Training command life is pretty sweet. 1-2 flights, done by lunch. Off the the golf course to get 18 in, home by dinner. Repeat Tuesday-Friday, pending the weather. Do the occassional cross country just to get out the house for a weekend. You can fly as much or as little as you want, usually flew 400-500 hrs a year.

Or be the Snacko, and since the Commissary doesn't carry all of the Frappuccino varieties or may be out of Diet Mt. Dew, make your Snacko run at Costco...100 miles away, using a GOV.

Of course we're expected to do busy work! They just refer to it as "staff work". You know, things like PowerPoint, Point/Decision papers and meetings!!

Yep. I remember and feel your pain. Ain't it great to be on the cutting edge?
That's okay. I'm sure when you are at Langley things will be muuuuuch more laid back and low stress, and the emphasis will be on tactical employent and not queep and appearances...

However--if you bat$hit crazy and did the Alaska thing...it will still have its headaches. But Dozer and Corky will both be great guys to work for--superior drivers and even though they are probably under a microscrope those dudes are fighter pilots first.

Good luck. Hour and half late out of Indy last night and had to de-ice, so if that helps keep your perspective I hope it helps. Also couldn't move/drop any trips this month--also an @ss pain. Pick your poison...

In SAC, the run to the commisary, BX, post office was known as a trip to the CBPO.

Extra credit if you know what CBPO really means.

WW

Anacronyms.freedictionary.com even had it!

CBPO Commissary, BX, Post Office (military slang for goof-off destinations)
CBPO Consolidated Base Personnel Office (USAF; now military personnel flight, MPF

I was a little tired after my 1.3 hr drive home from Langley. 2.6 round trip...every day. Talk about a commute. Anyway, the night pit and go's weren't too bad...I was just venting.

AK will be a great deal for some FDX MD-11 F/O. I'd kill to have my Guard job at my domicile. My wife would never go for it. The Reserve honchos are solid up there, too, and they've learned alot from our integration here at LFI. Growing pains, but it'll all work out.

Especially when the brand new 71st FS building says "149th FS" on it and 18 of those Raptors have VA on the tail!

WW,

You are showing your age. I haven't heard CBPO in years.
What was it, mid-early 80s when this went away?

Lifter
PS: off to IMA duty today

Here's a video that illustrate a typical USAF day:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...63754616231366

Hopefully the link comes through. In addition to the duties show in the video, most heavy pilots spend a few hours per sortie waiting on a crew bus. Fortunately there's not too much flying to get in the way of important stuff like making sure that we have the correct finance codes listed on our Defense Travel System orders, showing the maintainers that we're all on the same team and uploading new nav databases on all the jets, and keeping our warrior skills sharp by completing our electonic records management, information assurance, and suicide awareness training ahead of time.

Riddler

(edited video link hopefully it's the right one now)

Wow, your pilot lives, well, kind of suck. I guess that's what you get for being a LT!

Ours: Brief 1.5 prior to cranking, show up 10 minutes prior to the brief with the electric razor still going and the flight suit halfway zipped up to hide the AC/DC shirt you're wearing underneath that technically isn't regulation. Listen to the LT brief the flight that he isn't going on because he's got a desk job and needs the block checked on his flight folder that he can do a briefing. Once the LT starts, defer to listening to the CW4 who eventually takes over the briefing because the LT can't read a TAF or FA.

Prior to heading out to the line, check the weather again, don't forget your boots...tie them too. Once out to the airplane a quick walk-around with the FE to have him explain everything that is effed up with the airframe but how it is still "flyable". Crank, hover check, 65% torque to the objective, pick-up, or drop off. Check the time to see how fast you will have to go to get back in time to not miss too much of the game on TV.

Mock Debrief back at base so it looks like you know what you are doing. Actual debrief at the bar or Starbucks depending on what time of day it is.

There is a reason that Warrant's are the best damn flyers out there, period. No need to worry about the staff jobs, etc., just fly and go home.

Just like Sam Adams....Army flying, ALWAYS a good decision!