VMFA187

"Large portions of the aircraft, including a wing and the fuselage, were found intact after the crash, allowing investigators to identify it as an F-16, police said at the time of the incident." Incredible investigative skills at play here.

Are AGR positions entitled to the bonus? If my family didn't have to move every three years, I could fly as much as some squadrons in the Guard/Reserves do (which is a lot compared to the USMC), not be deployed/TAD on a one-to-one ratio, and I could accept a $48k/year bonus, that would probably keep me from putting in my apps.

How can you hold someone accountable in a position which they are forced into, which is as unforgiving as combat aviation? Sounds like an ORM nightmare. I can see the monthly Human Factor Councils (or whatever the AF calls them) already... If all you're required to do is to brief, get dressed, man up, fly and debrief, then this would be amazing. I just can't see how you're going to force someone to do the other tasks we all despise if you're not dangling the flight carrot out there since they've already passed on it...

I'd imagine the B-Course backup will affect TX slot availability?

Does the AF typically offer exchange slots to junior guys? We generally only give them to Weapon School grads...

Hornets? This is a joke, right? Are they going to cross commission into the Navy/USMC too?

That sounded eerily similar to a movement to fire drill we'd conduct in The Basic School with a platoon+ worth of Marines firing M-16s. I'd be interested to know what weapons he possessed that allowed him to maintain that sustained rate of fire. I actually checked out of a hotel yesterday morning that was a quarter mile away from that location prior to doing my ATP/737 Type Rating check ride Sunday evening.

Yep.

VFA-31 just released one of the best cruise videos I’ve seen.

At least they’re still airworthy. Most legacy Hornets are not. In hindsight, a mix of Eagles for standard Flankers and H/VF profiles and Super Hornets simulating reduced RCS Flankers would be ideal, even if incredibly unlikely.

Concur, Fulcrums are no longer the baseline threat which have more similarities to Hornets and Vipers. Flankers are more accurately simulated by Eagles for a multitude of reasons.

If you're launching into an AO with A/A and A/G ordnance, manning lanes, while also simultaneously being expected to listen to another agency and to dynamically target an incredibly wide array of ground targets, whenever the need arises, which is probably often, then I'd imagine operations could turn into a cluster relatively quickly. I think it likely has something to do with the incredibly large geographic area and whether it is worth having dedicated A/A players, who are solely around for the potential escalation regarding an A/A threat. That's a lot of hours on our assets. We're already complaining about the hours we're putting on our F/A-18s, F-15Es, and F-16s. It'd be nice if it was black or white, but right now it's not.

That was likely it then. Glad there wasn't another to add to the list.

Was told a Draken A-4 punched today in the pattern in Nellis? Pilot ok.

In Naval Aviation, we always say these things tend to happen in "threes." https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/2-a-10c-thunderbolts-crash-at-nevada-test-and-training-range/806180265 Mid-air? Both pilots are ok from what I've heard.

Unfortunately I no longer have the keys. It seems that it is exceedingly difficult to keep a two-seat sports car in the garage once you're married and your wife is still in school. At least I was able to replace it with the latter, RC8R Now, you've seen mine. Let me see yours.

That was a surprising loss for A&M. On the plus side, you didn't lose your starting quarterback for the entire season.

Moments away from the best time of the year. 48 hours away from one hell of an opening season game. Go Seminoles.

Depending on the platform that can be a completely different type of flying. It could be the last decade of my membership in the most effective propaganda machine since Nazi Germany, but many of my peers agree - We'd happily stay if we were flying 15 times a month doing CAS, DCAs, AIs, even remaining at O-3. Once or twice a week simply maintaining currency, that's why our guys are leaving.

Looks like all my time-to-stern WEZ gouge just went out the window.

Golf isn't an issue. I've found that I only enjoy doing something if I'm decent at it - Golf doesn't count. The hardest thing I've ever done. Twice. Well, I figured of the General Dynamics and the Dodge variety, I could only legitimately own and operate one of the two Vipers. And unfortunately it wasn't the former. Maybe I'll get into GA once I'm make it to The Show.

Maybe one day when I have a family I could see the benefit of owning a small plane for weekend trips, but as of now the only way I could see getting into GA is if a buddy of mine was willing to purchase a similar aerobatic airplane and we could meet up once in a while for a couple butterfly sets. That probably won't happen so I'm going to continue putting my money into fast cars and motorcycles.

The guy has been in the business of killing our nation's enemies for pretty much longer than anyone. I don't know why the American public doesn't understand that those who have been to tasked to defend them via violent means, may use more violent language than the typical person who never volunteers to serve for the defense of others.

Isn't there already a thread where someone posted that masculinity in the AF Academy is bad?

Agreed. I took a short field arrestment at Tinian a few years ago and it was awfully small, even for a fighter.