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Big Bear

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Posts posted by Big Bear

    DTS -> Next Generation Travel System - Ideas?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I know DTS is supposed to pull data from GTC accounts, but I have rarely seen it work correctly. Fix it and make it so that when you scan a receipt, DTS reads it and automatically processes the expenses and you can apply the items from the receipts to the correct places in the vouchers. For example: hotel receipt - $69.00. Scan it and then all you have to do is click on a button or dropdown to assign that amount to the correct night.

    Also, actually do currency conversions IN DTS!!!! Can't it at least use historical data to get the conversions close? That way I can put in 95euro, or 20,000BAT and I don't have to do the conversion myself!

    There should be more than 1 finance person involved in the entire DTS system for the entire base. Pilots should not be running an additional finance office so that DTS can actually work.

    Make authorizations more simple, or get rid of them.

    The interface between DTS and CTO's system is unreliable. Can't there be only1 system? Perhaps allow normal people can do CTO's job for them, because they're relatively unhelpful and charge a service fee to do something Expedia already does for everyone else.

    Please take the Foreign Travel Office completely out of the loop. They serve absolutely no purpose.

    I also like the ideas of others from above that mention making it more intuitive, no pop-ups!!!!!!, and some kind of logical flow.

    BTW, what's your role in designing this new system? Just curious

    Chris Christie lowers NJ flags to half-staff for Whitney

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    To be clear, the flag will be flown at half staff for him as well:

    http://www.nj.com/be...orth_arlin.html

    Undoubtedly as an afterthought by Crisco Christie

    "

    Gov. Chris Christie issued an executive order Thursday afternoon calling for state flags to be flown at half-staff on Feb. 21 in honor of Lance Cpl. Osbrany Montes De Oca."

    That's great and all, but I was under the impression that only the President could order the US Flag to be flown at half mast... Am I wrong?

    Off-station refueling, including in-flight

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I realize that the cost of implementing such a system would, at least up front, outweigh and probably restrict such system from being worth it, but what about actually measuring the amount of offload and/or onload that passes through the boom/refueling receptacle?

    Couple that with a rfid sensor system, or even just paint the damned tail # above the receptacle and you have a system in place that CAN gnats-ass the transfer, and neither individual has to worry about guessing at any of the required accounting data.

    USAA

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Has anyone ever heard of an insurance company asking you to pay a percentage of a repair (in addition to deductible) because a portion of what will be repaired will be "prior damage?" Yes I have comprehensive coverage through USAA.

    Seriously? Isn't this what I pay for every month?

    Backstory: Hailstorm at Altus, major damage to all parts of vehicle. Also the drivers door was damaged due to high winds and lots of nicks and what not from pebbles and debris flying around in the 60-70 MPH winds. They claim that since the car's a few years old, some of the nicks and what not have to be prior damage and are trying to get me to agree to pay for part of the cost of re-painting.

    Please stop me if I'm asking for too much. All I want is for my vehicle to look as good or better than it did before the storm.

    Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    So you are saying that what the VA rep told me via the online question/answer website is incorrect? Are you sure about this?

    In hindsight, we are talking about two different programs. You're talking about selected reserve and I'm referring to the normal Active duty MGIB. So, I doubt they told you something wrong, however I'm fairly confident what I said is true for Active Duty guys.

    Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Yep, go ahead and use the 12 mo of old GI bill and then transfer. You'll now have 36 mo. of post 9/11 GI bill remaining. Same thing i did but backwards. It'll still work.

    FYI, that won't work. I just went through the rounds with the VA and education office about this. To get the full 48 months eligibility, you MUST use up ALL of your Chapter 30 benefits BEFORE you can apply for the additional 12 months of Post-911 benefits. Otherwise, all you can do is transfer your benefits (whatever you have remaining) to post-911. You can't use just 12 Mo of pre and then use 36 of post. Its either 36 post-911, or 36 Pre and 12 post. Or you can use 12 months of pre and transfer the remaining 24 to post (which sucks)

    I know it's confusing, and it contradicts common sense, but that's the way they work.

    No idea how that applies to a certification program, or flight training through. I'm assuming it works just like paying for school.

    SOS/ACSC information

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    For anyone else who was debating on whether to wait and see if they are going to get rid of Course 20 and let everyone go to in-res, I wouldn't recommend waiting very long...

    http://www.au.af.mil/au/soc/course_20.html

    "Course 20 will close to new enrollees BEFORE the launch of a revised SOS DL course anticipated 5 July 2012. NO ONE WILL BE ENROLLED INTO COURSE 20 LATER THAN 30 JUNE 2012. Course 20 students will be graduated or disenrolled after twelve months plus one optional three month extension. NO COURSE 20 ENROLLMENT WILL EXIST PAST 30 SEPTEMBER 2012. Course 20 students who have not completed the course by this time will have to re-enroll in the new SOS DL course. Plans for the new SOS DL program include five proctored exams, several graded essays, and multiple graded discussion exercises."

    I am now enrolled... screw all that mess.

    Best App Ever

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    Anyone else with the new update having an issue where you occasionally can't move the crosshairs for a few seconds, after firing the 105?

    Like the new map. Would love to be able to detonate the oil tanks, or drop one of the smokestacks. Speaking of the oil tanks, the graffiti on the tanks is a cool detail.

    Yea, same problem here...

    Career Starter Loans?

    in ROTC & OTS Lounge

    Posted

    Pretty much everyone on here is correct in what they're saying, but "it depends" on your current situation on whether it's smart to take a loan like this or not. Basically - Don't take it if you don't need it. If you already have loans (student loans, a few credit cards, you still owe 7k on your college POS car, or whatever) it might make sense to use this loan as a consolidation/refinance/lower interest rate option. That's what I did. I am not out of debt yet. Working on it, but that's because I was dumb when I was 20, not because I took the loan. That loan has made my financial situation and credit score a lot better.

    To reiterate: DO NOT use it to buy a car! (unless you don't have one) DO NOT use it unless you NEED it!

    Poor financial planning and management is a quick way to screw up your military career and financial future.

    My .02

    Law Professor Objects to Solicitations to Help Our Troops in Afghanistan

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    I agree that this guy is a complete jerkoff. He forgets (ignores?) that a military member willingly says "I'll go fight wherever you need me" whether that war be in afcrapistan in an "unpopular" war, or at the shores of our own country, as our next war could be. If the latter were the case right now, I'll bet his opinion of it's "shameful" to support our military members would be a bit different. Separate the war from the warrior.

    But like big dream said... he's insignificant. He has no bearing on national policy, the US military, common sense, or anything outside of the urine running down his tweed suit pants when terrorism or war knocks on his front door again.

    Mission Index Flying

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    If we want to save fuel, we need to stop flying empty or mostly empty so damned often. I'm sure the software will help safe fuel, but when I burn 60K to fly 2 pallets of ######ing bubblewrap, my motivation to penny pinch goes up in smoke.

    • Upvote 5

    What if I actually want to fly a....

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    And your perspective changes completely once you are out of UPT...For example, the C-17 is a sweet plane and looks really cool so most people want it out of T-1s, but be ready to get your nuts kicked in with a pretty rough, unpredictable lifestyle. Granted, as mentioned above, there are pros and cons to every airframe so just really do your research before picking. I read posts here that say people would rather kill themselves than go RPAs, but in reality, a bunch of people are volunteering to go to them from AMC because after a few years of not being able to plan a week in advance, it gets pretty tiresome. Remember, the view from a cockpit is inside out, and no one really cares how "cool" the plane is....Lifestyle is King...UPT gives terrible poop when it comes time to helping choose the best airframe for you. So, take the decision seriously and don't arbitrarily pick an airframe based on its perceived prestige or coolness factor.

    Spot On

    Enlisted to Pilot

    in Pilot Selection Process

    Posted

    Never did the process myself, but there are a lot of guys in my community who try to go down this road, usually FE or tech types, also navs and ABMs who occasionally try to get into the pilot world. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is love and excel at the job YOU CURRENTLY HAVE. Don't be one of those dudes who cruise around bitching about "coulda shoulda woulda" or talking non stop how you're going to be a pilot one day. The thing that seems to help the most is being shit-hot in the job you currently have, thus your rater and commander see that you have the potential to take on the greater challenge and responsibility of officership and being a pilot. You can know in your mind all you want about how good of a pilot you are, but if you're a shit _(insert current career here)___ who's going to believe you when you tell them you'd be a good pilot?

    And don't take no for an answer. As guys have said, there are several ways to skin this cat, and until you're too old or too broken, you're never officially out of the game. Good luck!

    Well said.

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