General Discussion Thread

[Poohbah]

Well, the prospective new CC apparently complained to CINCSAC that the entire staff at 20AF is a bunch of gym rats, that he doubted our ability to actually do competent staff work, and he wanted to fire the lot of us as soon as he took command.

CINCSAC, in turn, called CSAF, and they had what Boss-Ma'am likes to call A Crucial Conversation.

CSAF has apparently hung a "HELP WANTED" sign on the 20AF CC billet, and the former prospective CC is putting in his retirement papers.

How does someone get that many stars being that dumb?

Everyone here is wondering if the guy just didn't want the job.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Well, the prospective new CC apparently complained to CINCSAC that the entire staff at 20AF is a bunch of gym rats, that he doubted our ability to actually do competent staff work, and he wanted to fire the lot of us as soon as he took command.

CINCSAC, in turn, called CSAF, and they had what Boss-Ma'am likes to call A Crucial Conversation.

CSAF has apparently hung a "HELP WANTED" sign on the 20AF CC billet, and the former prospective CC is putting in his retirement papers.

How does someone get that many stars being that dumb?

Everyone here is wondering if the guy just didn't want the job.

He expected to get a different one?

There’s less painful ways to decide to retire.

[Poohbah]

How does someone get that many stars being that dumb?

Everyone here is wondering if the guy just didn't want the job.

He expected to get a different one?

There’s less painful ways to decide to retire.

At the three-star level, if you don't have a billet, you automatically retire. Guy is a SAC-trained killer...well, SAC-trained gas station manager (KC-10s and KC-135s). Maybe he wanted 18AF out at Scott.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Everyone here is wondering if the guy just didn't want the job.

He expected to get a different one?

There’s less painful ways to decide to retire.

At the three-star level, if you don't have a billet, you automatically retire. Guy is a SAC-trained killer...well, SAC-trained gas station manager (KC-10s and KC-135s). Maybe he wanted 18AF out at Scott.

Does he find this approach usually works?

[jemhouston]

Well, the prospective new CC apparently complained to CINCSAC that the entire staff at 20AF is a bunch of gym rats, that he doubted our ability to actually do competent staff work, and he wanted to fire the lot of us as soon as he took command.

CINCSAC, in turn, called CSAF, and they had what Boss-Ma'am likes to call A Crucial Conversation.

CSAF has apparently hung a "HELP WANTED" sign on the 20AF CC billet, and the former prospective CC is putting in his retirement papers.

How does someone get that many stars being that dumb?

Happens more often than you think.

[Wolfman]

Well, the prospective new CC apparently complained to CINCSAC that the entire staff at 20AF is a bunch of gym rats, that he doubted our ability to actually do competent staff work, and he wanted to fire the lot of us as soon as he took command.

CINCSAC, in turn, called CSAF, and they had what Boss-Ma'am likes to call A Crucial Conversation.

CSAF has apparently hung a "HELP WANTED" sign on the 20AF CC billet, and the former prospective CC is putting in his retirement papers.

Well, there goes another idiot…

[Poohbah]

And, joy of joys...we got ourselves a new prospective CC.

Lieutenant General Patrick O'Hanlon.

Missileer background until he was a Major, then moved into cyber (he was one of exactly 11 unrestricted line cyber guys in the entire Air Force prior to Boss-Ma'am finessing, bending, and breaking every damn personnel regulation in the book to recruit us graybeards. He was on the Joint Staff, was going to be headed to DISA ("You can't say Disaster without DISA") next year, and when CSAF Actual said he was getting 20AF, he apparently danced a jig right there in CSAF's office followed by doing cartwheels out of the office.

I have a feeling he's going to work out just fine.

[Matt Wiser]

Looks like 20th AF is in good hands.

Flying began today with the experimental stuff-the homebuits, one-of-a-kind demonstrators, that sort of thing. The WW II warbirds fly tomorrow-and one of those scheduled is a P-47D Razorback that was recently restored, and in 5th AF colors from the SWPA theater in 1944. The jets fly on Saturday.

[Wolfman]

And, joy of joys...we got ourselves a new prospective CC.

Lieutenant General Patrick O'Hanlon.

Missileer background until he was a Major, then moved into cyber (he was one of exactly 11 unrestricted line cyber guys in the entire Air Force prior to Boss-Ma'am finessing, bending, and breaking every damn personnel regulation in the book to recruit us graybeards. He was on the Joint Staff, was going to be headed to DISA ("You can't say Disaster without DISA") next year, and when CSAF Actual said he was getting 20AF, he apparently danced a jig right there in CSAF's office followed by doing cartwheels out of the office.

I have a feeling he's going to work out just fine.

I’m feeling a sudden urge to quote Darth Vader’s reply to Jerrjerrod’s statement about doubling the efforts of the construction crews on the second Death Star…

[Poohbah]

Looks like 20th AF is in good hands.

Flying began today with the experimental stuff-the homebuits, one-of-a-kind demonstrators, that sort of thing. The WW II warbirds fly tomorrow-and one of those scheduled is a P-47D Razorback that was recently restored, and in 5th AF colors from the SWPA theater in 1944. The jets fly on Saturday.

It gets better.

CINCSAC and CSAF apparently roped Boss-Ma'am into a conference call yesterday afternoon, and both expressed a desire for her to fly her Skyraider into Oshkosh. She flew out of Cheyenne Muni at 5 AM and made it Oshkosh in time for lunch, and she's on the warbird flyby card tomorrow, plus a heritage formation Saturday with a Hog out of Selfridge, an A-26 restoration out of Arizona, and a Hog out of Maryland.

[Matt Wiser]

We saw the A-1 come in, but didn't know whose as we were otherwise engaged-Viktor Belenko was giving a talk and did you know he and General Olds met during the war on several occasions?

We're set on Saturday to do a flight with the F-24 (OOC: OTL's F-35) demo team and MAJ Kristin "Beo" Wolfe is the driver. Saw her at Hill last year, and she's good. Dogfighting against her in F-15Es was NOT fun, btw.

[Wolfman]

So you’re having fun, Matt? Lucky bastard…

[Matt Wiser]

Had a good flying day at Oshkosh: I took Goalie up in 512, and we showed the crowd what an F-4 can do (still). Not quite what the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels did when they flew Double-Ugly, but good enough. After we landed, MAJ Wolfe did her F-24 demo, and after she landed and both of us refueled, we did our Heritage Flight performance-and were joined by the WI ANG out of Madison with a couple of F-16s-at literally the last minute.

After we landed, there was a panel with WW III vets-with Viktor Belenko a special member. He told us that he wasn't surprised at our MiG-25 kill. He thinks that the pilot was so fixated on going after Athena and Helo-and one could have seen their RF-4 off in the distance thanks to the smoke trail-that he ignored the controllers' warning there was an F-4 on his tail. First indication the pilot knew he was in trouble? When the two Sidewinders took off his tail and horizontal stabilizers-and his engines blew up. THAT was time to eject. When he started cartwheeling? Too late.... Oh,well.

BOLO II came up, along with EASTERN EXPRESS (a couple of former B-52 drivers were in the panel), Day one, F-14 ops from Ranger, etc., etc. Too bad we fly back on Monday, this could go on for another week, easily.

[Poohbah]

Had a good flying day at Oshkosh: I took Goalie up in 512, and we showed the crowd what an F-4 can do (still). Not quite what the Thunderbirds or Blue Angels did when they flew Double-Ugly, but good enough. After we landed, MAJ Wolfe did her F-24 demo, and after she landed and both of us refueled, we did our Heritage Flight performance-and were joined by the WI ANG out of Madison with a couple of F-16s-at literally the last minute.

After we landed, there was a panel with WW III vets-with Viktor Belenko a special member. He told us that he wasn't surprised at our MiG-25 kill. He thinks that the pilot was so fixated on going after Athena and Helo-and one could have seen their RF-4 off in the distance thanks to the smoke trail-that he ignored the controllers' warning there was an F-4 on his tail. First indication the pilot knew he was in trouble? When the two Sidewinders took off his tail and horizontal stabilizers-and his engines blew up. THAT was time to eject. When he started cartwheeling? Too late.... Oh,well.

BOLO II came up, along with EASTERN EXPRESS (a couple of former B-52 drivers were in the panel), Day one, F-14 ops from Ranger, etc., etc. Too bad we fly back on Monday, this could go on for another week, easily.

Boss-Ma'am flew her Heritage Flight as well. Looks like the Hog from Selfridge and the A-26 had the full ETO Invasion Stripes scheme, and the one from Maryland had the PRAIRIE FIRE invasion stripes/Euro 2 scheme adopted for Wichita.

[Matt Wiser]

Well, we're done with Oshkosh and hello, Seattle for Seafair! All the participating warbirds (including both Doc and Fifi, the last two flying B-29s, four or five B-25s, three TBMs, a Skyraider-sorry Poohbah, it's done up as VA-176's MiG-17 killer; two F-86s, 512, and the others) are at Boeing Field. We share it with the Blue Angels and a det from the 160th SOAR who are here to give a Special Ops demo. Some of us went to the Crab Pot near the Seattle FIsh market and gorged on some very delicious seafood! Now to see if anyone can fit in the cockpit tomorrow as we ate a lot....

[Poohbah]

Well, we're done with Oshkosh and hello, Seattle for Seafair! All the participating warbirds (including both Doc and Fifi, the last two flying B-29s, four or five B-25s, three TBMs, a Skyraider-sorry Poohbah, it's done up as VA-176's MiG-17 killer; two F-86s, 512, and the others) are at Boeing Field. We share it with the Blue Angels and a det from the 160th SOAR who are here to give a Special Ops demo. Some of us went to the Crab Pot near the Seattle FIsh market and gorged on some very delicious seafood! Now to see if anyone can fit in the cockpit tomorrow as we ate a lot....

I heard a rumor that someone up there was getting an F-82 flyable.

[Wolfman]

OOC: ISTR it being decided on the last incarnation of the board that Kee Bird’s salvage was completely successful, though she’s part of the Air Force’s Heritage program (I don’t know what they call it ITTL)…

[Matt Wiser]

OOC: You might be right. I think we had Kee Bird as back in USAF hands as part of an official Heritage Flight, similar to the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Doc and Fifi, though, would be the only B-29s in private hands flying.

[Wolfman]

OOC: Agreed.

[jemhouston]

Looks like 20th AF is in good hands.

Flying began today with the experimental stuff-the homebuits, one-of-a-kind demonstrators, that sort of thing. The WW II warbirds fly tomorrow-and one of those scheduled is a P-47D Razorback that was recently restored, and in 5th AF colors from the SWPA theater in 1944. The jets fly on Saturday.

It gets better.

CINCSAC and CSAF apparently roped Boss-Ma'am into a conference call yesterday afternoon, and both expressed a desire for her to fly her Skyraider into Oshkosh. She flew out of Cheyenne Muni at 5 AM and made it Oshkosh in time for lunch, and she's on the warbird flyby card tomorrow, plus a heritage formation Saturday with a Hog out of Selfridge, an A-26 restoration out of Arizona, and a Hog out of Maryland.

What model of A-1 does she have? I've been fascinated with the Skyraiders with access door in the fuselage. I finally found a Youtube video showing the night fighter version.