouldn't sign up for starting out as GS-7 with an 8 year commitment at Del Rio? Especially young CFIs in the current aviation job market? As expected, USAF screws up a potentially successful venture.

Yup, we used that document quite a bit when building the courseware. Thanks!

I've thought about that quite a bit as well, having read a lot of first hand accounts. On the whole though - weren't those civilian IPs extremely experienced, as opposed to college graduation <2 years ago? Again I can only hope for success and I am sure there are some great candidates out there, but as another commenter noted - this is likely because of leadership/personnel management failures.

Yes, we leaned heavily on that pub. Has some great material as you noted. Also agree with the rest of your post, having gone through 61, 141, and mil flight training at various points.

Skeptical about this effort as a whole, but I do agree that we sorely lack a document where USAF aircrew instructors can go and read up on learning theory/fundamentals of instruction. When I went through IPUG, I was given portions of Army and even foreign AF (RAF) documents which were formal manuals or handbooks for instructors. These helped, but I was still surprised how little was devoted to actually learning how adults learn (aside from an, as usual, check the box CBT). This was amplified when I was assisting in developing some formal course instructor courseware, and there were no official USAF manuals or handbooks to pull from, for the purpose of how to instruct aircrew. We had good intentioned people scouring the internet to insert things from various websites, which in a lot of cases could not be used due to legal concerns. Sorry if this derails the thread. Just thought it was an interesting observation.

On a completely unrelated note, I'm off to buy lottery tickets today.

Yes and no. They don't spread exponentially but they without a doubt affect others - and in some cases can spread. If you really think there is only impact on an individual for any of those items, I'd be happy to share many tales proving otherwise from my days in EMS.

Damn...bless you, man. And I've heard that lifeboat comparison this week as well. Couple of the Marines at the gates described it as "playing God," some of the Brit paras said the experience was worse than tours in Helmand in some ways. Can't even imagine.

No argument there dude! Hell, I think there should have been a target list and resupply drops to the Afghans still fighting the minute the last C-17 went wheels up. But that would also probably screw our "couple hundred" of AMCITs and "thousands" of green card holders that we left. Along with the SIV holders/applicants One of whom...happens to have launched with a QRF to secure Biden after an Army 60 PLd in 08. Awwwwkwaardddd

I believe the "Chinooks" are the DOS Air Wing CH-46s. Word was they were "rendered inoperable" prior to being abandoned.

All is well! Details

To sum up on senior DOD/IC/political leadership...let me get this straight. The brain trust couldn't figure out the plan or capability of the Taliban, their supporters, or the partner force/government? But we can definitely know the intention of a peer or near peer foe and be ready for them... Sure.

I think the meeting went more like "for how much and to who do I write the check out?" I hope I'm wrong but that's my gut, especially after this afternoon's presser at the Pentagon.

I'm conflicted. I get where you are coming from, but at the same time...I'm mightily tired of public being sanitized from this war. The video/imagery should be available for every citizen to see what poorly executed war, and especially a poorly planned withdrawal, results in.

Ah good. OSI is involved.

Here ya go What Just Happened?

As I read in a well written piece by a former MARSOC operator, "We weren't in Afghanistan for 20 years. We were in Afghanistan 20 times for 1 year."

Valid on both counts. But it does say something when the worst is believed whenever "investigation" comes up.

Definitely no need for every available strat airlift asset in theater 🙄

Funny but not funny...I predicted that outcome in a few conversations with fellow aviators today. So glad USAF leadership didn't let me down...

I've gotten quite salty, but there still isn't a single time where I'm raging low level, doing HAAR, or gunnery where I'm thinking "I shouldn't have done this." Even less so with a one month old infant on the hoist during a tropical storm. Or swooping in to grab a ground pounder who is having a really, really bad day. Yeah, there's a lot of other things which frustrate me to no end...but the flying and the relationships I've built with my fellow aircrew are ultimately worth it. For another six years anyway....