Skitzo

I'll just put it this way, the current philosophy about cheating is zero tolerance, and if you know about it and you don't report it you are just as guilty. However if that wasn't the current philosophy maybe instead of ratting out people after confronting them half-assed a person might have the guts to tell them that if they don't knock it out their ass is going to get reported. And if that doesn't work they might decide hey, these guys are getting an advantage over me but if I report them who is going to burn besides them? In other words, how are my actions going to be judged by or how will my actions affect others? Are my seemingly noble actions going to affect others? I'm not advocating cheating or what happened at Columbus, I'm simply saying that if we are going to fight the "one mistake Air Force" philosophy it's gotta start out by doing everything you can to help your bros out before taking it up the chain. That way the nonsense that does get to the commander for his/her decision is worthy of their time and decision. I don't know if everything possible was done to save these individual from themselves but I know the usual reaction to being accused is for the guilty party to deny it. Maybe if they were bugged more than once their conscience would have kicked in. Then again that would take people with intestinal fortitude and the ability to think about their actions before making them instead of throwing people to the fire. I'm not saying cheating is right and I'm not saying those that are guilty of things shouldn't be punished but if people could just realize that virtually anything now-a-days can be a career ending proposition then we might be more apt to take it a little easier on our bros or maybe be a little harder on them ourselves. Then you can bring it up the chain, with a sickening feeling in your gut, because it should kill you to do it. But being okay in the end because you know deep down you did EVERYTHING possible to help the person. Then again this post is a little self-righteous and speaking about decisions that I have never had to make. [ 10. June 2006, 17:14: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

I wasn't saying that anything about this was acceptable. What I am saying is that the two turned in by the members of my class in the other flight were turned in because the entire flight didn't have the same information. If they would have shared the information, no one would have been turned in and the people who were kicked out would not have had their careers ruined all because a group of people turned others in for not sharing what they percieved was gouge but if it were really just gouge then why would they be turned in? [ 10. June 2006, 11:57: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

I was in 05-12, 05-08 was the class where the majority of the students who were kicked out from. A couple of students from my class in the opposite flight got the answers and proceeded to use them on the EPQs. One of the students was on academic CAP and all the sudden started getting 100s on the EPQs, when the studs with the answers were confronted they denied it and then the rest of the flight turned them in for not sharing the answers. When they turned them in and the whole thing was traced back to 05-08 the hammer fell because the powers that be finally had to make an example out of the entire thing. Of course these are my opinions and do not reflect anything official. [ 10. June 2006, 11:00: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

At this point in my career I'm for anything that will get anyone to drink alcohol. It seems like everyone I am meeting that is married doesn't like to drink, doesn't like to get drunk etc. Since when does getting hitched means you don't like to drink? Or the ever popular two drink minimum? I see a lot of posts on here that are something along the lines of... I don't drink am I going to get along with my classmates at UPT if I don't drink? It seems like its becoming the norm that if you get drunk and rowdy at roll-call then you are on everyone's s-list. I don't know if this is a SNAPism but its starting to piss me off. I'll give an example of this new culture. Random Dude: Hey are you going to roll call tonight? Me: Maybe, but I have a garage-sale and I don't want to get s-faced and have to rummuge around crap tonight to price it out. Random Dude: Audible sigh... And let me remind you it wasn't a sigh that I wasn't getting s-faced at roll call, it was a sigh that I would even think about getting drunk at all. Looking back on the situation, I should have just got drunk and told the misses to do all the garage sale crap. Actually someone else should have scolded me for even considering not going to roll call and made to do penalty shots of weed. I need a 12 step program for being a SNAP... [ 09. June 2006, 20:57: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

Allright let the s storm rain down on me. I was a CAP Cadet, I have the Spaatz award, I don't consider myself to be the largest douchebag around although I agree with about 90% of what everyone is complaining about and will probably never waste my time on CAP again, unless its in some capacity to help the little kiddies However I must say in my time spent in the program especially at one squadron the cadet program was a worthwhile endeavour. The same year I joined we had a couple other people who joined, 1 is completing his masters at MIT before going to ENJJPT 2 have just commissioned and are awaiting pilot training 2 have enlisted in the ANG. Not bad for a group of about 20 people, but the program has definitely taken a turn for the worse

When and why was ACE eliminated from the B-1? Seems like a cost-effective way to keep proficiency up. What are they planning on doing with the T-38's at Beale and Holloman?

I saw an interesting one the other day. The stud cut out the outline of a t-37 and glued 100 pennies to it and threw in his name patch and class number on it. It was quite large but definitely different and "clean."

In my limited AETC experience the only guy I've met to fly his entire career got thru to Maj and volunteered to go remote for a year and come back to fly T-1s. He'll retire as a major with 19/20 years flying. Less conventional approach, fly your ass off and then compete for a full time reservist position at a UPT base. I've known a couple of reservists that have done this.

Anyone have any insight on why Dyess is so backed up? I was talking to a B-1 guy and he said ever since they changed the requirement for the AC upgrade they have been having a real problem in the pipeline. Although I've always heard that the B-1 is a tough bird to keep in the air... is it more of a MX issue? Or a FHP issue? Of course the whole issue boils down to money, either not enough money to fly the guys the sorties they need to UG or not enough MX money to fly em or not enough money in the FHP.

I had to share a room last year in San Antonio, but we were staying on the riverwalk. It's not as much of a rip as having a roomate at survival and still getting charged the full rate.

Maybe other bases are different but in my nearly two years at Columbus I've only heard of 2-3 that have been actually reinstated into the program, force-shaping notwithstanding. [ 28. February 2006, 11:56: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

The historic washout rate for columbus is 13%

It wasn't to extend the life of the T-38? [ 06. February 2006, 16:01: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

My .02 The Facts: --Graduated SUPT and probably should have gotten a bomber out of -38s (after getting all the info and taking a hard look at my gradebook/relative performane). --Went to IFF for A-10's washed out for various reasons although the training report says basically I suck at flying. Honestly can say though, it was a combination of things. --Got a waiver to the FEB approved through 19AF and now awaiting orders to either the B-52 or B-1 --Pre assignment night: Had the attitude that going bombers would be less than desirable due to the fact from day one in Phase III we are told that we are being trained to be single seat fighter pilots. Plus I had my own desire from childhood to fly fighters. --Post IFF washout: I'm excited as can be to be remaining in a business where I can fly in an ac that will drop bombs. Especially considering the stigma of washing out and the less than stellar choice of airframes available to an IFF washout. --In summation: It's always going to be less than desirable to get a bomber out of SUPT. No one is going to cheer for a soon to be graduate the same if it is a bomber vice a fighter (unless it's a B-2) It's a matter of perspective, -38 guys are spoiled that the worst assignment (in their perspective) is an assignment that a lot of T-1 guys would kill for. There will always be a need for bombers for 38 grads because the track select process is not perfect. That being said I'm most certainly going to try to sandbag some flights on the T-1 side of the house to learn as much as I can about the crew concept and how to fly as a team. If the previous T-1 bomber tracks included intro to bombing fundamentals I must assume that the current T-1 syllabus has a lack of tactical lessons, I have no idea what those are but why would there be a need to put a T-1 grad through 6-9 sorties for IBF when there isn't a need to put a T-38 grad through 6-9 flights in a T-1 to introduce him/her to the "crew concept?" Sounds like there is a multitude of ways to skin a cat and produce an effective bomber pilot, it's probably more of a money issue than anything else. Anyways, my whole experience sure as hell has given me a better perspective on how lucky we all are to fight and fly for a living. I've been on the ground since Nov and I'm dying to slip the surly bonds again.

My .02: As a UPT student you should find things about both sides of the house, both pro and con. Do this by talking to as many people in those aircraft as you can esp at the o-club. If you can, while you are still in ROTC or on casual, go visit a squadron if you can. I'm not going to sit here and say fighter pilots act this way and heavy pilots act another, I don't have the credibility/experience to be able to do that. All I can say from my perspective is that each negative sterotype I've heard has been squashed about every aspect of going fighters, from going -38's to being at IFF most of the bad things are over-embellished and most likely in my estimation products of those that have tried and failed and have to place their failures on someone/something else or those that have tried but didn't make it in. I'm not saying you won't be called on the carpet for your mistakes but you also won't be treated any worse than you should, ie: you are in training to be a single seat pilot, capable of breaking things and blowing things up, would you want to have anything less than perfection demanded from you? Just keep an open mind and keep asking questions, try to get as much exposure as you can, hope my very limited experience can help.

Grumpy support personnel, that was my biggest complaint at SUPT at CBM, even put it in my critique (don't forget to do that). Every person down at finance, MPF, and pretty much everywhere in the support group views the average student pilot as a student first, officer second. Fast forward to after getting wings, people bending over backwards to help me get my ducks in a row. Edit: Not really grumpy as much as just wanting to pass the buck onto someone else instead of getting you an answer. [ 23. September 2005, 18:03: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

Well thanks to everyone with the advice it is appreciated. One more question, what impact does the particular rtu have on IFF? If Luke gets a bunch of guys that can't hack it and washout, does this cause viper drivers to go under more scrutiny at IFF? Or is it just handled at Luke? Likewise with A-10's and all the other fighters.

I am headed to Moody for IFF in about a week and I have heard several horror stories about one squadron versus the other as far as washout rates. Several dudes I have talked to that went through the supossed non horrific squadron claimed things like "seven guys washed out while I was there" from the other squadron. I've heard this from more than one person, what is the deal? Are they given the students that did worse in UPT?? Is it a washout mentality? Is there anything I can do besides memorizing the standards, shutting up, acting like a sponge, having a good attitude and attempting to bring my A-game every flight? Besides other standard stuff: don't scare lead, don't over-g, don't overfly bingo etc. Is there anything that really to's IFF instructors that make them more apt to hook one student over another? Furthermore are these rumors unfounded or are they true? I've tried searching so if this has been discussed before I apologize.

I would say the worst thing about the squasher is not the G's, the G's were easy for me... its the fact that if you move your head at all, you are so spatitally disoriented that you just about puke.

I find it annoying when you call tower "Poison XX, 2 miles from the final approach fix, gear down" And tower comes back "Poison XX check wheels down cleared to land" Now I don't know if they heard me, the first time, or if they are just saying it out of habit, so now I have to transmit gear down again, kind of frustrating when your dealing with a crappy TACAN under the hood and on your nav check. [ 26. May 2005, 18:41: Message edited by: ktulu34535 ]

Unless your base gets closed....

Bottomn line I still think you get a nifty card thru the officer pipeline saying you are a certified controller. That being said, if you opt out of the military after your commmittment and you like that kind of thing you can go be an FAA controller for pretty good money. That was my backup plan if I didn't get a pilot slot.

ADC= Area Defense Council?????

The problem is the culture, when I started IPs told stories about the "table of knowledge" during their experience in pilot training. Kind of hard for someone to say cheating isn't right when its been the norm for quite some time. Especially when the person saying cheating isn't right quite possibly could have AT LEAST been privy to this sort of spurious behavior when he/she was in pilot training.

I ride in a fully loaded 1992 Oldsmobile 88 Royale, boy does it suck. But I also know a guy who pays thru the teeth for his ride. My wife and I are following the Dave Ramsay (spelling) method. The only time we will buy a new car is when we have the money for it outright. And... if my pos breaks down, then I'm going out to buy another POS with the money I saved in my emergency fund. In two-three years we will have enough for a moderately priced pre-owned (in on a lease) SUV. I can't fathom the idea of going out and buying a 30,000 dollar car, driving it off the lot, having its value go down by whatever percentage then paying the bank interest for the privlige of owning something that looks cool but nevertheless is a poor investment. If the days of 0% interest loans return, I'd take one out.