Bigred

T-38 then U-2. Expect 3-ish months from checking in to 38 qual. Then 6-8 months for U-2 qual. All done in-house.

Even more difficult than resource, it’s be a culturally intensive shift for the Air Force. I actually think that’d be the more difficult hurdle.

It totally is. They get the kick in the junk of essentially ‘mission first’ from the very get go. As buddies of mine put it ‘the rifleman is the focus and has the support of the entire Corps’ As much as it’d stroke our egos even more, imagine how the AF would run if we had something similar ‘the pilot is the focus and has the support of the entire Air Force’.

Just Cannon, OCONUS, and the FTU? Or is there a new CONUS base opening?

I’m really interested to see what happens in a few years when situations develop like Osprey dudes taking the bonus and choose OCONUS/Hurlburt to avoid Cannon.

I don’t understand the rational behind that. 12 years would put an initial eligible dude on the hook till 21-22 years, if I’m understanding it correctly.

Just replace that ‘p’ with and ‘r’ and you’ll figure out what Navy life is like

You can only join at 17 if your parents approve and sign paperwork.

Insider baseball says it was held up above HAF level, aka, OSD, due to conflicts amongst DODI, FM instructions, and the new NDAA. I have no idea what the bonus will look like but I’ll be the first to admit I was bitching about HAF dragging their feet and it appears they are waiting like the rest of the us. All that said, who knows when it’ll actually be released.

Ah, I see your point now. I’m agreement with all of that.

In the early days of the -53 a loop was part of the FCF profile. At least according some of the sim instructors in Milton.

I’d say that validates his point. In my opinion, something like form landings in UPT seem less about necessity out in the CAF than it was about teaching precision. That precision transfers over to other aspects of flying, especially when it becomes almost second nature. Do you absolutely need to learn form landings? No, but if it’s not flown it should be replaced with something that also demands a high degree of precision.

I’m aware of that FCIF and it’s sort of my point, that G limit is now an ops limit. I’m not arguing that the -38 is perfect for upt, I fully agree that a new trainer is warranted. I just don’t see the thing as a flying death trap. Unforgiving? Absolutely. Dangerous? Far from it.

I’ve yet to see wings fall off or engines explode. The jet isn’t difficult to fly if you respect the airspeed and op limits. Look at any dynamic aircraft over the last 50 years and you’ll see a bunch of mishaps, and the majority of those are attributable to pilot error. Structural issues, if found to be contributing, are remedied. I’ve only been flying the -38 for a year, but what am I missing here?

To the OP, to tag on to what Huggy said, flying heavies is great for your body. I have about 3000 hours in helicopters and I have multiple degenerative discs and arthritis in my lower spine that are directly from the vibrations. I'm 41 and I can feel it now, I'm not looking forward to when I'm older. Enjoy flying heavies and having a body not break down on you.

Sq/cc factor in to that?

Three standard lies? Enlighten me, I’ve not heard this before.

So many incredible stories of time spent in SE Asia, but some things are better left for drinks at the bar. 🤫😎

Chinooks flying as Pave Low would’ve been friggin cool.

Reddit hated on him hard a few weeks/months ago because he labeled beards ‘faddish’ during a q&a with the CMSAF. Shoot a thousand haji but tell one airman no beard and you’re no longer a badass.

You are right. I actually looked at crossing over to WO prior to switching to the AF, I would’ve gone from O-4 to W-1, accelerated promote to W-2. It is possible but like you said it’s a complex process.

You can’t go WO after graduating from ROTC or West Point. The guys that track aviation out of those sources know their days flying are numbered from the get go.

This was my thought. What happens when everyone that takes the bonus early puts NAS Pensacola (perhaps with the hope to fly T-6s)? If the numbers are skewed, Big AF will change the rules and send those volunteers to Laughlin, et al.

I personally like having a SCOD. It was how we timed FITREPs in the Navy and it makes planning/anticipating the completion much easier, even with large groups of junior officers. Moreso, with large groups of O-3, etc, it’ll eliminate anyone getting forgotten about or overlooked when it’s time for an OPR.

I have friends flying for CalFire and also firefighting in the northwest. Police ISR, medevac, or have flown contracting for state and fed government. Long line work, overseas support (both mil and civ stuff). There’s more out there. Using firefighting as an example, depending on region you might only fly from April-October so the rest of the year is yours. I have a buddy who lives on a diveboat in Palau during the off-season. Lots of options out there. The caveat is I don’t know of any that pay what you’d make after a few years in the airlines, but you can live pretty comfortably.