Jim Baker wrote:
Well, I can understand that in a Buff. It is a very difficult plane to
learn to fly well, especially in the pattern. I assume the same training is
going on in the Bone FTU. The idea was kicked around when I was the
28BS/DO, but we let it die. It takes time to train a guy to be fully
mission qual, even with several sorties in the squadron. To try to do it in
the FTU with 2 sorties is ludicrous. It's probably easier in the Bone
because it isn't hard to learn how to fly, but it still is not a good
utilization of those two sorties. You can't do it properly with two
sorties. That was always a problem for me with the AF. To make a mark, get
something unique on your OER, something has to change on your watch. Often
the change is for change sake with no appreciable gain. It's just BS. I
enjoyed my time in the USAF, it was personally and professionally rewarding,
but I was glad to leave some of the really stupid things we did behind. I
turned down a slot to NWC before I left...the YGBSMs were deafening, (from
the Wing, to 8th, and up to NDU) but I'd had a good career, and enough of a
career. I haven't regretted the career or the final decision.

Jim,

IIRC the Bones still do it the old way with the new copilots coming out
of the FTU with a BMC rating. They still have to upgrade to CMR before
we'll take them to combat. They have actually cut the number of sorties
now that the nuc mission has gone away and so they can reduce the
backlog for the FTU. Of course now you have the bomb squadrons 150%
manned with copilots.

Michael Kelly
Bone Maintainer

Cheers,

JB