What's up with the new PMEL guys???

[MIRCS]

Get your butt in 2M school

[scotte1069]

I worked phys/d at Keesler AFB in the early 80's, started working there under the supervision and training of a great civilian guy.  I later went to the advanced phys/d school at Lowry, and can not immagine how anyone can become fully proficient with the diciplines involved without the proper training.  Is it really true that there are no schools offered by any branch?  Seems hard to believe.

[docbyers]

You've come up against the "familiarity flaw."  If you can calibrate one torque wrench, you can do all of them, right?  Once you've done one balance scale, surface plate, pressure gauge, micrometer, whatever, you can do 'em all, right?

Not so in the sections where ya gotta plug the stuff in- a Fluke DMM is different from an H/P DMM when it comes time to fix something- not so much in the "grease and gears" area...  A Starrett micrometer is remarkably similar to a Mitutoyo in functionality...

So your advanced training gets left behind, because the powers that be are under the impression that your stuff is "simpler" than any of the other K-areas.  Any phys-D troop can argue against that six ways to Sunday, but it probably won't change where the money goes...

[MIRCS]

You've come up against the "familiarity flaw."  If you can calibrate one torque wrench, you can do all of them, right?  Once you've done one balance scale, surface plate, pressure gauge, micrometer, whatever, you can do 'em all, right?

Not so in the sections where ya gotta plug the stuff in- a Fluke DMM is different from an H/P DMM when it comes time to fix something- not so much in the "grease and gears" area...  A Starrett micrometer is remarkably similar to a Mitutoyo in functionality...

So your advanced training gets left behind, because the powers that be are under the impression that your stuff is "simpler" than any of the other K-areas.  Any phys-D troop can argue against that six ways to Sunday, but it probably won't change where the money goes...

Amen

[step30044]

My biggest issues with the newbies is how the hell can you ask me a question on how to calibrate a unit when you dont even have a procedure for it  HEY lets trying pulling the damn procedure and reading it

[flew-da-coup]

Get the MFR Specs and cal the dern thing!

[docbyers]

A generation of Lowry-trained, Cold War veteran PMEL techs are all retiring and enjoying life.  These guys and gals were around in the days when you had real bad guys and a mission to accomplish, communists in eastern Europe just waiting to come over the border, and Russian nukes that could fly at any time...  That mindset led them to train the new kids with a sense of commitment and urgency.  School taught you how to solder and some basic electronic theory.  You got to be a good tech out there in the labs and in the field, where you were taught how all that theory worked out here in the real world.  Fried power supply?  Ohm's Law is pretty useless, but replace that smoke-brown capacitor, soldering it to NASA standards, and then calibrate that unit and get it to the owner, 'cause we have planes to get in the air...

Now a new generation of Keesler-trained techs are out there in the contract labs, where there's more interest in keeping the contract than there is in training the new kid.  He'll be gone in 6 months anyway, when the company has an opening in a lab near his home town...  No money for advanced training: we have to keep our costs down so we can get the contract renewed...

Any of this sound familiar?

[flew-da-coup]

That's it Doc. That's the problem. It is a shame.

[MIRCS]

I agree.....yet disagree with you Doc.

we asked constantly for more people and also for sending us to school.

I know myself and another contractor at barksdale pretty much worked out all the bugs on the 6625AF..............which in turn allowed us the standard resistors first. we had people stopping by from Guildline to work with us, spent many hours on the phone with Ken eddy and Guildline..............yet Hoopty gets to goto training and probably not one contractor..........which is totally bunk!!!!!!

Yet the problem lies in the fact that most people in the contract labs I was involved with had been through all the schools. Last I checked they don't send active duty back to the same schools after they recieve them regardless of what changed. heck I'm a Phys-d guy and begged from 2001 through 2005 to be sent back through the school, just to relearn lost talents and to relearn in a new way.

So yes I agree and disagree.

[docbyers]

I was talking to my nephew at Dyess last night on the phone; he leaves today for his 4th deployment to the eastern sandbox.  He's a flight engineer on a C-130, SSgt, and he's re-enlisting for another 5 years.

Anyway, he is sad to see the quality of new troops coming in now.  He's been in 9 years, and is starting to sound like me already, amazed at the lack of military discipline and respect the new kids have.  I will admit the "Yes, Sir, No, Sir" bit may have been a little over-done, but it served its purpose, and we never disrespected an NCO that outranked us back in the day...

[flew-da-coup]

There is a problem when an E-3 addresses his E-6 as " Jim " while on duty and in unifrom.

[bradley563]

Does that mean I cant call you Flew anymore............



Say it isnt so coup.......say it isnt so.........

[flew-da-coup]

Hahaha. Okay, you can call me flew. Wait a minute, you out ranked me in the Navy. I only made it to E-5. You retired. I will have to refer to you as Chief. Aye Aye Chief.

[bradley563]

Chief?  I only made E-6.  But you can call me Chief if you want to.......

[docbyers]

I impressed upon my daughters at a young age not to call me "Sir."  This came about as a result of a MSgt telling me one time "Sir?!?  I'm an NCO son, I work for a living!  Don't go calling me 'Sir!'  Save that $hi+ for the officers!"

Now, when my 22-year-old brings a prospective suitor around, they invariably say "Pleased to meet you, sir..."

My daughter then leans over and quietly says "Don't call him that..."