SocialD
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Posts posted by SocialD
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WOW, somebody thinks highly of themselves! When I fly with my OG, I usually go ask him what he wants loaded in the cans and what mission planning materials he would like. His usual response is, it's already done...we brief at XX, see ya then! He just likes to do all the mission planning himself. Never would have guessed an O-6 would be doing the mission planning for of a LT!
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I'm surprised they put "fly" in the motto. It seems that half of the Air Force doesn't realize that that's what we do...
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Wait, you guys have people that drive you to your planes! WTF...I'm going to have to talk to the union rep on this one!
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I don't see how this 'group' can't get hit by hate speech laws.
Our nation's enemies have always tried to use our own laws against us. I'm not sure who would categorize this filth as citizens.
I don't see why this group doesn't git hit by one or two of these...
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Luke collocated the club not too long ago, the old one was sitting vacant last I heard. The old club used to be rockin' in the afternoons, and a great place to preload, but last time I was through there (but before they collocated) it was completely dead on a Friday afternoon.
It was still the same when I went through (prior to collocation). Why even go there when you can drive 4 miles down the road and be at West Gate. The beer is the same price and there are hot girls everywhere!
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Not completely true. I mean, Holloman was an A-model Eagle wing for years prior to the 117s taking over in '92. And before that, it was an F-4 wing since the early '70. So the Eagle guys have had their crappy locations.
Ok so they had one....haha! No Korea, and no remote, sounds like a pretty good deal. Let's not even talk about the cush TDY's they get (pure jealousy, well minus the whole not ever going to combat part). I really have no dog in this fight, it's just funny to see the disparity.
Am from PHX, and to tell you the truth, Luke may be nice, but it has tons of encroachment problems, noise problems, etc. At one time, it was in the middle of nowhere, just as Willie was. But with progress, homes, etc moved out that direction. And like every other GA airport, its tough to fight to keep bases open, especially one with the issues Luke has.Even though this announcement has been made, there still is the Environmental Impact Statement that has to be completed, so it's not totally a done deal yet. I hope it can be, but the EIS for Luke, noise-wise, may be worse than the one that was completed for Eglin, if only for the geography
Ya, well eventually the government is going to have to say tough $hit. You bought a house near an Air Force base, guess what, it's going to be a little noisy from time to time!!! If your house was there before Luke, then you have a valid argument, in not, Fu@k off! If we shut down every base that had these issues we wouldn't have any left, besides Holloman, Cannon and Creech. Hell doesn't Nellis have that issue. The bigger issue here is losing access to a great training range down in the BMGR.
What was even more amazing was that one of the biggest b!tches out there was some retired AF MSgt. He would call up and start off with how he was in the AF for 25 years and he knew how our operations were, and those planes are "hotdogging." Turns out it was just a transient 2 ship, not familiar with the local pattern. They flew over a town there we tried to avoid as part of our pattern procedures.
But it's all a pipe dream the military will continue to kiss the locals a$$. Eventually, some politician will decide to take up the issue to further his career and eventually get it closed. Can't even imagine the fallout, if we ever put another jet into a neighborhood again.
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Luke had to pick up the Lightning II otherwise it was at a huge risk of being Brac'd once the Vipers had been retired. There are a lot of people in the area that are trying to have it demolished for public Real Estate so this was a big save for them.
I am well aware of d-bags around the base trying to shut it down. Heard about it all the time going through the B-Course, they are not happy about the 35 being based there. I am very glad Luke picked up the F-35 mission, that base would be a terrible loss...great ranges, great airspace and a great town! My comments were more about the fact that it didn't surprise me that the 22 is leaving Holloman, you can't have 22's (of 15s) in a $hitty location.
AFSOC should have moved to Holloman(MUCH better than Cannon) instead of Cannon and 22's should have been at Cannon, that way when the 22s leave the base would shut down for good...
cheers
No that is a forward thinker.
Holloman has lots of range real-estate, with the Red Rio, Oscura, and McGregor ranges, as well as tons of acreage available from the WSMR. Same types of overall bombing restrictions that the BMGR has, so they're pretty much the same, more or less. If you include the west side of BMGR that the USMC owns, then I believe that the BMGR is bigger overall.
That's good to hear!
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Luke to pick up the F-35. Holloman to lose their new F-22 mission and gain 2 F-16 sqds, don't know from where they're coming though.
http://www.kpho.com/news/24442007/detail.html
http://www.holloman.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123215576
Wow, that didn't take long. Everyone knows you can't put the F-15 or the F-22 in a $hitty location! Sucks for the future 16 bubbas, Phoenix is a great town. Not sure about what kind for ranges they have out at Holloman but it's hard to beat the BMGR.
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A few weeks ago, the Club here at Luke suspended food service indefinitely. Rumor is that they had some health code violations. A buddy of mine last week went in to cancel his membership and get a refund since they weren't holding up their end of the deal (ie he can't get discounts on food they aren't serving). Not sure what came of it though.
You'd think at a base with 7 Fighter Squadrons they'd be able to run a decent club.
That bar was terrible. Aside from mandatory fun, I only went there once, for my graduation...
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FYI, the O-Club at a certain South Texas UPT base is now charging all non-club members $5 to get into each drop night...including the studs that are dropping...who are forced to have their drop at the O-Club...who just spent $400 on two kegs and food....which could only be purchased from the club. UFB.
It's gonna be dead tomorrow night.
Why does this not surprise me! I had a buddy go to XL for UPT, and was told he HAD to join the club. He promptly told them to no f'ing way....show me the AFI that says I have to be a club member. He didn't make any friends doing that but he didn't give a crap, and still graduated just fine. If they tried to charge him 5 bucks to get in, I have no doubt he would have just left and drank at his house. He was Guard so he already knew his assignment anyway. Wonder what they would do if everyone in the class said we aren't going? My guess is the leadership would cave and threaten the studs with some bull@hit lie about paperwork. What are they going to do, give the whole class a LOR
There was a really weak attempt at pushing us to join the club, in UPT. I don't know of anyone who actually joined...that place was a ghost town, aside from assignment nights every 6 weeks. We fought to have our assignment night off base and were shot down by WG/CC. Then we tried to buy our food and beer from a place cheaper than the club, and were shot down again. So we were forced to buy overpriced beer and food from the club.
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Although carrying a copy of your 1042 (or NATOPs, etc.) may be legal (which I agree it would be, although the FAR isn't that specific) is it smart? I've talked to a couple FSDO guys, and they don't have a clue what forms are legit for military medicals, especially when you are talking about all the different branches. Obviously some ops inspectors will because of thier previous service.
So if you are ramp checked and show a form that the FAA inspector isn't sure about, it's going to suck while he tries to figure it out. Even if it all works out, and there's no infraction, is it worth your time and effort to deal with that ass-pain when you could have just showed him a FAA medical. Most class 3's are about $80-100 and last 3-5 years (depending on your age).
I'm not saying what you should/shouldn't do, but it's a cost/benefit decision you should at least consider.
Of course it's smart, because it's legal and in the FAR's! They wouldn't have put it in there if they didn't want us using it. If the FSDO guys you talked to don't know what the military medical forms are, then they are $hitty at their jobs. If they plan on ramp checking anyone, it's their job to know what military medical forms are!
No it will not suck, because I know I am right. If they don't think it's legal, I will reference them to FAR 61.23(b)(9) that I have scanned on the backside of my 1042. It's right there in black and white. If they still don't think it's right, let them look like a dumba$$ as they call back to the office to figure it out.
I agree, that the less things out of the norm, the better. But if the FAA is offering this, then I am going to take full advantage of the situation. Why spend that 80-100 bucks if I don't have too? With the already astronomical costs of general aviation, this is money that could be better spent elsewhere.
Last thing I want is more discussion with an FAA Ops Inspector.Why not? All the FAA inspectors I have dealt with have been great. I actually learned quite a bit from one particular individual and enjoyed the conversation. These are people just like you and I, who have just as much passion for aviation as the next guy. They just happen to work for the FAA.
40 years of flying left is about $1300 of Class 3s assuming you are already over 40. But that's still a few gallons of Avgas...or beerBeer is reason enough....haha!
I just spoke to the Sacramento FSDO. The inspector said I should carry BOTH my Form 8 and my 1042. The Form 8 proves I'm on active military flight status, which is a requirement for this provision.
Take it for what it's worth.
I think this is a great idea. But is this something he, or his office, just thought up or is that something that has been sent down from the power above?
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Does anybody know if there's any movement to get a military FC1 count for a FAA Class 1? FAR 61.23(b)(9) still states that the military FC1 can only be used in the U.S. in lieu of a FAA Class III. I'm just trying to save some dough here.
This is the place to look for changes on that. He stays on top of most of that stuff.
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However, I do believe active duty is coming for ARC iron, I see the push every day. The “operational reserves” is the new norm, and it comes at the expense of the strategic reserve. TFI units are the future and the ARC assets will be used up at an active duty pace. The Air Force needs new toys, and the ARC has them.
I hope we can recap the active force without destroying our strategic reserve.
Imagine if the AD did take the ARC Iron...they would have no reserve to break up the deployments. AD would have to TDY to their homes and would live in the desert. The iron would be reaching their useful shelf life at a staggering rate and we would be sending our jets to the boneyard at the same rate. I wouldn't even want to guess what would happen to the retention rate!
But I do agree with you it seems more and more that TFI is the way of the future...
Agreed
Ask all the Georgia Guard JSTARS dudes who used to fly B-1's back in 2001. Then the USAF took them away to return to Active Duty.
Ya, give another F-ed up program to the guard. Guard gets the program on track thanks the vast experience level and significantly less red tape in the acquisition process. Subsequently the AD says, thanks...we'll go ahead and take those back! Proof positive that the Iron is owned by the AD...and they can do as they please anytime they want.
Just to clarify...
I am a huge fan of the ARC. We are lucky as a nation to have enough iron (for now) to keep and maintain talent in the form of trained and equipped forces in the ARC.
I also know how demanding it can be for an ARC unit to be tasked to deploy multiple times.
A small business owner will struggle to keep his business open if he/she must deploy often or for an extended period. Many enlisted folks also take significant pay cuts from what they make in their civilian jobs to come in and bend wrenches or pump gas.
An airman sent on multiple deployments may have some real trouble with his/her civilian employer. A kid in college may get set back a year from his planned graduation date if a deployment falls at the wrong time.
These are real sacrifices made by great Americans who are doing thier part to serve our nation. These folks have some difficult choices to make every time their re-enlistment comes up. Retention of this talent is critical but getting more difficult every year.
A wing/state leadership with an active ESGR program is essential but not a cure all.
I have always struggled when listening to an ARC pilot say shit like "do you have any idea how much it is costing me to fly for the Guard/Reserve?" as if they should get a ######ing medal because they had to drop a trip because they were going to lose currency or needed a checkride or couldn't bid what they wanted that month due to a drill. These were typically the same guys that would use the ARC to get out of something or get some advantage with their airline...and laughed about how sweet it was to have the ARC shield/skirt to hide behind.
It is not ######ing Burger King.
That said...
Most of the ARC pilots I know live an incredibly ######ed up schedule and juggle an unbelievable number of things (including two jobs and a family) and still come in with a huge smile on their faces, just happy as hell to be serving their country. The non-pilots I know are some of the most incredibly professional and extremely talented people I have even met in uniform. Without the ARC we would never have access to them and that would be very bad. Their efforts and dedication are degraded by the selfish attitude displayed by a few. Those few shrill voices are, unfortunately, impossible to ignore and they overshadow the quiet dedication of the vast majority of their peers.
So, while I am disgusted by some of the attitudes of a few individuals (and a few unit cultures) I am a firm believer in the Total Force concept and I am damn glad we have the ARC to pitch into the fight today.
Great post!
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After the drop, the one RPA guy was hanging out at the bar with his buddies and the other one stormed off to go pout behind the Club. Some of his friends eventually found him and tried to cheer him up. A couple IPs tried to set him straight, but the dude wasn't really listening to anybody. Some other dude went off on him, something about preds keeping people alive and how he shouldn't be so selfish about things. I have no idea how it ended. This isn't rumor, it's what I saw first-hand (which is why it probably sounds pretty incomplete).
I'm guessing the guy yelling got UAVs out of pilot training, and knows exactly how this dude feels...
I really don't blame the dude, although I would have just left and not made an ass out of myself by staying there. Why does everyone think that these dudes have to be all rays of sunshine when they get a UAV? I can see giving the dude $hit if he was pouting about not getting the MANNED aircraft of his choice. But for a dude that just got handed 10 years (I hope the AF isn't still feeding them BS about a follow on manned a/c, we all know that's a lie) in preds. I wouldn't look down on him if he just walked out for the night. What matters is that tomorrow he dusts himself off and moves on. Save the "he should just be happy to be in the AF...blah blah" I get it it....still doesn't mean he has to be happy about the assignment.
When dudes got Tami'ed to UAV's everyone was like damn dude, feel bad for you....sorry to hear that. Noone was yelling at them, telling them they should just be happy they even got xx assignment. I even remember reading about how, one of our very own on this forum, was pissed when he got FORCED into A-10s from helicopters...but like any good officer he shook it off and moved on, as i'm sure this kid will.
On a totally unrelated note....WTF is up with them calling the RPA? First if was UAV, then UAS now RPA....seriously why the changes?
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SOS in correspndance AND in residence...really, WTF is the point!
Masters to make Major - sure I'll sign up for a class on the weekend or the few hours a night I have to myself, I hate seeing my family anyway...
Praying for a good VML.
Hoping a UAV doesn't get sent your way.
Uprooting the family every three years to who knows where.
Worrying about TAMI 22 (AF doesn't care if you were DG in every course and are being groomed for WIC, if you don't have xx amount of hours on x date....UAV it is for you!)
Being gone over half the year.
As far as the hoping your unit doesn't get UAV's....if this does happen you can go find work with another guard/reserve squadron. The ARC isn't all the end all be all by stretch of the imagination. There tends to be fewer AGR jobs and more Technicians, these days, which is more pay but no 20 and out. The full time jobs can be hard to come by at times, but sometimes they are there for the taking. You really won't get the diversity of flying in lots of different places (provided you are lucky enough to get more than one assignment in your airframe on AD). If there is bad leadership....your stuck with them until they move on, which can take forever. Being part time, it's hard to stay proficient...even if you want to, sometimes the days and dollars just aren't there. The next BRAC is always around the corner....but again, you can go find work elsewhere.
ARC Pros
Choosing where you live.
Flying the same if not more than your active duty bros...even as a part timer.
Ability to move to another location/airframe (of YOUR choosing).
The ability to go part time, and just fly in the military.
The ability to sit out a deployment....have to keep those civilian employers happy as well.
This one can not be emphasized enough.......4 day work weeks!
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Looking for some info on Brush guns. I want to pick up a good gun to carry (fishing, possible hunting) in AK that is NOT a handgun. I was thinking of the Marlin 1895SBL 45-70, have also read about .44/.35/.458 etc...anyone have experience with these types of guns?
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To not do so WILL lead to your subordinates getting the shaft when efficient paper-pushers DO get medals for the same or even lesser effort/bravery. Those not properly recognized for their efforts will unnecessarily fall behind their peers.
Therein lies the problem. Just handing out medals because other people are getting them isn't the answer. Same reason OPR's don't mean squat, it's more about how well someone can make their accomplishments sound rather than what they actually did.
Just because they don't want them, doesn't mean they haven't earned them.I would be willing to bet that, none of those Medal of Honor recipients set out to do something to receive that medal. They were just ordinary dudes put in an extraordinary situation and they rose to the occasion. Most would probably say they were scared death and fighting to live another day. They wear it as a sign of respect to all his bros who did not make it home. The dudes who put in for their own medals are trying to further their own careers.
"Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road and you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go. If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments. Or you can go that way and you can do something- something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?
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— John Boyd
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Hell, the protest I watched outside the front gate at Futenma in '94 was far from the first expression by the Okinawans that they wanted the Marines out.
Guam has been kicked about as the new location for all USMC forces currently on Oki for quite a while. Far better idea than that "floating airfield" bullshit from '96 or so...
On topic, I agree that this would send the wrong message to NK and China.
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Bring it back!
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I wonder what the guy taking the video was doing waiting on this guy to land...makes me think he might have seen this happen before...
Youtube landings at St. Barths, there are tons of video of plane landing there. It's not uncommon for people to be taking video of approaches to this airport.
Start watching around 1:05
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Yea right. Have your freakin OTS Flight CC swear you in or the President of the United States and tell me which one is a bigger deal.
Big deal...yes, more meaningful...no! I was perfectly happy with my AMS FA swearing me in...but then again I also skipped my college graduation. Never have been a big fan or making things a big deal. Danger, it's like the way SPS IFF does their graduation....I think that's how UPT grad should go!
OTS.....way to long!
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Being sworn in by the president is an honor, regardless of their political party.
Don't really see the big deal. I could care less who swore me in, the oath means the same no matter what.
C-17 Down on Elmendorf
in General Discussion
Posted
Somebody needs to tell the half-wing that it's his job to provide you the report, if you want it! That's weird, because our squadron safety shop gave us the briefing, with the actual footage and the animation. This is in a pointy nose squadron...so yes, it applies to everyone who flies.
But if he will not show that, take a look at the ever famous BUFF crash. Having seen that so many times in training, that's all I could think about as I watched the videos. All for an airshow...