I am going to ship out to USAF basic military training soon and then of course to tech school immediately. I am looking to be, then, stationed in either:

A. Patrick AFB (Cocoa Beach, FL)

B. Sheppard AFB (Wichita Falls, TX)

C. Travis AFB / Edwards AFB (Fairfield / Edwards , CA)

My question is, do you guys know which place may be close to a racetrack so I can still mess with the Miata on my days off and whatnot...please help me out making a good decision for my first base

 

Edwards AFB is about 60 seconds from Willow Springs Raceway, and about 1-1.5 hrs from Button Willow. Both good tracks.

Kinda crappy place to live though. Unless you commute a bit.

 

Wichita Falls, TX

Hallett racing

MSR-C

Texas world speedway

Eagles canyon racing (closest)

H2R

my dad is moving there to teach, seems to like the place.

 

Travis AFB... but im bias, and I dont know of any tracks near there...


If you dont mind me asking, what is your AFSC? If you are staying at Lackland for tech school, hit up chicksdigmiatas... he is unfortunately stationed there

 

Good luck having a choice of where you're going after tech school. Even with your dream sheet filled out there's no guarantee. 4 out of 6 people in my graduating class at tech school got sent to the same base. None of us had it on our dream sheets.

Also anyone I've known who was at Sheppard ******* hated it there. You won't be able to afford the racetrack every weekend man.

Also, yeah, what is your job?

 

I got to go to where I wanted... when I am a reservist... not so much as active duty

 

Not saying it won't happen, but it didn't work out for most people I know from tech school. Personally, I never filled out my dream sheet, haven't to this day.

 

Bah! You're thinking too small.

Go here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spangdahlem_Air_Base

To drive here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrburgring

'nuff said...

- L

 

Thanks for all the info so far guys. I know I'm not gonna hit a track every weekend, hell I'm not even planning for that once-a-month thing...I just want to hit it like a couple times a year maybe. I am dedicating most of my time to serving my country, but I don't want to give up the "hobby" that is still owning my life.

My AFSC is still not 100% clear as I am still waiting on a word back from my rec about whether he was able to secure it for me or not, so for jinxing purposes, until then, I will keep quiet about it. Once I know its secured and I have an exact ship date, I'll tell you guys right away.

I am most likely staying in the mechanical field for now...I am a not eligible for top-secret-clearance jobs till 2012 may the earliest so my idea is to take something I sort of like for now and just cross train once I am allowed and have the top-secret eligibility.

 

I have better advice for you. Instead of being close to a track, list your home of record somewhere with no smog. That way you can drive your turbo, carbon dumping environment killer, miata through the liberal towns any time you want.

I have no clue about tracks, but I'm going to Kirtland... sooo...

 

I'm doing that anyways My home of record is VA so anywhere I go I'm good and I won't need emissions...but I can only do so much on the street without getting in trouble so I need a track of some sort to be around for those 2 days or so every year.

 

Your last concern about location should how good the local racetrack is, especially if it's only a couple times a year.

You're lucky that most Air Force bases themselves are pretty nice... it's just that their location can be in the middle of assfuck nowhere.

So lots see about your choices... you've got buttfuck nowhere Kansas, dickfuck nowhere Texas, and Cocoa Beach, FL? Are you seriously having difficulty making this choice?

http://www.na-motorsports.com/Tracks/FL/

Round trip tickets to Nassau from Orlando are $200.

 

I'm with Sam. FL all the way.. but then I'm biased (Jax is my hometown).

Biggest thing I'd say is to avoid CA. Most CA bases want an emissions check for base access and/or parking rights. Presidio of Monterey wanted an emissions test IOT get a parking decal, for example. My FL residency and FL tag got me nowhere as far as that was concerned. But hey, at least the gas is expensive!

 

thanks guys! Yeah I like FL the most myself. As you can see I am looking to stay at bases where I can pretty much go top down whenever I get my day off so I can enjoy my miata. The track part is pretty much the least of my worries, but as I mentioned, I still want to have that option to go there and have fun out there. If I can't, then oh well...but why not try.

Like I said, I know its not going to be something I'll always have time to do and I'm okay with that. But when time permits, I will keep messing with my car as much as possible and won't want to risk speeding around recklessly on the streets.

 

http://www.angelfire.com/hi2/kwa/0avi_kwa.html

 

Choose any base you want, and then pretty much throw all those out the window, you will go where the AF wants you, not where you want.. only way I’ve seen people get base of preference was to goto Korea and even then they have gotten sent back to the base they were trying to get out of in the first place

The AFSC you choose will be a big factor in where you go, mine for example,
2A7X3, structural maintenance, or sheet metal, since a lot of bases have aircraft, it is needed.

For my AFSC, you can be boned, and end up in the middle of nowhere, or get lucky.

I have personally been stationed at Pope AFB, NC. This is about 3-4 hours drive to Virginia International Raceway.
http://www.virnow.com/
Charlotte is within 2-3 hours as well, and they do track days on the Roval Nascar track too. Have many autocross events too around the state.

Currently at Hill AFB UT, and have miller motorsports park relatively close.. have done a couple volunteer things as flag workers for ALMS a few years ago.
http://www.millermotorsportspark.com/
Also, the salt flats are a few hours away if you can make it out to the events out there as well

I will need to acquire another car once I get to my next base in Okinawa, so I cannot give any suggestions for that. The island is like 60 miles at its longest direction, so I hope there is something.


I will though by my own experiences and both my two younger brothers right now (both been in about a 2 years) , because the AF is downsizing, and they only start sending anyone under SSgt out of the dorms are when they are 95%+ full, the average wait time to get housing off base and all the extra allowances for that is several years unless you’re married, so simply getting the $ to do a lot of track time will be difficult. Best bet to make some $ when still in the dorms is to get deployed. And you will have to be both on station for X many months and have your training up to date

 

Exactly why I asked.


I chose Aviano AFB, Ramstein AB, Hickam AFB, Anderson AFB, Yokota...



Lets just say being a 2T2X1 port dog on active duty during wartime status gets you (at least behind the fence) in the sandbox pushing cargo. (Kandahar... ffffuuuuu)

After 6 months of that I went reservist so I can continue school, so living in Reno NV and not wanting to go ANG, (the ANG "station" is part of the local airport) I decided to goto Travis AFB, I get a nice (long) drive to get there, and dont have to deal with CA emissions.

Also, as a reservist, when the annual tours come up and your squadron has money, you will most likely get sent to where you want to go... unless you're a DBA.



So its you bastards that have some of the oddest shaped cargo (next to medical) that I have ever seen coming off a plane...


I blame you guys for ruining my glove with your sharp **** cargo.

 

Thanks guys. I figred almost all my friends who went in before me got the base they requested (almost all were either SF or either CCT or TACP) but as I'm not going those routes I may not be allowed where I want to be.

Either way, as long as I get to keep my car and get to mess with it on days off, I'll enjoy what I'm gonna do and serve proudly.

Thanks for all the nice info so far, didn't know we had so many members on here who are part of the armed forces

 

Put simply, you're screwed.

If your AFSC was not secured AND clearly written into your Enlistment contract *prior* to you putting pen to paper, you a subject to the whims of the USAF. Can you say, "Food Services", "Security Forces", or "Transportation Specialist"? (Read: Cook, cop, warehouse forklift operator) - Good, I knew you could...

- L

 

I vote security forces.