rcatchum

Gentlemen, good answers all, thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for. Just a quick note: If I do go the RPA route, I'm not looking to use it as a back door into real jets. If I'm going in, its as drone and I'm fine with that. What I meant by my comment in #2 was, is there any real risk of being made into a mechanic? An analyst (though that wouldn't be too bad). That sort of thing. I'm surprised that the jet guys are deploying as little as they are, and that RPA are deploying as much as they are. Go figure, right? Over all, you gentlemen are probably right. Maybe because of my family situation the military is no longer the right choice for me. That may have become my reality when I said "I do". If so, fine, I'll just have to accept that. I guess I'm just hoping to still find some way to serve our country. While I would prefer to do that in the military, I may need to start looking elsewhere. Anyway, I've been given lots of food for thought, and I'm grateful for that. I still welcome any further comments ya'll may offer. Thank you

Which is why I figure its worth getting information straight from the pointy end of the stick. While you guys are capable of lying just as much as the next, you are less motivated to do so. (I hope anyway :) )

Fair enough, and I appreciate the brunt honestly: it is what I'm looking for. Maybe I've been operating on false assumptions, maybe not. It's hard to get a straight answer from my recruiter, and all I'm getting is hearsay and second hand information. So direct information from others in RPA is great.

Gentleman, After reviewing the forums I believe that most of the information I'll be asking in this post is several years old and, thus, almost certainly out of date. In an effort to gather sufficient information to make an informed decision about RPAs (information that my recruiter either a) doesn't have for b) isn't sharing) I'm hoping to find some answers here. I'll write my questions in a bullet format to make answering easier. If you feel that a particular question was answered in a previous thread (and that the information is still current and relevant), please let me know and I'll remove it. 1) Several threads have indicated that RPA training is not the same as typical (2 year) flight training. How long is RPA training? 9 months? 1 year? 2) Based on other discussions, it seems even fighter pilots are getting railroaded into spending the rest of their careers in UAVs. Going in as a RPA from the get-go, can I assume that is where my career will be spent? That there is little to no chance of being absconded to some other MOS? I ask this because, while I would love to be a fighter pilot and dreamed of it as a kid, adult responsibilities have dictated this would be the better choice for me and my family. 3) How many bases do RPAs operate out of? Are any/how many are outside the US? I believe I saw 4 bases in my forum reading, is that correct? Do most of these bases have on base housing assignments, or can you always decide to live off-base? 4) What is deployment/relocating like? A big hang-up for my wife is the threat of six month/year long deployments/being ordered to move at the drop of a hat, and being owned by the military. That is a huge reason why I dropped my pilot application with the Marines and am looking at the more family-friendly Air Force. I think those four sum it up for now. Based on your answers I may have some follow-up questions later. Thank you all