Sua Sponte

When I was deployed to Balad in 2005 soldiers would pull the charging handle back on an M-16 and then just pull the trigger when at the clearing barrel. I saw them put a round through the clearing barrel on two separate occasions. The airmen were the ones that were locking the bolt back and visually inspecting the chamber to clear it.

Commercial 767s don’t carry 463L pallets that have to be interchangeable for every USAF cargo and tanker aircraft.

3D Goggles. The KC-46 boom operators use glasses that look like sunglasses for the same thing.

That's right, for some reason I thought they had paid to put a window in the back.

Japan and Italy both got rid of their KC-767s and replaced them with the KC-46 (Italy calls the KC-46 the KC-767B for political reasons). The KC-767 used a window. The Dutch KDC-10s that Omega purchased used a camera system (dunno if Omega retrofitted the cameras with newer ones or used the window).

Copy, no worries. This is the fifth time this scenario has happened that I know of. Japan had this scenario happen 1-2 times with their -46s as well.

The USAF would’ve had to redesigned the 767-200 empanage, which it couldn’t afford. Also, the aft part narrows and there’s two pallet positions that would’ve been lost. This has less to do either the cameras and more to do with the boom flight control system (FLCS) when the receiver is too far low and in while in contact.

As someone who spent time in the 61 AS probably before you were in the USAF and 16 years as a KC-135 Boom Operator I’m trying to figure out the different age, ranks, service you interact with that tanker aircrew don’t? I’ve carried Army, Marines, SOF, three letter agencies, done AEs, loaded the same amount of pallets a C-130 can carry, delt with ATOC, done HR/dignified transfers, etc. If you’re referring to Rat, he’s a -141/-17 guy. His touch-and-go in tankers was to get command time, he hates tankers. He’s an airlift guy. There are retards in all MWS’s, Ratner wasn’t and isn’t one.

He was 100% a mobility pilot. We were stationed together on KC-135s.

No more Vipers?

Him Him 🍺

Three times, four if you count the one Japan had.

I do have some inside info, a sim site manager is being hired at the end of this year, instructors spinning up in 2026, and they should start getting their jets around then. Look at UPT drops to be 2029-2030 (I thought it would be less than that).

AMC has had SIB’s the AMC/CC elected to have a CDI instead of an AIB because they didn’t want certain “evidence” to become public.

Not every SIB has a corresponding AIB.

Macdill will be opening around 2026ish.

Al Udeid is being attacked. https://x.com/GrahamAllen_1/status/1937192149801398624

Iran parliament voted to close the Strait of Hormuz. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-urges-china-dissuade-iran-closing-strait-hormuz-2025-06-22/

https://youtu.be/CjQO6XH67fU?si=OgcsuTz0Rtm1ApEy

Is that the first Travis -46 drop?

If it's S1 for the Boom, the IB did all the refueling 🤣