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di1630

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Posts posted by di1630

    Retire then Hire Program

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    di1630,
    Do you also lose Disability pay for the days you're working for the military?

    True.

    I did the math for myself it’s not exact because I don’t have.m a disability rating yet but I figure I’ll net $150 a day after they deduct my pay.

    But I’d do it for free so it’s not an issue.
    • Upvote 1

    Shhhh...Don't talk about the A-10

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    The biggest thing to preserve from the A-10 community is the CAS expertise.

    Believe me, when and F-16/F-35/A-10 pilot talk about CAS, its very different among the communities.

    The A-10 community is unique. Can it be preserved in a different airframe? I doubt it.

    Does it need to? I’m not sure. I’m all for dumping outdated warfare.

    I can tell you I’d rather show up to a MCO battlefield in an A-10 loaded with laser mavs than a F-35 in (laughable) beast mode.

    Maybe sone better weapons will help in the future.


    Changing/Switching airframes

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Care to explain?  I am the last one to complain:  Willie-->Zweibrucken-->Bergstrom-->DM.

    Lots of parties at the club, flotillas on the lake. I’d routinely take a T-38 XC solo on weekends from TX to WA, land at a civilian airport, party with friends, and fly home. Sure, it has its down sides but overall a great experience.
    • Like 1

    Changing/Switching airframes

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    What, you didn’t think the AF was gonna let you finish your commitment before getting its pound of flesh out of you first, did you?
    I did a tour in white jets. Was probably my favorite assignment, honestly. 

    White jets have a terrible reputation. I’ve had great assignments that make people jealous and one to Laughlin that makes people cringe…I loved it. One of the best things to happen to me in life was going there as a young Capt.

    The new airline thread

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Long time lurker. Gonna retire in a couple years as a MSgt, been a flyer (eng and boom) my whole career, and thought I could get a sanity check from some dudes just like those I've spent almost 22 years flying with. I'm realizing more and more that I'm really going to miss flying and being around airplanes, so I'm seriously considering putting myself through pilot training when I retire. Cost aside (6 figures, I imagine), I'm wondering what those of you flying the line think the landscape will look like in 5 years with regards to hiring trends and an elderly guy like me trying to make it after I somehow scratch together another 1490 hours.
    I have no grand aspirations to be in the newest shiniest jets at a major, but how realistic is this? All my pilot buddies that are always scratching for that extra .1 on a 781 is enough to put me in my place...if they're worried about getting picked up, I shouldn't even bother. On the other hand, everything I hate about the AF is what my current future looks like (politics, office work, middle management, 40 hr clock watching, ugghhh).
     

    I know a guy who retired as a MSGT, a few years before he got out, worked on his rating with the GI bill, did flight instructing and 5yrs later he’s at the airlines via the regionals route.

    Set a goal and go for it. You need to start now though to log hours.

    Home Prices

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    What are my fellow PCS'ers doing in this market? I recently PCSed and home prices like much of the nation are wild around here. I keep trying to wrap my head around buying a house that appreciated 80k in 2 years and its tough. A house that sold in 2019 on zillow for 270 is now 350!
    On one hand, if I stay renting I am paying ~17-20K to someone else. On the other, if I buy even at these prices and stay for 2-3 years, that's equity I could be pocketing (even assuming a 10% market drop).

    Depends where you are at and potential for upside/crash/future rental possibility, how long you will stay etc.

    • Upvote 1

    Finally done in Afghanistan?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    We only half assed it though. I don't think the Taliban can be defeated if we don't snuff the root which is the materiel support they're getting from Pakistan. 

    No, at some point the population needs to take responsibility. A whole generation has been raised under our protection, 20 years to learn to fight and govern themselves. F-ck them. They’ll get used to Taliban rule….again.
    • Like 2
    • Upvote 4

    COVID-19 (Aka China Virus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I had Covid, very mild to the point I was flying 3 sorties with it and didn’t know.

    I got the first dose of moderna (felt worse than actual covid) and then my base ran out so I never got the 2nd shot.

    From everything I’ve read, one dose gives me 80% effectiveness, some readings say 95% since I already had the virus.

    I’m not against the 2nd shot, just not a priority.

    When I’m asked if I’m vaccinated I say yes. Is it official that I need both shots?

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted



    Were they tougher to fly or did we not train the crews well enough? Some of the same KC-135s I flew were probably flown by friends of your ancestors.

    My point or my rebuttal to your post is that, just because Grandpa flew the original T-6 and was just fine, there were probably a lot of others that weren’t and we lost a lot of aircraft back then.

    Were they less safe? Maybe. Were we pumping out pilots at a breakneck pace to keep up with a Cold War threat? Yes. Was the training adequate? Maybe. Were the planes “harder to fly” back then or are they easier to fly now? I don’t know. I flew with a crew in a C-130H1 last month. So that level of technology still exists in 2021.

    Evolution of training...I’m all for it. I’m glad we don’t do fix to fixes anymore. But, we can’t get ahead of ourselves and I think we are still in the data collection phase.


    Go look at safety archives and check out the engine failures historically vs now.

    As for tech, I started out in T-37s, and I’ve stepped thru a lot of cockpit tech iterations. We’ve come a long way.

    I admit I’m just one data point.

    Track Selects and Assignment Nights

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    In regards to track select, CAFB just had a class track with only one guy out of 28 getting 38s. They easily had 4-5 that were more than qualified for 38s but 3 classes before that 14 guys/gals tracked 38s out of 27. To save their asses and avoid another large backup, squadron leadership changed the requirements for the MASS that entirely took out the flt/cc ranking and focuses solely on graded rides/academics. Can’t say I agree with the new standards considering it removes IPs input entirely and doesn’t take into account a holistic view of the students. Yet another example of AETC being short sighted to the detriment of some hard working students.

    This is a direct result of sh-tty leadership that doesn’t get it and a poorly managed system. Not bitching, stating fact from seeing the inner workings firsthand.

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted



    How many aircraft did we lose back then? What were the accident rates?

    I’ll wait...

    Plenty, because planes were less safe and tougher to fly.

    What point are you trying to get at?

    I’ve flown with kids whose 1st solo in a jet is in the b course.

    Time to advance the way we train.

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I saw the data and UPT 2.5 looks fine. Winging after the T-6…whatever.

    “But that’s not how I did it!!”

    I was a UPT IP when fix to fixes went away…the uproar…but we survived.

    And for data, I have 2x relatives who got wings after original 169kt T-6’s and went on to fly 10,000k hours in everything from prop and jet bombers to Mach 2 fighters.

    • Upvote 1
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