AF Careers & Bases Selection (stationed, officers, enlisting, soldiers)

[ajsamadh]

Appreciate all the advice. I definitely want to travel. I come from a small town and although I have a good desk job, it’s not what I want to do with my life. I want to stand for something, work outside and see the world. Loadmaster and crew chief is at the top of my list. Would you guys say of all maintenance jobs, crew chiefs travel the most? Also, what makes the jobs so hard??

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by ajsamadh

Appreciate all the advice. I definitely want to travel. I come from a small town and although I have a good desk job, it’s not what I want to do with my life. I want to stand for something, work outside and see the world. Loadmaster and crew chief is at the top of my list. Would you guys say of all maintenance jobs, crew chiefs travel the most? Also, what makes the jobs so hard??

There is "good hard" and "bad hard." "Good hard" is when you have a genuine high "ops tempo"--you've got a real mission that's got you turning around planes fast and furious. You know you're doing your mission and you're getting it done.

"Bad hard" is when you're undermanned, under-trained, under-equipped, and you can't do your job right. Then every day is bad even when the tempo is low.

I'm reading that since the budget "sequestering," "bad hard" has become common.

[AlaskaErik]

Originally Posted by ajsamadh

Appreciate all the advice. I definitely want to travel. I come from a small town and although I have a good desk job, it’s not what I want to do with my life. I want to stand for something, work outside and see the world. Loadmaster and crew chief is at the top of my list. Would you guys say of all maintenance jobs, crew chiefs travel the most? Also, what makes the jobs so hard??

C-130 loadmaster or crew chief is the way to go. C-17s just fly from big base/airport to big base/airport. C-130s go all over the world and a lot of times they stay for awhile. When we supported the Rwanda famine relief effort, we were in Africa for almost a month. Our people got to go and see a lot of different things. All the aid was flown in by commercial air and we hauled it the last mile. C-17s would never do that. When we were in Afghanistan, C-17s would bring in cargo to Bagram and Kandahar and quick turn back to their big base that was far removed from the area. We were the ones that hauled everything the last mile all over Afghanistan.

Depending on where we went, we would take a crew chief, especially if we went out of country. Sometimes we would have an extra maintenance person, but the crew chief was always the one to go if we only took one maintenance type.

But if you really want to travel, C-130 loadmaster is the way to go. Planes can go places without a crew chief, but they will never go without a loadmaster. It used to be that the loadmaster field was short manned. I get the impression that's no longer the case. I guess the word finally got that being a loadmaster is the best enlisted job in the military.

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by AlaskaErik

C-130 loadmaster or crew chief is the way to go. C-17s just fly from big base/airport to big base/airport. C-130s go all over the world and a lot of times they stay for awhile. When we supported the Rwanda famine relief effort, we were in Africa for almost a month. Our people got to go and see a lot of different things. All the aid was flown in by commercial air and we hauled it the last mile. C-17s would never do that. When we were in Afghanistan, C-17s would bring in cargo to Bagram and Kandahar and quick turn back to their big base that was far removed from the area. We were the ones that hauled everything the last mile all over Afghanistan.

Depending on where we went, we would take a crew chief, especially if we went out of country. Sometimes we would have an extra maintenance person, but the crew chief was always the one to go if we only took one maintenance type.

But if you really want to travel, C-130 loadmaster is the way to go. Planes can go places without a crew chief, but they will never go without a loadmaster. It used to be that the loadmaster field was short manned. I get the impression that's no longer the case. I guess the word finally got that being a loadmaster is the best enlisted job in the military.

I saw this all as true myself. I was intel and loved it, but intel takes being a special kind of nerd, and not everyone likes it. But every C-130 loadmaster I've ever met loved it.

[Slater]

Historically, Cannon AFB in New Mexico has been one of the least popular bases in the AF. And that's going back at least 20 years or so.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by ajsamadh

Hello all,

I'm currently in the enlistment process and creating my wishlist for careers and bases with the Air Force.

What careers in the maintenance & electrical fields travel the most?
Also what are great bases in the US and overseas?

Appreciate all the help!

Military Times
Special Report: The top 5 best bases for airmen
July 23, 2014

Read Entire Article Here: https://www.militarytimes.com/2014/0...es-for-airmen/

This appears to be only stateside bases... There are various advantages for assignments overseas...

The full list:

Air Force Times' ranking of the best bases in the Air Force:
1. (tied) Scott AFB, Illinois
1. (tied) Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio
3. Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas
4. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
5. Luke AFB, Arizona
6. (tied) MacDill AFB, Florida
6. (tied) Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota
8. (tied) Eglin AFB, Florida
8. (tied) Offut AFB, Nebraska
10. Cannon AFB, New Mexico
11. (tied) Holloman AFB, New Mexico
11. (tied) Schriever AFB, Colorado
11. (tied) McGuire AFB, New Jersey
14. (tied) Patrick AFB, Florida
14. (tied) Nellis AFB, Nevada
14. (tied) Dover AFB, Delaware
17. (tied) Eielson AFB, Alaska
17. (tied) Tinker AFB, Oklahoma
17. (tied) Langley AFB, Virginia
17. (tied) Minot AFB, North Dakota
21. Beale AFB, California
22. (tied) Keesler AFB, Mississippi
22. (tied) Sheppard AFB, Texas
24. U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado
25. (tied) Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona
25. (tied) Robins AFB, Georgia
25. (tied) Mountain Home AFB, Idaho
28. (tied) Peterson AFB, Colorado
28. (tied) Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station
30. (tied) Edwards AFB, California
30. (tied) Randolph AFB, Texas
32. (tied) Vandenburg Vandenberg AFB, California
32. (tied) Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Georgia
34. Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota
35. (tied) Kirtland AFB, New Mexico
35. (tied) Fairchild AFB, Washington
35. (tied) Hill AFB, Utah
35. (tied) Whiteman AFB, Missouri
39. (tied) Little Rock AFB, Arkansas
39. (tied) Hurlburt Field, Florida
39. (tied) Joint Base Lewis-McChord
42. (tied) Altus AFB, Oklahoma
42. (tied) Charleston AFB, South Carolina
42. (tied) Maxwell-Gunter AFB, Alabama
45. (tied) Barksdale AFB, Louisiana
45. (tied) Goodfellow AFB, Texas
47. (tied) Vance AFB, Oklahoma
47. (tied) Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii
49. (tied) FE Warren AFB, Wyoming
49. (tied) Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
49. (tied) Dyess AFB, Texas
52. Pope AFB, North Carolina
53. (tied) Seymour Johnson AFB, North Carolina
53. (tied) Malmstrom AFB, Montana
55. (tied) Tyndall AFB, Florida
55. (tied) Moody AFB, Georgia
55. (tied) Arnold AFB, Tennessee
55. (tied) Shaw AFB, South Carolina
59. (tied) March Air Reserve Base, California
59. (tied) Laughlin AFB, Texas
61. (tied) Buckley AFB, Colorado
61. (tied) Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan
63. Travis AFB, California
64. (tied) Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, DC
64. (tied) Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts
66. (tied) McConnell AFB, Kansas
66. (tied) Columbus AFB, Mississippi
68. Los Angeles Air Force Base
Air Force Times research

[hunterseat]

That list is all over the place. Everyplace you go there will be people who love it and people who hate it. Don't listen to the haters. Just see things for what they are. (How did Sheppard beat Hickam???!!!)

[Ralph_Kirk]

Originally Posted by hunterseat

That list is all over the place. Everyplace you go there will be people who love it and people who hate it. Don't listen to the haters. Just see things for what they are. (How did Sheppard beat Hickam???!!!)

Although I loved Hickam, lots and lots of people can't get over being separated from the Mainland (OTOH, Hickam is considered an "overseas" assignment).


But it was sure nice to bike to work all year round, then after work having my wife meet me with a picnic dinner at the beach...two or three times a week.

[Brave New World]

Originally Posted by Poncho_NM

This appears to be only stateside bases... There are various advantages for assignments overseas...

Here's a list of a few overseas US bases.

Best Overseas Military Base Towns, Ranked - Thrillist

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by Brave New World

Here's a list of a few overseas US bases.

Best Overseas Military Base Towns, Ranked - Thrillist

Thanks... Been to seven of their ten. But I was Army, and now retired.