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Bobert

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Posts posted by Bobert

  1. 25 minutes ago, ihtfp06 said:


    Again, no need. There’s no formal release and as long as you’re not the dumbest motherfvcker in your class (which I’m guessing you’re not since you have the SA to ask the question) you won’t be the dipshit keeping everybody else in Blues.


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    How recent is your info? I heard formal release is alive and well. Not sure who's correct since it's coming from the casual guys. I'm done with IFT so I figured it wouldn't hurt to passively read it so that by the time I get there it sticks.

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  2. The IFT brief says that training should cover roughly 80% of the PPL requirements. Does your $2k - $2.5k cover that remaining 20%? Or is your estimate for the CSO and UPT pilots who only go to IFT for roughly a month? The URT trainees end up flying more than anyone else in IFT and I'm trying to plan in advance to cover costs and see if its worth getting right after

  3. 3 minutes ago, B.L said:

     

    Honestly dude. Just go to UPT, focus on that flying, finish that up and get your commercial rating. That’s a lot cheaper and better overall rating. Just need to take a test from a local place.

     

    Should've specified. I'm in the URT track for RPA pilot. Although UPT can happen because our unit has manned platforms, more than likely I'll stay URT.

  4. 8 minutes ago, nsplayr said:

    I was hired to become an MQ-9 pilot last August so I'll speak to my experience & the particulars of my unit as I understand them. Ask your local unit of interest for better specifics:

    - Day to day: A version of the Panama schedule, 3x 8-hour shifts, not in the seat for all 8 hours

    - Flying min: 5 sorties a month plus drill minimum for DSGs

    - Deployments: No deployments unless you volunteer for LRE

    - Timeline: I would estimate at least 1 year if not slightly more to go from enlisted to fully mission-qual'd RPA pilot, between AMS, URT, IQT and MQT

    - Age: I was told 35 is the new age waiver limit, with waivers being automatically approved up to that age rather than having to staff paperwork. I can positively confirm that 32 is not a limit since myself and one other guy hired at the same time are > 32 and haven't begun training yet. Cavet - we're both current flying officers (CSOs) so YMMV if you're coming in as an E.

    Also note that I was hired in August and haven't started training yet, so there may be a pretty significant lag time between getting hired and even starting that 1+ year process. Luck & timing, the true Gods of the Air Force. I've had a lot of luck, timing not so much...

    The main reason I left AD was the endless carousel of deployments with no end in sight. I love helping the good guys on the ground and killing the bad guys, but I'd "been there, done that, gotten the t-shirt" for living in a tent more than a few times. RPA lets me do the mission I love and still sleep in my own bed, so if that's what you're looking for, RPA ops offer some unique advantages over a manned platform.

    Hope this helps, good luck!

    Exactly the type of info I was looking for. Thanks nsplayr.

    Are you in a full-time slot? Just curious because you said they had you on a shift schedule. Does being an RPA pilot play nice with your civ job?

    I support the LRE on-call right now as a commo, but I'm glad it will actually be voluntary in the ANG. I've worked in the various SOF and OGA's over the past few years and have gotten enough T-shirts as you said. Was directly supporting the manned platforms this recent trip and enjoy the mission but not the time away. I'm guessing quals like SERE, HAP chamber, jumper, etc mean nothing in the way of accelerating training in the RPA world since you aren't physically there?

  5. Just now, nsplayr said:

    The ANG age waiver process for RPA pilots has recently been revised to allow for older candidates with less paperwork. Something something "pilot retention crisis," guess Big Blue is finally being forced to pump the brakes on bureaucracy at least a little bit.

    To @Bobert, reach out to an RPA unit you're interested in joining and ask them those questions. Many of the answers will be, "It depends." A lot depends on the unit, their manning, how many CAPs they fly, local policies and scheduling schemes, etc.

    I have, and their recruiter is working to get that info. Just wanted to have a better idea if the tempo is what i'm looking for before taking too much of their time and asking a million questions only to say, nah sorry...not for me. Age limit (as I was informed today) is 32 to begin training. I was told that they were backlogged and training could easily take 2 years to complete.

  6. Didn't find anything about this specifically.

    What is the life of an RPA pilot in the guard like?  Day to day life? How many days per month? What is the deployment tempo and do you have to deploy or can you do the job without leaving CONUS? How much time can you expect to spend getting initially spun up coming from enlisted on AD? After a decade on AD and half of that having been deployed, I'm looking to see if it's possible to keep going, but on more of my terms. 

  7. With most of this info several years old and pre dating our efforts on fighting ISIS on a larger scale, I'm wondering if the tempo of flying when you want and deploying only if you want to remains? Considering leaving AD and trying to become a pilot. Not sure on the air frame or location but leaning toward heavies.

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