Justine Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 http://www.armytimes.com/article/20140104/NEWS/301040002/Recruiters-pressed-meet-mission-despite-reduced-goals I know its the Army times. Food for thought Quote
smalltownguy Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Thanks for the post. 316 Flight warrants seems like a number I can deal with, what gets me excited is the 220 for 160th SOAR as I feel I was born to be a Night Stalker. Quote
Justine Posted January 5, 2014 Author Posted January 5, 2014 Thanks for the post. 316 Flight warrants seems like a number I can deal with, what gets me excited is the 220 for 160th SOAR as I feel I was born to be a Night Stalker. There is absolutely nothing exciting about those numbers except be glad it isn't zero. 1 Quote
smalltownguy Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Exciting may seem like the wrong word but anything above zero is exciting to me... specifically relating to the 160th. The numbers are not high by any means but the Air Force postponed OTS boards so after reading all that doom and gloom I see this and it made my day. Quote
I3uller Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Exciting may seem like the wrong word but anything above zero is exciting to me... specifically relating to the 160th. The numbers are not high by any means but the Air Force postponed OTS boards so after reading all that doom and gloom I see this and it made my day. No joke, I used that exact same dumb and dumber reference a few months ago on this very board. Hope we meet in the Army flight world at some point haha 1 Quote
smalltownguy Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 No joke, I used that exact same dumb and dumber reference a few months ago on this very board. Hope we meet in the Army flight world at some point haha I have seen your name around this board quite often, always helpful, and it would be an honor to work together at some point. Best of luck to you! -John Quote
Velocity173 Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 Not sure what they mean by 316. Is that really their goal for the year? When I was there we had approx. 700 going through the program annually. The 160th thing is nothing new either. Can't remember a time when 160th wasn't short on people. That's why they always have a bonus. Quote
akscott60 Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 I heard the 160th yearly and green platoon bonus went away. 1 Quote
Joe_P148 Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 I heard the 160th yearly and green platoon bonus went away.Yup.. Quote
brackac Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 I heard the 160th yearly and green platoon bonus went away. Well, there went the only reason I would ever consider the 160th. 2 Quote
smalltownguy Posted January 5, 2014 Posted January 5, 2014 All the good perks seem to be dying, life in a low budget world. Regardless, all I see is a chance and if I wanted to be a Night Stalker for the money I would just say the heck with the Army all together and continue flying as a contractor. Over optimistic, maybe... a little childish even, maybe... but I want to be in the 160th!!! Quote
I3uller Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 Maybe it's just me but if a bonus going away makes you not want to go to the 160th anymore, you definitely shouldn't have been considering it in the first place. 1 Quote
brackac Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 All the good perks seem to be dying, life in a low budget world. Regardless, all I see is a chance and if I wanted to be a Night Stalker for the money I would just say the heck with the Army all together and continue flying as a contractor. Over optimistic, maybe... a little childish even, maybe... but I want to be in the 160th!!! Why the 160th? Quote
brackac Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 Maybe it's just me but if a bonus going away makes you not want to go to the 160th anymore, you definitely shouldn't have been considering it in the first place. Oh, I never wanted to be in the 160th, only reason I would go is for the money. Quote
I3uller Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 Oh, I never wanted to be in the 160th, only reason I would go is for the money. Ah that's totally fair. Going there for a bonus seemed pretty dumb to me haha the hours, the exceptional training and budget, unique missions and airframes, and the opportunity to contribute to an organization like the US special operations community are a few of my reasons for making it my far goal. 3 Quote
brackac Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 Ah that's totally fair. Going there for a bonus seemed pretty dumb to me haha the hours, the exceptional training and budget, unique missions and airframes, and the opportunity to contribute to an organization like the US special operations community are a few of my reasons for making it my far goal. I've done multiple missions in direct support of various "swoopy" organizations without being 160th, 143 missions to be exact. I've seen National Guard Chinooks do more insertions and extractions on high profile missions than the 160th. The 160th does serve a purpose, but they are not the only team on the playing field. They're not even the All-Star team. 3 Quote
smalltownguy Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 I've done multiple missions in direct support of various "swoopy" organizations without being 160th, 143 missions to be exact. I've seen National Guard Chinooks do more insertions and extractions on high profile missions than the 160th. The 160th does serve a purpose, but they are not the only team on the playing field. They're not even the All-Star team. I'm not naive enough to think they are the only unit that gets to work with "swoopy" organizations. I've seen first hand way more important missions done without them than I have seen done using them but when they come to play I'm like a kid a 13 year old girl watching a Bieber concert. Maybe it is just the flash they project, but they draw me in like no other. I'm so far away from assessing it doesn't really matter at this point but that is where I in vision myself making a difference. Last of all, I think they will stay the busiest during peacetime with the best missions. Quote
zaurus Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 It appears the aviator slots aren't that much lower than recent years posted by the aviation school house at Ft Rucker, especially FY2010. Just a 6.5% reduction regarding FY 2010.The average split was 43% WOFT & 57% In-service Enlisted for the years stated below. As someone mentioned, AF OTS has been suspended until further notice, more than likely to Oct 2014. FY 2008 Active Duty 511 Total Slots 223 WOFT 288 In-service Enlisted FY 2009 Active Duty 433 Total Slots 175 WOFT 258 In-service Enlisted FY 2010 Active Duty 338 Total Slots 135 WOFT 203 In-service Enlisted FY 2011 Active Duty 382 Total Slots 177 WOFT 205 In-service Enlisted Would anyone have information on flight school stats for FY 2012 & 2013? Unfortunately Lindsey is crawling around in the mud. Hopefully you guys and gals will fly more than 1 day a week. Peacetime can be that way sometimes. Quote
I3uller Posted January 6, 2014 Posted January 6, 2014 I've done multiple missions in direct support of various "swoopy" organizations without being 160th, 143 missions to be exact. I've seen National Guard Chinooks do more insertions and extractions on high profile missions than the 160th. The 160th does serve a purpose, but they are not the only team on the playing field. They're not even the All-Star team. Not saying they are the end all be all by any means. However, they are resourced for success and I hope to become the best I possibly can in this line of work while contributing what I can to a consistently demanding mission set. Being "swoopy" isn't a deciding factor for me, it's about the community and the opportunities for betterment. 2 Quote
UH60L-IP Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 Concerning the 160th. The bonus money really shouldn't be considered an incentive for going to the 160th so much as it is an incentive for not bailing out once in. It's not about the money. It is about compensation for the way that it screws up your personal life. Gone with very little warning, for unknown periods of time, to unknown places. It's not all glamorous. Much of it sucks. With the regular Army you have deployments of course, but you can at least forecast your life a little more. And to be honest, anybody that has been an aviator for more than a day has done missions that are just as dark, dangerous, and "swoopy" as 99% of the people in the 160th. The money is an incentive to keep you there and that is the not so well kept secret. Once you've got the money it's hard to go back to a life without it so you stick it out through the suck of what has become your existence. While some might, few do it in greatest part for the money. Many people like the suck factor. But, if the money isn't there to offset the suck, my guess is that not only will they see the same shortages for ages to come, but people are gonna bail. 1 Quote
smalltownguy Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 Concerning the 160th. The bonus money really shouldn't be considered an incentive for going to the 160th so much as it is an incentive for not bailing out once in. It's not about the money. It is about compensation for the way that it screws up your personal life. Gone with very little warning, for unknown periods of time, to unknown places. It's not all glamorous. Much of it sucks. With the regular Army you have deployments of course, but you can at least forecast your life a little more. And to be honest, anybody that has been an aviator for more than a day has done missions that are just as dark, dangerous, and "swoopy" as 99% of the people in the 160th. The money is an incentive to keep you there and that is the not so well kept secret. Once you've got the money it's hard to go back to a life without it so you stick it out through the suck of what has become your existence. While some might, few do it in greatest part for the money. Many people like the suck factor. But, if the money isn't there to offset the suck, my guess is that not only will they see the same shortages for ages to come, but people are gonna bail. Makes sense. Part of the reason I'm interested in the 160th is for the suck factor. That may sound extremely odd to some folks but I like being the group that has hours notice rather than months. My personal life sucks already anyway, perks of being a contractor for years. I'm sure I'll grow out of this one day, but right now I just want to be part of the "suck" with or without extra compensation. Not like I'm home long enough to enjoy the money anyway, that will come in handy nicely when I retire though so bonuses to stay and keep doing it make perfect sense. 1 Quote
brackac Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 Makes sense. Part of the reason I'm interested in the 160th is for the suck factor. That may sound extremely odd to some folks but I like being the group that has hours notice rather than months. My personal life sucks already anyway, perks of being a contractor for years. I'm sure I'll grow out of this one day, but right now I just want to be part of the "suck" with or without extra compensation. Not like I'm home long enough to enjoy the money anyway, that will come in handy nicely when I retire though so bonuses to stay and keep doing it make perfect sense. LOL, if you like doing things at the drop of a hat, the 160th is definitely not for you. They need 72 hours to plan a flight from parking to refuel. 1 Quote
Joe_P148 Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 LOL, if you like doing things at the drop of a hat, the 160th is definitely not for you. They need 72 hours to plan a flight from parking to refuel.Brackac you speak from personal experience from being in the 160th? or what you see them do from an outsiders perspective down range? Quote
akscott60 Posted January 8, 2014 Posted January 8, 2014 LOL, if you like doing things at the drop of a hat, the 160th is definitely not for you. They need 72 hours to plan a flight from parking to refuel.Snap! Quote
nskojo Posted January 9, 2014 Posted January 9, 2014 LOL, if you like doing things at the drop of a hat, the 160th is definitely not for you. They need 72 hours to plan a flight from parking to refuel. alot of talk about 160th like you were in it, if you were in it you wouldn't be talking like this unless you got a swift kick in the ass on your way out Quote
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