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Magellan

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Posts posted by Magellan

    Captain passed over for Major, looking for advice.

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    5 hours ago, BeefBears said:

    I have a feeling that they will interpret the regulations to hold a continuation board at 2 years into the 5 year window. 

    Otherwise, the vast majority of majors are in sanctuary at the 6th year look.  If this is the case, the major rank will become heavy and promotion rates to major will have to fall.

    I also think AFPC has been intentionally quiet on the subject because they have no idea how to handle it. 

    I believe some would say that is a feature and not a glitch.  This way you can have the shiny penny Major's fill the staff and school slots, get promoted to Lt. Col, and be on their merry way to CSAF.

    In the meantime how long will the USAF be able to string people along as Majors on AD with 5 shots at Lt. Col before the USAF exercises a forcing function?

    Questions on TPS (Test Pilot School)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 3/17/2021 at 10:00 AM, Waves said:

    Agreed with everything Magellan said except for this part. If you check boxes you don’t actually want to go to, you might get sent to AFIT or the Navy when you don’t want to go there.

    I confirmed this with 2 commandants: they don’t take into account GRE scores or whether or not you volunteer overseas/navy/AFIT into whether you get in. They literally just do “accept/waitlist/deny” then determine who’s going to the nonstandard places after among the pool of folks that got in.

    And after being in the business, I would recommend not going to AFIT and going to USAF TPS in almost all cases. Only exception is going to France/UK if your spouse really wants to travel (with a hit in the quality of school) or going to the Navy if you fly helicopters.

    Which 2 commandants?  Webb and Pabon?

    While they may feel that way I don't know many officers that make it to the O-6 of the Air Force without a strong implicit bias against white space.  Whether they realize it much less admit it is another thing.  The subconscious is a weird beast.

    Also, unless you are max performing a timeline to make O-6, which isn't really a thing any more with BPZ being eliminated, what is the draw back of doing AFIT or any of the other schools?  It could affect IDE looks maybe...  But what do people gain by being the same cookie cutter Blue Patch as all your peers?  The USAF TPS course is more of a fraternal right of passage coupled some academic exercises and lots of really cool flying that isn't even objectively graded.  The knowledge I gained from the year of TPS was much less useful than the year I spent doing MAJCOM OT on my MDS prior to TPS.  The only benefit of USAF TPS over the other schools I see is getting to know your classmates (and their families), and that is a double edged sword if the ones you (and your families) click with during that year don't both stay at Edwards after TPS.

    That said I also think the establishment over values what the course teaches when the real value of the TPS pipeline is the selection process.  You could probably take the pilots, CSOs, and FTEs selected and give the TPS resources to the CTFs and get just as good or better product at the end of the day.  But then you lose the fraternal right of passage, and the token MS in Flight Test Engineering Degree.

    That said the job options that are available as a TPS grad are awesome.  Developmental/experimental flight test is the best mix of flying and nerdery out there.  Plus your peer group are some of the most outstanding individuals you will ever get to work and party with.

    Questions on TPS (Test Pilot School)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 3/15/2021 at 7:48 PM, LiquidSky said:

    PDSM is out. Can anyone speak to who should be writing the recs? SQ/CC, GP/CC, or higher? Are recs from experienced line pilots (EPs) useful at all? Professors?

    In terms of total flying time for the resume of flying exp does stud T-6 and follow on track count/mentionable? Or only student (primary) time post-wings?

    The best combo I know of is your SQ/CC and any 2 TPS grads you can find.  Even better if you can get to know them well, but you are already on the clock for this year.

    Line IPs, Group/CC, Wing/CC, etc don’t mean much unless they are known by someone on the board.

    I know TPS grads that used a Professor.  But it should be an Aero, Mech, or EE professor to carry much weight.  Better if that professor has successfully recommended folks for TPS before.

    Don’t fudge or get cute about hours.  You have what you have.  They only care about hours after UPT.  Just fill out the form following the instructions in a way that won’t get scoffed at by O-5s and O-6s who are really smart at sniffing out BS. If they want you to have more hours before TPS they will put you in the later Alpha class as opposed to the earlier Bravo class.  This works out to 16-18 months from when you hit send until showing up at Edwards to rack up more hours.

    Also, if you have GRE scores and DLAB scores put them on the form and check all the boxes associated with them.  You might just get a good deal, and it looks better (more motivated) than white space and empty boxes.

     

    • Thanks 1

    AF Test Pilot School-Masters Degree

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    A Master's in Engineering makes you more competitive at the board, but it is not a requirement.  A letter of recommendation from a TPS graduate (or 2) probably has more weight for pilots quite honestly.  Plus you get a Master's of Science in Flight Test Engineering for going through the course.  The only thing a Master's in Engineering opens up for you is if you want to get selected for the TPS PhD program after TPS.

    In my class about 1/2 of the pilots had an Engineering Masters, 1/3 had non-Engineering Master's degrees (ERAU, MBA, etc.), and some had no Master's degree prior to TPS.

    Plus there is an AFIT TPS option.  Take the GRE and get a Letter of Academic Eligibility from AFIT for their Aero or Electrical Engineering Masters program then apply for TPS with the AFIT box checked on the application.

    As far as how to get a letter of recommendation from a TPS grad.  Find out who the TPS grads are that are working DT on your airframe, get in touch with them, and convince them you are they guy or gal they want to work with.  Figuring out a permissive TDY out to Edwards or just straight up taking leave to go there on your own to check it out sends a pretty strong message.  Plus you will realize where you are signing up to live for possibly the bulk of your active duty career going forward.  The flight line is like an airshow everyday especially when TPS has qual eval aircraft in town, but it is a very remote place to live for people that like urban amenities...like a drive through Starbucks, fully stocked liquor store, or gym that isn't as old (or older) than all the bombers on the flight line.

    If you want to do an online MS go for it. It certainly won't hurt you.  One of my classmates did the CSU program that was mentioned, and I know at least 3 TPS grads that did the MS Program from the University of Alabama.

    https://catalog.ua.edu/graduate/engineering/aerospace-mechanics/ms/

    VA Loans

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    So I have been in touch with Trident 3 different times.  The first time we ended up not making the discussed purchase working with Marty.  The second time was Spring 2019 for a Jumbo VA loan in an expensive area.  Jon got us a very good rate and the process overall was very smooth.  Then just now we did a refinance for a better rate, and we signed the paperwork on Monday despite the current craziness.

    Competitive Rates √

    Good Customer Service √

    • Like 1

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    So the announcement came out on Tuesday. I got the signed paperwork turned in the same day, because my UPT ADSC expired already and I have another ADSC that is 7.5 years long for just starting a PhD program.  So I was all about signing up for free money.  The email said give DFAS 6-8 weeks, but I had the money deposited on Friday.  They withheld 22% FYSA.

    YMMV

    • Thanks 1

    Promotion and PRF Information

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, budderbar said:

    I agree, they jumped too quick to correct a problem with out having the new rules of the game (I assume they are trying to figure it out now).  And at the very least communicate changes with an organized milestone plan allowing personnel to digest the changes.  

      

     

    Really?  Because being a Wg/CCE when you meets your majors board should set you up for life no matter how bad you eff things up after that?

    As opposed to an IP who was busting his butt doing the JOB and teaching guys how to do the JOB, while probably being a flt/cc or shop chief. When both are in the same year group.

    In the old paradigm the WG/CCE is bullet proof and the IP is now a second class citizen behind the power curve because no one was pushing him for anything past promotion to Major.  At least now more guys should have a shot...depending on how this gets managed.

     

    Promotion and PRF Information

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    5 hours ago, HossHarris said:

    The shiny pennies are still getting chosen at the majors board. They just aren't releasing the results to you anymore. There's still a list. Believe it. 

    There is always a list.  And there probably always will be, but when you publish the list for the world to see it triggers problematic behaviors.  Which in turn crush morale right as dudes are getting to the end of their UPT commitments.

    At least now commanders have more control, and it will be easier to scratch a name off or add another name from a late bloomer.  

    That said I will be very curious to see how this plays out at bases like Nellis, Edwards, Eglin, and among the cyber operators where you have a higher percentage of top performers than most wings.  It will either be a boom or bust for them.

    • Upvote 2

    SOS/ACSC information

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    9 hours ago, abmwaldo said:

    I'm finishing Joint Air Operations (ACSC DL 6.0) and I just want to kill the last lesson (exercise) this weekend. IT won't work on my MacBook with Safari. Anyone had any luck getting the .xml to work on a MacOs?

    Check the course discussion board in the lesson.  There is a lot of good advice to be had.  The ILAs and exercises in the last two self paced courses will anger you to no end.

    • Upvote 1

    Aviation Continuation Pay (ACP - The Bonus)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Maybe if General Chang and his cronies realized the people they are treating like dirt have a skill set that earns them as much as a VP of Human Resources for a major company on the open market and that they can't just change dollar amounts to solve the problem.

    https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/vice-president-human-resources-salary-SRCH_KO0,30.htm

    If the AF tried to compete by seeking to compensate with job satisfaction and Quality/Control of Life they could manage these problems in a few years.

    Until that paradigm shift happens no amount of congress approved money to pay pilots will fix the impending crisis.

    General assignments questions

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    FWIW: Every UPT direct to RPA got a spin up course in either the T-1 or T-38 then were sent to the FTU for their follow on aircraft.  For the first few this was close to around the 4 year point getting closer to the 3 year point towards the end.

    Those who chose to stay RPAs went to the RQ-170, WIC, or TPS for the most part.

    The guys I would be worried for are the guys that got AMC assignments out of UPT then quick turned into RPAs.  As far as I know they are stuck because they already had a manned AC assignment regardless of how brief it was.

     

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