Forum: Air Force Life

From: Sondecker George R IV C3C USAFA
To: XXXXXXXX xxx FS/Casual
Subject: Cadet Request for F-15 ride


Lt. XXXXXXXXXXXXX,

I am a cadet at the Air Force Academy trying to arrange a flight with the xxxrd Fighter Wing between 21 December and 5 January. I have my Secret Clearance and Physiological Training Card and can coordinate any AOC approval or necessary medical clearance (Form 1042). My presence does not impose any limitations on the mission; I’m just along for the ride. Any further guidance or authorization you can provide on this matter is much appreciated. Email is the best way to contact me, but my cell phone number is xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.


Thank you for your time and consideration.

Very Respectfully,

C3C George R. Sondecker IV
CS-20 Tough Twenty Trolls
United States Air Force Academy

From: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX 2dLt xxx FS/Casual
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:01 PM
To: XXXXXXXXX Maj xxx FS/ADO;


Subject: RE: Cadet request for F-15 ride

Here’s the guy who keeps calling up and bugging the scheduling shop about getting a flight.

From: XXXXXXXXX Maj
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2006 6:09 PM
To: Sondecker George R IV C3C USAFA

Subject: RE: Cadet request for F-15 ride

You’ve got some brass balls on you, cadet fourth class George Sondecker HIV (seriously…is that your real name, lose that ‘IV’ crap, it just sounds stupid). Let's break down your message and maybe we can educate you on a thing or two.

“I’m a cadet at the Air Force Academy.”

This message should be over right here. Period dot. Cadets don’t troll for rides, they EARN them through the proper channels just like everybody else. We’ve got a long list of maintainers who have earned awards through this wing to get incentive rides. These guys bust their asses in the freezing cold and blistering heat and only the lucky few get the privilege of having a ride. Name me three things you think you’ve done to ‘earn’ a Strike Eagle ride. Seriously. And by the way, I’ve read about all the ‘hard work’ here - http://www.gdsalumni.blogspot.com/. And I quote “The learning curve was very steep this past year as I learned about military culture and doctrine in a pretty stressful environment.” Brother, you have no idea what a stressful environment is.

“trying to arrange a flight with the xxxrd Fighter Wing”

Sweet mother of pearl, I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. We are the xxxrd Fighter Squadron, and we are a division of the xxth Fighter Wing. If you want to snivel a ride from us, you ought to at least get your facts straight. This is the foreshadowing of your ignorance, let’s continue….

“I have my Secret Clearance”

Your secret clearance doesn’t mean f*** all to us. You think we’re going to take you up on a tactical sortie? You think we’re going to let you sit in on classified briefings? You think we’re going to hang out and talk tactics with you? YGBFSM.

“and Physiological Training Card”

Your physiological training card doesn’t mean f*** all to us. Remember all those hard working maintainers I mentioned earlier? Not one of them has a physiological training card - don’t try to impress us with that crap.

“and can coordinate any AOC approval”

Last time I checked, the AOC didn’t run the flying schedule of the 4th FW or coordination of our incentive flights. Apparently you’re not familiar with chain of command and proper channels. Let me tell you what this does NOT consist of; it does NOT consist of going VFR direct to the 333rd Fighter Squadron scheduling shop and bothering our hard working schedulers. This consists of you talking to your commander, your commander talking to our commander, somebody in between giving the approval, and then in the middle of your pipe dream you will be denied your flight.

“My presence does not impose any limitations on the mission; I’m just along for the ride.”

You couldn’t be more wrong. What exactly is it you think we do here? Do you know anything about the F-15E? Do you know anything about xxxxxxxxxx? Do you know anything about the xxxrd? Since it would seem the answer to all of the above is a blatant ‘No’, I’ll clue you in. In the F-15E, while we do have two seats, the second seat is not an empty seat that only gets occupied when goobs like yourself call up looking for a ride. It’s a seat for qualified aircrew – we call them Weapon System Officers. He is an essential part of our mission and we don’t give him the boot for guys who are looking to bum a ride. Also, the xxxrd is a Formal Training Unit. That means that we train young pilots and WSOs, so to give you a ride, we would either have to boot a student WSO in aforementioned formal course, or an instructor WSO trying to teach said student WSO. Get the picture?

“Any further guidance or authorization you can provide on this matter is much appreciated.”

…and I’m spent - Hopefully this will serve as all the guidance you need. Gents, if there is something I have left out of this mentoring session with young cadet third class citizen Sondecker the HIV, please feel free to chime in.

Maj XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Chief of Stan/Eval, xxxrd FS

From: XXXXXX L Col XX FW/CC
Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 6:54 AM
To: Sondecker George R IV C3C USAFA/CS20
Subject: Cadet request for F-15 ride


C3C Sondecker,

Please let me apologize for the e-mail sent to you by Major XXXXX. His e-mail does not represent the Air Force culture that we all work so hard to build.

This nation is at war. What this nation needs is a cadre of patriots who fight and win America’s wars. The qualities of character that make the most lethal warriors are humble, honest, professional Americans who are compassionate and kind to one another as they take the fight to the enemy with tenacity, resilience, and a fierce determination to win.

I thank you for committing to the defense of this nation as an officer in the Air Force. I wish you all the success possible as you work to sharpen the above characteristics within your own heart and soul.

Allow me to invite you to the Xth Fighter Wing between 21 Dec and 5 Jan for a flight in the F-15E. We will show you first hand the proud and honorable culture of great Americans who fight for this nation. We look forward to you joining our ranks in the very near future.

Very Respectfully,

Col XXXXX

Commander, XX Fighter Wing

You should probably edit the names out of the above post....

I don't know if the kid had been pestering the squad about getting a ride or not, but what I do know is that major's response was out of line. He could have simply said "hey, thanks for the email but there are others more deserving of a ride right now." Cadets are always trying to get a ride if they can. A buddy of mine went to Misawa AB for a summer program and worked to get a ride. I know guys that have gone down to Luke over spring break and have gotten rides. I'm probably going to do the same this spring break. There's nothing wrong with asking because with any luck you'll be going up for one kick a$$ ride.

That had to be the most unprofessional response to an honest question I have ever heard. The guy wasn't "trolling", he was simply asking for a ride, which is commonplace at USAFA. I cant speak for him, but I am sure he has hopes of actually flying in the future, so he asks for 1 ride, big deal. We give rides to cadets all the time in the summer, so its not unheard of. For a major to berate a cadet like that is absolutely stupid, but typical of the eagle community...the guy was probably a WSO no less. The only problem I have with that kid asking for a ride is that he is not asking a Viper squadron for a ride, who wants to fly in a jet "designed" for 2 people, he'd have more fun in the trunk of a Viper...

As for stealing a maintenance ride, if maintainers dont fly, that isn't the fault of the ops side. We have empty trunks all the time, its a function of getting the mx side givng us names to fly. When they do, we fly the maintainers, when they don't, the pits go empty.

I just can't believe some clown would berate a cadet like that for trying to fly...I'm almost embarrassed for him

I don't know if the kid had been pestering the squad about getting a ride or not, but what I do know is that major's response was out of line. He could have simply said "hey, thanks for the email but there are others more deserving of a ride right now." Cadets are always trying to get a ride if they can. A buddy of mine went to Misawa AB for a summer program and worked to get a ride. I know guys that have gone down to Luke over spring break and have gotten rides. I'm probably going to do the same this spring break. There's nothing wrong with asking because with any luck you'll be going up for one kick a$$ ride.

One class went back following a visit to tell their instructors how they learned how the A-7D ejection system was nuclear powered.

I love it! HaHaHa!!!