Stoker

Chair fly every flight ahead of time. Know that even though ELPs aren't in the syllabus anymore, you still need to know how to do an ELP.

Just goes to show that it doesn't hurt to ask.

There's a thing in fiction called suspension of disbelief. Basically, tell us the rules of your world, and then follow them. In Game of Thrones, it's made clear early on that dragons and black magic exists. It was only recently made clear that the pirates had heat seeking scorpion bolts.

PCSing soon, have leave approved for one day after my arrival at my new base. Will I be authorized ten (or, I guess, nine remaining) days of Temporary Lodging Expense after I return? JTR says you can use it "upon arrival," the people handling my admin are telling me the leave disrupts it somehow and renders me ineligible.

Scores are good, be prepared to explain why your quantitative score is low. I think getting your PPL is key, it checks a big box for a lot of squadrons and the extra hours will do a lot for your PCSM. I wouldn't sweat the LORs, I really thinking chasing letters from generals/senators who don't really know you is a waste of time. A letter from the manager at your part time job at 7/11 that says you're a hard worker, dedicated, etc., is gonna be worth a lot more.

Any decent law school won't care that you're in the military, 99% of admission is based on GPA and LSAT. You might have luck with certain schools that offer four year, part time / night classes, as they're more likely to be flexible for you. Top tier schools aren't going to care that you had to deploy, Contracts is only offered in the spring, good day sir.

You might in theory not need an age waiver if you get picked up by a Reserve unit, they've been somewhat quicker lately getting people into the pipeline (I've seen as little as seven months from squadron interview to UPT, and I think they're continuing to shorten the wait). You will likely get an interview with any heavy squadron you apply to. My guess is that fighter squadrons are a long shot, they're loathe to do waivers and seem to dislike hiring older guys who are, in their experience, less likely to successfully make it through all the required training. I wouldn't go crazy pursuing more "senior" letters of rec. A captain who knows you well and can speak to you personally is far better than a general who signs a form letter.

Anyone know where the TDART (new hires off seasoning days) will fall? I thought it was supposed to be GS-9, but OPMs tables start at GS-11.

IIRC, there's a legit thing for civilian applicants where the medical system can't handle you processing through applying to more than one component at once. But if you're already in, should be a non-issue. If you're competitive for a Reserve slot, why waste time on a long-shot at AD?

I think both KC-10 squadrons at McGuire do them every six months or so, but it all depends on the need and the budget.

He's not necessarily wrong, he's just 24 hours late... Boeing stock already suffered its dip by the time he posted that. It's the problem with any random individual trying to pick stocks based on not-really-inside information... by the time you make a purchase, you're far behind the guys with special computer systems designed to reduce delays by a few milliseconds who do this for a living.

She is running for office, though, in a state she just lost, against a much better candidate than she lost against. Her story on this incident is going to be extremely powerful ammunition for her.

I'd probably wear a pair of khakis and a button down shirt or polo. Not too casual, not to formal (unless it's a meet-and-greet as part of an interview, definitely wear a suit for the interview). Some people bring a bottle of liquor as a gift / compensation for putting up with your questions all day. Seems to be more of a thing in fighter squadrons, and definitely not mandatory or even beneficial in all cases.

If you look up the actual job posting on USAJOBs (https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/516960200), under the qualifications section, it says UPT grad gets you GS-9, 300 flight hours in MDS gets you GS-11, 750 gets you GS-12. I'm not sure if that means you have to have that number of hours in your actual aircraft, because just below that it says student pilot and simulator hours are creditable. I got hired by a Reserve unit right around the time that 5 year ART contract thing popped up, as far as I know it went away, at least I haven't heard anything about it.

You're correct re: Reserves and living in the dorms, I'm collecting BAH for where my wife is while living in the dorms (without any BAH deduction). You'll get Vance BAH from Day 1, and in a month or three you'll start getting BAH for wherever your family is, plus the difference retroactively.

Correct. You'll have a brief meeting with a flight med doc, and you'll have an eye exam that's slightly more involved than what you'd get from a visit to a civilian optometrist.

I always wonder if it isn't awkward unloading and storing (or loading and donning) a firearm in public. Seems like not something I'd want to be doing out of my trunk right outside the base gate.

It's definitely possible for a Reservist to FAIP, one prior Nav did it a little while ago. He was unsponsored and wanted to stick around, apparently.

Yeah, you should be an easy pickup for any Reserve heavy squadron. What FDNY said about it being quicker for the Reserves than Guard is true.

It definitely depends. You'll get more familiar with standups at IFT... but that's probably not something you want to waste a month of your life to learn, when plenty of people figure it out at UPT with little problem. If I was within a few hours of finishing my private, I'd get it, because not having to go to IFT will save you MONTHS of your life (sitting at UPT base waiting for IFT, IFT itself, sitting at your UPT base after getting back waiting for class to start). If money is tight or you're more than a dozen hours away, I'd probably hold off.

Traditional drop nights have already started to go away from what I can tell. They're mixing and mingling classes together, whoever is close to dropping based on their place in the syllabus. Not sure if that's how it always was. 19-08 is the last official "class" at KCBM, should be dropping sometime around February.

Just a little joke, when I was applying it seemed like they posted a call for applications every month or two, and they were just about the only heavy squadron I never heard back from.

You're likely in striking distance for fighters, finish your PPL and you'll likely be able to land some interviews provided you show up to the meet-and-greets and mesh well. But you'll be among the less well qualified candidates, at least on paper. Not insurmountable though, and potentially worth spending six months or so chasing that dream before switching to applying to heavies. Get your PPL and you should get a call back from any heavy squadron you apply to (except McDill).

Competition for UPT slots with the Guard and Reserve is pretty minimal right now, people are getting hired by bomber squadrons with ~20 flight hours and a degree in zoology. But if you're set on fighters, a PPL is almost mandatory to be considered by them.

As far as I can tell, the FACT isn't pass-fail anymore. We still took it, and maybe because I'm auto T-1 tracked (Reserve) I missed the memo, but I didn't hear of anyone "failing" or not being allowed to track -38s. Maybe it's behind the scenes consideration for track select?