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VMFA187

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Posts posted by VMFA187

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    54 minutes ago, Hacker said:

    There's zero technical training in the MX officer school, nor is any allowed on the job.  

    Once I was back from AMOC, I actually tried to get a Job Qualification folder started so I could get trained to perform some wrench-turning tasks.  That got squashed rather quickly from QA, who could find no AFI authorization for a 21A AFSC to receive such training or qualification.

    That's insane. I found the best way to connect with my Marines when I was Airframes OIC, well second to taking one or two of them to the gym with me, was walking out to the flight line and asking what they were doing, then having them show me how to do it.

    That's a big difference between AF and Navy/USMC aviation - If it doesn't say we can't do it, then we can. We actually had a WSO Powerline OIC who got his turn qual to start the jets for Mx turns. The CO at the time actually wanted him to get a taxi qual so he could go do high power turns. He had this elaborate plan of setting up a course with cones out on the flight line and everything. Ultimately the WSO decided against it.

    • Upvote 1

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 hour ago, HeloDude said:

    Maintenance officers have very little training in hands on mx/technician skills.  

    I can't speak to the way the AF trains their Mx officers, but the USMC sends them to school for 4-6 weeks to learn their trade. That is considerably more than the two days of six hours of powerpoint training I received before I took over airframes, the same that all pilots receive when working in maintenance on this side of the house.

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, Weezer said:

    Oooorrrr...you could incorporate maintenance back into OGs and have it be a legit leadership position and still fly.

    It's a difficult life to balance leading 30-40 maintainers who do something you have no training in, while also perfecting your skill in the air and learning flight leadership.

    Not un-doable, but difficult.

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    13 hours ago, Day Man said:

    After my FEB, the recorder (prosecutor essentially) became the DO in my (AMC) squadron. I overheard him in the mission planning room tell a new co-pilot that the reason there are so many AFIs is that you couldn't possibly learn/adhere to all of them, and the AF could hold you liable.

    I was recently asked by a Guard fighter squadron what I feel would be the biggest culture shock going from a Marine fighter squadron to an Air Force squadron would be and that was essentially it.

    I don't have first hand experience as an AF fighter pilot but have heard the standard spiel about only being allowed to do what the pubs say you are allowed to vice the Navy/USMC of being able to do everything with the exception of what the pubs say you cannot do.

     

    What's wrong with the Air Force?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    51 minutes ago, cantfly said:

    There are no vaults at the agency. Try calling the buildings there SCIFs. There is a huge difference between a building that's a SCIF and a building with a vault. They don't have a single person with a flight suit running through the buildings there and none of the squadron CCs are pilots .So you haven't been at liberty to see what I have in my 18 year career. When you have to take a polygraph and PASS to get access to the building in order to find out what I know, then we can talk more....truth.

    If a Tact Airlifter needs access to TS, then we are all in trouble.

    I may be the only one of this mindset, but does anyone here really care to set foot in that building? If there isn't a single person with a flight suit running around, there isn't a single reason I want to be in there.

    • Upvote 1

    Tanker to Fighter

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by VMFA187

    40 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

    Huh?  You mean like FAIPS?

    Apologies, sometimes my Navy/USMC lingo comes off slightly differently than intended.

    I mean guys coming from a platform with a significantly different mission, i.e., EA-6B, C-130, etc... Transitioning to an F-18/15/16 don't tend to pick things up as quickly as a guy going directly into that platform after getting his wings or a fighter guy qualified in one fighter going to another fighter.

    Our SERGRADs, equivalent to your FAIPs, tend to do just fine from the few I've seen.

    More Uniform Changes!

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    On 2/11/2017 at 0:06 PM, M2 said:

    This all makes no ing sense.  We were all good with one uniform (BDUs) before the crayon-eating Marines just had to be different with MARPAT. 

    Ever had a plate of lightly toasted crayons dipped in ranch dressing?

    Don't knock it until you try it.

    • Upvote 1

    Toxic Communities

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    17 minutes ago, ARAMP1 said:

    I've been at Whiting since 2011 and I've never seen one of these mythical SERGRADS.  Can't speak to advanced, but they don't have them in the T6B/primary.  

     

    Conversly, every graduating AF pilot training class has approx 3 FAIPS (give or take). 

    They have them at Kingsville and Meridian for the T-45. We had two in VT-21 when I was there 2010-2011.

    • Upvote 1

    Toxic Communities

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    42 minutes ago, bluedevil said:

    Found this article on Reddit:
    http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/04/24/a-navy-pilots-take-the-air-force-doesnt-have-a-pilot-crisis-it-has-a-leadership-crisis/

    Not a pilot... but I decided to separate after one assignment. I'm absolutely petrified that I spent the past 4 years of my life learning exactly what not to do. I joined to lead and do important shit, I was handed the complete opposite. To make it worse, a good 2/3 of my peers could give a shit about anything but mouth breathing their way to 20. It's just so disheartening.


    Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

    The most difficult time I have had in my career over the last decade as a Fighter Pilot and Marine was when I was an airframes OIC with 35 Marines and 10 airframes while simultaneously going through my 4-ship flight lead upgrade.

    Two points: 1) While that approach would certainly result in better leader development at every level, it is incredibly taxing on those put into those positions. 2) Due to having to balance both duties, much like a multi-role fighter, it is nearly impossible to truly excel at either without jeopardizing the other. What happens is you become average at both, detailed many times by my experience operating with Air Force F-15 and F-16 units where their capacity in the air was developed to a higher degree than ours was.

    Though I suppose some of that may be attributed to our 6-7 flight hours a month...

    • Upvote 1
    • Downvote 1

    Toxic Communities

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    3 minutes ago, Duck said:



    What causes disappointment? Unrealized expectations. I think you have to start there. The last 10 or so years have been really tough on the CGOs. We came into the AF after 9-11 being told that the #1 priority of the AF is lethality, yet we are held to a completely different standard

    Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

    This, so many times over.

    • Upvote 3

    Information on PIT (Pilot Instructor Training)

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    EFB = Electronic Flight Bag?

    When we went East we were issued tablets from our Intel shop every morning prior to the brief, and they had 1) All of our aircraft pubs, 2) all the pertinent nav stuff, and 3) Killswitch.

    1) When you're 1,000 miles from home and your duty office on the radio, and have an issue, it's nice to be able to really delve into the issue.

    2) In a tight cockpit that's full of water, food, and other miscellaneous gear that you hope to not have to use, it's awesome saving space.

    3) Game changer. The ability to record 9-lines, plot, conduct talk-ons, and correlate on a device the size of a kneeboard vice having pages and pages of maps and notes... I cannot speak highly enough about how much of a force multiplier in the cockpit possessing a tablet is.

    And then we get back home and they're taken away. Standard.

    • Upvote 1

    Navy Pilots on Strike over OBOGS Issues

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    15 minutes ago, RTB said:

    If I read the article right, the modified mask doesn't tie into OBOGS?  How does that work?  And is the T-45 cockpit unpressurized?  

    We can unplug the hose from the connector which goes into the OBOGS system that is located near our left hip. So essentially you're flying with the exact same equipment, not attached to the system, breathing ambient air through your mask and hose. The T-45 is pressurized, but I don't believe it schedules the same as the Hornet. It's been six years, but someone around the squadron said 15,000' MSL equates to around 10,000' Cabin Altitude. Not sure anymore how accurate that is.

    Navy Pilots on Strike over OBOGS Issues

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    4 hours ago, gearpig said:

    This is not a new aircraft with unproven equipment. T-45s have been around as long as I can remember. Did OBOGS suddenly start failing at a drastically increased rate or did everyone recently become afraid of OBOGS due to issues in other aircraft?

    From this side of the house, the common feeling is that it is a combination of both. Older equipment failing at a more rapid rate, as well as an issue that is at the forefront of everyone's minds makes it more likely to be reported.

    The below sounds interesting...

    ""After briefings and discussions with our aircrew, their training wing leadership, the engineers, and aeromedical experts, we have identified a way forward to resume flight operations safely by limiting the maximum cabin altitude to below 10,000 feet in order be able to operate without using the OBOGS system," Shoemaker explained."

    Should work out well for BFM. The deck, is the deck.

    What should the Air Force be if it is so broken now?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1 minute ago, No2bonus said:

    When one individual attempts to take credit for killing terrorists, I have a problem with that because the guys on the ground deserve some of that credit. When you kill and capture the masterminds behind 911, you have earned a lot of credit. Terrorists have to be located. They are either killed or captured and I'm not the person on the ground every single night going after them. Nobody is setting aerial traps for pilots, but the guys on the ground have been setup and ambushed going after the kill or capture list.

    Last time I checked, you can bomb a dude from the air. They never saw it coming. You snatch their ass up at night while they are in their bed sends a huge message. I'm not the guy kicking in Bin Ladens door and taking him out in front of his wife and kids. You have to give respect to the guys who do this a lot.

    I have as much, if not more, respect for our ground guys than most. We have to spend six months training to be rifle platoon commanders before we transition to our individual MOS - Many of my friends are infantry officers. Where did you think I was taking sole credit? I simply stated a fact. No one believes they are out there winning by themselves. Relax dude.

    • Upvote 7

    What should the Air Force be if it is so broken now?

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by VMFA187

    1 hour ago, No2bonus said:

    #1. You haven't been through AF BMT. When I went through officer field training at Lackland it was a copy of the AF BMT program...lol. I did the same dumb obstacle course at Lackland.

    #2. They are required to qualify on the M16 at AF BMT. At officer field training at Lackland we shot the M9.

    #3. The last week was Warrior Week which covered the aspects of being deployed in a combat environment, carrying orange weapons, and a bunch of other crap I don't remember.

    #4. Whatever they have been doing is working. When Bagram was attacked it was the airmen who repelled the Taliban inside the gates, Special Forces who went outside the gate in PT gear mind you, and the Army providing air cover. Point is the enlisted guys don't need your 10 cents.

    #5. You're the type of leader that rolls in and shits all over everything because you think you know everything. I want to change it because I can. Those are the types of officers that I'm tired of and why people are leaving. STFU and listen.

    #6. I don't even know hand to hand combat. But at my height and weight and the amount I workout with weights I'm 100% for sure you wouldn't overpower me in a ring at my age. I don't even look my old ass age. 

    #7. Who are you an exec for?

    Kiloalpha hit 1-3, so I'll address 4-6, 7 doesn't warrant a response. And in truth, none of these points do, but I'm standing duty while our planes are out so I have some time to entertain this.

    4 - Special Forces are Army only. I assume you mean "Special Operations Forces"? Yes, self preservation tends to take over when your life and fellow Marines/Sailors/Airmen/Soldiers lives are at stake. That being said, the "exercises" you participated in, doesn't sounds like incredibly adequate training for those of America's 21st century warrior class. And I am by no means an incredibly motivated service member, I simply see the value in all of our uniformed members experiencing training that reminds of what we can face.

    5 - You have no idea what type of leader I am. To be perfectly honest, I'd prefer to only lead in a brief, debrief, and my 4-ship airborne. I have no desire for any other leadership opportunities.

    6 - Ok? This isn't even worth entertaining.

    1 hour ago, No2bonus said:

    I dislike AF people who don't know anything about the other services we support. I guess that is what happens when you receive a deployment where you work 9-5, getting all your gym time in, and drinking all the damn cold drinks in the DFAC. 

    Where did you deploy? Deploying to the UAE doesn't count despite the combat pay.

    Deployments working 9-5? Was that your experience? Regardless, have you led other aircraft >1,000 miles from where your squadron is based, logged 8 hours in a single seat fighter aircraft, and prosecuted terrorist targets? Several on this board have, and it's asinine to think that you know what people have, or have not, done.

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