New generation of USAF officers

[71KILO]

I don't think it is the new officers per se. I think it is the old officers unwilling to make a stand. I don't think the fighter community deals with it as much as the heavy community. We have a kid in my unit that has been in more trouble than I can even recount. Busted to permanent copilot, or for two years anyway when they found out how much it was going to cost to send him back to A/C school. They thought about FEBing him at one time but decided it would be too hard. None of the leadership wanted any dirt on them. Get through the assignment as fast as possible with out a blemish and move up. Who cares about the wasteland left behind for the next guy. Sickening.

 

[Scrapdog]

I don't think it is the new officers per se. I think it is the old officers unwilling to make a stand. I don't think the fighter community deals with it as much as the heavy community. We have a kid in my unit that has been in more trouble than I can even recount. Busted to permanent copilot, or for two years anyway when they found out how much it was going to cost to send him back to A/C school. They thought about FEBing him at one time but decided it would be too hard. None of the leadership wanted any dirt on them. Get through the assignment as fast as possible with out a blemish and move up. Who cares about the wasteland left behind for the next guy. Sickening.

That's not a problem with the heavy community - that's an issue that probably started in pilot training. If the kid stinks that bad...he probably showed multiple signs of that in tweets and later on in the T-1. It's the inability to wash guys out that are weak swimmers from the AETC side of the house that permeate later on in whatever jet they go to. Probably have more of an issue with that in the heavy community than fighters, but the root cause stems from AETC early on in their flying careers.

 

[milplt]

It isn't just AETC, it's problematic of the entire USAF flying community. It's the chicken vs. the egg - maybe we would produce better new aviators if the instructors were better at their job, maybe the instructors would be better if we didn't send IP's that couldn't make it as a 4E or AC, mabe our 4E's and AC's would be better if the students produced in UPT were better.

I know of at least one pilot that was not FEB's because the CC outright stated that he didn't want the board giving him (the CC) that kind of scrutiny (I suppose he didn't want any dirty laundry aired that could potentially stop his career progession). Now is that his fault? I don't know, maybe it is the fault of the even more senior leaders that allow that kind of environment and who would stop his progression if something was aired from a FEB.

I think we can see that these experiences of giving pilots AC or 2E just because they deserve it is a common practice. Every indidvidual unit sees it as just "their" problem and they tend to let "just this one" slide. Add up all of these individual instances across the Air Force and they make a big chunk. When we make these decisions, we need to start thinking of "what's best for the USAF as a whole" and recognize that 15 qualified and motivated pilots may be better than 17 pilots of questionable aptitude.

One last thing, I want all of the older craniums that have been out of AETC for a while to reflect on CobraKai's post. He said that in 4 YEARS, he knows of 8 total students that washed out of T-1's or T-38's. 8 in 4 years! Most of you lost that many and more from all of the classes that went through in the 1 year that you were at UPT. Our instruction hasn't improved that much. By the way, my experiences in AETC primary flight instruction support those numbers.

 

[CobraKai]

Like I said those numbers are pretty low, in my opinion. We tried to get others out but we were stopped by the leadership, no matter how good our documentation was. I do not know the numbers for Phase II off the top of my head in that same time span. I know in my class we lost only about 4 one was an SIE (his wife seemed to care more about UPT than he did, she would show up with hi at our study sessions and seem to know more of the GK). We had another guy wash back, but that is because he actually is a good pilot that just had 3 bad rides in a row then did his 88 ride with Capt Hook, because our Flight commander was out of town.

The timeline was our leadership's primary concern. Plenty of times I was told as, a scheduler, to blow off continuity in order to stay on the timeline, Easier for the good students but piss poor training for the bottom dwellers. The number of students that make it through UPT is the new metric.

 

[stonewall]

That's not a problem with the heavy community - that's an issue that probably started in pilot training. If the kid stinks that bad...he probably showed multiple signs of that in tweets and later on in the T-1. It's the inability to wash guys out that are weak swimmers from the AETC side of the house that permeate later on in whatever jet they go to. Probably have more of an issue with that in the heavy community than fighters, but the root cause stems from AETC early on in their flying careers.

We get 'em in fighters, too. We had a guy several years ago at base X that was seriously struggling in MQT. Got to the point he could only fly with an IP in the back seat...no C models for him. Anyway, we decided to cut him loose and started the research.

SMS in Tweets, T-38s, AT-38's AND the F-16 schoolhouse. He had a great attitude and tried hard, but he was just shuffled along with the idea that the next group of IPs would handle it. So what did we do? FEB? Nah...sent him to C-17s at McChord. WTF? Never should've touched an airplane again. All we did was make him someone else's problem.

Kicker was that he bitched about the assignment. I told him that several of my heavy driver bros would cut a limb off for that assignment, and he pretty much should shut up and color. Not sure what became of him.

 

[Hagar17]

Albie:

Did you mean to say "Kelly Flinn?" Or was that a Freudian slip?

I had a banked bro that went to UPT with Jeannie Flynn. Said she was nothing special, except for being the "chosen one."

Hag

That, along with the Clinton adminstration's tone, Tailhook 91, and various scandels (Jeannie Flynn, etc) created a more "politically correct" atmosphere.

 

[AlbieF15]

Hagar--you are right. I meant the B-52 gal who got in trouble, not the first female fighter pilot. I meant no disrespect to her, and I stand corrected...

 

[Hagar17]

Hagar--you are right. I meant the B-52 gal who got in trouble, not the first female fighter pilot. I meant no disrespect to her, and I stand corrected...

Dude, no problem. Hope to be passing you a cold water over your left shoulder soon at Purple.

Hag

 

[AlbieF15]

Only if I beer the beers on the layover...

welcome!

 

[Purpled]

Only if I beer the beers on the layover...

welcome!

Looks like you've got beer on your mind!