How do you feel about your airframe and mission?

[innovator]

4 hours ago, brabus said:

Flying fighters (F-16 for me) is awesome.  I've done incredible things I would never had the opportunity to do anywhere else.  The flying part: Flying A-B is nothing more than a means to an end...the end being tactically employing the aircraft.  Flying the jet is easy, employing it well is difficult.  If you want to fly around the world and stay in 69 countries before your first assignment is up, this is not the place.  If you want to have "chill" time while flying, fighters are not what you're looking for.  That said, I have flown all over this world (for a fighter guy anyways), had countless badass TDYs, and employed weapons in the best (i.e. TDYs) and worst parts of this world.  The squadron camaraderie, even under the iron fist of the past few years, is second to none.

Squadron life: Can vary a lot depending on leadership, as I'm sure the same is true in just about every walk of life.  I have been fortunate to have great leadership, so my general experiences have been very positive.  I know guys who were/are miserable because they have shitty leadership.  Luck and timing matters.  In the CAF, I'd say the average guy works 12 hrs day, 5 days a week.  It's not uncommon to come in on the weekend to do 2-6 hrs of mission planning for a Mon sortie (because everyone was too hammered or didn't give a shit on Fri afternoon after academics and pilot meetings).  However, that's personal choice; dudes could get it done on Fri and have the whole weekend off.  You're expected to work your ass off on the tactical side to be a good fighter pilot, but there is still all of the BS that has to get done.  You will have a lot to balance, but it is doable and the reward of flying the mission is worth it...at least for a while.  If you go to other assignments such as teach B-Course, test, etc. life can ease up a bit and you're not necessarily working 60+ hr weeks...those are good "break for the family" assignments.

Family life: It seems in general we are not on the road nearly as much has the AMC/AFSOC bros.  But, depending on what's going on the squadron, those 12+ hr days can lead to a lot of missed dinners with the family, etc.  There was about a 4 month period (no TDY, no deployment) where I didn't see my first kid 5 days a week because I left for work before he woke up and came home after he went to bed...I made the weekend family time.  Overall, in my time flying fighters, I've been gone roughly 50% of the time (TDYs or deployed).  Some guys hit more or less, but I'd say 50% is about the average.  Overall for my family personally, we prefer longer time away with less frequency.  Other communities do less time away, but far more frequently.  That may work out better for other's family situation.

Overall, I absolutely recommend dudes look into fighters.  I think the best analogy I can think of is it's like playing team sports - very competitive (in a good way), you're very close with the bros (work and leisure), and you fly the jet/work together to win.  Or you lose, but you learn and get better so when the big game kicks off, you're ready.  It's a constant challenge that I personally would be bored without.

Brabus, thanks for the reply! 

Is there any pressure to do remotes in the community right now?

What are the possible PCS locations and how long are your assignments typically?

Is the Big Blue planning to transition the Viper drivers to the F-35?

Brabus, Di , McBush ,fuzz, jarhead and everyone else that has given commented so far: Thanks for taking the time to provide valuable insight to help the noobs out.

[Learjetter]

Dude, at the end of the day, I love the C-130.   We get to travel the world like our C-17/C-5 brothers but yank and bank like our fighter bros, 300 feet of the ground, in formation, to an assault landing or throw shit out the back like our bomber bros.  It truly is the best of all worlds.  

Quoted for truth.

I flew C21s, KC10s, and C130H3s (all 3 to many Conus and oconus locations, and logged O1 time in all 3)....the Lear was the easiest and most family-friendly, the -10 the most comfortable, and the most widely-travelled, and the Herc the most fun and challenging.

The only one I'd volunteer to go fly again is the Herc.

[innovator]

6 minutes ago, Learjetter said:

Quoted for truth.

I flew C21s, KC10s, and C130H3s (all 3 to many Conus and oconus locations, and logged O1 time in all 3)....the Lear was the easiest and most family-friendly, the -10 the most comfortable, and the most widely-travelled, and the Herc the most fun and challenging.

The only one I'd volunteer to go fly again is the Herc.

Learjetter,

Can you shoot some  info on the C21.      (ops tempo, lifestyle, PCs locations, current state of the community, how assignments are devvied after etc. ). Thanks!!

Edited July 19, 2016 by innovator

[brabus]

4 hours ago, innovator said:

Brabus, thanks for the reply! 

Is there any pressure to do remotes in the community right now?

What are the possible PCS locations and how long are your assignments typically?

Is the Big Blue planning to transition the Viper drivers to the F-35?

Brabus, Di , McBush ,fuzz, jarhead and everyone else that has given commented so far: Thanks for taking the time to provide valuable insight to help the noobs out.

Vipers have the highest number of remotes out of any AF flying community...maybe A-10s are equal at this point with their drawdown (percentage-wise).  I know guys who have avoided those, but the vast majority of dudes who do 2+ assignments in the Viper will see Korea, many see it twice when they go back to be a DO or CC.  But, that's not to scare anyone, Korea was a blast and one of the best times of my life...that I never want to do again.  However, I hear Osan is pretty much a "normal" assignment at this point, and even Kunsan has wives living there (not that way when I was there).  So, I don't think it's such a bad thing.

2-3 years on a non-remote.  Google the bases, there's a bunch.

A lot of Viper dudes have transitioned to the F-35 and that continues to be a likely place to end up.  You have to do well, they are by no means taking the average guy at this point - looking at your #1/2 guy on the VML who goes...as a general statement.

Edited July 19, 2016 by brabus

[Learjetter]

Learjetter,

Can you shoot some  info on the C21.      (ops tempo, lifestyle, PCs locations, current state of the community, how assignments are devvied after etc. ). Thanks!!

I'm not sure I can help much on this. When I was actively flying them, we had conus bases at COS, RND, ADW, BLV, MXF, and FFO. MXF and FFO were flights under the Sq at ADW. COS and RND were flights under the Sq at BLV. All under the BLV wing. Oconus, there was ETAR and RJTY, as well as MPPA. At least one staff agency (AFFSA) flew them as well out of ADW then OKC. Schoolhouse was Simuflite at DFW and jets at BIX. There were about 86 jets divided up between the locations. We rotated covering west coast and central, south, America and Caribbean. We all rotated iron swaps to desert and exchanging tails with oconus birds for corrosion control and other reasons. We rotated covering 24/7/365 bravo or alpha alert aeromed evac mission (2 units on, 4 off, repeat every three weeks). Near permanent deployment to PSAB.

So much for history. As I understand it, only COS, BLV, and ADW remain. Schoolhouse at BLV. AFFSA lost theirs as well, and many went to a few guard units as those units transitioned to other aircraft. Many tails went to AMARG. I don't know if OCONUS units still exist.

Now, if the mission is the same, each base offers up x tails for missions daily. A central scheduling agency apportions the missions to the units. A mission supports and lifts whoever can get approved. Could be a courier 2-striper, important cargo, or a 4 star general or a senior SES. Or, BLUE BARKs, aeromed evac, human organs, or you go rescue some other lift who's jet broke somewhere, etc. The important thing is to be on time and fulfill your frag.

Each unit also likely flies 1-3 training lines daily. Most missions (60%) are 2-3 legs done in a day. Others include an RON, or a few per month are multi-day trips. Most training lines are 2-3 hr transition style locals at nearby fields, or sometimes out n backs. Occasionally, a unit will take on the enormous challenge of getting a long oconus trip approved to alaska, canada, south america, or a European jaunt (the trip planning is easy, getting it approved is ridiculously difficult).

Crews normally showed 3 hrs prior for upgrade sorties, 2 hrs prior for all other missions, except alerts. Both pilots go over mission and brief, then one pilot files, etc and the other preflights. An experienced crew could be airborne (legally) in less than 10 minutes from showing at the aircraft.

Lears are fun to fly, can kill you really badly in only a couple ways, and are pretty forgiving, so are excellent airmanship builders. Since you often service the jet yourself, and even make certain repairs yourself, the units expect a very, very, very high level of knowledge about the aircraft and systems, how they inter-relate, and how various malfunctions can affect the jet (think EPs for which there is no checklist). But it's not a difficult jet to learn or operate well.

That's what I recall at the moment. If I think of anything else after my ginko-biloba I'll edit the post.

[innovator]

1 hour ago, Learjetter said:

I'm not sure I can help much on this. When I was actively flying them, we had conus bases at COS, RND, ADW, BLV, MXF, and FFO. MXF and FFO were flights under the Sq at ADW. COS and RND were flights under the Sq at BLV. All under the BLV wing. Oconus, there was ETAR and RJTY, as well as MPPA. At least one staff agency (AFFSA) flew them as well out of ADW then OKC. Schoolhouse was Simuflite at DFW and jets at BIX. There were about 86 jets divided up between the locations. We rotated covering west coast and central, south, America and Caribbean. We all rotated iron swaps to desert and exchanging tails with oconus birds for corrosion control and other reasons. We rotated covering 24/7/365 bravo or alpha alert aeromed evac mission (2 units on, 4 off, repeat every three weeks). Near permanent deployment to PSAB.

So much for history. As I understand it, only COS, BLV, and ADW remain. Schoolhouse at BLV. AFFSA lost theirs as well, and many went to a few guard units as those units transitioned to other aircraft. Many tails went to AMARG. I don't know if OCONUS units still exist.

Now, if the mission is the same, each base offers up x tails for missions daily. A central scheduling agency apportions the missions to the units. A mission supports and lifts whoever can get approved. Could be a courier 2-striper, important cargo, or a 4 star general or a senior SES. Or, BLUE BARKs, aeromed evac, human organs, or you go rescue some other lift who's jet broke somewhere, etc. The important thing is to be on time and fulfill your frag.

Each unit also likely flies 1-3 training lines daily. Most missions (60%) are 2-3 legs done in a day. Others include an RON, or a few per month are multi-day trips. Most training lines are 2-3 hr transition style locals at nearby fields, or sometimes out n backs. Occasionally, a unit will take on the enormous challenge of getting a long oconus trip approved to alaska, canada, south america, or a European jaunt (the trip planning is easy, getting it approved is ridiculously difficult).

Crews normally showed 3 hrs prior for upgrade sorties, 2 hrs prior for all other missions, except alerts. Both pilots go over mission and brief, then one pilot files, etc and the other preflights. An experienced crew could be airborne (legally) in less than 10 minutes from showing at the aircraft.

Lears are fun to fly, can kill you really badly in only a couple ways, and are pretty forgiving, so are excellent airmanship builders. Since you often service the jet yourself, and even make certain repairs yourself, the units expect a very, very, very high level of knowledge about the aircraft and systems, how they inter-relate, and how various malfunctions can affect the jet (think EPs for which there is no checklist). But it's not a difficult jet to learn or operate well.

That's what I recall at the moment. If I think of anything else after my ginko-biloba I'll edit the post.

Learjetter,

Excellent info! I am going to pass this on to the students in my UPT class. We haven't had many MWS briefs and all the info I am getting on here is valuable as hell.

Thanks again for your time!

 

 

[Chuck17]

23 hours ago, Lstcause257 said:

 

Also Elmo is closing the active unit and rumor is Hawaii won't be far behind. Take away the two best deals and it's not as nice looking. The entire community is overmanned but that will eventually lead to a push like 2013 where even gets an RPA to level manning out.

 

Iron is slated to transition to the ANG, and so far that's the only discussion on the table re: Elmendorf... The rest is whispers and conjecture. They're trying to figure out what that means to PACAF, the ANG, and the bros - MX and the flyers - on the line, not to mention the Army, 3rd Wing, etc etc. MTF.

But if I were a betting man...

And Hickam isn't going anywhere.

Chuck

 

[innovator]

Any C-5M or EC-130H (DM) drivers on here? 

Edited July 20, 2016 by innovator

[raimius]

UH-1

1.  Ops Tempo/Deployment

Ops Tempo is pretty good, but varies by command.  Deployments are staff/air adviser gigs, so you won't be flying a Huey, if you get to fly.  The good news there is they are usually voluntary.  

      2.  Lifestyle/ Family Stability

       Depends on the unit.  Andrews has various shifts, so schedules are always moving targets.  You'll average a 5 day week, but which days will vary considerably.  Plan to miss a lot of dinners at home.  Schoolhouse is fairly predictable, since it is AETC, but manning swings may make things interesting.  Global Strike is undergoing a lot of changes, so some people have a lot of TDYs (but not to any desirable places, unless you like rural areas).  Not sure on Yakota or Fairchild.  Overall, most people will work Mon-Fri, flying a few times a week.  Deployments are fairly rare, and mostly by choice.  It's probably one of the more stable flying jobs out there, AF-wise.

      3. Community morale

      The flying is generally awesome.  There is no autopilot, so everything is hands on.  It's hard to beat flying even with the Lincoln Memorial or going through winding canyons at 50ft.  The hours are usually pretty good.  That said, Hueys are the red-headed stepchildren of the Air Force.  A lot of AF people don't even know we're here.  That can get frustrating at times.  Being mostly stateside, the missions usually succeed when nothing interesting happens, so if you want to rain hate on bad guys, this ain't it.   So, morale is mixed.  Some people want more action while others want a flying club.  It goes in waves. 

      4. Advancements & Future of the airframe

      If you want to make O-6 or above as a Huey pilot...well, good luck, haha!  Ancient aircraft that fly support to mostly CONUS activities in generally small squadrons isn't a recipe for promotion.  Future of the airframe: anybody's guess.  Big AF is supposed to find a replacement by 2019...which may go better than the 2017 replacement, the 2006 replacement, the 2003 replacement, or one of the 1990s replacements.  In short, when iron sits on the ramp, we'll know if/when the Huey is getting replaced.  Until then, we'll continue rocking the Vietnam-veteran aircraft (some of our tails were there).

      5. Preferred PCS locations

      Andrews, Yakota, or Fairchild, depending on your preferences. 

[innovator]

6 hours ago, raimius said:

UH-1

1.  Ops Tempo/Deployment

Ops Tempo is pretty good, but varies by command.  Deployments are staff/air adviser gigs, so you won't be flying a Huey, if you get to fly.  The good news there is they are usually voluntary.  

      2.  Lifestyle/ Family Stability

       Depends on the unit.  Andrews has various shifts, so schedules are always moving targets.  You'll average a 5 day week, but which days will vary considerably.  Plan to miss a lot of dinners at home.  Schoolhouse is fairly predictable, since it is AETC, but manning swings may make things interesting.  Global Strike is undergoing a lot of changes, so some people have a lot of TDYs (but not to any desirable places, unless you like rural areas).  Not sure on Yakota or Fairchild.  Overall, most people will work Mon-Fri, flying a few times a week.  Deployments are fairly rare, and mostly by choice.  It's probably one of the more stable flying jobs out there, AF-wise.

      3. Community morale

      The flying is generally awesome.  There is no autopilot, so everything is hands on.  It's hard to beat flying even with the Lincoln Memorial or going through winding canyons at 50ft.  The hours are usually pretty good.  That said, Hueys are the red-headed stepchildren of the Air Force.  A lot of AF people don't even know we're here.  That can get frustrating at times.  Being mostly stateside, the missions usually succeed when nothing interesting happens, so if you want to rain hate on bad guys, this ain't it.   So, morale is mixed.  Some people want more action while others want a flying club.  It goes in waves. 

      4. Advancements & Future of the airframe

      If you want to make O-6 or above as a Huey pilot...well, good luck, haha!  Ancient aircraft that fly support to mostly CONUS activities in generally small squadrons isn't a recipe for promotion.  Future of the airframe: anybody's guess.  Big AF is supposed to find a replacement by 2019...which may go better than the 2017 replacement, the 2006 replacement, the 2003 replacement, or one of the 1990s replacements.  In short, when iron sits on the ramp, we'll know if/when the Huey is getting replaced.  Until then, we'll continue rocking the Vietnam-veteran aircraft (some of our tails were there).

      5. Preferred PCS locations

      Andrews, Yakota, or Fairchild, depending on your preferences. 

Raimius,

Thanks for the reply.

What type of mission does the Andrews unit currently have?

Is that unit currently limited to Fairchilds and Yokota cuz I know some people really don't want Minot or Maelstrom

 Do the Huey typically live on base or Metro area?

Thanks again. 

[tac airlifter]

On July 19, 2016 at 6:35 PM, BashiChuni said:

agree. mission satisfaction is what i love about the u28. like our gunship brethren we get to do some cool shit...and these days every platform with a sensor does ISR. that and it never breaks so i know im always going flying. 

Concur.  If you like protecting friendlies and killing enemies, you'll like the U28.  And it will open your eyes to the full spectrum of our worldwide counterterrorist efforts in a way other manned platforms will not. 

Also the stateside flying of our PC-12 companion trainer is a blast.  I took that thing to several hundred exotic and challenging locations that had never seen a plane that big (comparatively) land there.

 

[ATIS]

6 hours ago, raimius said:

UH-1

      The flying is generally awesome.  There is no autopilot, so everything is hands on.  It's hard to beat flying even with the Lincoln Memorial or going through winding canyons at 50ft.  The hours are usually pretty good.  

Next time you are slamming down 7th Street NE in a single/two ship...look down.  I will be on my stoop slugging back a beer looking up.  Only comment I have is you should be lower so I can toss one up.   

Your late evening (2100-2300+) flights do have a tendency to piss off the neighbors with kids though (you are a lot louder than 'Eagle'# flights or the medical chopper headed over to INOVA).

Cheers

ATIS

[JarheadBoom]

7 hours ago, ATIS said:

...you are a lot louder than 'Eagle'# flights

Off-topic trivia - I was part of the crew that used to do the big inspections & heavy maintenance on the USPP 412s. 

412PP (Eagle 2) once had a chunk of my flesh in her RH pitot tube; that was not a good day at work.

[UDEL09]

EC-130H Compass Call

1.  Ops Tempo / Deployment

As a newly checked out copilot, you can expect to fly or sim twice a week.  You will rarely be the only copilot on the sortie but scheduling does a good job balancing out who flies what (mission, proficiency or aerial refueling sorties).  When you fly, you can expect a 10 hour day from showtime to debrief.  On your non-flying days, you will be stuck in the office doing your day job.  TDY’s are pretty rare but you will generally fly a tailswap and one large force exercise (Red Flag / WIC Spt) within your first year. 

We currently deploy to two overseas locations in support of both OIR and OFS.  Deployments have drastically slowed down for copilots and you can expect one four month deployment for every 12-16 months. 

2.  Lifestyle / Family Stability

Overall the community is pretty stable.  The 55^th ECG is the only unit that operates the EC-130H so it is not unheard of for guys to stay at DM for 7 years bouncing between squadrons.  The Group is good about taking care of its own but will take out the trash if you make a name for yourself.  Tucson is a nice area if you enjoy the outdoor lifestyle and is very gun friendly.  The deployment and TDY schedule allow for a generous amount of family time when compared to other airframes. 

3.  Community Morale

Community morale has been pretty good for the last 4 ½ years.  The biggest gripe I hear from new copilots is the waitlist to get on the deployment schedule.  Flying the Herk is relatively easy, but flying it well can be difficult at times.  Unlike our slick brethren, we only complete the non-tactical portions of the syllabus at Little Rock so we are not qualified on low-levels, airdrop, airland, or NVG operations.  After completing initial training at the Rock, you will get spun-up on mission and aerial refueling procedures when you arrive at Davis-Monthan.  Though the flying can be monotonous at times, the downrange mission is very rewarding and you do get the opportunity fly some interesting exercises. 

4.  Advancements and Future

The future of the community is looking relatively secure.  There were rumors of losing half the fleet (seven aircraft) but it never came to fruition.  We are continually upgrading our mission system to keep us relevant against new emerging threats.  Half of the fleet is also receiving an avionics upgrade that is essentially replacing our legacy instruments with glass displays.   Though we have not identified a formal replacement, there has been talk of a possible G550 (EC-37) as a likely contender. 

As stated previously, the community does a pretty good-job taking care of its own if you do not negatively self-identify.  For pilots, it is generally difficult to receive a follow-on MWS assignment.  Evaluator/Instructor types leaving the squadron after 6-7 years will generally get white jets to P-Cola, C-Springs or the UPT bases.  Occasionally we will see RC-135’s but this usually comes with the caveat of a remote to Korea or Wg Exec time.  The remainder of our follow-ons are RPA’s with a spattering of green-door/U-2 exceptions.

5.  Preferred PCS

Only location is Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ

[raimius]

13 hours ago, innovator said:

Raimius,

Thanks for the reply.

What type of mission does the Andrews unit currently have?

Is that unit currently limited to Fairchilds and Yokota cuz I know some people really don't want Minot or Maelstrom

 Do the Huey typically live on base or Metro area?

Thanks again. 

Andrews does DV support and contingency operations, should the need arise. 

Not sure what you mean with the Fairchild/Yokota  question.  If you get Hueys, you can get any of the bases.  AFPC dartboard and all that...

It's split, as far as living arrangements.  Quite a few married flyers live on base, but it depends on the base and town.  I'd say most single people live off base, as paying for on-base is not a good deal compared to getting a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment in town.  (Japan may be the exception, I haven't been there.)  I've lived off-base since UPT, and have few complaints--the drive is longer and you have to plan more to hang out with bros from the squadron (but it also helped me put more into my retirement savings).

 

Quote

Next time you are slamming down 7th Street NE in a single/two ship...look down.  I will be on my stoop slugging back a beer looking up.  Only comment I have is you should be lower so I can toss one up.   

Your late evening (2100-2300+) flights do have a tendency to piss off the neighbors with kids though (you are a lot louder than 'Eagle'# flights or the medical chopper headed over to INOVA).

Cheers

ATIS

Haha, thanks for the offer!
Yeah, we have some necessary training over the city, at night, and a 2-bladed rotor is a lot louder than the B412's 4 bladed system.  
 

INOVA Fairfax--"lets build more hospital around 3 sides of the helipad!"  /facepalm

 

Edited July 23, 2016 by raimius

[Bode]

lots of words and quotes

The Elmo thing was mentioned when they announced the Charlotte transition to the 17. As for Hickam, that was mentioned by a friend that was in the unit. The idea was mentioned because it is very seldom that a mission originates from Hawaii. Everything has to be shipped there so why do we have aircraft stationed where there is an oceanic flight to even initiate the mission?

As for sending people to a unit that is closing. First it's supposed to be 2018 so you still have to accomplish the mission. Second, ask anyone who went up there in the active duty 130 squadron how it worked out for them. That unit lasted less than two years.

The overmanned numbers came from AFPC about six months ago. As stated from the functional "If you were an IP in the C-17 and are now in AETC don't expect to go back. Expect a staff job next".

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[scoobs]

On 7/17/2016 at 5:01 PM, Danger41 said:

U-28

 

1. Ops Tempo: High but stable for now. 3 gone, 6 home with usually a week in transit on both sides of that. 

2. Lifestyle: It's fine but expect hours switching around a lot with night flying and early mornings regularly.

3. Community morale: Good but the older guys are getting worn out.

4. Advancements & Future: This thing evolves all the time so it's always on the cutting edge technology wise. That's a plus. In a few years, the U-28 will be replaced by something else. What that will be, I have no clue. 

5. PCS Locations: Hurlburt and Cannon. 2/3 chance for Hurlburt. And in AFSOC, all roads eventually lead back to Hurlburt. 

Bottom line, if you pick based on mission, this airplane has one of the best in the AF now. If the big one with the Commies kicks off, we will not participate. But in the current counter terror fight, we get to have a big impact. 

Do you have opportunities to transition to other NSA aircraft?

[tac airlifter]

3 hours ago, scoobs said:

Do you have opportunities to transition to other NSA aircraft?

The U28 is not an NSAv aircraft, but yes we have transitioned people there.  We have sent folks to every other AFSOC platform.

[HU&W]

3 hours ago, scoobs said:

Do you have opportunities to transition to other NSA aircraft?

Any qualified military pilot should be able to apply for jobs flying aircraft for other government agencies after they leave the military.  I haven't heard if NSA has any planes, and I don't think so, but I could be wrong.  Here's a link to the NSA careers page just in case.  https://www.intelligencecareers.gov/nsa/

 

[nsplayr]

Pretty sure scoobs meant NSAv i.e. Non-Standard Aviation platforms.  Not the NSA i.e. National Security Agency.

Also, scoobs, go with quals.

[nsplayr]

18 minutes ago, tac airlifter said:

The U28 is not an NSAv aircraft, but yes we have transitioned people there.  We have sent folks to every other AFSOC platform.

I once got chewed out by an O-6 for making a similar statement...he was adamant that the U-28 was an NSAv platform and questioned how it was possible that I didn't know that.  He was a kind of a dick about it and good times were had by all.

Anyways, to most people including me and everyone I knew who flew the U-28, NSAv meant light/medium SOF airlift in civilian-painted aircraft i.e. PC-12, Dornier 328, Skytruck, etc.  Which is a vastly different mission set than manned tactical ISR done by the U-28.

FYI to the OP and any other curious youngin's.

Edited July 24, 2016 by nsplayr

[11F]

Do you have opportunities to transition to other NSA aircraft?

What aircraft do you fly, scoobs?

[HU&W]

15 hours ago, nsplayr said:

Pretty sure scoobs meant NSAv i.e. Non-Standard Aviation platforms.  Not the NSA i.e. National Security Agency.

Also, scoobs, go with quals.

[nsplayr]

Detector CB reset. 

[08Dawg]

B-52H

Ops Tempo/Deployment-  Stable. 18 months home station, 6 deployed, although with the Buff now back in the fight against ISIS this paradigm might change. Deployments have been to Guam alone for the past decade. A generation of Buff guys grew up knowing nothing but golf, scuba diving and snorkeling as their "deployments". What the future holds remains to be seen. In an Ops unit, if you're at KBAD you can expect to see Minot twice a year for STRATCOM exercises. Throw in an occasional Red Flag and 30 hour round trip flight to some far off corner of the globe and that pretty much completes your sight picture. 

Morale- not bad and getting better. Leadership varied wildly by squadron and wing, and I've seen the worst and the best. Small community, so you get to know each other pretty well. Getting back into the fight has done a lot to give some of the queep some meaning. I'd say it's also pretty family friendly. Work days are what you make them. Some people pull 8-5 and do fine, while others live to work. YMMV. 

Advancement- if you want to advance in the Buff, you're pretty much destined for WIC. The pilot portion of the community is currently getting pillaged to backfill all the 11F white jet slots so if that's your cup of tea, chances are good. 

Airframe outlook- Boeing says we've got longevity into the mid 2040s. Like our Bone brethren, we're going through a fleet-wide upgrade called CONECT which is really beefing up our communications and giving us data link capability. A new radar and possibly new engines are on the horizon . 

Location- do you want to melt in the summer or freeze in the winter?  Louisiana or North Dakota are your two options.