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2017-08-06 -Signs, Portents, and the Weather-

Air Force Welcomes First Enlisted Female Pilot in History

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Posted by Anomalous Sources 2017-08-06 00:00|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 ...First of all, good on her. This is a way-too-long overdue step that should have been taken decades ago with the real things. The 'pilot shortages' of the last three decades simply would not have happened had My Beloved Service had the good sense to put enlisted (and/or reconstituted Warrant Officers) in tanker, transport, and helo cockpits.

However - and you knew there had to be a 'however' - this isn't going to last much past GEN Dave Goldfein's term as Chief of Staff. Goldfein is a superb leader and officer who has seen the pointy end of things up close, but his successors won't be. They'll pat the enlisted drone drivers on the head, thank them for their service, and then send them back to whatever they used to do while erasing any corporate memory of the effort with unseemly enthusiasm.

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2017-08-06 08:11|| 2017-08-06 08:11|| Front Page Top

#2 In my not so humble opinion, one of the reasons that the services are having a "pilot shortage" is that they are too damn picky on who can be a pilot, especially drone pilots.

While it is absolutely true that the physical and mental requirements for pilots are very rigorous - and rightly so - the requirements for drone pilots are much looser. A pilot - especially a fighter pilot - must have excellent vision, as well as good upper body strength, to withstand the G-forces.

However, for a drone pilot, there is no reason for upper body strength or 20/20 vision. You don't have the same need for coolness under fire in stressful situations, because you won't be truly in a life and death situation.

Heck - I could probably be a drone pilot, even at my advanced age and 20/200 vision (corrected to 20/20, of course).

Posted by Rambler in Virginia 2017-08-06 13:10|| 2017-08-06 13:10|| Front Page Top

#3 Called Naval Aviation Pilots the program ended in 1947.
War ended Juana as Uncle Jim was getting ready to check out on a Corsair.

Posted by Shipman 2017-08-06 14:12|| 2017-08-06 14:12|| Front Page Top

#4 Crows Landing in California was called that for all the navy enlisted pilots that used that strip for training.

Posted by NoMoreBS 2017-08-06 16:18|| 2017-08-06 16:18|| Front Page Top

#5 The basic problem is the organisational requirement that Pilots must be Officers. Officers must be leaders of Men, able administrators, peerless paper-shufflers, and above all someone that could eventually be promoted to Four Star General -- which has practically zero commonality to what is needed to be an able operator of an expensive high-performance aircraft.
How many Pilots quit the rat race because They. Just. Want. To. Fly?

Posted by magpie 2017-08-06 16:29|| 2017-08-06 16:29|| Front Page Top

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