Q & A Forum

So I am trying to submit a waiver to retake the AFOQT a third time to improve my AFOQT Pilot/PCSM score. The main acceptance criteria for a third retake I am trying to leverage is having "significant flying time" as stated in the AFMAN. I have 23 flight hours since I last took the AFOQT and was curious if anybody has any success with getting this waiver to retake approved. Any insight is appreciated.

I will try to keep this short. I set out my goal to become a fighter pilot in the air guard/reservers no matter what. For me this sounds like a dream career with high rewards and no disadvantages. But what really flipped a switch in my head is this very meaningful conversation I had with an old Marine. It all came down to "Speed, guns, and bombs are all cool but are you ready to kill people?". I didn't really think that part through. I was always focused on the path to get in the seat of jet and even though it seemed nearly impossible, I knew I would have a lot of fun even if I were to fail in the end. But now I thought what if I actually make it through. Ultima…

Don't have any idea of when or where I'll end up for UPT. Assuming there is a lake nearby with the right season, would we have time on the weekends to use the wakeboat? Dumb idea? Fun? Thoughts?

Initially I had just intended on applying to my local AFR unit but have since found an ANG unit I am hoping to apply to. I have only been talking to the AF recruiter and was wondering if I also needed to get in contact with the ANG recruiter. I have the AFOQT and the TBAS completed already. Also, all of my LORs reference the Air Force Reserve and not the Air Guard. Should I ask my references for separate letters?

Back in UPT, I had a Reserve IP tell me that there was a deal where AFRC gives you up to 5 years of orders that you can go on and off. I found it after the conversation but now can’t find the info. Anyone know anything about this?

Is it frowned upon to apply to Guard units in a state you do not live in? I am really interested in a unit across the country but have never lived in that state. I would love to move there at some point, but I am hoping to apply to its upcoming board. Thanks!

Prior service USMC applying to ANG/Reserve boards, and I am now trying to determine the most equivalent document(s) for the USAF Report on Individual Personnel (RIP). Would anyone mind giving me a quick overview of what information is captured in a RIP? Bonus points if someone who speaks Marine and can translate. Thanks. S/F

I'm only 16, so there's still time for this to change, but I'm 5'3". I come from a Southeast-Asian family so I'm considerably shorter than most, but my dream has always been to become a Warthog pilot. Even with the old height requirements being sacked, I've read that there is no chance of hobbits like me taking the ejection seat/fighter track at all due to the way the seats are manufactured, and not even a waiver can save me. Is all hope gone?

I am an Army CW2 UH-60 Blackhawk Instructor Pilot. I am a few years out from my service obligation expiring and am in the search for a career shift at that time. I am curious if it is possible to transfer to the air force to fly rotary wing. I am wanting to stay on active duty and fly black hawks rather than seek a guard/tech position. I am UH-60 A/L/M qualified, over 1000 hours of rotary wing time, and previously commissioned in the Army through ROTC. Does anyone have experience or know someone that does in this process? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I’m sure I’ll get backlash for this, but has anyone gotten a vasectomy reversal? What procedures did you take, did Tricare cover it, and was it successful? Thanks.

Is it weird or a bad idea to reach out to current pilots in the Air Force Reserves or Air National Guard through LinkedIn to try to network? I’m a CFI with about 400 hours and just had lasik to hopefully be picked up by a unit after the 6 months recovery time is up. I know rushing is huge part of applying to different units, but I’m not sure if that’s really a thing right now. I’m studying really hard to take the AFOQT to get 90s across the board and 99s for pilot/nav. Where I think my application will lack is my LORs and not having any connections. I was searching LinkedIn and there are a lot of pilots on there who are currently with Guard or Reserves. I want to take the…

I'm gonna try to keep this short and simple. (little side note - I know I am shooting for the stars with those 2 highly competitive positions, I am just looking for advice as to where to put my effort and resources) I am on my path to PA school. Throughout my college career I made some serious soul searching and decided that PA would give me the best balance of stability, security, and satisfaction in a career. There's a whole another thesis that I could write as to why I want to pursue medicine, but I think most of our reasons are similar : understanding of the human body, making a difference in people's life, etc. Why do I want to become a military pilot ? I …

Long story short. I've been accepted for CSO for the Active Air Force after being forced to pick it as an alternate choice to Pilot. It's not what I wanted, but it's still an honor to be selected, and I've heard from friends in the Air Force that it's not uncommon to go from CSO to Pilot once you're already in for 3 or 4 years. Problem is I'm currently 28 with 5 years prior enlisted service and I might need an age waiver if I want to switch to pilot. I ALSO have an Active Duty Package in with the Navy. The board is set to meet the 3rd week in May 2020 with the results being released the 4th week. This package is only for pilot. I have a pretty good chance of g…

Howdy all, I am a prior service infantryman finishing undergrad in a STEM field. I would like to commission to continue to serve the taxpayer, but also gain experience relevant to human spaceflight. Ideally, I'd like to find a sponsoring unit to send me to OTS+UPT. Then I would start a PhD program after seasoning and becoming MWS qualified. Some things I am curious about: Is there anyway to become a T-38 FAIP for Reserve/Guard? As a companion trainer for 'X' unit? Could I attend TPS as a civvie flight test engineer, even if I am a rated pilot in ANG/AFRES? Will there ever be an AFRES route to the U-2? NASA has been using another high-alt…

I've been told by a few enlisted vets I know that they have never met a fighter pilot that wasn't a big drinker and all teetotalers end up in Heavies. If I apply to a guard unit and during the interview I tell them I don't drink would that be a deal breaker? For the record I am not against drinking, Jeremiah Weed is my favorite Dos Gringos song, One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer by George Thorogood is one of my all time favorite songs, I love Trailer Park Boys and It's Always Sunny. I'm not super religious I don't drink more due to family issues. A large portion of both sides of my family are alcoholics and live crappy lives. I know I have tendencies addictive and pr…

Haven't gotten an answer on this yet so I'm assuming I was asking too general a question. Just wondering if anyone could comment on my current pros/cons list and tell me if I'm way off base with these or if I'm on the right track. This is just the list I've come up with so far during my research into the two branches. Thanks! USAF -Pros -Large number of well-maintained, fixed wing aircraft -Nice base facilities -Bases in interesting foreign countries -Cons -Could get stuck in a boring base location stateside -Have heard that leadership seems to regard pilots as office worke…

With training it seems to be a 12 year commitment to pilot for the AF. Is it worth it? Is there a healthy balance for family life? Are you able to transition to guard/reserve a few years in?

I'm 28 years old. I've been calling pilots from various units to try and rush them. I've had several lengthy phone conversations which have been great. Being that I am 28 years old, I have been asked by every pilot if I have a fiance or am getting married and starting a family soon. I tell them no and that I have zero kids too. They are always surprised. Today for example I spoke with a pilot from a guard unit on the phone and he said not verbatim. "What does your girlfriend or fiance think you doing this? "I'm single at the moment." "Really?" "What if you get engaged or married before UPT or during." "Not planning on it." He seemed very surp…

Navy fighters to ANG fighters...Navy does swim phys every 4 years. Same for ANG? Navy swim phys carry over to ANG? Helo dunker as well in ANG every 4 years? Thanks.

This is honestly a pretty simple question, however a lot of stuff I've heard on this topic doesn't seem to be credible to me. Are ANG pilots eligible to attend TPS, and if they are how much of an uphill battle is it? Of all the test pilots I know, all of them did it through the AD (however I have a skewed sample of astronauts living right in Clear Lake within Houston). I am just curious to know if this is possible or not. Thanks! -Patrick Krueger

Long story short. I didn't grow up wanting to be a pilot. I didn't go to air shows. As a matter of fact, I have never even seen a jet in real life. I thought the medical field was my calling for longer than I can remember, so all my time and resources went into that. I am now in the second semester of college studying chemical engineering and wish to be a military pilot more than anything. Do I stand a chance with the other aspiring aviators that have been dreaming about this before they could even walk ? There is a whole lot more to the story but I thought it is not helpful to the opinions I am seeking. I have done all the research I could on the process of pilot se…

Navy guy coming up on minimum service requirement. Looking at opportunities outside the Navy. ANG: Active duty, so does that mean retirement pay starting after 20 years? Is part time a thing in ANG ie airline gig and ANG? Or full time AFR: Work a weekend a month basically? Retirement pay kicks in at 60? But full medical after 20? just need confirmation on the basics of each, nothing in depth. Maybe pro con if willing. Thanks for helping

Currently a regional first officer and lately I've thinking about applying to the military. I've always wanted to serve and fly for the military but have never pursued it before. I hear a lot of stories of military guys coming to the airlines, but not too many in the reverse order? I also know the guard/reserve reccomended a lot, however due to my age of 29 I think I missed the window for that. Question I ask is, would it be fullish for me to leave my current airline to become a active duty flight member? I feel my time window is small and I may regret it later down the road if I do not try. Any thoughts/inputs appreciated.

Im one of those unlucky persons who are young, in shape, have excellent hygiene, but smell bad. Before you ask, no this isnt a joke. And yes I have seen several doctors and many doctors have ran multiple tests on me and everything has come back completely normal. Yes I shower, brush/floss my teeth, wear deoderant, and have no cavities. No I cant smell myself but based off of the comments I get I can conclude that ... The odor makes people's eyes water; it makes their airways burn, nauseates them, makes them cough and sneeze, and the odor spreads like a constant gas and has a 15-50ft radius. My roommate has described it to me as rechid and putrid. …

Question on providing the correct # hours to the PCSM folks. The PCSM worksheet requests "instructional and/or pilot in charge private flying hours". The "instructional" here refers to hours where I have been instructed, correct? Not hours where I have instructed someone else? (The latter wouldn't make sense to me as your logbook doesn't track hours where you are instructing someone, and the former does make sense since your logbook tracks ground / flight training received.) Want to confirm so I provide the right figure. Thanks!