Air Force Pilots

[KarmaPolice]

Deuce130;

I don't know what you and your crew were up to behind the curtain on the old E model Blackbirds during training drops, but I always suspected they were drinking beer and/or looking at their gay porn mags.

It really doesn't matter, other than on the night land drops you guys scored about a 75% rate of putting us in the trees rather than the designated DZ. On the water Rubber Duck drops it was easier for you to claim succcess since you could miss the target by 100-800 meters and it really didn't matter other than we had to motor a bit farther.

Even as a shy and retiring new Ens. I soon learned a distaste for the AF attitude at the debriefs where the plane Captain would just shrug his shoulders and not really give a sh*t when we discussed the need for greater accuracy on the spots.

I take it you've never jumped from a c-17? I can't speak for the c-130 community. In the C-17 world I've never met, nor heard of anyone remotely resembling the attitude you are talking about. I'd be ashamed if you were exagerating to make a point, since people like me and countless others put our very lives into learning how to get jumpers onto the DZ with the greatest of accuracy and precision. What you are insinuating goes beyond inter service rivalry, and all I have to say about that is F*&% Y&#! I know for a fact we take getting jumpers on the DZ very seriously, literally putting our wings on the table EVERY TIME we fly airdrop. If ANYTHING or ANYONE lands off DZ there is an "Off DZ" safety board convened to analyze top to bottom what happened. And peoples' HEADS ROLL! I've seen it FIRSTHAND. So I'd hope you would retract your statement so you don't piss off and insult the very people who are working hard to ensure the safety of the people you speak of.

 

[McGillicutty]

I go a couple months without looking at flightinfo and upon my return, I find Griffin running his pie hole just like before. Clown.

Welcome back!

 

[McGillicutty]

KarmaPolice,

Your first mistake was paying attention to what DavePoser says. It's obvious through his dialouge that he's a fake; no need for anyone to check lastnames/BUDS class dates.

 

[KarmaPolice]

ahhh that would make sense then. my bad.

 

[michael707767]

Not true these days with the advent of the crj.

A 21 yr old straight out of college goes into the crj which has state of the art electronics and avionics.

A 5000 hr regional Captain is probably 25 years old with 3000 hrs of PIC jet experience in state of the art passenger equipment.

first of all, I challenge you to find me a 25 year old RJ captain with 5000 hours total time and 3000 PIC in a state of the art jet. I would love to meet the kid who got hired at 21, upgraded in one year, and then managed to log 1000 hours a year for the next three years. That's a neat trick.

Even if he/she does exist, explain to me why military pilots still get hired in equal or greater numbers?

 

[pilotyip]

micheal707, he did not go to college and got hired at age 20. At that time he had almost 1700 hours of CFIing and 135 stuff. He upgraded at age 23, had to wait until he could hold an ATP, and is now at 5000 hours a a 25 year old Captain. I actually flew with this guy in our C-47 last summer on a day trip to the Air Zoo at AZO.

 

[Deuce130]

Deuce130;

I don't know what you and your crew were up to behind the curtain on the old E model Blackbirds during training drops, but I always suspected they were drinking beer and/or looking at their gay porn mags.

It really doesn't matter, other than on the night land drops you guys scored about a 75% rate of putting us in the trees rather than the designated DZ. On the water Rubber Duck drops it was easier for you to claim succcess since you could miss the target by 100-800 meters and it really didn't matter other than we had to motor a bit farther.

Even as a shy and retiring new Ens. I soon learned a distaste for the AF attitude at the debriefs where the plane Captain would just shrug his shoulders and not really give a sh*t when we discussed the need for greater accuracy on the spots.

Shy and retiring new ensign? I've met three 0-2 Navy SEALs. Not one of them was shy and retiring. Double the sentiment for the enlisted SEALs I met. Sure, you drop some info about duck drops and the the MC-130E (Combat Talon, not Blackbird, that's the name of the squadron) but I notice you didn't refute my statement about you not being a SEAL. Your previous posts have convinced me you are not and this one didn't do anything to change my mind.

Many years ago, I was the copilot of a crew that dropped Korean SOF off the DZ. We were mortified and went into great detail to figure out why and how it happened so that it wouldn't happen again. Your assertion that AF crews, especially AFSOC crews, would simply shrug their shoulders when the "user" has concerns or is dropped in the wrong place is ridiculous. Your claims concerning drop accuracy are also grossly exaggerated. I know, you're probably ticked b/c I'm called you out, but I urge you to speak truthfully when you decide to bag on other people.

 

[CameronW]

Wow- it's safe to say that this kid got a lot more than he bargained for.

meyers- I've had people ask me the exact same kind of questions that you're asking. You're interested but unsure what you want to do, or if you want to commit. Even though I'm one of those guys who wanted to fly for the Air Force since I was 5 years old, I understand. For your age, what you're going through is quite normal.

The only person who can really answer the question of whether or not you should join the military is you. You need to think long and hard about what it is you want out of life. Since you're a junior, you still have some time. Joining the military is a serious commitment that is not to be taken lightly, and there are NO guarantees. You are not guaranteed an OTS slot- those spots are very competitive. If you get an OTS slot, you are not guaranteed a pilot slot. Those spots are even more competitive. If you get a pilot slot, you're not guaranteed to go to pilot training (odds are you will, but some people are found ineligible after they receive their slot--usually medical). If you go to pilot training, you're not guaranteed to graduate--you have to work your ass off, and some people, no matter how hard they try, just don't have what it takes to finish the program. If you do finish the program, there is no guarantee that you'll get the jet of your choice. Wanna fly a fighter? Well, most of the people in your class will want that as well, and there are A LOT more heavy jet assignments out there than fighter jobs. Then there's no guarantee that you'll be flying for all the years you're in the USAF. There are a number of non-flying jobs that go to junior officer aviators, like Air Liason Officer (working with the Army), UAV operator, various other remote tours to exotic locations such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Korea.

Should you do it? You need to answer the following questions:
- Do you want to serve your country and be a leader in our military, even if it turns out you can't fly?
- Will you be able to handle frequent and long deployments overseas away from loved ones?
- Are you ok with the fact that the majority of your time day to day will not be spent in the cockpit?

If you answer "no" to any of the above, then the military probably isn't for you.

Good luck,

 

[BMD]

military vs. civilian

At the end of the day, you're a dumb college kid. No offense, I was one 15 years ago. You may sign on to do 8 years in order to get flight training, experience and 2500 hours. You may have every intention of getting out and getting a good job with Delta (god knows that's what I wanted to do.) If things work out and you get that job, good on you. If they don't work out that way, you may still have a decent career in the military flying aircraft for 20 years. You don't have to be GI Joe to serve honorably. You just have to do your job in a professional manner and take what you can get. If you get stuck as a FAC with the 101st AB in Durga Durgastan, do the best you can and roll from there. Don't let a ****************************** bag like Dave Griffin (pogue) sway you one way or another. We're all just throwing opinions (which are like a$$holes[which are like griffins]) at you. Take them all in and make an educated decision as to what's right for YOU.

 

[CameronW]

BTW, the AF commitment for pilots is 10 years now. Food for thought...