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Danny Noonin

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Posts posted by Danny Noonin

    Neck and Back Injury

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Update to my original post:
    Unfortunately, I’m still DNIF (since May). The flight doctor will not return me to flying status because of my neck injury. Personally, I feel healthy enough to fly, but I understand this precaution is to prevent any further damage to my spine. The doc is going pursue a categorical waiver for non-ejection seat aircraft once I’m asymptomatic. 
    What should I expect in the near term for my flying/officer career? Is there a chance I’ll be cleared to fly ejection seat aircraft again? Is there a chance I’ll operate RPAs if the waiver is denied? Could I be MEB’d? Should invest time researching  crossflow opportunities into heavies or other non-ejection seat aircraft? What heavies should I look into? I’d like to remain in the tactical environment. 
    I apologize for the barrage of questions, but I didn’t expect to be permanently DNIF from flying since I feel close to 100% again. I understand all of my questions could be answered with “maybe”. My goal is to continue to fly for one more assignment, and have the option to be competitive for the majors once my ADSC is up.
    I appreciate and understand there is a wealth of knowledge and experience in this forum so that is why I’m reaching out. Thank you!


    Are you unwilling to have surgery? Is the surgery your doc recommended in your original post waiverable?


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    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    It’s bs if they gave out slots then take them away. There’s probably no good option here but something like the deferments of the early 90s would be better than nothing. Essentially, some dudes’ pilot training classes were delayed 2-3 years and they did a tour as a missileer, skycop, acquisition, etc. while they waited. At least give folks the option to do something like that. Otherwise it’s just another broken promise.

     

    • Upvote 4

    Airlift stops

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Uh.  No.  But it doesn’t have the free managers special at the embassy or free Hilton breakfast, so pocket extra money there, buy breakfast at trump with your own money.  We both know the rules.  Thanks for playing tho


    No sweat. I’m sure the American public will deduce though your brilliant writing that by “pocket the extra cash” you obviously meant that because the “cheap motel down the road” has free waffles in the lobby so they can pocket the $2.99 in per diem they would have spent on an egg mcmuffin. That was crystal clear. Not sure how I missed it the first time.

    Your article was (mostly) spot on. That particular point was very poorly made. Don’t get all sensitive about it. It wasn’t a personal shot at you. I’m just telling you how it read.

    Neck and Back Injury

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I suffered for about a decade but just chalked it up to normal fighter pilot back/neck pain and sucked it up. About 7 years ago I started having random weakness in my right arm and fessed up to the flight doc. Long story short, turned out it was due to my neck and eventually ended up having anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) surgery at C6/C7. Translation: they took out my old degenerated disc that was pressing on my spinal cord and replaced it with a chunk of bone from a cadaver plus a plate and screws. Sounds nasty. Was no big deal.

     

    I can’t tell you how glad I am I had the surgery. I’m an old school believer that you don’t go to the doc unless you need a flight physical or are dying, but in my case they said no amount of Motrin or physical therapy could ever have made me feel better. I suffered like a fool for about a decade. As uncomfortable as I was all the time, I didn’t really realize how much misery I was in until I was no longer in misery after the surgery..

     

    6 months post-op I had a waiver to fly fighters again. My understanding is that one level fusion is waiverable, more than that is not. But I could be wrong about that.

     

    • Upvote 3

    65th Aggressor Sq Reactivating With F-35s

    in General Discussion

    Posted


    Just my two cents, but this seems akin to just doing basic research in any of the fields of science.  You do it because you don't know what you don't know.  Without that experimental, risk taking approach where we don't know the outcome but we will invest/risk an appropriate amount of resources to learn something new, we will keep getting better at fighting yesterday's battles.  

    Are we still talking about adversaries?

    We don’t build multi-billion dollar red air fleets to experiment with potential new technologies and we certainly don’t/wouldn’t/shouldn’t to develop potential new blue capes. We do that with s&t, prototypes and demos.


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    • Upvote 1

    65th Aggressor Sq Reactivating With F-35s

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Copy that. 
    If money only grew on trees... on this subject of 5th Gen / LO aggressors, why not bring in LO UCAS aggressors now to this effort?
    IDK if a system like that exists or not yet but seems like the next threat to be dealt with as the Russians/Chinese are in development on them.
    LO UCAS aggressor system supersonic capable, decent agility, fused sensor suite, etc...


    Why? What difference does it make if an aggressor is manned or unmanned?

    How much do you think it would cost to design and build a supersonic, LO, agile, unmanned airplane with a modern fused air-to-air sensor suite and what would the possible benefit be?




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    • Upvote 1

    The new airline thread

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Asking for a friend.

    Can you be an AGR on leave and make it through your initial stuff with an airline then go back to AGR and drop userra?

    -Can easily get fired from airline job for this. Will be no hiding it once the orders are turned in.
    -Can also get disciplined from military for this.

    FM forcing PCS for seasoning training

    in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves

    Posted

    Cut the orders for just the duty days is another way around it. M-F on orders, S-S no orders (unless flying etc), that'll stretch those orders out a bit longer but will also get you out of the 180+ continuous days bind. You'll need to go home every weekend unless you want to pay out of pocket for a room... but getting roundtrip mileage every week for that distance is a bonus. The crappy thing would be doing all the DTS authorizations for every set of orders.

    But orders less than 30 days (or 31, can’t remember) don’t give you BAH or tricare. So breaking it up like this would be worse on you financially than just paying for your own place to crash.

    The new airline thread

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Maybe this is a question for the AFRC/ANG board, but I figure this applies to airline guys too...
    Are there any part-time non-flying AFRC/ANG jobs that pilots can do that might work better with an airline pilot's schedule?  The city I want to settle down in has an ANG flying unit, but I'm not sure if I want to cross-train, go through the school house, etc. all over again for a new airframe.  I might actually enjoy flying a desk for a few days a month as a break from airline flying.  Any positions like this that are common in AFRC/ANG units?

    There are also non-flying options that aren’t points only. There are AOC augmentation units in both ANG and AFRC in various places around the country that are pretty much your classic one weekend a month+2 weeks a year jobs. Skulls up: You’ll also likely buy a 179 to a CAOC once every couple years in those jobs. There are “IMA” jobs in AFRC. Think of those as part time staff jobs, although some rare ones are not staff probably. Believe it or not, those can be challenging to get for an 11 because here are not that many of them and dudes park in the slots for years.

    The new airline thread

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Can't imagine that was what USERRA was designed to protect.

    Of course it’s not. It’s likely illegal. And he very likely might get fired when he turns in his orders to the company and they show him on mil AGR orders during the dates of indoc. And if he’s still in the military at that point (part time) could also be subject to discipline on that end too.

    Turns out it matters not in the eyes of USERRA whether you “plan” to drop mil leave or if you are forced to. Both are legally protected.

    BUT...buyer beware. Doing things to bring a spotlight on yourself during probation (like dropping mil leave right after indoc) might not be the wisest move, even if perfectly legal. You’re protected by USERRA for your mil service. But when you return, you are a still a probationary employee that can be fired for virtually any reason legally. And dudes have been. If you don’t act in good faith to the company, don’t expect any slack when you sign in late, miss a commute, struggle in training, are involved in an incident, etc. Not that one minor thing would mean you’re fired. But it could. Probation is a risky time to play obvious games with mil leave.
    • Like 1

    The new airline thread

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    cmon, man. were talking about planning to exploit a technicality in a law with a design and intent to protect people who are required to perform periodic legitimate military service.  it sure as shit wasn't designed for people to skip work for three years immediately after being hired for the sole purpose of enriching themselves. how is this not completely obvious? the fact that integrity (especially among military officers) should extend a least a little bit beyond what the law allows you to get away with shouldn't be something that needs to be typed on a forum post.
    it happens. people can scam the system all the time. but let's have a little intellectual honesty here, admit that's it's harmful, and not encourage more military folks to do it lest we poison the well.

    1). It’s not even remotely a “technicality”.
    2). What exactly is “periodic legitimate military service?” One weekend a month and 2 weeks a year? Only Deployments? What about volunteer mob vs invol?

    If “periodic service” is all the law intends, then why is 5 years the limit?

    Is serving as a desperately needed FTU IP during time of pilot production crisis “legitimate service?” What about a CMR pilot serving as Full time support in a squadron that’s wheezing to fill FTS spots? Or what about someone on the staff, which is otherwise manned at 12% with 11Fs right now? Is that service “legitimate?” It is it just a self serving boondoggle?

    Pretty much every job—flying or staff, deployed or home station is desperately needed right now. You can argue style points about dropping mil leave on probation or right after, but at the end of the day it matters not that much. Other that that the pilot would be in some level of jeopardy going through training one more time while still on probation. If you suck.

    Airlines don’t like it if you drop mil leave at all. But they also accept it as reality
    • Upvote 1

    Active retirement in ARC

    in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves

    Posted

    Inactive duty points (UTA, TP, etc) don’t count toward AD retirement. They only count towards your reserve retirement check calculations drawn later in life.

     

    Only active duty days count toward active duty retirement. (RegAF time+ AGR, MPA, RPA, etc). They also count as one point per calendar day of active duty served toward reserve retirement calculations.

     

     

    • Upvote 1

    APZ active duty, IPZ reserve?

    in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves

    Posted

    Searched, couldn't find an answer. I was twice deferred on active duty. Got out. Found an IMA position. I'm about to meet my first reserve board and I'm not sure if I'm considered IPZ or APZ. In practice, the only real difference is DOR, but I'm curious.  As an IMA, my CSS is active duty, so they aren't too experienced with reservists and the AFI doesn't distinguish. Does anybody know if I'm considered APZ or IPZ for the (mandatory, not PV) board? Thanks. 

    Honestly I think that field is left blank for reservists. There really isn’t any such thing as “above the zone”. If you don’t make it, you’ll go up again the following year without any “above the zone” stigma. Did you look at the reg to see if it explains it? Not sure off the top of my brain if it addresses it. Also, should be no limit on Definitely Promotes like RegAF boards have.

    Track Selects and Assignment Nights

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I've always thought drop night would be more fun if they just put the list of planes for that class up on a board and call the studs up in rank order.  #1 gets first pick, etc...  Yes, someone will be last and their plane will be the only one left, and that's OK.

    That's how my drop was. Except we also had the other bases on a conference call. Order of bases rotated each drop. #1 from Vance would get up and pick e.g. I'll take line 5, F-15C to Tyndall," then someone at each location would cross that line off the transparency with a marker (list was displayed on an over-cranium projector. Then #1 from CBM would go, etc. Until the last guy at the last base got what was left


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    • Upvote 2
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