DirkDiggler
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Posts posted by DirkDiggler
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Glad he got out and is safe, hope the law of threes doesn't make for a bad end to safety for the fiscal year
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Thanks for the work
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Holy Monday morning f'ing quarterback.
1.). If you are a USAF pilot and haven't flown an F prefix, read your post, and think carefully if it applies.
2.). If you are in pilot training, just punch yourself in the balls and go back to the correct forum, not this one.
3.) If you have never flown a USAF airplane, read your post, delete it, punch yourself in the balls, and realize we don't care, a few of your FARs are trumped by our -1's. (not that you know what that is).
4.). We don't know who is right or wrong in this situation, we will not know for about 30 days but will never share that info on this forum. The AIB and NTSB will come up with something and hopefully it is close to the SIB, but this forum will never know.
Back to guessing who killed Kennedy.
Well said
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Did a JCET with those guys in 2010. The US arms embargo hit their military pretty hard, they had a serious lack of spare parts and experienced Mx personnel for the US aircraft in their fleet. They were nice guys and eager to learn but the lack of resources/training was very apparent (their Mx/FEs were very eager for classes on basic green machine shit like engines and props). One of the -130s I took a tour of had all the fuel gauges inop (they would just fill it up and call it good), another had some serious hydraulic issues that they didn't have the parts to fix but both planes were flown regularly.
The news report said engine trouble right after takeoff, my guess is they were close to/above 155K with a high temp dev and poor TOLD performance. Guessing further, I'd bet they hit either 1 or 2 engine out VMCA or had no 2 engine service ceiling and couldn't control the A/C sufficiently right after takeoff to make it back to the field. Sympathies for the crew, pax and their families.
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On a related note, met a Sq/CC recently who goes around telling CGOs to get that Masters degree now in order to get promoted. He supposedly hands out a checklist (that includes a container for volunteering) to his CGOs to complete.
If he's including AADs in his rack and stack then he's shortly going to be in trouble. A Gp/CC I know that recently went through the CC course at Maxwell told me that its being emphasized from on high that commanders will not have AADs on their R/S. As to it being considered unofficially who knows.
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Not sure if this was the best thread but interesting reading nonetheless
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Is anyone else as relieved I as I am that he finally wore her out and got back to modding?, I think I was going through a little BODN withdraw there...
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Anyone seen the list/have any info on the stats for this latest LtCol board? Been away from my .mil computer.
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14 days for me. No rhyme or reason why...every other dude I knew at the time did a year casual.
Stealth driver, I think most people who decide, like me, to stay are aware of the missed opportunity for seniority and decide to accept it. I know that doesn't make sense to you for the reasons you stated. The problem with your argument is that you're comparing 9 extra years in the AF and 9 years working at an airline as if they're completely equivalent except for the money/seniority. Money is important and a huge motivator, but there are so many other variables at play. Guys are fairly confident they're not going to go broke in either profession, so other QoL issues become priorities.
I have several core reasons I stayed, and money was not very high on the list. Really. I'm one of the few guys who truely enjoys my job, the people, the lifestyle and the benefits (...not just the financial ones). I assessed that my (and my families) quality of life and happiness would take a significant hit if I went to the airlines at the 11 year mark, so to me it was a no-brainer to stay and keep doing what I love to do versus someing that appeals to me only to pay the bills. I'll most likely pay a monetary penalty for that later, and that's fine. My kids will still have food on the table. You mention the benefits of spending 30 years of your life at an airline, except there's a problem: I don't want to spend 30 years of my life working at an airline. If you do, good on you. If that's a better option for you than your experience in the AF, press. Enjoy. But I think it's shortsighted to assume that everyone that wants to do airlines wants to do it for 30 years or that the driving factor for decisions to stay in/get out are money/seniority.
As most guys have stated before, the fundamental flaw in the bonus is that the majority of guys taking it were going to stay anyway. So again, I think it's a little melodramatic to say that bonus takers have "sold their soul" or are staying, literally, for an extra 25k a year.
Well said
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http://www.acc.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123445279&source=GovD
SSgt Muscarella is a badass.
Seems like something more than an AFCM would be in order, I get one of those for just being at a base doing my job for 3 years.
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And what a
And what a damn fine plan that is. I'm an IDE and on-time SDE select and the sooner we get rid of selects and treat everybody as a candidate, the better.
Checks
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I think the proper terminology is "it".
False, it's shim
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Slife.
Checks, however, he's not in AFSOC/SOCOM at the moment, hopefully will not come back.
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The Gunpig community has made a living of tearing ourselves apart, first the hatred between the 16th and the 4th, then everyone looking at the 73rd with the stink eye and now a rift between the Whiskey and the Spooky. Because of this distraction we let the Pavelows and some Talons rule the world. Through some miracle we have successive gunship AFSOC/CC's and we are still fighting. I wonder how the dynamic will be when the entire fleet is AC-130J's, with everyone in the exact same platform will we just look for other reasons to argue and hate each other.
The 4th is about to get a fantastic leader, motivated by good rather than hubris, the J is on track...every new platform has issues, but good men and women are working very hard to fix those issues and I personally believe we are back on track. JHMCS or a comparable HUD solution is on the way and will change the employment dynamic...for the good, the 105MM will round out capabilities especially in the close fight, and other solutions are well underway. The J with a 30MM, 105MM, SDB, GRIFFIN, and Hellfire will bring a lot of hurt and choices to the battlefield.
Stop and look around young Jedis, a gunship guy is in charge right now but there is rising tide of acidic senior leadership from outside the gunship community, put these petty differences behind you and focus on the future.
I'm not sure Fiel was really a legit member of any tribe. Honestly curious as to where you see a rise of acidic leadership?
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I don't think the pod 30 mm on a designated A-16 is coming back but focusing some 15 & 16 units on CAS maybe
Without breaking the bank or putting too much money into older airframes, what could you do to to improve CAS on a 15/16?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
When Hostage spoke to us he stated that ACC would like to have some -15E and Viper units focused on CAS as their primary mission as the A-10 retires. He did acknowledge that with the limited amount of Sqs in the AF they would probably only be able to focus 2 or 3 and maybe some Guard formations on the CAS mission.
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'Sigh'. We can debate the resources aspect, but non-stop ops? Really? The numbers simply do not back that up, my friend. Dwell times continue to get better and better.
I'm rooting for you to get a Pentagon job out of ACSC this summer, hopefully here in A1. It will really open you aperture.
Here is one of the many gulfs of misunderstanding we're talking to each other across. When I say ops, I'm not just talking about deployments. They've held fairly steady in my community over the last couple years. Even as deployments have gone away in OIF and OEF those blocks have just been filled by other requirements Non-stop ops is all encompassing of the deployments, TDYs, and intensive home-station training most AFSOC units deal with on a constant basis. There isn't enough of us to go around so we're constantly busy. Most guys come to AFSOC understanding this; most guys relish it. But it gets tiring. A lot of dudes that want to go do something else for a tour aren't released because the manning doesn't support it. School slots for candidates are very difficult to get right now and guys aren't being released in any serious numbers for staff. So they start to get burnt out, bitter, jaded, whatever you want to call it. Lately, a lot of them have ended up punching. I don't believe the sky is necessarily falling in the AF or my community but things are tough right now. We've had over fifteen 12+ year guys leave in the last year for the civilian side; in a community as small as mine the loss of that experience is very difficult to deal with.
Your data may say things are getting better for some communities and in some places it may be true. Those numbers are only part of the whole story. I talked about the lack trust one two star felt was prevalent between senior leadership and the ranks. This little discussion we're having is symbolic of that. You, in the HQ are saying things are super duper awesome and the line guys are saying we're in serious trouble. The reality is somewhere in between I'm sure. Like I said before most dudes have a serious issue with what you spout because it doesn't match the reality they see on the line.
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On the contrary, while I acknowledge we are always a work-in-progress, I offer the voice of optimism to the young officers who read the daily sadness that BODN has become. The opportunity to serve in the Blue is a fantastic honor and responsibility...I want our young guys to take pride in that, not become disillusioned and bitter. We are a long, long, LONG way from the problems of the mid-to-late 1990's, and most of the bloggers here weren't around then to even understand how good things are now.
Do you really think the majority of the people who frequent these forums (a lot of whom make daily life or death decisions employing airpower in combat) don't have pride in what they do, know that they're part of the 0.5% that volunteered to serve, and recognize the responsibilities of their positions? Your "voice of optimism" comes across as real condescending, especially considering the amount of operational experience present among the guys on this forum. A lot of guys on here are bitter and disillusioned for good reason; toxic leadership, 13 years of deployments, constant instability, and, up until recently, a promotion system that didn't always focus on what's important. That doesn't mean they're out there actively poisoning the AF youth, on the contrary, most of the guys on here are pulling the serious weight in line squadrons. Dudes want their units to succeed, it's often difficult to believe that will happen when a lot of the O6-O7 level leadership comes across as careerist managers that actively resist the course the CSAF is trying to chart. AFPC's actions and messaging lately hasn't done anything to reinforce a sense that the AF knows what its doing with its people.
If you truly have insight into the intricacies of the A1/personnel system, a lot of guys on here would be thrilled to listen. Your "voice of optimism" posts fall flat on an audience that deals with the difficult realism of non-stop ops with lessening personnel and resources.
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The funniest thing about Chang's posts on here is that, at least at AF IDE (a program Chang talks up), the senior leader guest speakers specifically reject the kind of officer he presents himself as. Most of the 2-4 stars that come here to talk are very candid about the long list of problems and challenges the AF currently faces. Last week a senior leader asked the audience if they thought there was a serious lack of trust between senior leadership and the rest of force, to which almost the entire audience raised their hands affirmative. This 2 star thought that a lack of trust in the AF was one of the biggest leadership problems in the AF today. This week a 3 star briefed that many of the AF promotion and personnel practices were inefficient and out of date. He also mentioned that "yes men" were a serious problem in the force. Multiple four stars here have noted that, with the really tough fiscal times ahead, the AF needs no shit leadership; "yes men" and guys unable use brutal, honest assessments of the state of their units aren't going to cut it.
The military studies courses here give numerous examples of how in combat (an experience that I suspect Chang knows very little about), guys like him get their people killed. Officers like him also contribute to an institutional rot (LtCol Tater Tots and the missile fields article comes to mind, followed by a blood bath of firings of leadership despite same leadership saying everything great, nothing to see here) that is dangerous for a lot of reasons. His contributions here aren't helpful and fly in the face of most of the guidance being put out by the leaders he holds in such high regard.
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All the Marine and Army officers here at the wayward school by the river who already have their assignments (in some cases have had them for months) really seem to be envious of the dozens of AF officers who are still completely in the dark as to where they're going in 4 months.
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So to change the subject up a bit. Does anyone have any insight into what the promotion board was looking for specifically during this past December board for major? Our AAD's were masked and our status for SOS indicated simply whether it was complete or not. Did this make things easier or harder for the board?
I had a friend not promoted and this individual checked all of the boxes. I do not know exactly what boxes this individual checked, but I assume the board saw something that excluded him from promotion. I remember you guys/gals saying some people think too highly of themselves in regard to promotion and the promotion board will usually get it right.
FWIW, my community had several APZ guys get picked up on this last board, guys that had been passed over previously for not having their "boxes checked" in some form or fashion. I regarded this a positive sign, maybe the ship's course is moving the direction we want. Liquid posted a list of items that were proposed as discriminators to the CSAF several pages back in this thread I believe, that would probably be a good place to start.
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Except people can and should learn that exact lesson (take care of your people, find opportunities for them, mentor them, put effort into their OPRs, etc.) without having to be an exec. In my experience, I've worked with a good amount of dudes who clearly did learn that lesson and did well as flt/cc's, ADOs, etc. who never did an exec job. If an exec job is the only way in community X to gain those skills/learn those lessons, then that community is epically failing. I'm glad you took something positive out of your experience (and a very important lesson in my opinion), I really am, but its a shame you spent 2.5 yrs as an exec and got the same lesson you should have received well prior to exec-dom.
You're not the exception di1630, lots of dudes think that way, myself included. I don't shit on guys for wanting to go to school, be an aide, etc. Great if that's for them, even better if a good bro decides to walk that path...hopefully it results in a good dude being a CC. But, it's not for all of us, and choosing to not walk that path should in the same manner not be looked down upon by the school-types, etc.
Checks
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I know this sounds crazy, but for me the ops stuff was the easy part. You go through a ton of training and spend a lot of time studying and doing your primary job as an Lt, with very little else to worry about. So, while being a mission commander was definitely the most fun leadership job I had, it didn't really teach me much I hadn't seen before. The exec job was the exact opposite. It was totally foreign and unnatural to me, and that is what made it so challenging and rewarding in the end.
I don't think being an exec makes me or anyone else better than anyone, it is just a different perspective than most CGOs get to experience, which can be very beneficial moving forward.
I'll agree with the last part of your statement there, that being an exec gives you a different perspective. For the me the exec job was learning how the daily administrivia sausage making process of a unit functions, nothing more, nothing less.
What it wasn't was leadership. Its been mentioned a lot in other threads but there's a serious trust issue between the rank and file and upper level leadership. A lot of people in the AF have a very difficult time differentiating between leadership and management and this is one of the sources, among others, of this mistrust. From my experience and the input of my bros, exec jobs show you the daily processes necessary for a unit to function. The exec job only offered snippets of true learning about true leadership. The higher level exec jobs will give guys exposure to higher level sausage making and those guys will get to see senior leaders make decisions, but those execs aren't deciding anything nor are they exercising leadership.
The Marine exchange officers here at the wayward school by the river vary from bemused to saddened by AF efforts to define, describe, and discuss leadership. The Marines have a very focused and defined way of discussing leadership and leadership attributes. When the Marines talk about leadership and leadership case studies they never start inside the exec shop.
F-16s collide at Nellis
in General Discussion
Posted
Did they both punch?