[What's wrong with the Air Force?]

2 hours ago, GlassEmpty said:

Probably a tanker squadron, or at a minimum a Heavy unit. Am I right?!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Likely, but could also be a fighter, bomber, recon, helo squadron...toxic leaders are everywhere.  AMC does seem to have a special breed of CYA managers though.  

[What's wrong with the Air Force?]

4 hours ago, flyusaf83 said:

So there I was. Doing paperwork in my office.  I'm Flt/CC of ~60 folks, so I'm usually doing this about 7-8 hours of my 11-12 hour days.  In walks the Sq/CC.  He casually asks what I'm up to.  

"Oh you know sir, just the normal queep. Awards, OPRs, EPRs, updating trackers, you know."

Sq/CC with disappointed face: "Oh, you mean taking care of your people?"

Then he turns and walks out without allowing me to reply.

That's how you take care of your people in the AF. With paperwork. 

Ah the quintessential passive aggressive commander, my favorite.  Tell him to get the dildo out of his behind and express his words like a real man.  Seriously, is a little bit of light hearted sarcasm that offensive these days?

[Track Selects and Assignment Nights]

7 hours ago, YoungnDumb said:

Everyone was pretty shocked by it to be honest.  He's a good bro and a solid instructor.  Played the FAIP game reasonably well, did a decent amount of volunteer stuff and what not.  Only thing we've really thought of is that he pissed off the new commander of our sister squadron last year and that maybe that played into the rack and stack this year.  Also we got a new CC earlier this year and are guessing he didn't really fight for his people which doesn't really surprise anyone.  But again no one really knows why.  On the bright side the Buff community just got a solid bro who will do great things there.

In other news the person who got the MC-130 Kadena stormed out of the building in tears.

To be honest, and as much as it sucks for those having to take those bullets, communities like buffs have a very important mission and you want good dudes going there.  At a certain point it's needs of the Air Force and you have to bloom where planted.  Same for RPAs although my arguement is that there should be a solely separate pipeline filled with motivated dudes instead of dudes who got their dreams crushed on assignment night. 

As for the crying over an MC-130!? It's a small Air Force and that person is in for hell when they get to their unit when they find out said individual acted like a child over getting one of the coolest missions in the Air Force.  Reminds me of a gal who cried over C-17s a few assignment nights before mine.  The unit got word and she was a Pariah before she even showed up.  

[What's wrong with the Air Force?]

8 minutes ago, SurelySerious said:

So Baba Rand had a "Pilot Retention" Forum or something to that effect the other day. Luckily I couldn't attend, so I'll paraphrase second-hand info. Having worked under his command enough times to know his bullshit, it's probably from accurate accounts.

Roughly: none of your complaints are valid because you're not flying over Hanoi losing 11 BUFFs a day.

He brushed off anything brought up as a non-issue, and his message was suck it up your life is good.

Nice.
 

That jack hole was similarly dismissive to our SOS class.  People like him are the reason we have a pilot shortage.  F that guy 

[What's wrong with the Air Force?]

Transgender policy is under "review" by the Trump admin.. that was as of a month ago not sure there has been updates.  I'm glad my CC compressed tranny awareness training into 30 seconds and then proceeded to talk about aircraft safety issues :)

[Promotion and PRF Information]

11 hours ago, Fatsalmon said:

C-130's at Yokota had a 100% promotion rate, both H's and J's.

Yokota always does well, but that's because it's Yokota and PACAF (vice AMC) and the base really shines.  Also, they sent a handful of 08 guys there for the transition, who were more or less the top of their peers.  The 08 class was always kicking ass at Yokota...i.e. "Hulk" ;) 

[Promotion and PRF Information]

4 hours ago, Herk Driver said:

Not sure what the issue is with the 317th...Similar issues during the RIF back in 2010-ish. Back then we assumed it was the AG leadership...

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Rumor is LRAFB had similar stats, maybe it's just us 130 guys? Maybe all the Cols on the board are like Rhatigan and find us 130 guys "unprofessional."...

[Promotion and PRF Information]

6 hours ago, ihtfp06 said:

If you don't mind sharing, what wing? Or at least what MWS?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No qualms sharing: Dyess 317th C-130J (just became a Wing)

[Promotion and PRF Information]

Pilots butchered at my wing, 78% promotion rate.  Many IPs/ FLT/CCs with no negative records.  I'm curious to see the board stats but this is UFB.

["We're not training commercial pilots."]

6 hours ago, JeremiahWeed said:

Dafuq you need ATIS for if you're already on the ILS?

Seriously, all the shit dudes have said here rings true.  The only thing I'll add is that one's success in making the transition if you choose that path in the future isn't a given.  It takes some work and a simple but crucial understanding that you're entering a completely different environment.  Harder?  Hell no, not by a country mile.  Apply yourself maybe half as much as you did to get through UPT and you'll be fine.  But thinking that being a SH Viper, Hornet, Raptor, -17, whatever guy is going to carry you through on its own is a mistake. Your mil status is also not a guaranteed job offer. The airlines don't start beating your door down when they find out you're available though, at the current hiring rate it may seem like that for some guys.  Expect to put in some time prepping for interviews and realize you're breaking very new ground.  There's lots of gouge from the bros out their and several well run companies that'll relieve you of a small, but worthwhile investment to make sure you're ready to sell yourself when the time comes. It's a multi-million dollar career that many mil guys have missed out on because they decided to wing it and figured WIC, a 1000 hours of IP time in the Viper or some other feather in their cap was going to make it a breeze.  

Not hard.....just different......way different. 

Oh and while I gocha here......The shit some mil guys do and say (the famous 5% we've all met) when they finally start their new careers would make you cringe.  The tools who have come before you leave a lasting legacy.  When you hear the stereotypes assigned to us all thanks to those clowns, you'll maybe have a slightly understanding of what it's been like being an Eagle driver since that fateful day at Kadena 30+ years ago    .  

So, try to play nice with the civilians.  Taking every opportunity to attempt to impress them with combat stories or "there I was" BS, making them feel inferior in general or lecturing them on how things were back in your old life isn't generally the best option.  There will be plenty of bros in the other seat to swap stories with but not always.  Also, accepting that airline X is paying your a shit-ton of money to fly their jet the way they want you to and not how you think it should be flown is also extremely helpful. Adjust accordingly and be one of the 95%.  Good luck with whatever path you choose.

Sooo....no more naming parties and roll calls?

[Promotion and PRF Information]

7 hours ago, Snuggie said:

'08 guy, found out I was passed over yesterday. No UIF or other bad paperwork but a mediocre record (no strats/awards). I wasn't surprised but I had hoped the AF's stated need for RPA pilots would push me over the line. 

I bet the nonner CGOC volunteer got promoted though, while you guys who put munitions on the bad guys continue to get the shaft, sorry to hear man.

["We're not training commercial pilots."]

2 hours ago, F16Deuce said:

Only if you make it that way or if your leadership sucks in my opinion.  Hiring civilians for squadrons is a step in the right direction though to your point.  Being merely adequate at ground duties that don't impact people's lives (training, etc) is good enough.  Ball wash doesn't matter.  The only thing that does is flying and the duties involving or related to flying such as instruction to make guys better, mission planning, debriefing, etc.

At least in my nook of the Air Force, I'd say it's mostly a leadership thing: where dudes are forced to "pick their path": being good in the cockpit, or being good in the office.  It's impossible to do both unless you are Chuck Yeager and can slave it out OPR/PowerPoint/excel sheet after another, get in the cockpit once a month and kill it- but that's a rarity.

Now, there are those folks that just don't hack it in the cockpit and just don't try.  

It really comes down to good leadership setting priorities: zero acceptance of less than 100% in the cockpit, allow an OPR or two to make it to the group late, not giving a rat's behind if the sexual assault prevention training monitor doesn't get green dot status slides in every Friday on time. 

 

[Track Selects and Assignment Nights]

7 hours ago, Boomer6 said:

One of our guys (prior C17s) is one of two alternates for the crossflow. Word is 4 MAF dudes were selected as primaries and 2 alternates.

All this fanfare for just 2 dudes!?! 

[Promotion and PRF Information]

10 hours ago, Craftsman said:

If any 09 guys are looking for a push line for there PRF.

#1 choice for Delta or SWA! Name is a proven cmbt pilot and exceptional ldr; DNP, offer CJO & make FO this board!

Edit: UAL or AA or anyone else as you see fit to fill the white space.


Sent from my iPad using Baseops Network Forums

I'm 09 and am starting to write my PRF today: over under on my CCs reaction when he sees that push line? 

[What's wrong with the Air Force?]

So for those in the know, will decoupling (love the prop reference btw) school selects be for the 08 board or start with 09?

[Herk Down]

9 minutes ago, HerkFE said:

I've got the callsign...not sure if it would be appropriate to post...opinions?

 

Don't, at least wait until the families have been notified, same especially goes for Facebook. 

[What's wrong with the Air Force?]

While I am sorry my 08 bros have to wait, if they are indeed getting rid of "school selects" then me says that is a very positive change in terms of promotion and career progression.  It may eliminate the unnecessary box checking leading up to majors board (exec, moving jobs every 6-9 months) and otherwise polluting the time of a critical demographic in the squadrons.  Instead, hopefully we can spread out the "leadership selection" over several years and maybe find better leaders, possibly "late bloomers."  I'm for it!

[Promotion and PRF Information]

33 minutes ago, Steve C said:

What community are you in?

Was in the C-130H...so many issues there with proficiency and MX rates, in the J now and life is much better. 

[Promotion and PRF Information]

6 hours ago, ihtfp06 said:

Your profile states your birthday is 1/23/1981.  Like it or not, by most definitions, you are a millennial. 

Mellenial is less of when you were born and more of an attitude; much like (sorry to start to beat a dead horse) shoeclerk is not AFSC specific but an attitude. 

[Promotion and PRF Information]

9 hours ago, Lord Ratner said:

TL;DR: We like to think that pilots have to run the Air Force, but they got us into this mess.

What other conclusion is left to be drawn? With very few exceptions, the Air Force is helmed up and down the chain by pilots. Groups, wings, NAFs, MAJCOMs, staff positions, functionals, CAOC spots, deployed units, IGs... Lots and lots of pilots. Who is responsible for the failings of an organization if not for the leaders? How many excuses are we supposed to make for them? And let's not play the "good dude" game either. Being a successful organizational leader is not about how fun you were to drink with 10 years ago, or how sh*t-hot you were in the jet, or how much you "get it" when you're having a closed door town hall with a random unit in their bar heritage room. There is only one measure-- how is the organization doing. 

The examples are legion. I'll give a few that have, over the years, stood out as very distilled, specific instances of poor leadership.

1. DV visits. If I had a dollar for every DV that said they didn't want the base to stop doing it's mission to prepare for their arrival after they arrived, you'd think I was paying my way through medical school the old fashioned way. If you can't fathom the way your rank and position affect your subordinates in an organization you've been a part of for 30+ years, on what planet should you be leading it? Can we all just finally admit that yes, they do want it? They like it a lot. Even if not for themselves, then for what they believe the military should look like. But most likely because that type of treatment is addictive. Name one theory of leadership taught in any level of PME that promotes the type of behavior we see when senior leaders visit a base. Did they skip those classes? Because I have a f*cking masters degree in it from ACSC. 

2. We have been at the Deid since what? 2002? I have no clue. A long time. And of those years, every. single. summer. has been excruciatingly hot. Yet somehow, despite there being an airport right down the road in the exact same climate with hundreds of flights per day, leadership at AUAB has not figured out how to get every plane suitable air conditioning for the preflight. Seriously? Some flight doc measured the internal surfaces of the aircraft at over 160F, and the air temp inside a boom pod at over 140. This isn't a war against the Axis in an austere location, it's normal ops. If you can't look at that as a leader (and one who has flown planes!) and deduce that there should be adequate cooling for the aircraft... RyanAir is the human equivalent of a Pakistani poultry trailer without the rights activists, yet they manage to keep the planes cool on the ground. Oh, and let's not forget about the black mold that no leader saw fit to address until Congress heard about it. 

3. Of course, the pilot crisis. And not that it happened, not the years of neglect that led up to it, not the countless forums and round-tables, and hangar-flies that went ignored, while the CGO/Maj force screamed for attention. I actually understand how we got to where we are today. What I don't get is how now that the problem exists, announced, published, and even presented to congress, how can we still be bungling the response? This thread is proof. Changes to the promotion process? Secret. Timeline? Mystery. People who apply for the bonus early? Gotcha! 

I'm not saying pilots can't make great organizational leaders. I'm sure some are great. But we have two things to compare:

A. That a war-fighting organization can be effectively led by selecting from a small percentage of the overall population (pilots) those who demonstrate over the first half of their career a talent for paperwork, physical fitness, administrative tasks, and personal presentation, but who generally have little to no experience leading people until squadron command. This, as of today, is an unproven theory. 

B. That a war-fighting organization led by a small percentage of the overall population (pilots) who demonstrated over the first half of their career a talent for paperwork, physical fitness, administrative tasks, and personal presentation, but who generally have little to no experience leading people until squadron command, will crumble under external pressures, e.g., Congressional inquiries, workforce competition, etc. This, as of today, is supported by the evidence. 

If pilots make such great organizational leaders, I'd love to see it. Check rides aren't graded on who had the best attitude. I'd rather choke that go through it, but I'm guessing WIC grads, the best of our pilots, didn't get their patch because they filled out the 781s better than anyone else. No one cares how your flight suit looks if you show up the the ARCP late. The flying world, last I checked, prides itself of results-based assessment, yet when it comes to leading the organization, we abandon the principal for proclamations of past dudeliness... At some point we have to assign responsibility. If you want to say that it's just because we are picking the wrong pilots for the job, fine, but guess what? Pilots are the ones doing the picking. Pilots are the ones who have signed off on our ludicrous promotions system. Pilots are the ones standing by silently while the legal system is twisted to suit the preferences of a vindictive wing commander. Pilots are the ones telling congress it's pretty darn good. Pilots are the ones telling young captains to quit if they don't like it, someone will gladly replace them. 

Please, tell me why I'm wrong. 

I agree with everything you said except blaming it on pilots.  Shoeclerks and weakling leaders are responsible for ruining the Air Force, and "shoe clerk" is independent of AFSC.  Some of the best and worst leaders I've seen have been Pilots.

Many of the issues I have with the Air Force is the lack of mission focus, where the CE commander whining that we aren't doing enough Chem gear exercises takes place over the OG advocating for the flying that should take place while copilots and half the IPs can't land the airplane.   In my opinion, the pilot corps has been neutered.  It's not about fly fight and win anymore.  It's about political correctness, queep and BS that has nothing to do with flying. 

In an organization charged with flying airplanes into combat, who else do you suggest lead the Air Force? I don't think pilots are the issue.

 

[Promotion and PRF Information]

1 hour ago, Lord Ratner said:

Because pilots don't make good organizational leaders

Sent from my Vitamix 450x Professional using Tapatalk
 

My sarcasm detector may be A2 today, but I hope you're not being serious? 

[Promotion and PRF Information]

This board will be the final litmus test for on the fence late Captain/junior majors. Do they  value us enough to try to stop this pilot shortage or are we beyond V1 on this disaster..

[Track Selects and Assignment Nights]

On 7/6/2017 at 8:21 PM, HU&W said:

Our #1 was a walking autopilot.  Our #2 built the pattern to scale in his garage.  Our anchor had posters made by the sim instructors of his epic instrument approach crashes (in the sim).  The rest of us knew we were in the middle, but didn't find out actual ranking until we got our training reports at the end.  

Transparency breeds competition.  Of course, if the AF trusted students with transparency, they wouldn't be very well conditioned to a future of AFPC controlling them from behind a dark curtain.  Think of assignment night as an intro to the rest of your career.

Was his name George?

[Track Selects and Assignment Nights]

1 hour ago, Duck said:

Probably unpopular opinion here, but here goes. In a typical UPT class there are the top sticks who are easily identifiable, the anchors or the class who again are easily identifiable by everyone (and they know who they are), and then there is the center of Mass (around 75-80%). These middle of the bell curve guys could end up flying fighters or end up in an AWACS or Tanker or whatever else. Having been a flight commander at UPT, it's tough watching those middle guys go up on assignment night knowing their dreams are about to be crushed and they have no idea. I wish we would be more transparent about the MASS and make it public. Post the list maybe once a week and definitely let the studs know before assignment night. If they know they are 15/20 (ENJJPT) then they know it may go either way. But #18 knows it's gonna take a miracle. Less heartbreak in public in front of 300+ people and strangers.

Always thought it was ironic back in 09-11 when we dropped guys Preds and told them to act professionally while crushing them in public with no foreknowledge.

Some may disagree, but coming from a class with a ton of Preds, it hurt to watch guys get blindsided like that.


Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network Forums

Very true, our 38 flight CC told us before graduation that the difference between the #2/7 and #6/7 was a few items on a grade sheet on a given single daily ride.  

[Promotion and PRF Information]

13 hours ago, cragspider said:

Yes they are. Due soon to the wings iirc. Which will make for sure interesting quick turns on guys who will sadly probably be passed over again since there hasn't been any time to fix anything that could help make them stronger. 

 

After this board in dec the next one will be in a year. Don't know why they delayed the 05 board a year only to speed up the following 4 year group boards. They did delay the 04 Lt Col boards though. 

Same reason AFPC dropped one fighter per class, couldn't figure out B-course slots and 5 years later we have a fighter pilot shortage : gross incompetence