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gearhog

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Posts posted by gearhog

    Airlift stops

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    10 hours ago, Stoker said:

    The issue in question isn't really about the President or the resort (though, of course, that's all anyone cares about). My wild guess as to the hustle going on is that the airport is paying for the rooms/hospitality at Turnberry in the hopes of attracting big-ticket fuel purchases. If the fuel cost an extra $.50 a gallon over what DoD would have paid at a different airport, a good deal for the aircrew turns into a $25,000 hit to the taxpayers. It's kind of similar to the Fat Leonard scandal the Navy just put a bunch of folks in prison for (but likely a lot harder to prove any wrongdoing on the Air Force's part, because we can just say "operational necessity").

    That is a wild guess, and wildly inaccurate. As I've said, I've been visiting Prestwick Aviation for 17 years and those folks are on the up and up. Contract fuel prices are set. Lodging and perdiem rates are set. The Turnberry was only offered when it was the only accommodation available. Do you know of an alternative airport that meets all the requirements of transiting military aircraft, crew, and pax with fuel prices 50 cents less? I challenge you to find it. There's quite a bit more to RON planning than the price of fuel. If you've ever been deployed and are looking to save $25K of taxpayer money in Scotland, you're looking in the wrong place.

    If an FBO/hotel provides a great experience while conducting business within the government rules and government rates, how is that a hustle? That's just good business. This is no Fat Leonard, just another instance of politicians throwing shit against the White House walls hoping something sticks.

    • Upvote 4

    Digital ORM

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    9 hours ago, Standby said:

    Resistance is futile, the future is here. I'm not senior enough to have an aid (AIDS is different, recently got educated on that through green dot training) but if someone wants to log 69+ ORM cuts a day for the remainder of my time in the seat, I'll give you like...a couple bucks or something. I have done that in the past, but performing a manual input and parsing that amount of data isn't feasible.

    For the haters...I guess be glad you have your current system and don't need to endure the shittiness that will be inflicted upon the squadron.

    Not hating, I know you're just doing you're supposed to. I'm just fatigued with leadership's fascination with and addiction to electronic data collection, be it ORM, MICT, GTIMS, PEX, ASIMS, surveys, etc, etc, etc. All so they can walk over to HQ and present it to more senior leadership in hopes of an "Attaboy!" from people who pretend to be interested in it for 30 sec during a staff meeting. Let's face facts, none of this changes anything for the flyers. We've never cancelled for an ORM score at step time, we're just told to be "extra safe."

    • Upvote 1

    Digital ORM

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Trigger Warning: Unpopular old-guy opinion ahead. 😁

    Our ORM sheet is the last remaining untechnologified step in the administrivia process before we head out the door to the aircraft. 5 people can pick up a pencil and scribble a completely subjective number in about 30 seconds without requiring 5 individual logins with certificate-less CACs, computers attempting to connect, and a slow, if not stopped, network.

    Please don't take that from us.

    • Like 9
    • Upvote 8

    Airlift stops

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted · Edited by torqued

    I stayed at the Turnberry last year.  I've been stopping in Prestwick to/from deployments since 2002. We just tell the FBO when and how many people, and they make the arrangements. Last year we arrived right after a snow/ice storm that shut most of the major freeways for days. All of the hotels in Ayre (our usual location) and Glasgow were booked. The Turnberry, an hour drive away,  had enthusiastically agreed to give us the government rate. The hotel itself was absolutely incredible and the staff thanked us profusely for our service. The bartender let us sample some of the local Scotch whiskeys. It was too cold for golf, but we toured the course which was an old WWII pilot training base, and some of the old runways/taxiways still exist on the course. The hotel called in a bagpiper to play us out the door as we departed for the sandbox at 5am. It was one of the best deployment sendoffs ever. There was nothing to it other than it was the only place with rooms available at the government rate, and the FBO was proud to have found a place that they thought we would enjoy. The media and politicians are idiots.

    • Like 7
    • Upvote 2

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by torqued

    5 hours ago, pawnman said:

    That's why I refuse to use EFBs and only carry paper TOs everywhere.  Kids today are so spoiled...🙄

    LOL. I knew that would get a response.

    The less inflammatory thought I opted not to post was that the cognitive processes required to visualize whatever you're trying to study yield better overall results than if the visuals are instead simulated for you, in front of you.

    I think the VR stuff is a great addition to training, but it seems a few might believe it is meant as a substitute, a la downloading Kung Fu directly to your brain via the matrix. Maybe entire training programs should not be built around it, but who cares, technology is neat-O.

     

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    7 hours ago, Springer said:

    Ayz33, don't sell short Homstar's remarks about chair flying.  I locked myself in a room and chair flew each and every flight for hours while classmates were out playing water volleyball.

    Some are always looking for a way to shortcut the process. It takes far more effort, discipline, focus, and time to put yourself through the visual learning process inside your mind than it does to rely on the visuals generated by a piece of technology in front of your face.

     

    • Like 1

    Brexit

    in Squadron Bar

    Posted

    8 hours ago, pcola said:

    Gotta love Parliament! I wish our Congress could act as honestly as the Brits seem to

     

     

    Make America Great (Britain) again?

    No thanks, looks like chaos to me.

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by torqued

    17 hours ago, Bender said:

    - Perhaps the disconnect is to think PTN (with its low pilot production) is intended to be a pilot training syllabus.

    - While FTUs and operational units will see and “have to deal” with a handful of pilots trained their way, it was, is, and will continue to be nothing much more than an experimental ground for innovation (built ala the framework of the Innovator’s Dilemma).

    - PTN has never been exportable to UPT as a whole and has not, is not, and does not plan to try to make itself wholesale exportable...goes against the point what what is going on there in a lot of ways.

    - There isn’t any mystery that VR (in its current form) cannot replace the aircraft...in fact some of the UPT innovation flights have seemingly set out to prove it. In some cases, the position straight to the top of AETC is quite the opposite...more experience is needed to compensate for observed deficiencies.

    - Personally, my experience shows VR provides negative physical flying training (in its current state), which must be overcome by exposure to the aircraft.

    - I feel quite the opposite about the tool from the mental perspective, although that is also grossly tarnished by the huge limitations in the tools control input/response and avionics interface(s).

    What exactly is it you're defending?

    Because you're doing a way better job criticizing PTN than anyone else.

    Degradation of SUPT

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    45 minutes ago, Walkerdubs said:


    Why is that? I get they aren’t mission critical per se but the history of a wing or squadron would be the center of its morale wouldn’t it?


    Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

    Not if the current AF policies stand in direct contradiction to the history, traditions, and culture of the past.

    Reference: the PC witch hunt a few years back/removal of anything deemed offensive.

    • Like 2
    • Upvote 1

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Orbit said:

    So you are saying that we need to change the rules so the queep stops crushing good things that people enjoy.  Might make a small difference with the upward trend in suicides.  

    There's a quote that goes something like "A life without risk is no life at all."  How many Air Force programs and policies that are aimed at reducing risk are making us miserable?

     

     

     

    • Like 2
    • Upvote 1

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    10 hours ago, youdontknowthis said:

    If anybody wants a synopsis of Maj Gen Wills briefing today at Vance....

    - He said if someone wants to get out that they should and he’s fine with that and wouldn’t try to get them to stay. Basically stating what’s done is done and not seeing if anything could be done to keep them in.
    .

    What does this tell us about the state of the Air Force?  The problems are becoming so large and unmanageable that the only way for leadership to cope is to become apathetic toward them. Apathy allows you to treat everyone like a Harbor Freight tool that’s cheaper to replace than fix or maintain. He’s not the only one, I’m seeing the shrugs from leadership more often and it’s concerning.  In fairness, these guys are human, too and are fighting a losing battle against a massively complex, out-of-control bureaucracy. I don’t believe they’re evil or malicious, just susceptible to the same feelings of resignation we are when we decide to punch. I bet they have these same conversations about their own leadership, all the way up.

    • Upvote 2

    C-130 Hercules questions

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    Prioritize J model units.

    Wrung out and broke down H models, engine, prop, and avionics upgrades, as well as the ever present looming threat of J model conversions (nav and engineer career uncertainty) is adversely affecting morale in many H units. 

    • Thanks 1

    The longest of long shots...

    in What Are My Chances?

    Posted

    I applaud you for what you're attempting to do and hope you fulfill your goals.

    However. :D.

    You're insane if you go AD and resign from your position at a FAANG Company. Don't even consider it and block the AD recruiter's number. The opportunity cost for a 20 something to choose the military route is a fraction of what the cost to successful 36 year old with a lucrative and desirable career would be.

    Go Guard. I would suggest hanging on to your current career while enjoying the USERRA protections afforded to you while you serve. A Guard job can easily be turned into an full-time ADish career with you being significantly more in control of your life and having the ability later on to return to your career on your terms, or not at all.  Or, if you find military service isn't exactly what you envisioned, you can remain part time. Serving is rewarding, but completely giving the reigns to the current AD leadership after you have already established a successful life for yourself is not. If you hate your job, that's different. But it sounds like your resume is strong enough to give you options far beyond what the average new AF AD officer has.

    • Like 2
    • Upvote 1

    FY 18 ACP take rate?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, Klepto said:

    So how can we say we have "stemmed" the pilot shortage???

     

    Air Force Stemmed Its Pilot Crisis, Chief Says 

    A widespread shortage threatening the core of the Air Force’s mission appears under control

    AF: “We have a massive pilot shortage! They’re leaving in droves. We need more money to fix this.”

    Congress: “You’re not getting more money, and It’s beginning to sound like you’ve been mismanaging your organization...”

    AF: “Actually, we just fixed everything. We’re good now.”

    • Like 3
    • Haha 3
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