GDAL

Seriously, just study and get it done. Now's the time to decide if being an officer is right for you.

It think it also depends on your unit.

Officer recruiters aren't actually officers themselves, just NCOs. Forget the ASVAB. Get in touch with the line officer recruiter and schedule the AFOQT.

Don't enlist unless the jobs you listed above are the ones you can see yourself doing for the duration of your AF career. You may otherwise find yourself in a world of disappointment down the road. If he/she says you're too old to commission now, enlisting will just make things more challenging down the road. IMHO, you're just hearing more verbal diarrhea from a recruiter with a quota. You know what you want, don't take no for an answer.

Why would you enlist with the specific purpose of commissioning? There's no guarantee you'll ever get a commission if you enlist. It will be much easier (especially considering your age) to go the OTS route now.

Apply all you want, but you won't be very competitive interviewing at a fighter squadron without at least a PPL.

My FC1 was scheduled 2 months after swearing in and the wait was 2 months...4 months total. I had already been to MEPS prior to swearing in. In theory you should be able to schedule your FC1 as soon as you swear in, but that's not the reality in most cases.

Straight from the AF website: You must be between 18 and 39 years of age be a U.S. citizen have at least a bachelor's degree.

Why not commission?

Your stats are stellar, bro. It definitely depends on the unit, though. I have interviewed alongside several ABMs that required an ETP, so the opportunity is there.

The pipeline is full. My wait from hire to FC1 is exactly 4 months.

Being a pilot isn't all banging chicks and pulling g's. Your career path is just as solid, reconcile with yourself and move on.

Thanks for being such a great resource for the community.

@stuckindayton is the expert on this topic, but I do not believe there exists a waiver for refractive error outside of -4.50 for FCIA. Check out the USAFSAM Waiver Guide for more details. I would suggest getting a second opinion regarding refractive surgery.

See you at Wright Patt on the 19th!

^^^

Guard / non prior Interview/hired Sep 2017 Swear in Oct 2017 FC1 Feb 2018

I guess I'm doing all the legwork, but I finally got a hold of my recruiter and got my MEPS paperwork to send the USAFSAM. Thanks for the words!

The e-mail for my FC1 appointment says I need to send them a copy of my military entrance physical within 5 days of receiving the notification. Has anyone else had to acquire their copy of their MEPS physical and e-mail it to Wright Patt? I am having a hard time getting a copy of it, haven't heard anything from my recruiter or my training manager.

Again, you need to finish your PPL and actually STUDY AFOQT prep books. Then retake the test. I'm not bashing on AD, it's all about lifestyle choices. But the general consensus is that ANG/AFRES > AD. You need to ask yourself what you want out of life. Would you like to have a full time commitment of 10 years in AD taking whatever is thrown at you (could be awesome, could be...not), or would you rather keep some semblance of a normal life and fly for the guard/reserve? The only catch is that you will need to be employable in the civilian world for most guard/reserve jobs, since they are typically part time after seasoning.

GPA is competitive + STEM degree. You're good there, just don't let it fall. No, your volunteer stats are sufficient. You should aim to get a PPL at the very least and as many hours as financially possible. If you can afford to keep flying after PPL, get your instrument rating. So that's the good. Your AFOQT is sub par. Find a highly rated AFOQT study book on Amazon. Shouldn't be too hard, you're a data scientist, no? Formulate a study plan, take the test over and over again. Timed. However, I wouldn't take the AFOQT until after you take your PPL written. It will help your pilot score tremendously. And then take the TBAS. I'm not even going to comment as to why you'd consider active duty over ANG / AFRES. To each their own, but who wouldn't want to be able to pick their airframe and their base?

Let me google that for you.

No worries. I'm just another dude in your same situation. I have a 2.5 hour drive and I show up every drill. You should swear in ASAP and then you'll get paid to show up to drill (probably as an E3) and get free lodging. Just make sure you're on the Student Flight Roster before you make the drive. PM me if you have any questions.

Dude...you got hired. Friggin' show up to drill and get your shit done. The guys hired in on my board who aren't willing to commute aren't nearly as far along in the process because they don't show up to drill. It's all about face time with the right people.

...the hell?