Whiskey_Neat

I was stationed there for a few years recently. What stealth said is pretty much spot on about places to live near the base. I never had any issues with violence or crime in homestead, however property crime can be an issue depending on where you live. I knew people who lived as far north as coconut grove, and as far south as key largo (both about 30 minute drives) without any issues. If you are single, seriously consider coco grove. If you have more questions shoot me a pm.

I sound like I'm chasing metrics because I explained the bandaid fix maintenance has developed to help cover the horrendous manning issues going on? You want experienced maintainers, a DCC program, and high quality maintenance? Propose at the next fhp meeting that you cut the wing FHP commensurate with the % that maintenance is undermanned. Ex. AMXS is sitting at 78% manning, cut 22% of your flying hours. Do less with less. That will go well, I see quarterly awards in your future for having balls big enough to propose that. Either deal with the inexperience on the flightline or figure out how to end the skilled labor shortage. You can cut hours out of the FHP, or you can politely ask AFPC to send your wing more maintainers.

The fire blankets in the engine bays were notoriously bad and a tiny amount of damage would render them unserviceable according to the TOs. we're talking miniscule tears and cuts in a piece of material that wrapped all the way around the engine. Every time we pulled a motor, it was almost a guarantee that the fire blanket would need to be replaced, oh and guess what, they weren't being made in large enough numbers to keep up with the demand. A 3/4 in tear would ground a jet for weeks. That's the reason they don't exist on the bone anymore. Now there is a chemical that gets painted on the engine bay. In one breath you say that you know about the horrendous making situation on the flightline and in the next you say that you oppose a solid method to help shore up the deficiencies. CUT (cross utilization training) can be a very good thing. There are always one or two shops that either have better manning numbers, or a lower consistent workload. Utilizing that underutilized resource puts warm bodies where they are needed most. It also gives the more backshop oriented maintainers a taste of what it is like to be on the line all day regardless of heat or cold. Granted, the period of time when non crew chiefs are being trained to become a crew chief, can be painful. But over all, the benefits outweigh the negatives (From a mx perspective).

It's that kind of gross mismanagement that guts not only mid-level technicians, but also the young maintenance officers. 5.5 years of 12-18 hour days with countless tdy's and multiple deployments is what finally got me. I know many other motivated young officers who felt the same way before getting out.

As a former MX officer at Ellsworth (09-12) I can tell you that the majority of the issues that we faced stemmed from a former mx group cc who's policies gutted the community of skilled mid-level technicians. It was further compounded by the fact that the Rockwell that built the bone ceased to exist. As the B-1 flew into the 10,000 hour milestone, some previously uncommon problems became much more common and the parts for those fixes dried up quickly, including parts from the boneyard. When I first PCSd to Ellsworth, the MC rate was hovering around 30% when I left it would regularly touch 60-70% Where it sits now, I have no idea. But maintenance on that jet is a fair bit more complicated than just blaming leadership.

VN 16-01 track: 6 x T-38 (1 guard, 5 AD) 16 x T-1 (6 guard/res, 10 AD) 1 x TH-1 (AD)

All the same person. Sounds like she was a stand-up officer.

There should be more artists like this lady. http://vimeo.com/m/64733355 (very nsfw)

That's fair, I've seen some "lowly" squadron chiefs who elevate themselves out of sight of their airmen. It's not a stretch to imagine a command chief doing the same. However, while he isn't a flag officer, the CMSAF is the Chief of Staff's direct representative. When he speaks on anything related to the Air Force, it is ssumed that he is speaking directly on behalf of the CoS. That position of trust, not his rank is what drives the protocol on his visits. It's not just the CMSAF either. Right or wrong, any command chief of a GO commander is afforded similar protocol status as the commander they represent.

Why is that a total fail?

For the purposes of protocol, he's at least a two star equivalent. He will sit ahead of the one star at a table. He has his own flag that will be displayed ahead of a one star's flag. And I'm pretty sure he has his own music that will get played. He will also bring an entourage that is significantly larger than any two star. For all intents and purposes, the preparation for the CMSgt of the air force is the same as for a flag officer.

Are you talking about active duty boards, OTS boards, or reserve/guard boards?

http://www.usafa.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123404324. Interesting tactic to clear up that pilot shortage.

I used to run one of those shops that made tail flashes on base and I can give you some advice. It won't answer your question about companies set up specifically to make tail flashes though. my biggest recommendation would be to figure out who runs the fabrication flight at your base and ask him/her for some advice on how to go about this. They might even be willing to make you one to use as a template for all the rest of them. Aircraft "sheet metal" could be one of 69 different materials from aluminum to carbon fiber to titanium to fiberglass to a combo of all four. However the skin of the B-1, F-16, F-15, and most of the older planes will be mostly a variation of 2024-T4 aluminum. Any private fabrication shop will know how to order this specific kind of aluminum. It's not realistic to expect the bone yard to strip aluminum off off old planes for you to use. So now that you are armed with that knowledge, you can take your template to any private sheet metal fabrication business and ask them how much they would charge to replicate your template. They should be able to paint and apply the vinyl decals as well. It might take a while for them to get it perfect, but once they do, you will now have a local company set up to continue making the things long after you go away. PM me if you have other fabrication questions.

Seriously? I just left there and never heard this. I also had my hands in my pockets like 90% of the time I spent outside on the line, which was 4-6 hours a day. No-one, including pilots or mx leadership ever said a thing.

Where did they drop?