Your First Time Staying in an Altus Crash Pad

Off-Base Crashpads

11 hours ago

5 min read

Updated: 4 hours ago

If you've only done TDYs in base lodging or hotels, a crash pad can sound a little mysterious. Is it a hotel? A rental? A frat house with a pool table? Here's the straight version, written for someone on their first Altus TDY. This guide is for anyone booking an Altus crash pad (or Altus crashpad, depending on who's spelling it) for the first time.

What an Altus Crash Pad Is

In general, a crash pad is a furnished house that several travelers share for the length of their stay. In the aircrew world, it usually means a house of people on the same kind of TDY. You get your own bedroom and share common spaces like the kitchen, living room and outdoor areas. It's not a hotel. You live there.

OffBase Crashpads is four furnished houses in Altus, built for aircrew on TDY to Altus AFB:

OffBase 1 at 1421 Dustbowl Lane
OffBase 2 at 2120 Longhorn Trail
OffBase 3 at 1413 Dustbowl Lane
OffBase 4 at 2124 Longhorn Trail

All four are under three minutes from the Altus AFB front gate and many of the, as you can see, are right next door to each other.

Step Zero: Make Sure Your Stay Is Authorized

Do this before anything else. The 97th Training Squadron's New Students page currently states that all students are required to stay in on-base lodging at the Red River Inn. Students call the Inn at (580) 481-7356 before arrival to confirm a reservation or receive a Certificate of Non-Availability. Exceptions are considered case by case with approval from the 97 OG/CC (via the 97 TRS/CC).

So for most students, an off-base stay comes through a Red River Inn non-availability or an approved exception (ETP). Read the current reporting instructions and lodging policy, and confirm with 97 TRS Student Administration ((580) 481-7446) and your finance office or AO before you commit to anything. If you need help securing an ETP, please reach out. We have no problem letting you know what works and doesn't.

What to Bring

Every crash pad stocks things differently, so ask before you pack. Here's a general list that works for most long TDYs:

Uniforms and flight gear your course requires (check your reporting instructions and course checklist)
Civilian clothes for a few months, including layers. Southwest Oklahoma can swing from hot to cold.
Toiletries and any medications
Your laptop or tablet and chargers for study and Mattermost
A small amount of comfort stuff: your pillow, a favorite coffee mug, headphones for studying in shared spaces
A reusable grocery or cooler bag for runs into town
Your EV charging cable or Adaptor if you drive an EV (OffBase houses have EV charging but only for NACS/Tesla chargers) or just the 220v plug for you to use your mobile charger with.

What we can tell you about every OffBase house: large bedrooms with storage, a 4K TV in each room, weekly maid service, a living room with an 80" 4K TV with Dolby Atmos and a massage chair, a game room with a pool table, poker, ping pong and arcade, fire-pit dining, garages with a workbench and tools, and EV charging.

What to Expect When You Arrive

General crash pad norms

At most crash pads, you'll get arrival instructions ahead of time: the address, how to get in, which room is yours, and house rules or Wi-Fi info. Your housemates may be at very different points in their courses. Some may be on early shows, some on night sorties.

At OffBase

We'll coordinate your arrival details with you before you travel to include; door codes, addresses, room assignment, house rules, and other special request accomidations.

Since you're under three minutes from the front gate, take the first evening to settle in: unpack, do a dry run to the gate, and grab groceries.

Living With Roommates: The Unwritten Rules

These are general crash pad etiquette, and they matter more when everyone's in a demanding course:

Respect crew rest. Someone's always sleeping off a night sortie or turning in early for a 0400 show. Keep it down in common areas or use headphones.
Clean up after yourself. Weekly maid service keeps the house clean. It doesn't cover the pan you left in the sink for three days. Basic day to day chores are still your responsibility and shows respect for your fellow roomates.
Label your food, and don't eat someone else's leftovers.
Share the TV. The 80" with Dolby Atmos is a big draw. Take turns, and maybe make game/poker night a house thing.
Talk it out. If something's bugging you, say so early and politely. You're all in this together.
Study together. One of the best parts of a crash pad is living with people who know exactly what you're going through. Use it.

How Crash Pad Billing Works on an Altus TDY

This is what most first-timers worry about, so here's what we can say for certain about OffBase:

Your TDY orders cover the stay. When your off-base lodging is authorized, there's no out-of-pocket cost to you.
We bill the same price as on-base lodging. Not more.
You get itemized receipts with a zero balance to submit with your DTS voucher.

Details we'll confirm with you directly when you book: when billing happens, how payment is made; whether any deposit applies; and when receipts are issued

A few general tips that apply to any TDY lodging:

Keep every receipt and your non-availability or approval paperwork. Your voucher depends on it.
Check with your finance office or AO on anything about your entitlements, per diem or how your orders handle lodging. We won't quote regulations or rates because they change and depend on your orders.
File your voucher on time. It makes everyone's life easier.

The Bottom Line

A crash pad gives you more space, more downtime and better company than a single lodging room. In exchange, you share common areas and need a vehicle. For a lot of aircrew on a long formal course, that's a great trade. OffBase was built by a C-17 instructor who spent too many Altus TDYs in places that made training harder. These houses are the opposite of that.

Request a Stay

Ready to plan your first crash pad stay? Fill out the Request a stay form on our site, email Stay@OffBaseCrashpads.com, or call/text (765) 633-2273. We're happy to answer first-timer questions. Built By Aircrew, For Aircrew.