UAV's for UPT Grads

[BeeVee]

I have heard through the grapevine that the Chief of Staff of the Air Force will announce sometime next week the following:
Effective immediatley, there will be a new "track" for Air Force UPT graduates--the UAV track (Predator/Global Hawk).
This will be there career track/AFSC - they will never actually get into an aircraft.
Should do wonders for morale...
Anyone else heard this rumor?

 

[puck_11]

I've heard of guys getting UAVs for a short while now, thats the rumor on the Navy side at least. Bummer...

 

[McGillicutty]

Looks like that's the case, BeeVee. I heard it'll begin FY09 but who knows exactly when.

 

[millhouse21]

There are worse things... Speaking as an NFO who spent some time as a UAV det OIC, UAV's are the perfect platform for Navs / NFOs. How come nobody's thought of that?

 

[FlyingHigh262]

its bound to happen sooner or later...danger!

 

[Deuce130]

Suuuuuuuuuuucks..............seems there should be better ways to handle this problem.

 

[bssthound]

There are worse things... Speaking as an NFO who spent some time as a UAV det OIC, UAV's are the perfect platform for Navs / NFOs. How come nobody's thought of that?

The AF did quite awhile back. Several years ago Navs with Comm/Inst tickets were being recruited to operate UAVs. I'm not sure what the requirements are now but have no doubt someone on this board will be more up to date.

 

[CWGrizwald]

Warrant Officers

Suuuuuuuuuuucks..............seems there should be better ways to handle this problem.

Create a Warrant Officer program. Recruit from the ranks of motivated Airmen and NCOs and off the street. Train them to a FAA Instrument Rating. Provide an ACE style flying program with Cirrus's or something similar. By the definition, Warrant Officers are technitions, so they don't have to go off and career broaden, they become experts.
The Air Force advertises and recruits for pilots based on their dream, since childhood in most cases, of the romance and excitement of flying the most exciting aircraft and missions in the world. They even have a whole squadron of colorful F-16s to travel around and plant those seeds of the dream (They got me when I was nine, but they were F-4s back then). To ask for 10 years as payment to realize that dream and then turn you into a professional model railroader is a bunch of crap and these koolaid drinking morons who spew the "that's the needs of the AF" line are idiots. Glad I'm retired.

 

[bssthound]

Everyone's favorite food additive chemist said:

To ask for 10 years as payment to realize that dream and then turn you into a professional model railroader is a bunch of crap and these koolaid drinking morons who spew the "that's the needs of the AF" line are idiots.

Nothing more to add, just couldn't agree with you more.

 

[slacker]

And everyone feared Helos at UPT when I was there. Now, not sucking at UPT is more important than ever.

You can still take the UAV track as a Nav w/ you COM/INST ticket. I know someone who just did it.

 

[satpak77]

just a comment from a non mil guy, but I personally would have preferred C17, KC10, or KC135 airframes due to amount of flying and international travel.

Its not a F-16, I admit, but I dont see why more young guys dont see that the whole world does not revolve around flying a single seat fighter

 

[AvroGuy]

just a comment from a non mil guy, but I personally would have preferred C17, KC10, or KC135 airframes due to amount of flying and international travel.

Its not a F-16, I admit, but I dont see why more young guys dont see that the whole world does not revolve around flying a single seat fighter

That is because you are a civillian looking in...The fighter is where it is at for most. Now when you were a kid, you never dreamed of being a fighter pilot? Most kids have and still do. Once in the fighter track, you are tought/brainwashed that nothing else will due. When in reallity sometime heavies are better. You don't dropp bombs for the vast majority of heavies but you do go different places if you are in a C or K. If you are in an E, well you see a lot of the same place.

 

[tomgoodman]

Assignment follies

And everyone feared Helos at UPT when I was there.

A B-52 was the designated bogeyman used to scare students when I was in UPT. Eventually, SAC complained about getting all the low-ranking graduates, so MPC created a special "mini-drop" of assorted (non-fighter) assignments for the bottom 10%. That allegedly caused some guys to "shoot for the bottom" and maybe get, say, a C-141. Then MPC turned it all over to a computer, and who knows how they'll do it next?

 

[BeeVee]

Nice C-141 jab.....:laugh:
Looks like you ended up with an EC-135 out of UPT. (you really kicked a$$....)
I ended up with over 2000 hours in the "tube of pain"....enjoyed every minute of it. Airdrop, Air Refueling, Worldwide Airlift, Deep Freeze,...what an airframe!

 

[tankerswede]

Does anyone else think it is beyond a tremendous waste of money to send someone through the UPT program to develop skills that are largely unnecessary in the UAV world, then send them to UAV world?

I knew a few navs who went from tankers to UAVs back in the late 90's. I asked one if his civilian certificate (Comm/Inst) that he was required to have was also what would be subject to enforcement action if a violation occurred. Never did get a straight answer on that one...

 

[Tweetdrvr]

Suuuuuuuuuuucks..............seems there should be better ways to handle this problem.

Well said. You would think all the old guys would line up to fight the fight via data link from Creech and not deploy. Let the young guys still full of pi$$ and vinegar fly airplanes from the first person and get the SA to later do it via data link, run 4 radios and answer the honey do phone calls from the spouse on what to pick up at the BX on the way home.

But then again, we are the service who just paid pilots to get out while we tried to sell people for F-22s.

 

[satpak77]

again, a civilian guy looking in, why not contract out UAV flying to Lockheed, etc etc et al ? It's not like the contractors are "taking pilot jobs" or anything like that.

 

[CWGrizwald]

Contractors

Can't work a contractor like a military person. Contractors have contracts that say how much they will work for, how many hours a day they will work so on and so forth. But more importantly, UAVs now drop and shoot things that kill people which would then make a contractor a mercenary whereas a military person is covered by and has to abide by the USMJ and laws of armed conflict. At least that's why I think you can't contract out all of the UAV flying. That being said, there are many contractors in the UAV world as instructors, mechanics and other assorted jobs.

 

[puck_11]

I didn't even think of the commitment factor, is it 10 from wings for the AF? That would suck, they should ammend their flight contracts to four years max if thats what they select. Maybe they should take the guys that attrite out of flight school due to airsickness and let them be UAV guys. I know the Navy has their fair share.

 

[viper548]

Give the UAV's to the enlisted guys