StoleIt

Gotcha, they dropped the "Advisor" part on definition in the 2903. So...can we lobby to get "AIRCREW" patches made?

Anyone know, under Authorized Duty Identifier Tabs (Table 5.4), what Combat Aviation/CAA entails? I wouldn't mind having a big fat patch on my shoulder that screams "AIRCREW/former zipper suited sun God." Example:

You're telling me the enemy, in the middle of a gun fight, could tell the difference between the ABU and the ACU? I call BS on that. I remember shopping for ABU's when they first came out and everyone was laying them on the floor to try and get a matching shade of gray and one Lt Col tried to buy an ABU top with an ACU bottom. They look really freaking similar.

Not sure exactly what you mean by quals...but IP in your MWS is a must and I'd say the majority of us were EP's as well. Expect a 6 month non-flying deployment as repentance for this good deal. Otherwise 1 local a week (1 hr flying/2 hours other/3 hours total time) and maybe one TDY a month (usually 4-10 days).

At least those who get out and get hired at a major prior to any Stop Loss will keep getting seniority while the AF fumbles around figuring things out. Also...I'd be curious as to how the AF would place/employ people coming back from a Stop Loss. They have to realize most of those people are going to do the bare minimum:

C-40 here. It doesn't suck.

I think everyone in the tanker community knew this was coming, but officially delayed: https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/reagan-defense-forum/2017/12/03/boeing-will-miss-2017-delivery-goal-for-first-kc-46/

From what I call of the original plan, the KC-X, Y, and Z. The KC-Y was supposed to be a second buy of the X to completely phase out the remaining KC-135s. And the KC-Z was supposed to be a larger KC-10 replacement. But, we can see that ship has sailed since now the KC-46 is replacing the KC-10...so instead of using 1 KC-10 for a coronet we will need 3x -46s. Oh yea, and there will be less KC-46s at Travis and McGuire then there are KC-10's. I'm sure this will all work out great, though.

Yeap, and the boom can't tell when/if he hits outside the receptacle. Genius design and the solutions Boeing offered up are far more entertaining. Hopefully an IOTE guy can chime in but it sounds like another huge delay.

Boeing couldn't even get 3 subsets of a 767 to fit together and you think they can competently merge a 737 and a 707? I bet Airbus is laughing at the sidelines while having a commercially successful A330 MRTT.

True, but it's probably a lot "easier" for them to keep the 767 line open rather than figure out how to make Dash 80's again.

No sources besides bro level from people directly involved in this type of thing. Boeing probably doesn't want any of this out in the open because it would reflect negatively on them (and therefore, I assume, their stock price).

Anyone else hearing about what a cluster the -46 program currently is? Sounding like the AF doesn't want to/shouldn't accept delivery from Boeing any time soon. It can't AR and can't carry cargo.

The last pair of USAF QF-4E's doing a low level.

Since they are moving boards closer together now...it seems like if an 08 guy gets twice passed over they could get out about 2-3 years prior to their ADSC. Does that mental math work? Just day dreaming over here and I'm bouncing back and forth between a nightmare of Stop Loss and a wet dream of Palace of Chase.

Well that just sounds like a shit show of epic procurement proportions... And what is the point of having a stealthy refueler if it isn't stealthy when refueling? You can't tell me dropping the boom and then connecting to a B-2/F-22/F-35/B-21 will still keep both aircraft LO.

Yeap, that was entertaining. Gave the flight suit haters in my group a lot of ammo too.

So...BATS and/or CATS?

We aren't even selling the Saudi's F-35s last I checked...

Sounds like we just need to get the ball rolling on the 6th Gen...so we can have it to replace half the Raptor fleet in like 80 years.

This. I had 3 flights then a check for my ATP, but I ended up weather cancelling one ride and pressing to the check anyway because I've got a pretty extensive GA background and felt comfortable in the mighty Apache. My IP was $40/hr, the DPE was $350 total, $250/hr for the airplane. 9.4 hours total (including the check ride) so I managed to squeek in right at $3k but I'd say that's more of an exception than the rule.

I feel bad for the selects...they are going to Altus and will get thrown in the KC-135 FTU...and they will probably never touch the -46.

Could the CSAF/SecAF even institute such a change? Or would that have to be a congressional restructure of the AF to add WOs?