Anyone ever take a MAC flight?

[Averageman]

It used to be you could hop a flight if they were heading that way, is that still a thing?

[ABNAK]

Took one back in early '85 on a C-141 from Howard AFB, Panama, to McDill AFB in Tampa. Was $10 apiece for my ex and I. Rode in those fold-down seats we used when jumping.

[TheChunkNorris]

You mean an AMC flight? Think you can just sign up at the ADAG or the equivalent.

[Co-gnARR]

I was scheduled for a flight then day of departure I was told my plane was not available. It was three days before I was able to get a flight. If you are retired, with out a fixed itinerary it seems like a cool way to hop around the globe. Active duty guys with precious little leave on the books, not so much. One other thing- especially when leaving from a humid area, don’t sit below the air vents.

[Corse]

You can still sign up to fly space-a.

https://www.amc.af.mil/Home/AMC-Travel-Site/AMC-Space-Available-Travel-Page/

[soulezoo]

Don't be one of those "ORF's" we flight crew hated...
That's all I ask.

[Corse]

Don't be one of those "ORF's" we flight crew hated...
That's all I ask.

That was the best part of AFSOC, no space-a.

[jpmuscle]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190827/331ec82f99b6da4389ff920cbb034c92.jpg

I can feel the cold just thinking about it


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[FromMyColdDeadHand]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190827/331ec82f99b6da4389ff920cbb034c92.jpg

I can feel the cold just thinking about it


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MMM, lay flat seats....

[ThirdWatcher]

Funny, best sleep I ever got was on a C-130 (sleeping on top of a jeep trailer full of duffle bags). Next thing I knew the Crew Chief woke me up when it was time to land.

[26 Inf]

Are you going one way? Getting back is sometimes problematic unless you return on the aircraft that brought you.

[Grand58742]

Are you going one way? Getting back is sometimes problematic unless you return on the aircraft that brought you.

This. Always have a plan B (and money) for getting back to where you came from, i.e. a civilian flight. Some locations are easier to possibly catch another flight (Ramstein AB for example) coming back stateside, but they might not be taking you exactly where you wanted to go. Also, you do get dropped off in the middle of an active base that may very well not be connected to a civilian airport.

I have known folks who used Space A travel to get to and from some cool spots for vacation and saved a butt-ton of money that normally would have been spent on a flight. I also know some who got stranded and paid a butt-ton of money on last minute tickets for a commercial flight because the Space A didn't come available.

It's like filing your taxes, really cool when it works in your favor and you get a return, but it really sucks when you end up paying.

Food for thought.

[Averageman]

I'm looking to go to the Philippines.
I was thinking of working my way West from Texas and catching a MAC to Hawaii.
Then a ticket from Hawaii to Davos PI.

[26 Inf]

I'm looking to go to the Philippines.
I was thinking of working my way West from Texas and catching a MAC to Hawaii.
Then a ticket from Hawaii to Davos PI.

Just on a whim I ran flights from DFW and HNL to DVO. Looked like it would be cheaper to fly out of DFW at first glance - without knowing specific dates, etc.

[26 Inf]

This. Always have a plan B (and money) for getting back to where you came from, i.e. a civilian flight. Some locations are easier to possibly catch another flight (Ramstein AB for example) coming back stateside, but they might not be taking you exactly where you wanted to go. Also, you do get dropped off in the middle of an active base that may very well not be connected to a civilian airport.

I have known folks who used Space A travel to get to and from some cool spots for vacation and saved a butt-ton of money that normally would have been spent on a flight. I also know some who got stranded and paid a butt-ton of money on last minute tickets for a commercial flight because the Space A didn't come available.

It's like filing your taxes, really cool when it works in your favor and you get a return, but it really sucks when you end up paying.

Food for thought.

Not only Space A. We used JAATT missions to get to and from winter training sites and to annual training - we'd jump into the site and then back home. I had a platoon at Ft McCoy and when I sent the JM in from the field into the air field to coordinate, found out the mission had been scrubbed. So here we were with 23 troops (a PFDR platoon is small) no vehicles, and 650 miles from home. We didn't have enough MRE's to ruck it, finally got the Chinook outfit to fly us back.