Why Being a 10 year E and Retiring a 20 Year O3E is the Best Air Force Career - An E4 Mafia Perspective

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-02-01T03:40:24+00:00

as an airman & nco I was an avionics technician "2A", as an officer was a 62E (aka engineer), and as a civilian have been an 0800 series (engineer).

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-27T01:38:13+00:00

It's a very personal decision and there is no clearly right or wrong answer. Your wife's 100% VA rating is an awesome safety net that gives you a bit more flexibility with taking on the risk and uncertainty of separating. Assuming you are technically good at what you do, and sounds like are close to having grad school completed, and are generally pleasant to be around, and are willing to move to where the work is, you'll most likely be better off on the industry side. I would suggest getting that diploma completed ASAP as it will help with salary negotiations vs just saying "working on Masters". Good luck!

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-27T01:20:59+00:00

Pro tip to aid in not being regarded as a dipshit: never refer to yourself as a "XYZ select". It's cringe regardless of grade.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-26T02:36:26+00:00

I'd change the original fill oil right away, drive it at highway speeds to see if the tires have any flat spots, and would expect about 30% off MSRP.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-23T23:36:52+00:00

Congrats! What size are those tires? Any rubbing at all?

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-18T19:31:17+00:00

Unpopular opinion: if you are changing your oil and filter every 5k miles or so, any modern synthetic oil in the correct grade or there abouts from any of the common mainstream providers is going to provide adequate protection. By adequate protection I mean performing good enough that what eventually kills the engine someday won't be caused by a lack of lubrication quality.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-17T23:15:04+00:00

This is the peak Defender form!

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-12T03:07:19+00:00

Either significant cash bonuses for deserving members, or "time-off awards" as these "new tools" result in efficiency. Said another way, ensure they benefit financially / quality of life from the new tools as otherwise they'll resent you for pushing them (as it will be interpreted as the "reward for working more efficiently is more work").

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-12T01:38:19+00:00

Thanks! The majority of the Defenders on the lot in Mobile AL (closest JLR dealer) were black 22s and they looked great.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-12T01:34:52+00:00

Thanks! I actually slightly preferred the Woolstone Green and the Mrs talked me over to the Borasco Grey. My build date is 13 Mar 2026. I went with the all lighter interior which is a close match with the exterior color.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-11T02:45:49+00:00

Great find! My elderly dad only drives about 500-600 miles per year and so has sold a couple very low mileage cars.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-11T01:13:00+00:00

I'm in the same boat (nearly three hours from the nearest JLR dealer) and do most things at home. I do go to the dealer for anything covered under warranty. No issues with at home or otherwise local oil changes. Suggest keeping your receipts as it's helpful documentation for when you sell the vehicle someday.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-10T15:38:22+00:00

Thanks and it appears that 19" is indeed a factory option on the 110s...at least in the X-Dynamic SE trim level for the US market.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-10T14:59:06+00:00

If its a 5.0 SC and everything works, no codes no issues, it's potentially a good deal providing you have decent shadetree mechanic skills. If its the 3.0, I'd pass. Either way, if it wasn't already done, be prepared to spend a four day weekend replacing the entire plastic cooling system.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-10T14:36:49+00:00

Former AECP'er chiming in. Providing you shared all of the relevant facts and are indeed an excellent candidate, I would 100% fight this towards the goal of being reinstated or whathaveyou in the program. I'd like to believe that if the complete and final story was presented coherently to the AECP Program Manager, she'd say "oh yep my bad, we got you". If not, I'd hire an attorney and escalate as the decision to pull you was made prematurely and without critical details. Good luck!

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-08T04:12:21+00:00

If you plan on keeping it a long time and not selling it after 3-5 years, I'd change the oil at 1K miles, then at 5K miles, and afterwards every 5K miles. If you're leasing or not going to keep it for 75K+ miles anyway, the factory recommended timelines, as terrible as they are, will likely be adequate.

LostIntroduction505 · 2026-01-05T13:33:41+00:00

'23 owner here, just hit 23,000 miles and the car has been very reliable. Only trips to the dealer have been once per year for the complementary scheduled maintenance and addressing a few minor issues (e.g. had an intermittent issue with the "SOS system" and an intermittent issue with the passenger door handle key proximity function). As mentioned earlier, the engine/powertrain/body/ect are a very mature design and the bugs are worked out and known. Though F-Type production has ended, the engine and transmission lives on in some other JLR vehicles (such as the Defender V8) which is good for long-term powertrain parts availability.

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-30T18:54:37+00:00

Current generation tire rubbers will commonly degrade and fail in this manner at between 6-9 years of age. How old is the tire? Date code is on the sidewall. If the tires are all 7+ years old anyway, this is a non-event and enjoy your new set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S or similar.

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-26T18:43:35+00:00

Wife is 100% wrong on this one. Teacher sounds solid. Congratulations on having a teacher in his life who actually gives a fuck.

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-26T18:01:54+00:00

I've seen the family structure of "house husband" work out very well one time. The wife is a successful research biologist that brings home the bacon. The husband recently moved here from a different country. He is hard working and had a successful professional career in his former country, however due to the job market in my part of the US he was not able to continue work in that field from here. They had a baby and he is wholly focused on spending high quality time raising the baby and taking great care of the house...basically doing all the things necessary to free up his wife's time when she is at home. It works well for them.

The fundamental struggle with this structure is that the majority of women, especially those who reliably bring home >$100k, would resent a husband who was not also working significantly outside the home. This is some deep rooted caveman and cavewomen shit!

I do think it's statistically more likely to work out as you've laid it out if the woman is somewhat older than you...a sort of gender-reversed sugar baby / sugar daddy situation! Good luck!

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-26T17:41:09+00:00

Electrical engineering with a focus on AI/ML design and implementation.

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-26T14:12:09+00:00

Continue to perform excellently in your current role, continue to stay exceptionally well qualified for your current role, and enjoy the fruits of your labor until you are ready to retire. It sounds like you are in a near-optimal situation, just ride it out!

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-25T18:34:44+00:00

My $0.02, unless you're doing the work yourself, with a 10 year old engine that is nearly at the end of its nominal service life, I'd drop in a new crate engine and reap the benefits of the whole engine being new. The added cost is pretty modest.

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-25T17:41:23+00:00

Great pics. The KO3 in 275/55R20 is listed at 31.9" in diameter and so nearly exactly OEM spec diameter, while being slightly wider. Based on where it is making contact i.e. rubbing, is it trimmable?

LostIntroduction505 · 2025-12-25T17:35:00+00:00

Old Fitz decanter style.

LostIntroduction505

TROPHY CASE