HawkJ2010

Well, damn. Lets hope I pass the flight physical.

I contemplated crew chief as they seem to have a pretty good connection with those in the flight crew... wouldn't it be safe to assume that if I cannot pass the loadmaster physical that I would not qualify for a pilot slot, also?

Hey all, looks like I'll be jacking yet another thread instead of starting a new one. So I talked with both an ANG and Reserve recruiter about enlisting as a loadmaster. They both warned me that the job is competitive and I will need to first interview with current pilots/loads (something I already knew according to this website). So I played dumb and let the recruiter feed me all the information in case I missed something important. Well... I was told to have a back up job in case loadmaster didn't workout (understandable) even though my heart is set on get an LM slot. I know he/she is a recruiter and trying to do their job but they were really cramming others options down my throat i.e. Security Forces, Flight Engineer, Administrative, Vehicle Transportation, etc. and I kept on wondering "Why?". I told the recruiter what I wanted to do but he/she wanted me to sign up for a big signing bonus gig, none of which I were interested in. He/She then continued to tell me that this is all due to the fact that I first take the ASVAB, go to MEPS for physical, select a job/interview, enlist/swear in, and go back for another flight physical. They mentioned that I can have the best ASVAB score, pass my first physical, be selected after my interview and swear in. HOWEVER, there is a secondary physical (which I did not know about) that can DQ me from becoming a LM. And if that is the case I will have to pick another job because I am already enlisted and sworn into the military. My whole thoughts about the AFRes was that you got to pick the job you wanted and if you didn't get it you wouldn't have any contractual obligaition, and therefore let go. Is there something I need to know about? Thanks.

To be completely honest I just want to get into an ANG/AFRes wing, build some awesome rapport with the members in said unit and work my butt off, all the while completing my Master's. I don't expect a UPT slot, would it fullfil my dreams?... hell yeah it would! I know it won't be handed over to me on a silver platter just because I go the LM route but, in my eyes, getting in the service NOW and being a part of a flying unit as an ACM is better than not flying at all. I appreciate your opinions and thoughts on the matter.

I understand. I just figured with the undermanning of loadmasters I could enlist, do my job to the best of my abilities, receive graduate school funding, and when the time comes, apply for pilot slots. I have a lot of time on my clock as I am young. I also assumed that by the time it would take to enter UPT training (including application, selection, and interview processes) I could have some solid years of experience behind me. Thanks for your input, Mr. Powers. East bound and down, over and out.

I apologize in not being clear about my goals. I ultimately want a pilot slot, but I first wish to enlist and obtain my Master's. I will not be obtaining the Master's for the reason of looking more competitive. I will be attending the program so that I may secure a sound civilian job during my enlisted ACM years, all the while applying for a Pilot slot. Some may have the mentality that a Master's is only going to slow down the process of getting a pilot slot, I have a feeling you bear this opinion as well. However, I plan on being enlisted as long as possible. I wouldn't want to go through a years worth of training for LM/Boom and then jump ship, unless that is what the unit would find suitable. My main concern is whether or not a Guard unit would be more apt to funding such an education rather than a Reserve unit, due to the state & federal funding. I appreciate the input. Have a great day.

Holy thread revival! I apologize, but I do not want to start a new thread or commit the cardinal sin... so I UTFSF! It's been a while since I have posted on here, however I have been PM'ing a few individuals. Thought I would throw my situation out to the whole Baseops.net community and get a collective thought on the issue. I have been out of college for around a year now (received my BS) and now considering pursuing a MS in Business. Joining the ANG/AFRes has been on my mind for a few years now and after re-reading this thread I feel like I should put grad school on the back burner and just go enlisted ACM now. After all, I'm not getting any younger. The clock for becoming a pilot/ACM is limited whereas completing grad school has no limitations. I noticed how a few of you stated that after being selected in the ANG/AFRes your interest in pursuing a graduate degree had diminished. At this point in time I would want to enlist in a unit that has C-17's as that is my favorite heavy aircraft. But when I compare the ANG units and the areas they are in I find no reputable graduate programs in my field. I'm not entirely sure about all of the AFRes C-17 units but I know of a few and they seem to be in better locations. I know many of you debate whether ANG/AFRes is better than the other but as far as Tuition Assistance goes it seems like the ANG has better funding, please correct me if I am wrong. Since this is an 8 year old thread do you all feel the same way about this situation? Would you advise for or against me enlisting as an ACM, working my butt off, and then applying for a pilot slot or graduate school after the fact? I will stop with the questions here as I dont want to overload ya'll. Also, if any of you know of any C-17 openings at either AFRes/ANG bases feel free to PM me. Otherwise I'll be cold-calling like everyone else! Take it easy and God bless.

"You could always enlist and then apply to the OTS boards as soon as Tech School is complete. That would alleviate any potential "DQ's" for you, as you would have already had them documented at MEPS, and it wasn't an issue (unless it's something that would preclude you from passing an FCI at Wright-Patt)." Does the enlisted route have less potential DQ's than OTS? So once you have your foot in the door as an enlisted you stand a better shot at moving up into an Officer position? Seems like that may be my only way at getting a crack at becoming an Officer.

So when talking to an AD Air Force Officer recruiter over the phone I found out I had a medical DQ and was not eligible to apply. However, my AFRes recruiter recently told me that I was indeed eligible if I were to fill out a waiver. I then called my AD recruiter back and he simply stated that "The Active Duty is ran completely different than the Reserves/Guard." So do all requirements vary (AFRes/ANG/AD)? Or did the AD recruiter just not want to go through the hassle of going through the waiver process? I'm guessing my best bet to find out about the ANG would be to call my local unit. Thanks, Hawk

I contemplated substitute teaching... never looked into it too much though. I believe that being a full-time teacher would be more stable but I could be wrong. Also, I remember back in my day kids treated substitutes like crap (unless they were hot). Lol. I never thought about being judged as more competent... makes sense. Guess I'll have to live up to those expectations!

It seems from my reading on these forums that being an active part of your squadron as well as a big asset in your civilian career is very difficult and most of the time you find yourself putting more effort into one than the other. However, I believe a career in teaching would greatly complement being a loadmaster/pilot in the reserves for two main reasons 1) substitute teachers can fall in 2) weekends and school vacations leave time open for reserve duties (summers off, too!). If you know any teachers that are pilots/loadmasters who you think would be willing to talk to me shoot me a PM and I'll give you my contact information. I'd greatly appreciate. Thanks!

Anyone know of teachers who have been a part of enlisted/officer flying in the ANG/AFRes? Just curious if the school districts would allow you to be gone multiple times in a month? Thanks.

Just saw it on the local nightly news. No news on any casualties. My prayers go out. -Hawk 4 killed. 2 injured. *Update

My thoughts are that you put down on the application which positions you would like and the board will tell you "You qualify for all positions so you can take your pick"... not that you could potentially qualify for a pilot slot but because you put CSO down they will stick you there without your consent simply because one is needed more than the other. However, I would be very grateful if I was considered for either position. I want to serve my country, being presented the opportunity to fly for them would far exceed my wildest dreams. Thank you for your responses.

Yeah... by no means do I believe that once I become a CSO all I have to do is wait 2.5 years... I just know that if cross-training into UPT does not work out I would MUCH rather be in a position that I know I will enjoy, such as CSO. I hear/read how hard it is to get a slot for UPT, I'm just hoping I am competitive enough to get a CSO slot!

Are you saying NFO to Marine pilot or just go to a USMC officer and go through the entire Officer Selection Process? Any literature on this? I'd like to read up on it. So far I've found articles from early 2000 saying you cannot go NFO to pilot. Cheers.

Sorry, I did not mean for it to sound like I wasn't willing to commit. If I got the chance be a part of ANY military branch, pilot OR navigator, I would gladly fulfill my duties. From what research I have done it looks like you have to be rated for 2.5 years before applying for UPT and you have to be picked up within 5 years of being rated. So you only have 2.5 years to get into UPT. Correct? I would prefer transport, and I know there are a lot of C-130's in the Air Force. But being in a fighter wouldn't be quite so bad (sarcasm). Also, I thought I read online somewhere that NFO's are not allowed the chance to cross-train into UPT as the CSO's are, any truth there?

Hello everyone, I have researched both of these occupations and it seems as though they are very similar do you know of any major differences? I realize that both are in different branches of the military. And from what I have read transitioning from NFO to pilot is not possible whereas CSO to pilot is, however it is no easy task. I've recently realized how narrow-minded my flying goals were (ANG slots only) and decided to open up to a more broad spectrum, AD Navy/Air Force, Reserves/Guard, and most recently the CSO/NFO career path. Sure, piloting an aircraft would be an awesome position to be in, however, I do not want to give up my dreams of flying because I was being intolerant to other paths. This may seem like a "what are my chances" post but I'm really just a youngin' looking for some answers and hopefully I can reap some information from all of your experiences. Good or bad. Previously I was looking into a career as a Reserve/ANG loadmaster in hopes of working my way up to a UPT slot but then I realized that I'm young, I don't have any "barriers", I have a degree, and I want to make a full-time commitment... so why not go Active Duty? Now, a few questions that I have for you all, which you may or may not be able to answer. 1) What would you say the pro's and con's of the NFO or CSO field? 2) I know deployment lengths vary between the Navy and Air Force but what kind of "down-time" can you expect? I read another forum about a person seeking to pursue an MBA and CSO school. I assume with proper time management I could potentially go for another degree, if need be? 3) I believe I read somewhere that if you do make it to UPT you will tack on the rest of your left-over ADSC to your new 10-year pilot commitment, is that right? 4) An 8-year commitment is doubled what most other officer positions are and I can understand why that is so with all of the money and training they put into each officer. However, do/did any of you find this unappealing or is it affecting any of you? 5) Within the same regards as question #3, you can move from CSO into a pilot slot... can this transition also take place into any other fields? I appreciate you all taking the time to read this post and hopefully give me some feedback on the case. Cheers. -Hawk

Sorry to bother ya'll again. I have my WFG-PRK surgery date set and ready to go but recently I have heard that WFG-Lasik is also an option. Is this true for "off-the-street" ANG UPT candidates or only for those already in the service? The reason I am contemplating WFG-Lasik or WFG-PRK is that I hear the recovery process is much quicker and I don't have the time to spend laying in bed seeing as how I will be in school shortly. Any input/pro's&con's are greatly appreciated.

Going in for my free consultation for WFG-PRK on Tuesday... been searching around on the internet and found two good sources for all of the FC1 standards. http://usmilitary.about.com/od/airforce/l/blflyeye.htm http://airforcemedicine.afms.mil/idc/groups/public/documents/afms/ctb_071808.pdf (2011 Waiver Guide - Refractive Surgery Section) Just want to make sure that these pages will cover all that I need the doc to check before I jump into the surgical chair! Thanks for all the of the help fellas... One step closer.

Just found out PRK is my only route... I'll be dropping about 4k but it wont be too bad with 24-month interest-free financing. And on top of that I found out my lasercare center will give free touch-ups/enhancements nation-wide as a part of their lifetime contract. Seems kind of hard to pass up at the young age of 19. Now all I have to do is finish my PPL, wait a year for my eyes to heal and its off to the races for UPT slots

Yeah its just if I don't need it why drop the 5k (maybe twice)? I would rather not get the surgery and had perfecting fine eyes and wear glasses than take the risk of anything bad occuring.

Are some waivers easier to obtain than others? If so which would be simpler? A waiver for 20/100 uncorrected vision but 20/20 corrected, or a waiver for PRK?

I see now. I guess I'm making things way more difficult than they really are. So if I were to be selected... that must mean that a particular unit really wants me therefore they will try to get me a waiver? I also need to just get a regular flight medical for civilian flying. Would it be a good idea to go for first class and try to prep myself for the AF one to avoid any problems there?

"20/70 is the standard. If you are 20/70 or better, you meet standards. If you are worse than 20/70, but 20/200 or better you are waiverable (and these waivers are basically a formality). If you are worse than 20/200 then it's time for PRK or LASIK" Goducks wrote this a while ago. I believe I am worse than 20/70 but not 100% on that or not. However, if I am worse than 20/70 (and I know I'm better than 20/200) how do I go about getting a waiver prior to applying for a UPT slot in the ANG?