I don't see it as more rope to hang yourself. A rule is a rule. Learn it, fly it. The Air Force has been limiting itself operationally due to outdated flying rules.

Our instrument procedures are woefully out of date. The problem is they want our procedures to be in an Air Force Publication (11-217), but it takes years to get the publication updated (my Ops Specs at my airline gets updated every two weeks). The chair force doesn't have the man power or logistics to keep up with all the changes to FAR / AIM, ICAO, PANs OPs. Additionally, 11-217 reads more like a "how-to" book, or "you should" book, than a procedures document.

The problem now with 11-217 is the document is very disjointed and disorganized. If the text is italics bold, then it is procedure. Everything else becomes "tech-cedure". Then there is that pesky little known verbage about, if you can't find the particular subject or material in 11-217, then pilots must follow FAR / AIM, ICAO. Well who in the USAF was issued a FAR / AIM, ICAO? Nobody.

This brings up one more thing that needs fix'n. For the heavy world, we pay Jepp to build us Special Departure Procedures and to do airfield obstacle surveys. Well, if Jepp is good enough for missing obstacles, then why can't we also get their approach charts and kill the NACO crap? We're already paying two different organizations to do airfield studies.

Every unit (that I've been in) had a Jepp account and you can go online and get the charts (I always do this for civilian or joint use fields becasue the Jepp products, especially the diagrams and information pages, have way better information than NACO) Why are we duplicating this effort? Why not just go with Jepp? The Jepp procedures are superior to the NACO products. Why do I need to look in an IFR Supplement, Flight Information Handbook, NACO approach plate/airfield diagram, Airfield Suitability, the applicable Area Procedures, the General Publication (GP) and NOTAMs just to go to one airfield??? It is ridiculous and way overkill.

Oh, I'm dreaming again. Someone told me I should stop that.

-Fatty