Elvis90

I've been told that the B-1 FHP has but cut in half for the remainder of the Fiscal Year.

UAL T38 Phlyer

My squadron is basically shutting-down today.....no flying hours left for March.

Yet, we are two days behind in the UPT timeline......

I assume we magically get hours on April first.....which has another colloquialism.

So, ironically, shutting down today to "save money" means we will be further behind on Monday, and it will require weekend cross-country flying to get caught up.


Which (wait for it): costs more money.

'And the beat goes on; and the beat goes on.....'

ExAF

Not saying it's right, but you know you need it to get promoted and haven't done it. Life's full of choices. You don't have to like it (or think it's right)...you just have to do it if you want to get promoted. If you don't then as you said, you have a 79% chance you won't get promoted. Your call. If you don't do it and don't get promoted....don't blame the system.

FLY6584

You are absolutely right. I knew the choice I was making would likely prevent me from making Major, but I still decided to make that choice knowing that 20 years on AD would not be an option for me and being the best damn pilot, husband, and father I could be was more important. If I do not make Major it is no one else's fault, but myself and I am ok with that. I just hope that if I am passed over I am not offered continuation and have the chance to walk away with a separation pay so that I have something to show for 10 years of service. Certainly I don't feel entitled to that, but it would be nice to get a head start on a civilian retirement plan considering if I had spent 10 years at a civilian company I probably would have been contributing to a 401k.

I was just pointing out the fact that it's sad that brand new Lt's coming out of Altus or their FTU/RTU show up to the squadron and are told that if they want to make Major to get started on that Masters immediately therefore the new guys are spending more time worrying about checking the box instead of locking themselves in the vault and becoming the best damn co-pilot or wingman they can be. That is what is broken with the system.

PittsDriver

The AF is still a mystery to me too. I had my MBA (from a brick & mortal school before ever joining the AF), and all the squares filled, and I got passed over to
O-4. No UIF, LORs, 15s, no Q-3s, etc. It is what it is, I declined continuation and punched. What bothered me the most about my time in the AF was that the job that I was supposed to be the best, proficient and always ready to fight, was my additional duty.

tomgoodman

In the WWII era, promotions were routine due to the buildup and combat attrition. A better comparison would be with previous periods when promotions were scarce, e.g. during postwar drawdowns. I suspect that those passed over were equally critical of whatever filter was being used at that time. If everyone gets a Masters, will something even more objectionable be used to select candidates? Of course they should use "leadership and innovation" qualities, but will they?

Elvis90

You're absolutely right -- I was thinking of two in particular, however. Dwight D Eisenhower and George S Patton did not have advanced degrees, although they did attend their service's War College, but I would classify that as PME and not an advanced degree program.

USMCFLYR

I thought thpose schools were considered equivalent of Master's and PhD level school - in Military Sciences - not saying you got a Doctorate degree out of a War College.?

ExAF

I totally agree the system is broken re advanced degrees. I felt exactly the same way you do about having to get a masters degree. I'm one of the few that made it to O-5 without one. I'll be the first to admit I was lucky. I did have a bachelors + in my promotion folder since I was working on a masters and had completed enough credits for the bachelors + level. Once I made O-5 I saw no need to finish it. Fortunately for me at the time the DP recommendation trumped the lack of completed advanced degree. I still think the advanced degree requirement is a complete waste of time and money though.

Elvis90

No, the AF doesn't award doctorates out of AWC. A doctorate is typically a 3-year program involving lots of research.

You might get a Master's equivalent today if the courses are accredited and you do a little extra work.