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Stoker

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Posts posted by Stoker

  1. Question re: the FC1, the information I was given said that for civilians / those without uniforms, the attire is conservative business attire. To me, this means a suit and tie, but that seems a bit much for medical exams and when everyone else is wearing ABUs. Am I going to be OK showing up in khakis and a polo?

  2. 11 minutes ago, HU&W said:

    I've always thought drop night would be more fun if they just put the list of planes for that class up on a board and call the studs up in rank order.  #1 gets first pick, etc...  Yes, someone will be last and their plane will be the only one left, and that's OK.

    That's how the Navy does ship assignments for new ensigns, at least those graduating from the Academy. There's definitely more variation going on there, though, since I think they pick down to the actual ship (so it becomes, "Well I want to be based here, but this ship has better promotion opportunities, this one I might command sooner, etc.").

  3. Just got a call from my recruiter, apparently I am selected for 17-01 after all. He said the board initially didn't review my package at all, which is why I wasn't on the list, but supposedly now I'm good to go. Big weight off my shoulders, I've spent the last six days trying to figure out what issue the board had with my application and how to fix it.

    • Upvote 3
  4. I was not on the selected list for the board, recruiter thinks my application may have "fallen through the cracks." Says my package is right about in the middle of those who were selected, to idk what's the deal. Honestly, I didn't think there was a big chance of being non-selected if you were sponsored.

    Can someone PM me a copy of the sharepoint results (assuming it isn't FOUO)? I just want to make sure my recruiter hasn't forgotten what my name is and am actually not on it (wouldn't be a huge surprise at this point).

  5. 18 hours ago, last_chance said:

    I am not paying rent for the UOQs. I get my current locations BAH in full each month. It's a pretty nice deal.

    Yeah, that's a very good deal. Obviously, moving into the UOQ is a lot easier than trying to set up a house off base, especially coming straight from OTS, but it would have been hard to give up nearly $12k a year tax free.

  6. 2 hours ago, Naviguesser said:

    Reserve UPT board 17-01 results are awaiting AFRC/CC signature.  Release is anticipated by COB Friday (23 June).

    That's the latest update.

    Good to hear some news. Can anyone confirm what, exactly, we'll be hearing from the board? Just select/non-select, or will we be getting class dates out of it as well?

  7. 1 hour ago, FourFans130 said:


    Definitely a good read, but the massive unspoken assumption in all that is continued economic prosperity. Jump ship at 17 years service chasing the promise of those extra millions, get hired, then get furloughed in 2 years in the face of an international crisis and what are you left with?
    Not sure if anyone here watches world events, but there are currently more than enough boiling cauldrons of stupidity across the globe waiting for the right impetus.
    No one here can tell the future, it simply doesn't seem wise to pass up a secure retirement check like that.


    Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

    The uncertainty about the economy works both ways, though. Yes, it would be awful to separate before retirement and then get furloughed from the airline, but what that means is that you're better off separating ASAP to start building seniority, because every year you delay going to the airlines is another 1000 people who get hypothetically furloughed after you, instead of before.

    • Upvote 1
  8. Does anyone know if, as a civilian who has just been scheduled for an FC1, I am eligible to only do the MFS portion if I have a recent IFS? I had the full IFS done at Tyndall a few weeks ago, not eager for another day of achingly dilated eyes and stress.

    I know the answer may well be "shut up and color," but I figured I'd ask.

  9. On 5/18/2017 at 10:02 PM, Rycast said:

    Thanks, I ended up sticking it all in an air mail flat rate mailer.

    Just wanted to make sure people weren't getting theirs bound and embossed with leather covers or something, lol.

    That seems like a good way to end up with your package on the wall of the squadron bar, a subject of mockery for years to come.

  10. 52 minutes ago, Day Man said:

    From the google machine:

    DEN-PHX: 13:52 driving time/862 mi. Assuming 35 mpg, that's almost $60 one way in gas alone

    On Frontier (terrible, I know): 1:50 flight time, $87 round trip

    That gives you 5+ hours on the ground (an hour either side for security) and over $30 in PHX to grab a Whataburger and some Hop Knots and then fly back to DEN. Time > $ to a lot of people.

    Yeah, like I said I don't think it will kill the mid-range hauls. But even in your Denver-Phoenix example, if I'm moving a family of four, and some bags, your $87 Frontier flight is now more like $600. Is ten hours of my time worth $500+ in savings? Maybe. A lot of people will say yes, I bet.

    And keep in mind the driverless car side of the equation is going to get better over time. The first cars to come out with that feature will look just like a regular car, but ten years after that you're going to have cars with lie-flat beds or couches, designed in large part for comfort over long distances. If I can go to sleep in Denver and wake up in Phoenix (more or less), that seems a lot better than driving to the airport, paying for parking, paying for bags, getting groped by the polyester pants brigade, being at the mercy of wx / mx / labor issues, potentially getting "re-accommodated," having to rent a car at my destination, etc., etc.

    As far as the Elon Musk tube idea goes, the in-feasibility of that project is demonstrated by Musk's numbers depending on the state-of-the-art, never-before-tried, underground vacuum tunnel to cost only ~50% more per mile than an asphalt highway. This is when Boston's Big Dig took 25 years and $22 billion digging a 3.5 mile highway tunnel.

  11. Honestly, I think automation's real near-term threat to airline jobs is not a reduction of the number of pilots needed per flight, but a simple reduction in demand for flights. We're (supposedly) five or ten years from a point where autonomous cars can drive point-to-point with no need for human oversight. What happens to the consumer demand for an airline ticket when that happens? I'd imagine a lot of people would be more OK with making a ten or twelve hour drive if they could sleep, drink, watch a movie, etc., during that drive. No security lines, bring all the liquids you want, pull over and grab a bite to eat, and you already have a vehicle at your destination. Obviously your NY to LA flights are probably safe, as is anything over water for obvious reasons, but I think driverless cars will effectively kill any airline routes shorter than an eight hour drive, and weaken the ones from eight to twelve hours.

    • Upvote 1
  12. 1 hour ago, SurelySerious said:

    My initial reaction is, what college age adult in this information based society wouldn't know they could be a pilot in the military? However, an under 40 dual PhD at Sandia (i.e. not a slouch) recently was surprised women could be military pilots in a conversation...so possibly.

    I mean, I've been to MEPS a couple times in preparation for getting my FC1, and the number one comment I heard from the (almost literally) kids there when they found out I was trying to fly was, "Oh, I'd have done that, but I have glasses." The myth that you must have superhuman eagle vision is extraordinarily prevalent. Lots of misconceptions like that exist, I think. How many people know that the Guard and Reserve actually commission and train new pilots, outside of these forums and a few others like it? Not many. I didn't, really, until a friend in Reserve suggested I look into it. It's well known that the recruiters aren't exactly a well of knowledge and veracity, as well.

    I guess my point is, maybe the traditional method what the USAF has done for pilot recruiting is great for recruiting white guys, but not for other groups. I don't want pilot affirmative action by any means, but increasing the applicant pool by targeting demographics that simply don't apply in serious numbers would increase the quality of pilots by simple numbers.

    • Upvote 3
  13. 50 minutes ago, matmacwc said:

    They don't want to do it, anything more than that is making them oppressed or a victim.  And we all know the military would bend over backwards to sign them up, and maybe that is also part of the problem.  They don't know if they are succeeding because of what they did versus who they are, I would think that would be unfulfilling.

    When I was visiting Guard and Reserve units trying to get a slot, I met probably in total 200 potential applicants doing the same. I don't think a single one was female. Could it just be a lack of awareness of the opportunity?

    • Upvote 2
  14. 4 hours ago, kbturner said:

    Interviewed/Hired: Oct 2016

    FC1: Feb 17

    FC1 Approved: April 2017 (1 Waiver)

    Package HQ: April 2017/Approved mid April

    Package to NGB: Mid April 2017/Approved May 2017

    Dates: Today!

    TFOT: June 2017

    IFS: Aug 2017

    UPT: @ Columbus Oct 2017

    ANG Prior Service

    Wow, that's seemingly a lightning fast time between actually getting the dates and the time you show up for OTS. I'm waiting around for the results of the May/June AFRC board and was expecting a much longer wait.

  15. 55 minutes ago, ClearedHot said:

    Try again...

    The A-29 is "assembled" in Jacksonville with parts manufactured in Brazil and shipped to the Untied States. 

    All follow on logistics will come from Brazil with parts licensed to and built in Brazil.

    Fair enough, I meant to say that I wasn't sure what the percentage of domestically produced parts was.

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