Bassett
Thank you for such a candid reply - I can just about feel the weight of your sincerity!
As I said, over the past years I have heard all kinds of talk in the bars from Brize and Lyn to Akronelli and beyond. My feeling is that for a lot of the time J guys talk the a/c up while the K crews talk it down (to be expected). Almost everyone on the J has always sung its praises (also expected) but 'in their cups' some have expressed reservations about the 2 - person flt deck, especially at LL and that sets my alarm bells ringing.
If you are someone with some influence, I hope that you have noticed it too and are in a position to check some people's apparent mad rush - more haste less speed and get the Tac training right first time with the right people.
I am a cautious old soul who believes the adage of 'old/bold etc' and I may now be an old-ish fart, but experience counts for a lot - i guess thats why we have spec aircrew (not this PA-bollox).
If it means anything, I think the J is potentially brilliant but it is not yet the b-all and end-all with lots of work to. Not least, the tactical awareness of J crews is below that of the K crews (47 mainly). However, the J is not alone in this and I could level this at every AT/AAR ac type - it takes a long time to do that on any ac and 2 Gp have so many 'route-queens' - the K included!
Also, and unfortunately, the J is still a Herc airframe and when operating at MTOW - it only carries as much as a K, albeit off a shorter runway!
(167,000 lbs would be something but having seen the ******ed K airframes post Gulf and also after the latest 'war', I think you would do well to stay clear of that part of the envelope!)
I also wish people (esp snr bods) would be honest and stand up and be counted - we seem to have bred a generation of bullsh.tters, so no-one is sure what the problems really are!
The big question is - can the J get it right before the next generation of Tac Airlifter comes along with all the clearances already in place for its ISD in 2008 (allegedly)?
God speed but please don't run before you can walk - Be careful out there in AFG/PAK.