Originally Posted by
Pontius Navigator
Story we heard at the time was that the USAF was run along the lines of once in SAC always in SAC, once on B47s always on B47s. When the 1600 B47s were retired there were an awful lot of spare aircrew with no need to transfer them to the Buff.
Also, since the Buff crews had a cushy job pulling alert in the US all the load was falling on TAC.
The solution, and the effect, was as you suggested. Not just lack of experience on the jet but lack of the whole single pilot tac stuff.
As one exiled into SAC after a tour as a FAC, it was a culture shock. And pulling alert week after week was not a 'cushy' job but one filled with lots of mission study, mission tests, more tests, verbatim EP exams, more stuff... It was 7 days on.. 2 crew rest days and then maybe 1 or 2 sorties and then back on alert.
Fortunately for me, when the IG came in, I didn't write the EP *verbatim* and it was considered a bust. To punish me, they sent me to Thailand. I told them had I know this was the punishment, I could have screwed up a lot earlier to the benefit of everyone.
And yes, my -38 instructor came out of BUFs to Thuds (improbable path) but turned out to be a real tiger.
And as for once a SAC 'asset', always a SAC asset, correct. I had a volunteer statement in for a second tour (the two 3 month Thai tours didn't count) and I was told, "Give it up..you've got your ticket punched and you're going NOWHERE." Even when a friend of mine (wife and 2 kids) got an OV-10 and wanted out of the assignment, I called and said he could stay and I would take the assignment, they said, "You don't get it.. you're going nowhere!" And they asked me many times in the months before I left the USAF why I didn't want to stay. DUH....