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mp5g

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Posts posted by mp5g

  1. I wish this was made up but deploying to Afghanistan last year, we had to have the Velcro rank for our multi cam ball caps that were allowed in the AOR. By a simple oversight, a lot of the “silver” rank was threaded with blue thread instead of the approved black thread. We didn’t notice, and frankly didn’t care because in the grand scheme of things, who really gives a fuck? Well apparently the deployed leadership gives a fuck and shortly after they noticed our transgressions (about a month into the deployment), we were given black sharpies and told to fix ourselves.  I used to think the only thing certain was death and taxes, but apparently “shoes gonna shoe” is also a certainty. 

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  2. If you haven’t seen Free Solo yet, I highly recommend it. The story being told is engrossing and even though you know the dude ends up climbing El Cap successfully, I’d be willing to bet you’re still holding your breath watching him dangle 2000’ above terra firma with little more than a thumb hold on a sheer rock face and a karate kick across a gap. 

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  3. On 2/23/2019 at 2:10 PM, pilot said:

    I assume you’re a viper dude. What’s your forecast for ANG/AFRC viper deployment ops tempo over the next 3-6-9 years? (sorry for the continued thread drift). 

    Not to sound too subversive, but I think a lot of it is going to depend on if the powers that be get their cake and get to eat it too. For higher fidelity info, stop by your friendly intel shop to ask more pointed questions and I’m sure you’ll come to the conclusion I have, 🤷‍♂️.

  4. 1 hour ago, kapilot said:

    Anyone rushing for a UPT slot needs to understand that the pilot job market has changed drastically in recent years, and what was true yesterday doesn’t make it true today. The pilot job is a true market with all the fluctuations and emotions driving it that move other markets. The only constant is change. I can promise you that the likelihood of your sponsored squadrons tempo today won’t be the same as when your return from training 2+ yrs later. Doesn’t mean you should run the other way!

    Truth data. Granted I’m a fighter dude, but when I raised my hand over a decade ago, we were doing 45 day deployments WITH a swapout at the halfway point. Fast forward to getting back from the B-course 5 years ago and now I walk right into 3 month deployments (TSP bullshit) as standard. Not that it was that big of a change but it was a real fun conversation to have with the fraü after I sold her on the “at most 45 days” pitch before I joined up. Change is a coming. 

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  5. 11 hours ago, katdude said:

    No offense to any Guard member, but I don't like the idea of restricting myself to one state while at the same time taking extra obligations for that state. I'd like the flexibility to be able to move to any state. Besides my recruiter is for AFRC and he won't like me switching. That said, it would be awesome if a Guard fighter unit does ETP. I find the process for Guard fighter units more competitive and expect them not to do ETPs any more than the Reserve units.

    Sounds like you’re ripe for Active Duty then. Absolutely no restrictions to any specific state and absolutely no extra obligations for state level business. You are guaranteed flexibility to move every 3 years to either local states (ie. good ole US of A) or any number of sovereign states for service.  With the current pilot shortage I’m willing to bet AD would entertain the ETP as much, if not more so than the Reserves. 

  6. On 5/21/2018 at 1:07 AM, admdelta said:

    I informed my Guard recruiter about this who has been pushing to have me sign up with him in a hurry, and also told him that I need to get retested before I'm willing to make any commitments because why would I go enlisted if I'm not gonna qualify to fly anyway?

    Dude I get it. I started out with the dream to fly as well but I want to make sure you understand one thing first, if you don’t already. Your number one priority for signing up should be to serve, not strictly to make a means to an end. The reason I say this is that the path to wings and even to an operational squadron is an arduous journey, filled with plenty of pitfalls. What if you get picked up to fly fighters for a Guard or Reserve unit, but don’t qualify in T-6’s for the fighter track because your class ranking is so low? What if you fail out of IFF, or an RTU? Would you be willing to work a different job that isn’t a pilot position within that unit if you couldn’t be a pilot in that unit? 

    I get that you may not want to enlist if you don’t medically qualify but apply that to what could happen if you weren’t able to make it back to the bros with wings on your chest if you got commissioned.  You need to know if you’d be happy, and still have job satisfaction if you were serving in the military even if it’s not what you originally envisioned yourself doing.  Nobody likes working with the dude who hates his life everyday and is counting down the days until he can leave the base in the rear view for good. 

  7. 4 hours ago, MDDieselPilot said:

    She recited the enlistment oath with a t-rex sock puppet on her right hand.  It's pretty cringe-worthy. 

    Joke or no-joke, I can't imagine what went through her head, the O6 on the left, or the dude filming when they thought it'd be a good idea to post it online.  I'm by no means the most reverent person around and I thought it was pretty bad.

    No time wasted I guess. 

    https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/04/18/colonel-demoted-immediately-retired-from-air-national-guard-over-dinosaur-puppet-video/

  8. Great. So are the changing the CAP program in the pipelines as well? I think it’s only fair that the dudes who have skipped everything having to do with airmanship in a supersonic trainer/fighter get branded with a scarlet letter or something on their nametags. Auto self-identify once they walk into a briefing room. 

  9. 8 hours ago, iceman said:

    Do they waive them forever after that, or just as long as your orders state?  Obviously the intent of the program is to waive fees for as long as you're active, but I feel like the overhead of keeping track of that is way too much for the bank to actually care.

    You can check the status of your mil orders on a SCRA website, which is what they reference. Pretty much as soon as my orders ended, they sent me the letter stating I’d be charged the yearly fee, and within a billing cycle I was billed. 

    However, AMEX is amazing at paying you back annual fees when you go on orders. Banking on that when I get an upcoming set for 4 months this next year. 

  10. I wasn't able to get anywhere but my bro called and the dude he talked to didn't care one bit if he was AD or not. Once he explained that he is still in the military full time, the rep continued his SCRA benefits for another year. My thoughts is that it will depend on who you talk to if/when you call in to the rep. 

    I just paid the yearly fee but we have a 3-4 monther coming up under Title X that I will be requesting SCRA for, which should mean I get reimbursed for the yearly fee charges on the card. 

  11. Everything you mentioned helps. If this is something you're interested in pursuing further, the best thing you can do is visit the unit early and often. Let them know your story and what you are wanting to do. If you are a good dude, then you may have a shot. If they don't think you're a good fit, I'd hope someone would pull you to the side and let you know so you don't continue wasting your time.  

  12. Did you do any Strike training during your pilot training pipeline? If not, it will make things more difficult but not insurmountable if you find a unit to hire you and sponser your package (sts). First, you would probably have to do some sort of T-38 top off program so you are familiar with the jet you'd be flying at IFF (Intro to Fighter Fundamentals). Then IFF for 3 months.  If that was completed, get ready for the centrifuge and the 9G profile, followed by a full up 9 months of the B-course before you make it back to your unit to start MQT.  Again this isn't impossible but most units looking to hire a dude with prior flight time, don't want to have to send him through an entire fighter pipeline to get a qualified dude (in my limited experience). If it was switching from another fighter/strike platform, that'd be a lot simpler. 

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