Bergman
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Posts posted by Bergman
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We may laugh at the fluff pieces put out by AF/PA. They're better than nothing at all.
If we have enough PA folks to put out this fluff (does that make them fluffers?) then perhaps we have too many PA folks.
I personally prefer stories about killing the enemy and getting the mission done.
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Saw this driving through the front gate this morning, along with a gayed up Suburban and at least one semi.
YGBSM!!!
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Now get back to flying the max range chart validation sorties, everyone's counting on you.
Hilarious. And true. Well played, sir.
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Ensign Steve Crowston was given one of three signals that were proposed, all of which had anti-gay overtones.
So what was the callsign??? Knowing the Navy, it is probably hilarious. In a "Funny ha ha" sort of way, of course. As opposed to "Funny queer" which is soon to be against DoD policy.
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We still can't wear the green boots with the tan flight suits.
Apparently I don't know what the hell I am talking about, or at least I'm only about 4 years behind this policy. Thanks to FOU for correcting me.
072013Z SEP 07
FROM: HQ AFPC RANDOLPH AFB TX//DPSOOC//
TO: 8106
SUBJECT: AIRMAN BATTLE UNIFORM (ABU) WEAR POLICY
1. THIS MESSAGE IS A FOLLOW ON TO 072005Z FEB 07 ABU WEAR POLICY MESSAGE. POLICY CONTAINED IN THIS MESSAGE IS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/FAQS ABOUT THE ABU ARE LOCATED ON THE AF PORTAL UNIFORM WEBSITE, HTTPS://WWW.MY.AF.MIL .
2. THE ABU WAS AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR BY ALL AF PERSONNEL AS OF NOV 06. THE ABU REPLACES BOTH THE TEMPERATE AND HOT WEATHER BDU AND THE DCU. THE ABU WILL BE ISSUED AT BASIC MILITARY TRAINING IN THE INITIAL ISSUE CLOTHING BAG AS OF OCT 07. CLOTHING ALLOWANCE INCREASES GO INTO EFFECT OCT 07. MANDATORY WEAR DATE FOR THE ABU IS NOV 2011. PHASE- OUT DATE FOR THE BDU/DCU WILL BE SAME. WEAR OF THE ABU OR BDU CANNOT BE MANDATED NOR PROHIBITED DURING THIS TRANSITION PERIOD.
3. ALL PERSONNEL ARE REMINDED THAT WE ARE IN A MULTI-YEAR TRANSITION FROM THE BDU/DCU TO THE ABU. FLEXIBILITY ON THE PART OF ALL PERSONNEL WILL ALLOW CONTINUED FOCUS ON OUTFITTING WARFIGHTERS, WHILE OTHER DISTRIBUTION PLAN DYNAMICS ARE PUT IN PLACE. THESE INCLUDE INITIAL ISSUE OF THE ABU TO BASIC MILITARY TRAINEES AND LIMITED AVAILABILITY IN AAFES OUTLETS.
4. BASIC ABU UNIFORM CONFIGURATION:
A. ABU COAT (SHIRT)
B. ABU TROUSER
C. ABU PATROL CAP
D. DESERT SAND COLORED T-SHIRT
E. DESERT SAND COLORED RIGGER BELT
F. SAGE GREEN BOOT SOCKS
G. SAGE GREEN SUEDE BOOTS (DESERT TAN SUEDE BOOTS AUTHORIZED)
5. T-SHIRTS ARE CREW NECK. THE AUTHORIZED COLOR IS DESERT SAND (LIGHT TAN). THE FABRIC CAN BE 100% COTTON, POLY/COTTON BLEND, 100% POLYESTER OR SYNTHETIC, OR MOISTURE WICKING BLENDS AT THE OPTION OF THE MEMBER. ANY MISSION OR DUTY SPECIFIC SAFETY REQUIREMENTS (SUCH AS 100% COTTON OR NATURAL FIBERS) TAKE PRIORITY. THE ABU T-SHIRT IS AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR WITH THE OD GREEN AND DESERT FLIGHT SUITS. THERE IS NO CHANGE TO THE AUTHORIZED BDU T-SHIRT COLORS OF BLACK OR BROWN. TURTLENECKS (DESERT SAND COLORED) ARE AUTHORIZED IN COLD WEATHER.
6. ABU SAGE GREEN BOOTS ARE AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR WITH ALL UTILITY UNIFORMS - ABU, BDU, DCU, OLIVE DRAB (OD) GREEN FLIGHT SUIT AND DESERT TAN FLIGHT SUIT. DESERT TAN BOOTS ARE ALSO AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR WITH THE ABU,UNTIL THE MANDATORY WEAR DATE OF NOV 2011. SOCK COLOR FOR THE ABU BOOT IS SAGE GREEN, OR ANY COLOR AUTHORIZED WITH NON-ABU UTILITY UNIFORM. CERTIFIED SAFE-TO-FLY BOOTS WILL BE AVAILABLE IN OCT 07.
7. ABU PATROL CAPS ARE THE AUTHORIZED HEADGEAR FOR WEAR WITH THE ABU OUTSIDE OF THE AOR. ORGANIZATIONAL CAPS ARE NO LONGER AUTHORIZED.
8. ABU RANK AND BADGES, NAME AND US AIR FORCE TAPES CAN BE PURCHASED AT MILITARY CLOTHING SALES STORES. NAME AND "U.S. AIR FORCE" TAPES CAN BE ORDERED AND PURCHASED. THREAD COLOR FOR SEWING ON RANK AND INSIGNIA SHOULD BE IN THE SAME SHADE RANGE AS THE ABU FABRICS. RANK PLACEMENT ON ABU IDENTICAL TO BDU/DCU. SUBDUED METAL RANK ONLY AUTHORIZED FOR OFFICERS ON ABU, INCLUDING HATS AND APECS OUTERGARMENTS. SEWN ON CLOTH RANK AUTHORIZED FOR ALL.
9. ENLISTED RANK SHOULD BE POSITIONED AS PER AFI 36-2903. IF CREASE ON SLEEVE IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH CORRECT RANK PLACEMENT, IRONING OF THE SLEEVES TO "MOVE" THE CREASE IS AUTHORIZED. ABU SLEEVES MAY BE ROLLED UP AS PER TABLE 2.2 OF AFI 36-2903, THE SAME AS THE BDU/DCU SLEEVES.
10. TROUSERS WILL BE BLOUSED AS PER TABLE 2.2, LINE 2 OF AFI 36-2903, IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE BDU. IF TUCKED IN, TROUSERS WILL PRESENT A BLOUSED APPEARANCE.
11. AERONAUTICAL, CHAPLAIN, AND OCCUPATIONAL BADGES AND REQUIRED DUTY SHIELDS ARE AUTHORIZED. OCCUPATIONAL BADGES ARE OPTIONAL. OTHER BADGES ARE NOT AUTHORIZED. AFI 36-2903, TABLE 5.2, NOTE 5, APPLIES TO THE ABU: A MAXIMUM OF THREE BADGES CAN BE WORN, WITH A MAXIMUM OF TWO ABOVE THE US AIR FORCE TAPE ON THE LEFT SIDE. A THIRD BADGE MAY BE WORN IF AUTHORIZED FOR PLACEMENT ON THE LEFT BREAST POCKET. THERE IS NO BADGE, PATCH OR INSIGNIA AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR ON THE RIGHT POCKET.
12. NO PATCHES ARE AUTHORIZED ON THE ABU. COMMAND INSIGNIA IS NOT AUTHORIZED ON THE ABU.
13. SHADE VARIATIONS BETWEEN THE ABU COAT AND TROUSERS DO EXIST IN SOME INVENTORIES, THESE ARE AUTHORIZED FOR WEAR. SHADE VARIATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE SOLVED WITHIN A YEAR.
14. OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES SUCH AS BACKPACKS, BRIEFCASES, HYDRATION SYSTEMS, AND GYM BAGS: CONTINUE TO USE BLACK, OD, OR AF SAGE GREEN. ABU PATTERN ITEMS AUTHORIZED AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. WHEN QUESTIONS ARISE, LOCAL COMMAND INTERPRETATION TAKES PRECEDENT.
15. TRAVEL IN ABU FOLLOWS THE SAME GUIDELINES LISTED IN AFI 36-2903 FOR TRAVEL IN DCUS. ABU WEAR FOR COMMERCIAL TRAVEL IS ONLY AUTHORIZED WHEN TRAVEL IS CONTINUOUS FROM HOME TO AOR, OR FROM AOR TO HOME. SISTER SERVICE POLICIES ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THE AIR FORCE.
16. ALL-PURPOSE ENVIRONMENTAL CLOTHING SYSTEM (APECS) JACKETS REPLACE THE BDU DCU GORE-TEX ® JACKETS. PHASE OUT DATES FOR THESE ITEMS IS NOV 2011. MIXING AND MATCHING OF PATTERNS IS NOT AUTHORIZED, SEE PARAGRAPH 19 FOR EXCEPTIONS. GORE-TEX® JACKET RANK INSIGNIA (BDU RANK FOBS) ARE AUTHORIZED UNTIL ABU RANK IS WIDELY AVAILABLE. OFFICERS CAN WEAR SUBDUED PIN-ON RANK ON THE APECS. FLEECE LINERS ARE AUTHORIZED AS LINERS ONLY (NOT FOR OUTERWEAR), AND CAN BE BLACK OR SAGE GREEN.
17. GLOVES CAN BE BLACK OR SAGE GREEN. MATERIAL CAN BE LEATHER, SUEDE OR KNIT. WATCH CAPS CAN BE BLACK OR SAGE GREEN. BLACK SCARVES ARE AUTHORIZED WITH THE APECS, AND MUST BE TUCKED IN. BLACK EARMUFFS AUTHORIZED. WHEN CONDITIONS DICTATE, THERMAL UNDERWEAR CAN BE WORN AND BE EXPOSED AT THE NECK OF THE ABU. WHITE, CREAM OR DESERT SAND COLORED THERMAL UNDERWEAR IS AUTHORIZED.
18. DO NOT STARCH OR HOT PRESS THE ABU. THE ABU IS A COTTON/NYLON BLEND FABRIC, REPEATED HOT PRESSING OR HEAVY IRONING WILL ACCELERATE THE OVERALL WEAR OF THE FABRIC. THE ABU SHOULD BE WASHED IN DETERGENT THAT DOES NOT CONTAIN OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS, OR THE NEAR INFRARED PROTECTION MAY BE DIMINISHED. A PARTIAL LISTING OF DETERGENTS THAT DO NOT CONTAIN OPTICAL BRIGHTENERS IS AVAILABLE ON THE AF PORTAL UNIFORM WEBSITE. CARE INSTRUCTIONS ARE ON THE LABEL OF THE ABU.
19. THE ABUS PURCHASED BY AF PERSONNEL THROUGH AAFES MILITARY CLOTHING SALES STORES, OR ISSUED THROUGH IEE OR CONTRACT EQUIVALENT, ARE CERTIFIED AS FULLY COMPLIANT WITH ALL SPECIFICATIONS. NO OTHER SUPPIERS ARE APPROVED FOR ORGANIZATIONAL/UNIT PURCHASES, OR ANY APPROPRIATED OR GWOT FUNDS EXPENDITURES. IF PERSONNEL CHOOSE TO USE PERSONAL FUNDS TO PURCHASE FROM NON-AAFES SUPPLIERS, THE AIR FORCE IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IF THE UNIFORM IS NOT FULLY COMPLIANT.
20. MIXING AND MATCHING CAMOUFLAGE PATTERNS, SPECIFICALLY ABU, DCU, OR BDU CAMOUFLAGE PATTERNS IS AUTHORIZED IN THE AOR. THIS APPLIES TO OUTERGARMENTS AND TACTICAL ITEMS ONLY (UTILITY UNIFORM COAT AND TROUSERS MUST MATCH). DEPLOYING PERSONNEL MAY WEAR BDU OR DCU GORE-TEX ® JACKETS WHILE IN CONUS WITH ABUS WHILE PERFORMING CST TRAINING ONLY.
21. COMMANDERS WILL CONTINUE TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH UNIFORM SAFETY REGULATIONS. DURING THE TRANSITION TO THE ABU, ANY CONCERNS REGARDING SAFETY, SECURITY, OR MEDICAL COMPLIANCE SHOULD BE ADDRESSED THROUGH ORGANIZATIONAL CHAIN OF COMMAND TO ENSURE APPROPRIATE COORDINATION.
22. REQUESTS FOR EXCEPTION TO POLICY FOR ABU-RELATED UNIFORM POLICIES SHOULD BE ROUTED THROUGH YOUR MAJCOM A1 TO AF/A1DO. QUESTIONS REGARDING ABU WEAR POLICY SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE AFPC CALL CENTER, AT DSN 665-5000; COMMERCIAL (210) 565-5000; OR TOLL FREE, 1-800-616-3775, SELECT OPTIONS 1, 1, 2.
//SIGNED//
EARL V. MCCALLUM, JR., COLONEL, USAF
CHIEF, SUSTAINMENT DIVISION
UNCLAS
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Supposedly, they are going to provide a blanket waiver for twice passed over dudes on this board looking to transition to the Guard or Reserves.
Good news for those guys at least. Basically proves that this is nothing more than a thinly veiled RIF.
Big Blue on this one. Another fiasco in the making.Fearless Prediction: NLT Dec 2013 the USAF will be offering incentives for rated officers to return to AD.
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Thermal undergarments, (i.e., dickies, turtlenecks, and mock necks) are black, desert tan, white, or cream colored and are authorized for wear with the FDU/DFDU as weather conditions warrant.
Wait...so no more black Tshirts, but all of the cold weather shit can still be black? WTFO?? This makes no sense at all.
Seriously...WTF were they thinking? WHY SWITCH THE T-SHIRT COLOR?? It just doesn't make any sense. I don't get it. Really. WTF? Can airmen no longer afford black T-Shirts? What was the logic behind this change....other than change for change's sake?
While I'm on this rant...and I am sure this has already been covered...but why change the boots?? I can understand the economy of scale in going to the same boot for everyone. Buuuuttttt....no, they couldn't get it right. We still can't wear the green boots with the tan flight suits. So no savings there. WTF? Who is running the show at HQ?? Please stop the madness.
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*Edit to add that, on a separate note, it sucks seeing jets (i.e. actual tail numbers) that you've flown sitting out there rotting. Ohh well.
You got that right. Makes me feel old. Damn.
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I still think Iron Maiden's looks better.
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Michelob Ultra
Rating: 5 (which is high praise for an AB product, coming from a Milwaukee area native!)
Reason: It was in the cooler next to the neighborhood pool, which I was in. At 2pm on a weekday. For the third day in a row. God Bless the ANG!
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The French are so fucking stupid. "Hey, Peire, why don't we build a really fucking big plane that is impossible to taxi around airports?"
Damn! I thought this was just a "close call" type scrape. Nope...they pretty much ran into the building.
At any point during the incident did the French waive a white flag toward the building or try to surrender to it?
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The bummer of this whole mess is that everyone knows that if you get passed over twice that you can get kicked out, but when was the last time they decided to not offer continuation for not making Lt Col? They have pretty much offered it to everyone and now just stopped with no warning! I know several guys who were offered continuation through 20 as Capts! 5 yrs ago there weren't a ton of folks getting hired to fly on the outside and of course the economy wasn't the best, so the majority of these folks might have stayed in anyway. The problem now is that there are going to be plenty of flying jobs on the outside and these guys hitting 10 yrs have been getting bent over with TDYs and deployments the entire time. Just the fact alone that the airlines are going to start hiring again in significant numbers would have hit the AF pilot force pretty hard, but now Big Blue hasn't given them ANY incentive to stay. In fact, I'd say they are actually giving them an incentive to leave. The Guard and Res are going to be lucky enough to be flooded with talent because I think most people learned the biggest lesson of post 9/11 separations to fly for the airlines is to keep your day job! AD is going to be definitely hurting for experienced pilots in a few years, especially with this back door RIF.
Another unintended consequence... with continuation possibly ending and a lot of folks leaving at the end of their ADSC there are going to be a lot less bodies to put in the CAOC and OEF deployments. Are 365s going to be the new norm for everyone in the AF now? Not helping the "stay in the AF" recruitment team any! AFPC also just non-vol'd anyone with 120 gates to staff this year (few exceptions). Are they going to have to turn around next year and drag those folks back to the cockpit? I'm sure many would rather go back to fly, but what a pain to have to PCS again so soon.
It is easy enough to sit here and say how dumb they are for doing these things and we may very well not have the Big Picture, but Big Blue has proven one thing over and over and over again... we LOVE to repeat mistakes!!!
Dude, don't know what rock you've been hiding under but glad you're here. You saved me a shitload of time typing in a lot of the same comments. Shack to you, sir.
If you've got a senior guy whose ear you can bend and bring this subject up, I highly encourage you to do so - Old dudes offer great learning.Chuck, you know the bitch of it is that there aren't that many old dudes around any more - especially in the flyign squadrons! The really sad (or perhaps good?) part is that people come here to get sound career advice.
Agree with everything you said in your post.
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It is good to be a Delta Captain. Except when your warbird is on fire.
Damn shame about the airplane. Grew up going to Oshkosh watching the warbirds. Hope my kids and eventually my grandkids still get a chance to see/hear them.
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For those who got out are you glad that you did? Is there less BS then being AD?
Depends on the day. No.
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People will respond if told the reason for a 5 minute shower.
They may bitch about it or not like it but they will respond appropriately if the reson is explained.
No reason to treat anyone like shit.
Exactly. "Take a short shower, otherwise the base will be out of water in 3 days" usually works well.
Of course, there is the Deid...which is 20 miles away from a metro area of nearly a million people (or more), so it's pretty hard to take their water rationing seriously.
In any case, much like the reflective belt and uniform police, violation of an AFI, rule, or policy does not give people justification to act like an asshole and/or be disrespectful. Especially to someone who outranks them.
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Color me stupid...but I've never heard of anyone needing flaps to tank at lower altitudes...
FWIW, we routinely use flaps in the -135 with hogs and -130s.
As for the "non-standard/foul"...not really. I've tanked guys out the bottom of the anchor...just like I've exceeded the lateral boundaries. It is about customer service...put down your coffee cup and get on the radio to coordinate a lower block or the spill-out so you can point guys where they need to go. There's no need to be reckless, but there's also no need to be a douche to the receiver because you feel compelled to fly exactly the frag.SHACK!
I've found that bottom of the block at 190 KIAS seems to keep the hog guys happy.I'll tell you what's fun though: climbs and descents with receivers on the hoses.Indeed.
And no galley panels filled to the brim with Kashi cerealThat's some funny shit right there. They don't call them Gucci boys for nothing!
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Or descend...down where the tanker boogey man lives. Except in BMW commercials.
Says the guy who flew a jet with titanium armor, bulletproof glass, and the ability to shoot back. What are us tanker toads going to do...drop a frozen pizza on them??
Please don't lump all tanker guys into the same pile. There are some of us out there who have A/Rd well below 5000' AGL, at night, without any special equipment (or totally awesome "Black World" patches that you see at the 'Deid
) in order to maximize the A-10s time on task/target...because the guys on the ground needed it. "Oh, nothing Marge. Just a little incident involving THE BOOGEYMAN! None of this would have happened if you had been here to keep me from acting stupid!"
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The situation room:
....where a 1 star general has to tell POTUS to "MOOOVVVVE (:52)" in order to get his CAC permissions reset.
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Tanker pilots wearing helmets? That's the really unbelievable part.
IIRC that actually was a requirement in the early days, along with wearing the parachutes.
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$100k is good money and within reach. It might be a stretch based on your experience and the market you are going to live in. I am currently hiring seven people into $100k/yr jobs I know any USAF officer could handle just fine. The problem is, I know that but most people out here do not. You have to sell yourself.
Anything $200k or more is real work. Ol Patch is absolutely correct. I would add a couple points about "big money" jobs.
1. Network.
The most valuable thing you can do. Nothing comes close.
2. You will probably have to travel. A lot.
In the past five weeks I have been to Houston, Singapore, Chicago and am currently waiting to board a flt to Geneva. I have worked my way back into my pre-retirement ops tempo and I didn't even see it coming.
3. Be careful what you wish for.
The hidden benefit to your current pay are the tax break that have been previuosly mentioned. I never cared about money in the USAF but now I have elevated my standard of living a bit and it would not be easy to go backward. You will no longer qualify for tax breaks (Turbo Tax sad face on nearly every deduction opportunity) , Roth IRA or financial aid for your kids tuition (I have #3 starting in the fall). Once you enter the land of the AMT you are screwed in many ways. It was better when I made less.
4. Learn to save aggressively.
If you already save, save double or more. I suggest you save at least 20% of your new income. Do it.
5. Start your own business.
No one gets rich working for the man in the $100-300k range. Too many benefits to name if you own your own business. Lots of hard work and long hours but everything you do is for your own company, not someone elses.
6. Stay optimistic and persistent.
Network like a madman, don't talk about how much you want to make, talk about how excited you are to be entering the economy you served to defend, show everyone your resume`(s) (you should have more than one), listen carefully and take feedback (civilians care about different things and you need to align without compromising if you want a job), try to schedule as many informational interviews as possible with people as senior as possible (the best way to network is to get a handoff from someone you did an informational interview with), talk to folks senior to you who have country club memberships about the fact that you are looking for work. Most importantly, stay positive. People love self-starters who are eager and have a positive attitude. People will help you if they like you.
7. Get comfortable with numbers if you aren't already.
Business is just one big math problem.
8. Education is nice but not the most important factor
I interview potential candidates at the top 15 business schools on a regular basis as part of my current job. Knowing how to do discounted cash flows is nice but it is just math. Knowing how to get things done and understanding what it takes to make something run end to end AND be able to do some math is much more valuable. The students with a military background outshine the other kids by several orders of magnitude. It is not because the veterans are smarter. It is because they understand process, accept accountability for their actions without needing to be told and know how to lead and get things done.
I am happy to assist anyone who wants a resume review or advice on the jump to the dark side.
Shack!
On a side note, I had the opportunity to haul some bubbas from your former unit to an exercise last week. They said you, "made three people cry during the first week at his civilian job. Two of them were dudes". You brute!
Hilarious.
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My advice would be to vote against any incumbent. These budget problems and impasses are always caused by the Representative or Senator with 40 years in congress.
SHACK.
Back on topic, nice job by these guys.
I hope I never have to fly an Airbus. The RAT stops working once the gear is down, leaving 5 minutes of battery power. WTF? Was that thing designed by my 5 year old?
I'll stick with Boeings.
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Yes
2.
I know plenty of really good aircrew who have gotten a Q-2/3 on ONE checkride for buffoonery, one-time mistake, SEFE judgement (or lack thereof), or whatever.
IMHO if someone has gotten more than one Q-2/3, they are either really unlucky or not very good at their job. Either way, in my experience, trying to get into an ANG unit would be difficult if not impossible. The airlines also look fairly closely at failed checkrides, so I would imagine it would not be beneficial for that career path either.
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Incidents like this are such a shame. I wonder how many of these things could be prevented, or at least fatalities minimized, by a few well-armed citizens? Think VA Tech, Ft. Hood, etc.
Speak softly and carry a concealed .45 has been my new motto ever since THIS happened to two kids. If they raffled off tickets to get to flip the switch on the fuckers that did it, I'd be first in line. Same thing goes for the douchebag in Germany.
What's wrong with the Air Force?
in General Discussion
Posted
^^ That is the gospel truth.
When did BFMing the rules stop being a sport? Be polite, take the high road, and beat them at their own game. Then laugh about it with your buddies later. IMHO the "No Morale" patches are a great start.
I know it's difficult to do this, but honestly just brush it off. Why get wrapped around the axle because someone told you to take your sunglasses off your head? Just laugh and say, "Thanks, my mistake" and then smile to yourself the whole rest of the day because that ass clown is stuck at the base while you get to go fly a $69M jet, doing something that is actually important, and that you likely worked your whole life to be allowed/trained to do! Don't lose the bigger picture here.
True. But do you think guys will have more time to deal with this as more senior Capt/Maj types? No! That is when your time should be spent running the Stan/Eval or Training shop, or out there training the FNGs, or working on 3-1 or 11-2XX rewrites to make them better. Back when dinosaurs roamed the USAF, people actually had to PAY for their own masters! 100% TA is a godsend.
Am I advocating that you start a masters program 2 months after finishing MQT? No. But there is no excuse for not having it done as a Lt, or certainly by the time you've been a Captain for a year. And yes I know it is a BS requirement, but sometimes you have to pay to play. You want to promote, make $125k a year as a Lt Col, and fly shiny jets? Check the damned box and press on.
Whose fault is that?? A little passive resistance (i.e. show up drunk but not obnoxious) might be appropriate. If it's an adults-only party, and you have some sort of anonymous gift exchange...spend a hunderd bucks at the local Adult Emporium and get some gifts that are memorable. Don't tell anyone what you bought thus dodging any backlash. I could go on for pages, but hopefully you get the point. There are ways to make things fun without approval from the CC or his wife.
THIS is the key! It is much easier to bitch and moan for your whole career than it is to show some intestinal fortitude when you get the chance. Be respectful, be persistent, and do what you know is right when you get the chance.