Q & A Forum

For those of you who have experience with intercepts, I am very curious to know what the process and rules are at any given time when being intercepted or intercepting. Obviously is a very fluid situation, but I would think there is a general guideline to follow. Recently there seems to be more media coverage on intercepts (which I am sure is a very small amount to how many there really are), but I think it is a fascinating action. Also, thank you for your service and keeping us safe!!! RT

Hi All, Have some questions regarding pilot slots for the ANG/AFR. Up until this point, I was looking to go AD for a pilot slot if I was picked up through a rated board however; I have decided Reserves/Guard may be better suited for me....mostly that I get to choose which airframe to fly. I just do not know where to start. I am currently 27 and retesting on the AFOQT Aug 4th for a higher score. My plan was to then work with the line office recruiter to prep my package for the next rated board, which I believe is this fall. For the Guard/Reserves, what do I need to do after taking my AFOQT and getting good scores? Do I then need to find another recruiter or is it…

I am currently attending one of the flying trainings but unfortunately do not see myself being able to to finish. I have one more assessment and if I fail I completely wash out of the training. I have a couple questions about what the reclass process looks like. Background: I am a 1st Lt that started his career in acquisitions. To be completely clear I do not want to go back. I would much rather gain experience leading airman and the 63A career field just doesn't provide that because it is very civilian heavy. I saw the list of "air force needs" and I feel like I would THRIVE in Security Force, Force Support, Logistics or Finance. My questions are: 1. Will I be forc…

I am a permanent resident in the U.S. and a junior in college. I will be applying for U.S. citizenship in summer 2020 as that is when my time required for naturalization becomes fulfilled. Once I become a U.S. citizen, I plan on going through OTS for commission and becoming a pilot in the USAF. I have heard that background check on an individual who has spent a significant time abroad can take much longer and could result in rejection at the end. I had moved back and forth between here and South Korea until high school, which was when I permanently moved to here. Could someone please elaborate on this information about background check on recently na…

Hey guys, I know almost nothing about GoPros. I've just started looking into one to record some 38 flights and whatever my next plane is. Any recommendations on which one to get? Thanks.

I have a quick question about flying for the regionals before joining the Air Force Reserves. I am coming out of the University of North Dakota as a CFII here pretty soon and the regionals are offering some pretty healthy sign-on bonuses and pay packages as well as cadet programs. Looks tasty to me, but I have always wanted to go the Air Force Reserves route. That's my main career goal is to become a heavy guy in the Reserves. Would it be a bad move to get my feet wet in the regionals as a line pilot before applying to the Air Force Reserves and going through UPT? Do units look unfavorably upon regional pilots? I talked with a reserve pilot and h…

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?

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

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?

So far my wavier has been processing for 6 months. Has anyone else done this? Have any insight on why it has taken so long ? (IFC1) Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Hi, I'm applying for both active duty and guard/reserve (OTS and hopefully UPT) to maximize my chances of a pilot slot. But I'm a little confused on how it works when taking on both routes at once. It's important to note that I'll be 32 years old in September so I'm really trying to get a lot done at once. I took the AFOQT through active duty (99 pilot) . My recruiter scheduled it for me at a MEPS station. Now I'm ready for the TBAS. And the Medical. He can schedule the TBAS for me, at the earliest, for mid July. He told me that I'm kind of "locked" to the MEPS station I took the AFOQT at and he wouldn't be able to relocate me to another one without a lot o…

Hey guys, a civilian here just a asking a question regarding security clearances. I would like to join an ANG unit but I have some concerns regarding the security clearance process. I married my wife who is from Ukraine about 3 years ago. We started the process right away for naturalization and residency, and we are almost at the end of the process. The question is should we wait until she is a permanent resident, until she's a citizen, or is it completely out of the question? Thanks

Ladies and Gents, I'm currently active duty USAF. I'm doing my level best to earn a pilot slot. I'm not keeping my eggs all in one basket. I'm looking at active USAF as well as ANG/AFRES. I'm also looking at the USMC. I haven't heard a whole lot from the USN. I'm studying Aeronautics at ERAU and my grad date is April 2019. That would put me at 30. Before graduating, I'm looking at going to ground school as well as getting at least 10 flight hours under my belt to improve my PCSM score. This is the dream. All that being said, I could potentially transfer to another university that will potentially put my grad date in April/May 2018. But, haven't hear…

All, For all of us Army Helo drivers that are planning on making the transition over to the "dark side", do you know if our SERE-C and/or Dunker quals make us "SERE and/or Water survival bypasses" when we attend SUPT?

Looking for some info on being a sim instructor in San Antonio. T-6 or T-38, typical schedule, compensation etc. Thanks in advance.

Is there still a T-1 sim only (no t-6 phase) UPT syllabus? if there is, is it only for high civilian time pilots? Been to a lot of air force training programs, a short UPT would be nice I will be going reserve heavies if that helps.

I've found my way to the '15 military pay tables, figure '16 won't be much different. The basic pay is straightforward but how do the allowances work? If I'm single/no dependent do I only get BAH if I manage to get off-base housing in UPT? What's the subsistence allowance? Finally, does all this get taxed normally or are some parts exempt? Thanks!

Hey guys, I am in a precarious situation, I have the ability to take the AFOQT and the TBAS here in Europe before I redeploy and at the same time, meet the some hiring board deadlines for units. the test dates are 21 and 25JUN. I have not really studied and I don't want to get a bad score to hurt my chances later, in addition to that, I don't know how I can study for the TBAS, as I understand it's more of the motorskills test. I'm also sitting at just shy of 800 hours so I am not worried as much about the stick wiggling part. what do you guys recommend?

As a student, are you restricted to living on the temporary lodging facilities (no dependents...besides a dog)?

Are people still going through the U-2 pipeline, I want to know how feasible it is to pursue this or should I wait on if they have a replacement or pursue another airframe similar to it?

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 …

Hello All! This is my first post; please be gentle. I’ve been lurking here and at the AirForceOTS forums looking for a line on academics to study prior to UPT. From what I understand, you can go in without much prior knowledge and be fine. However, if there was ever a time you said to yourself, “Yeah if I had been habitually bored in the months leading up to OTS/IFT/UPT, I wish I would have learned more about ‘X’.” I would appreciate that insight! For example, this BaseOps link talks about academics covering aerospace physiology: Would reading the Handbook of Operational and Aerospace Physiology (that I rapid googled after I read th…

Good afternoon all, Does anyone know how backed-up it is to start training at each of the Pilot bases. I've heard from a friend that an individual who got picked up on last AD board is still waiting to start at her previous base (Cross Training). Thanks in advance. -Mike

I'm just curious... When I went to UPT, we did a winging ceremony on Friday in the base theater with family, and a mess dress dinner at the Club. It was a large time. I've heard that has changed quite a bit. What is being done now for UPT graduation? And how did it look 2 years ago before the Wu-Flu changed things?

I have been selected for a UPT slot with an ANG unit. I am trying to make the difficult decision of whether or not to seize this opportunity. In other circumstances I wouldn't hesitate to jump right in and sign the paperwork. However my fiance (together 10 years) is a type 1 diabetic and has numerous health problems. She is still young/healthy enough that she can take care of herself for the most part, but I would like to be there as much as possible for emotional support and she would stay behind if I left to support us financially as an engineer. So my question is how reasonable would it be to expect to fly home on weekends while at UPT. Again I would be in UP…