C-17 Driver

This has been in the works for about a year. It will be a squadron for C-17, KC-135, and KC-X aircrew members.

Not sure when it will be up and running, but I did hear that it would be getting into high gear in 2010. No AGR positions, just ARTs. Anticipate lots of available man days paid for by AETC.
Altus AFB To Receive Reserve Squadron|NewsChannel 8

I know there are plenty of Lt Col types looking for jobs. I imagine this would be a good opportunity. Commuting there is going to be a real bear.

Good luck to those seriously interested..

Winged Wheeler

Interesting, but why would an ART need to commute?

WW

wingnutC-17

I think I'd rather put my hand in a meat grinder!

hindsight2020

Meh, standard TFI associate unit shenanigans. Yeah some ARTs will open up but remember the bulk of the classic associate is in providing subordinate bodies. This will be not much different than the 340th group units that populate UPT locales.

Abundance of mandays in AETC? LOL I'll believe it when I see it. Talk to the 340th Group dudes about how well their manday requests pan out...AETC funded manday is an oxymoron.

I'll tell you how this is gonna play out. Unit is gonna stand up with a mostly just-off-AD-cadre (read: no appreciation for what it means to be a reservist) just happy they're not gonna live out of a suitcase anymore, among others who bite the bullet and relocate to altus for the ART job. The rest of people are going to stay away. TRs are gonna be min runners among people who'll take the job as furlough insurance. Availability for commuters will be a juggling act just like it is for the UPT location reserve IPs. Leadership will be largely de facto AD as previously mentioned (trademark TFI classic associate) and will drive people away, at least those who can instead find a Reserve job in a non-associate outfit. Long term, the outfit will be populated by just separated AD folks (no offense to the AD bubbas, it is what it is), which is the outcome mother blue intended for anyways. Hardly a Reserve outfit and hardly a good deal. so unless you're looking for furlough insurance or the family is kosher with spending the next lifetime in altus, most Reservists outside that descriptor will pass the offer.

TFI is the way this boat is leaning, and might be the way of the future, but it is nonetheless a $hit sandwich. I'd count myself lucky if you're in a non-associate unit. i know people who'd go back to a "crusty" -16 in a purebred reserve outfit than fly a shiny -22/35/KC-X in an associate org (the only way you'll see new airframes as a reservist) any day of the week and twice on sunday.

L'il J.Seinfeld

I'd rather put my wanker in a meat grinder before going to Altus by the Sea again.

c17heavy

For C-17 bubbas, there's too many other good locations to go reserve...why would you want to go to Altus? I guess it's close to Texas for airline folks.

LivingInMEM

Man....Wow...what can I say. This is somewhat of a thread hijack, but I just had to comment. This articulation is a thing of beauty. Just a hint of sarcasm surrounded by the negativity and awareness of an unfortunate reality that just had to be derived from time spent around the 340th and their disdain for the TR as well as their favorite pastime known as "hook another AGR up while we hose the TR" daily lovefest (ask me how I know). As far as the just-off-AD new AGR's, well they have to be the best multi-taskers in the world. Absolutely no one can simultaneously: find ways to keep themselves off of the flying schedule but for their 3 sorties/wk, double or triple-turn the TR's, and repeatedly remind the TR's of "how good they have it" nearly as well as they can. And the group, well they are masters...they sure know how to get those AGR's to pledge total allegiance to the matrix/Reservenet/metrics (whatever you call it) in order to keep that gravy train going all the way to retirement. As far as your last comment goes, that is just what I did - left the Assoc gig for a more Trad all Reserve unit - and to borrow from Robert Frost "that has made all of the difference".

You know, in re-reading this, I think it may have come across a little negative. I am going to have to try to come up with a re-write in order to put a better spin on things.

navigatro

The best part of this job is you get to wear blues on mondays.

Riddler

Most C-17 reserve squadrons are reserve associate, so those folks are somewhat used to the AD nonsense. And I don't know of any C-17 flying AGR jobs - not saying that they don't exist, but they sure as hell don't exist anywhere I've seen.

SFWB

Amen to what Memphis said. Lots of love for the TR. Not.