What's wrong with the Air Force?

[Azimuth]

1 hour ago, isuguy1234 said:

Just had a day of local leave (approved by my flt/cc in the sqd on leaveweb) get full up denied in leaveweb because per the FSS Airman in reference to AFI umptifrats, my first-line supervisor needs to approve it.  I've had lots of leave approved through the years and NEVER has it been denied.  Why now??  Isn't it enough that i've spent xx hours defeating comm to get Leaveweb to actually work and let me sign, but now my flt/cc doesn't have the authority to approve my leave?!  

If you guys are the same rank (junior Capt to Flt/CC Senior Capt) then the FSS Airman just sees the same rank and therefore thinks it can't be approved.  Happens a few times in a flying Sq due to all of the Capt/Maj's around.

[pawnman]

4 hours ago, Azimuth said:

If you guys are the same rank (junior Capt to Flt/CC Senior Capt) then the FSS Airman just sees the same rank and therefore thinks it can't be approved.  Happens a few times in a flying Sq due to all of the Capt/Maj's around.

And to think, I used to approve my supervisor's leave when I was the assistant flight commander.

[dream big]

6 hours ago, isuguy1234 said:

Just had a day of local leave (approved by my flt/cc in the sqd on leaveweb) get full up denied in leaveweb because per the FSS Airman in reference to AFI umptifrats, my first-line supervisor needs to approve it.  I've had lots of leave approved through the years and NEVER has it been denied.  Why now??  Isn't it enough that i've spent xx hours defeating comm to get Leaveweb to actually work and let me sign, but now my flt/cc doesn't have the authority to approve my leave?!  

FSS strikes again! Why the hell does an airman in FSS need to be an approval level for leave? Isn’t this the kind of stuff Goldfingers talked about where we give back power to Squadron Commanders? 

Also not sure which is worse, DTS or Leaveweb.  Filling out a voucher or leave form manually worked just fine back in the day. 

[ThreeHoler]

If you guys are the same rank (junior Capt to Flt/CC Senior Capt) then the FSS Airman just sees the same rank and therefore thinks it can't be approved.  Happens a few times in a flying Sq due to all of the Capt/Maj's around.

Only enlisted have to be higher ranking than the member taking leave. Any rank officer can approve any other officer’s leave as long as they are the supervisor or above.

[SocialD]

41 minutes ago, dream big said:

Also not sure which is worse, DTS or Leaveweb.  Filling out a voucher or leave form manually worked just fine back in the day. 

Administratively, a huge majority of the "advancements" have made it more difficult on the individual, especially part-timers.  

DTS...a coat hangar abortion compared to the old paper vouchers.  I could book my airline ticket/hotel/rental car and get orders cut in a fraction of the time it now takes to just get an auth approved.  

Leaveweb vs 988s...I've honestly never used leaveweb as my AGR time was before leaveweb.  Now any time I take orders (rarely) it's short term ADOS and we still use 988s...super easy, and the FSS doesn't have time to fuck with it because I drop it in a holy joe on the way out the door.  

AROWS vs 105s...for you AD types that's how we get paid as part timers.  It used to take 1 minute...now, depending on how the computers are doing that day, it generally takes 20+ minutes.  It recently got slightly less painful, but all they did was make the ugly baby, slightly less ugly. 

vRED...used to be paper in my mobility folder.  UDMs pulled them as needed and we only updated when we actually had a change.  Now I have to log in (come on network, don't fail me now), update it, print it off (shit new printer server...gotta remap) and turn in...on EVERY tdy!   How is this not automated and no news is good news? 

CBTs...it used to be the man from LOX video once a year (youtube it).  On my last deployment, we couldn't get the powers that be, to get us Link-16...but by God they made damn sure we were all green on our CBTs!

781s/bubble sheets...used to be 2 quick papers.  No we have hope the compute in AFE isn't locked out...Shit it locked out, back to the mercy of the networking gods and hope it's not on it's once daily outages.  Guess I'll log that next month...

Tricare...any Guard bum who regularly goes on/off orders will know what I'm talking about.  Painful, but for $47/month, I'll jump through some hoops.    

2875s...EVERY FUCKING WHERE WE GO!!!!!

GET OFF MY LAWN!!!  

[HossHarris]

11 hours ago, isuguy1234 said:

Just had a day of local leave (approved by my flt/cc in the sqd on leaveweb) get full up denied in leaveweb because per the FSS Airman in reference to AFI umptifrats, my first-line supervisor needs to approve it.  I've had lots of leave approved through the years and NEVER has it been denied.  Why now??  Isn't it enough that i've spent xx hours defeating comm to get Leaveweb to actually work and let me sign, but now my flt/cc doesn't have the authority to approve my leave?!  

Why fix it?

you still get the day off, but don’t have to burn a day of leave. Winning. 

[isuguy1234]

Yeah i hear that.  I fought the battle that is putting leave into the system, the system defeated itself...I win!

Flt/CC was the one that originally approved it, std ops, but the Airman decided it was time to exercise his authority.  Blows my mind, but add it to the list of things anyway.

[Azimuth]

15 hours ago, ThreeHoler said:

 

Only enlisted have to be higher ranking than the member taking leave. Any rank officer can approve any other officer’s leave as long as they are the supervisor or above.

 

Reg?  Also if true, you assume the kid at the FSO knows that (they don't).

[ThreeHoler]

Reg?  Also if true, you assume the kid at the FSO knows that (they don't).

It is not in a reg. It is in the LeaveWeb programming.

[pawnman]

12 hours ago, ThreeHoler said:

 

It is not in a reg. It is in the LeaveWeb programming.

 

No it isn't. I approved plenty of leave for others captains as a captain. If it were in the programming, it wouldn't even be an option.

[Trogdor]

1 hour ago, pawnman said:

No it isn't. I approved plenty of leave for others captains as a captain. If it were in the programming, it wouldn't even be an option.

Leaveweb never updated my promotion to Major (actually I never bothered to fix it is the correct answer)....I've been approving leave for Major's as a Captain (according to Leaveweb) for over a year.  Not a single one rejected.  This just sounds like an airman with a chip on his shoulder.  

But like previously said...looks like you got a day off from your leadership without it actually counting against you.  Could be worse.  

[SurelySerious]

1 hour ago, pawnman said:

No it isn't. I approved plenty of leave for others captains as a captain. If it were in the programming, it wouldn't even be an option.

He said any officer can approve any other officer. You’re partially proving his case. 

[ThreeHoler]

He said any officer can approve any other officer. You’re partially proving his case. 

Yes. If you read the LeaveWeb manual you will find out that enlisted leave approvals and officer leave approvals are programmed differently even though both groups are treated the same in AFI 36-3003.

We used to find the lowest ranking officer (usually a 1Lt but sometimes we could find a casual 2Lt) and have them approve the old crusty Lt Cox’s leave for shits and giggles. We were a hoot let me tell you!

[Guardian]

Seriously. Are we really talking about who’s leave reg and leave web knowledge penis is larger? Who cares. Hit approve and if it doesn’t let you go under verbal and make mpf fix it.

[ClearedHot]

Apparently there has been a spike in accidents and CSAF wants to know why? 

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/04/09/air-force-chief-of-staff-orders-review-of-increasing-aviation-mishaps/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB 4/10/18&utm_term=Editorial - Military - Early Bird Brief

[HossHarris]

Who could have possibly predicted this outcome ......

[MDDieselPilot]

I'm not surprised that there is a spike, but what does surprise me is that every single airframe's mishap rate increased... curious to see what this will be attributed to.

 

[BADFNZ]

1 hour ago, MDDieselPilot said:

I'm not surprised that there is a spike, but what does surprise me is that every single airframe's mishap rate increased... curious to see what this will be attributed to.

 

You mean besides an aging fleet and all your experience sprinting to the door when their ADSC is up?

[dream big]

5 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Apparently there has been a spike in accidents and CSAF wants to know why? 

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/04/09/air-force-chief-of-staff-orders-review-of-increasing-aviation-mishaps/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB 4/10/18&utm_term=Editorial - Military - Early Bird Brief

I’ve told him to his face why at one of his “CGO round tables” on why pilots are leaving.   It’s time he starts firing some wing commanders who are still propelling the queep monster while their pilot exec minions’ 90 day time is in the low tens. 

[drewpey]

15 hours ago, ClearedHot said:

Apparently there has been a spike in accidents and CSAF wants to know why? 

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-air-force/2018/04/09/air-force-chief-of-staff-orders-review-of-increasing-aviation-mishaps/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EBB 4/10/18&utm_term=Editorial - Military - Early Bird Brief

"For the Air Force, the majority of the Class C mishap increases came from cargo aircraft such as the C-130H Hercules and C-17A Globemaster, particularly from physical injuries when airmen were conducting maintenance or loading or unloading the aircraft."

Sweaties!  I knew it!  Remember folks...don't lift with your back...always lift with your E's!

[Majestik Møøse]

They’ll conclude that it’s because of old planes so they can justify an increased budget. Then they’ll give it all to contractors large and small while continuing to refuse to pay you even what Congress has already authorized.

I don’t even think they’re getting kickbacks or post-retirement consultant jobs. They’re just myopic bureaucrats set in their ways, which is even harder to budge.

[Hacker]

The 2nd and 3rd order effects of cancerous leadership philosophies and a lack of mission focus sometimes take time to manifest themselves...especially when many of the problems were being masked by commanders (and line bros) who are conditioned/socialized to never say "no" or "can't".

I always giggle about the "fields of friendly strife" quote from MacArthur that the AF loves to use, and how the Air Force conveniently forgets its corollaries about what fruits are later borne by mediocrity.

[matmacwc]

On 4/10/2018 at 10:14 AM, dream big said:

I’ve told him to his face why at one of his “CGO round tables” on why pilots are leaving.   It’s time he starts firing some wing commanders who are still propelling the queep monster while their pilot exec minions’ 90 day time is in the low tens. 

What did he say?

[dream big]

12 hours ago, matmacwc said:

What did he say?

He said he sent a memo out about getting rid of additional duties...all the ones that just got moved to the CCS (ie the execs)..

Edited April 12, 2018 by dream big

[MooseAg03]

Sent out a memo? Now there’s some leadership...