SocialD

Two squadron mates just got called within days of submitting their apps to DAL. One was asked if he could be down there 3 business days later. Both had an availability date of November. Put them in and make sure they're polished. Oh and have all your stuff (sealed transcripts, mil records, etc...) ready for the interview as soon as you hit submit. Stuff can happen fast.

Because in their minds, Trump is worse than a terrorists. These are the types of people that are trying to steer our nation...

Taliban takes Kunduz and moving in on Herat and Lashkar Gah. Well it looks like we've finally turned that corner all those generals have been talking about over the last two decades...

Going full retard is what seems to get you reelected in DC. Maybe he's just decided that he can't beat them, so might as well join them?

One thing I love about my current spot in this gig (which I scoffed when I was flying international) is the ability to bid consistent (early) wakeup times and go to the same destinations. Last month, every layover was TVC, which is a great place if you've never been. Besides the huge health benefit of having a consistent sleep schedule, and only flying 1 time zone away, it just feel so much better after my trips. Early up/early to the hotel means you miss all the mid-afternoon summer storms and get to the bar at a reasonable time and I miss out on reroutes lol. I've done well over a decade of exciting flying that will never be topped, so I don't particularly care if my work flying is exciting. I just want to make as much as possible in as few days as possible, so I can enjoy lots of time off. But that's what is great about this gig, there is a little bit of something for everyone. Pick your poison or go somewhere you can choose between the two. I can't deny that living wherever you want is downright awesome. I know when we had 12 days trips at DAL, commuters absolutely loved them. They did say about half way through the trip they had no idea what day it was or what zone they were in...just when to be ready for sign-in, but they enjoyed the long bouts of time off in a row. Bid a 12-day early in June, another one in late in Aug, call in sick in July and you had damn near the entire summer off. Doesn't sound half bad actually. I hope you Atlas folks get that contract soon, you deserve it!

Two squadron mates submitted their DAL apps and got a call with days. Get them apps in and/or updated!

To pile onto StoleIt's post (for those looking at the Guard), I beat every one of my college buddies (by a year+) to a seniority, number because I was in the Guard. Hired with 4-5 years left on my UPT commitment...was in the class behind my UPT OSS/CC. As much as I bitch about all the shitty stuff I deal with now, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. I've gotten to do some incredible things that I never dreamt I'd ever get to do. It's just now that I have done it all, the BS just isn't worth it to me anymore...you'll get there some day too. There are just way too many things I want to do on the outside, and the military just gets in the way anymore.

Lol, when everyone suddenly started talking about this Simone chick, I legit had to hit up google to find out who she was.

100th Anniversary paint scheme of the 163FS in Ft Wayne.

Open up Viper Driver Memes v.69 and repost everything but don't tag people who can't take criticism/jokes...done!

I'm all for the path of least resistance as that's what I'd do too. But holy shit, what a fucked up requirement to have in place, especially when everyone knows about these "box checking" masters. I haven't heard of the Guard requiring it yet, and if they did, I'd expect them to start paying for it.

Seems like valid questions to me. Were there any extenuating circumstances? Long story, but as an OPS SUP on a recent deployment, I found myself cancelling lines when the weather was "technically" legal. Things like lack of reliable weather reporting, lack of support at diverts, PR grounded for weather, zero Americans outside the wire, all lead to those decisions. We were never questioned by anyone in our chain of command...well anyone with wings on their chest and AF on their name tag.

Is a masters a requirement, or a "requirement," to make O-6 in the AFRC? Zero interest in O-6, but I have never have actually heard if it's a requirement in the ANG. Either way, sounds like you'll be good, as I'm guessing there are going to be lots of opportunities soon. My base alone is losing 12 O-5s/O-6s in the next 1.5 years (~32% of our pilot force). Best of luck! Our O-6s are generally BMC, but often fly more than most of us DSG's.

Mid-late 90s OPS TEMPO you say? 30 day deployments, every 3+ years, with only the occasional long TDY in between. Sign me up! If I knew we wouldnt be deploying every 19-24 months, on a waste of time deployment, I would potentially stick around a bit longer.

Well that's their mission, not training, which is what the sign is getting at. I agree in one sense because we won't even fly through a thunderstorm on a combat mission. We'll fly around it, but never through it. More on the subject in the context of this conversation. I've never shown up to work only to been told to go home and come back in 12 hours to go fly without being offered go/no-pills. If this training was important enough, then the docs would have given them the pills.

You know why the flight doc denied them no-go's...because it's a fuckin exercise, they're not headed downtown, the OG can't seem to make the distinction. The quote I was reminded of while listening to that overly dramatic tantrum.

Please tell me this was in an unclass setting and someone had their cell phone recording this?!? But seriously, if true, everyone in the room should have left the building and immediately filed an IG complaint. Wait, this dude is an ABM? Oh man...lol, someone should have asked if he had come to that viewpoint from is vast experience as a pilot?

Say what? If there are enough of those people (in an ARC squadron) to make a difference, then I'd seriously question that units hiring practices. I've only known of one person who wrote the board. He subsequently got out and was promoted to Major within a year of joining the ARC...hired by two majors as well. Personally, I'd give them the "men at work" golf clap for realizing they're in a shitty spot, making the decision to do something about it and actually making it happen.

Used to be 2 sets of 265 day orders, which is more like 1.5 years. You can easily stretch that out to 2.5-3 years if you do UTA/AFTPs between sets of orders. Some line it up so you use up one years worth of UTA/AFTP at the end of the FY, then roll right into the next FY and use up as many of those UTA/AFTPs, before starting your next set of orders. Throw in a deployment order in there and it's pretty easy to get to 3 years if you want. Something to consider... I can count on one hand, and have a few fingers left over, the number of guys who actually went back to their jobs post seasoning. That's over 15 years of sending between 1 and 3 studs every year to pilot training. I get it if you're in a highly specialized field, otherwise I wouldn't sweat it too much...5 years is a good WAG.

People will just ignore it and this will be the most broken reg out there. So the FAA can either lose their minds trying to chase this down, ignore it at the local FSDO level or change their course.

Those lobbyist/board of director jobs aren't just going to create themselves for retiring Generals!

Varies wildly, with so many factors to consider. Some commutes are what some say are "super easy," and others are damn near impossible. Weather/IROPs can really throw a wrench into your plans. I left AAL for DAL because commuting absolutely sucks. I was staring down the barrel of a career of being gone a few more nights/month without pay...as in, another work month+ (per year) worth of days gone from home. Being on a WB can greatly mitigate this, so something to consider. Some prioritize location over those extra nights at home which I get, but it certainly wasn't for me. DAL has an unable to commute clause, whereby if you have a realistic backup (ie...seats open) and you just couldn't make it, they'll drop the trip without pay. A few times here and there, no big deal. Start making a habit of it and the Chief pilot is probably going to schedule a meeting. I'd assume that most of the other airlines have something similar. Right now it's moo point here at DAL since we have positive space commuting, but it's not actually in the contract, so it can (and likely will) be pulled at any time. My view on commuting...I'd move #3 up to the #1 spot. If I absolutely had to commute, if they're not already, FDX/UPS would be my top choices. They appear to have a decent amount of trips that begin/end with deadheads, which would make commuting much less stressful! Seriously though, not commuting is like having an entirely different job! In my short 8-9 years of airline flying I've witnessed some ridiculous buffoonery (and some serious blood pressure) by guys trying to catch a commute flight. I never dreamed I'd be in a situation where I thought I'd have to call a go-around from the jumpseat...but sometimes that's what you get when both pilots are trying to catch the last commute flight out of town. The happiest commuter I ever met was the guy who just gave up and always commuted up the night prior and stayed at the DTW Westin. If we got in late at the end of the trip he just went back to the Westin and got a room. Then again, he said his wife made 3x what he did and they had no kids...so no real stress of missing nights/spending money.

This is my shocked face... Even if it is in writing, you can't always count on it... That whole "core values" thing, that's more for you to follow and doesn't necessarily pertain to big AF. Also, no one care more about you (and your career) than you do. Just keep this all in mind as you make family/career/life decisions throughout your time in the military.

I could write a few pages on my feelings (disdain) toward our continued involvement in that place, but I'll keep it short and sweet. My two trips were over a decade apart. First one kinda felt like I was doing something, but even then, there was no clearly defined strategic objectives, just some nebulous bullshit. At least I was helping the Americans on the ground. The second time (late last year/early this year), was a complete waste of my time, money and hours on the jets. Zero strategic goals, zero tactical goals, zero sense of accomplishment, zero feeling of what we were doing meant anything. Two good things came out of that trip...we brought everyone home safely and it strengthened my resolve to get out. Who is going to be the first to pen a book called The Eagle went over the Mountain? Maybe they'll update to the Graveyard of Empires.

Having deployed there a few times my only emotion is elation. It was long past due to GTFO and stop spending our national treasure in that place.