Momma USAF Wants Us To Fly...

[Nomex Maximus]

I actually had a good unit meeting this evening.

We had a visitor (I didn't quite get his name) but he is a USAF Lt Col who works in a liasion capacity between CAP and USAF AFRCC. he provided a lot of useful insight about how CAP fits into the AF structure but he pointed out something I thought was very important.

Apparently, the AF has LOTS of flying that it needs CAP to be doing but it thinks that CAP pilots are all maxed out since the Fossett search. The AF would like to be using us much more for "Target of Interest" training missions, low level route surveys and other homeland security missions, (all of these would be FUNDED flying) but the AF thinks that there aren't enough CAP pilots to do the work (!). And here I sit waiting to get my Form 5 done for the past four months! Anyhow, he lead us to believe that the issue is that the wing leadership(s) are just not getting their acts together and not getting pilots qualified and not letting the AF know that they are ready to send pilots out on these missions. He indicated that WE need to take the initiative and get our leadership to get us the missions that the AF wants us to fly. He pointed out for example that the AF has been sending Virginia aircrews down to Eglin AFB to support TOI missions, even paying the aircrews travel and lodging expenses.

Sounds to me like there's flying to be done! Let's kick our wings in the butt and get us some flying time!

[isuhawkeye]

Sounds Like a Lt Col who is not familiar with CAP's capabilities

[RiverAux]

He is just plain nuts if meant that this is a nationwide problem.  I know my wing has been chafing at the bit to do target flying and low-level route flying, for which there are legitimate AF needs within my state, but it hasn't happened at all since 9/11. 

Now, he could just be talking about your Wing, in which case his comments may or may not be true.  You'd be the best judge of that.

But blaming it partly on Fossett is also crazy.  It was a relatively short-term mission involving primarily 2 wings.  CAP didn't even come close to getting all its available resources involved, even in that area. 

Now, it all depends on the scale of their needs.  If the AF needed a CAP plane every week day for 2 months, my wing would be hard pressed to do it.  But the target missions and low-level routes are not that sort of job and I bet every CAP wing has the capacity to provide folks when those are needed. 

[Nomex Maximus]

No, the point was that this is a CAP liaison officer who is telling us about how the AF works relative to CAP. He is not the person to assign missions or who runs CAP missions for the AF or who runs CAP. He is just the guy who knows how things work relative to the AF. He said that he will be taking a new position with the AFRCC come December as a shift supervisor or watch commander or some such. Lots of details, not much time for me to absorb.

[Nomex Maximus]

I think he said something about there being now an extra half a million this coming year avaiable for AF missions if we could just find piltos to fly the missions.

It's hard to remember all that he said but the point is that the AF wants to use us much more than it has been able to use us. And the problem seems to be with them calling us (read that as your wing's DO) up and getting told there is no one available to fly.

[RiverAux]

I just don't find it credible.  CAP is constantly getting ELT and other missions with absolutely no notice and we've always been able to scrounge up pilots to fly them.  A pre-planned AF mission is even easier to arrange for. 

Now, if the AF wants specific types of more highly qualified pilots (commercial, instrument rated) rather than a general CAP mission pilot, we very well could have issues with meeting those taskings in certain areas. 

[Major Carrales]

I just don't find it credible.  CAP is constantly getting ELT and other missions with absolutely no notice and we've always been able to scrounge up pilots to fly them.  A pre-planned AF mission is even easier to arrange for. 

Now, if the AF wants specific types of more highly qualified pilots (commercial, instrument rated) rather than a general CAP mission pilot, we very well could have issues with meeting those taskings in certain areas. 

Yes, if there is a problem...let them give us a list of goals to surpass.  That's my attitude on the matter.  Once we get past this recent...excrement...and put it far behind us, we should be ready to do anything!!!

[RiverAux]

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for sending a guy to AFRCC who wants to get CAP more AF missions.  I'll send him my phone number if it helps...

[CadetProgramGuy]

I say we find this AF Officers Phone number and give him a call.

[star1151]

I just don't find it credible.  CAP is constantly getting ELT and other missions with absolutely no notice and we've always been able to scrounge up pilots to fly them.

In my case, I've noticed an overabundance of pilots, to the extent that my unit is pressuring pilots to NOT become mission pilots.  I seriously doubt CAP pilots are maxed out.

[Nomex Maximus]

...he also went into some detail about why it is that from now on the AFRCC will be staffed by 80% flight rated NCOs and Officers and 20% non-rated instead  of how it was in the past where only 20% of the people answering the phones at AFRCC were flight rated...

[Nomex Maximus]

From what he said the AF does not call you and ask you if you are avaialble. The AF calls your wing's DO and asks him who is avaialble. If your wing's DO doesn't have anyone avaialble (which seems to be the case) then the AF does not think there are CAP pilots available.  So,  he led me to believe that the problem for us is to get our wing's leadership to get us form 5'ed and quailified and for us to get the wing's DOs to say that we are here and ready to go...

[Nomex Maximus]

In my case, I've noticed an overabundance of pilots, to the extent that my unit is pressuring pilots to NOT become mission pilots.  I seriously doubt CAP pilots are maxed out.

No, that's the point - he knows we aren't maxed out but he is explaining how the AF comes to the conclusion that we are maxed out - from what our wing DOs are telling the AF when the AF calls.

[JohnKachenmeister]

I can go along with the fact that we are NOT using our pilot resources effectively.  We have a lot of pilots who do not fly missions because keeping up mission qualification currency is too complicated and time consuming.

I'd have to plead guilty on that count, too.  I do not have the time and money necesary to maintain BOTH ground team proficiency and mission pilot status.  I chose to concentrate on ground operations.  As a former Navy hospital corpsman, and an former Army officer I bring a unique set of experiences to a mission that can be used on the deck, but not so much in the air.

We can't make mission pilot qualification easy.  Easy ain't gonna happen.  But the wing commanders CAN create training opportunities to at least support the guys who want to embark on mission pilot qualification.

(Anticipating the roar of a flamethrower) I know a lot of you guys will cite anecdotes about your situation, or some other situation you heard of where mission pilots were found to be growing on trees and offering free beer to all passersby.  Generally, however, I think you will find there there are LOTS of pilots, but few mission pilots.

[stillamarine]

He pointed out for example that the AF has been sending Virginia aircrews down to Eglin AFB to support TOI missions, even paying the aircrews travel and lodging expenses.

That is just plain false. Unless someone can produce otherwise, I believe our squadron is the only one doing those missions with the pilots out of Eglin. I have not once seen or heard of aircrews from out of the area being in the area. Seeing as our squadron is responsible for the 2 aircraft (the third one just arrived this week) in the panhandle west of Tallahassee and we average between 100-200 hours of flying a month in support of many missions, I just find that hard to believe that on top of the TOI missions we have been flying that the AF has seen fit to bring down other crews.

I also find it hard to believe that while I was with the PAO from the 33rd FW putting together a story on just those missions, that he nor any of the fighter jocks I met with mentioned any other missions that I didn't already know about.

[Al Sayre]

One problem is that many members still have not entered their availability into eServices.  That is where your WG/DO and WG/DOS are supposed to get their availibility numbers at a moments notice.  If you haven't put yours in, the report it generates assumes you are not available, and leaves you off the list...

[Nomex Maximus]

He pointed out for example that the AF has been sending Virginia aircrews down to Eglin AFB to support TOI missions, even paying the aircrews travel and lodging expenses.

That is just plain false. Unless someone can produce otherwise, I believe our squadron is the only one doing those missions with the pilots out of Eglin. I have not once seen or heard of aircrews from out of the area being in the area. Seeing as our squadron is responsible for the 2 aircraft (the third one just arrived this week) in the panhandle west of Tallahassee and we average between 100-200 hours of flying a month in support of many missions, I just find that hard to believe that on top of the TOI missions we have been flying that the AF has seen fit to bring down other crews.

I also find it hard to believe that while I was with the PAO from the 33rd FW putting together a story on just those missions, that he nor any of the fighter jocks I met with mentioned any other missions that I didn't already know about.

Guys... I am not pulling your chains. This guy is a paid AF reservist officer who is in a paid position between CAP and USAF for Michigan.  He will be transferring to a paid position at AFRCC later this year. He is not making this stuff up. He comes at CAP from the perspective of a USAF officer not as a CAP member. 

[Capflyer]

Something is not right here. I'm in Michigan Wing as well and we DO fly these missions. I've been on a couple myself and we've got pilots in line waiting for the next ones.
I can't recall that we have ever turned down a request from the AF and in fact, the last couple my squadron was assigned to fly was actually cancelled by the AF due to weather and other circumstances.
Those crews are ready and waiting for the next opportunity.

[stillamarine]

He pointed out for example that the AF has been sending Virginia aircrews down to Eglin AFB to support TOI missions, even paying the aircrews travel and lodging expenses.

That is just plain false. Unless someone can produce otherwise, I believe our squadron is the only one doing those missions with the pilots out of Eglin. I have not once seen or heard of aircrews from out of the area being in the area. Seeing as our squadron is responsible for the 2 aircraft (the third one just arrived this week) in the panhandle west of Tallahassee and we average between 100-200 hours of flying a month in support of many missions, I just find that hard to believe that on top of the TOI missions we have been flying that the AF has seen fit to bring down other crews.

I also find it hard to believe that while I was with the PAO from the 33rd FW putting together a story on just those missions, that he nor any of the fighter jocks I met with mentioned any other missions that I didn't already know about.

Guys... I am not pulling your chains. This guy is a paid AF reservist officer who is in a paid position between CAP and USAF for Michigan.  He will be transferring to a paid position at AFRCC later this year. He is not making this stuff up. He comes at CAP from the perspective of a USAF officer not as a CAP member. 

That's all fine and dandy, I don't doubt his integrity but he has been given false information. There are no CAP aircrews operating in our AO that we haven't heard about.

Actually the only thing I can think of was there was some Super Squirrel Secret thing that went down in South FL a few months ago that they pulled aircrew from out of the Wing for but I am not privvy to that info.

[Skyray]

It is hard to see far beyond your own nose, so I will limit myself to commenting about my immediate area.  I am located in Miami.  The Coast Guard calls Sector Miami the busiest Search and Rescue venue in the world.  Of course, that is maritime traffic, but we have a great share of Inland traffic too, and we have those wonderful everglades to get lost in.  Shortly after we gained the problem that the BoG solved for us yesterday, we were deluged by a firestorm of cronyism that pretty much decimated our operations section.  No airplane unless you were a friend of the Wing Commander.  Radio repeaters allowed to deteriorate or actually moved from areas where there was opposition to the hierarchy.  And what really worries me is that it became a way of life.  People actually thought that was the way it was supposed to be.  The head of the snake is gone, but now we have to get the rotting carcass out of the way and rebuild.