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I was a flt/cc is a squadron that was half enlisted aircrew. The amount of young kids that failed PT tests was surprising. Many of them were pretty thin dudes that I would have thought wouldn’t have had issues. They just didn’t care or didn’t want to put the effort into physical training. On another note, a got a brief last week from a new program AFSOC/SOCOM is standing up later this year. It’s going to be a staff of physical trainers, physical therapists, dietitians, dedicated to only aircrew. They are suppose to have their own gym, and biometric equipment for analysis of improvements. Any aircrew on base can walk in and get help, and their services are suppose to be oriented to help aircrew better operate in their crew position. Having back issues being in the seat? Expect them to help get you on a training program to strengthen back muscles and focus on making it more comfortable. They were getting fam rides on the jets to become more familiar with our operating environment to better help us. I walked in late but it sounded pretty awesome. It’s based off what the Army/Navy have for their spec ops teams, and the money is from SOCOM, so for now it’s only going to be a AFSOC thing.

Last number I heard was 46.7% take rate across the board with two weeks to go. My strategy of promotion via attrition is on track.

AD: Ramstein Little Rock Yokota Dyess ANG: pick a state. Pick any state ARC: you get the gist Fly Herks instead

some Sandhill Crane at Dogface just felt a feather on it's neck stand up, uncommanded no less

In this case: log in to mypers select the reserve officer tab select promotion on left find the pdf (3rd down or so)

No, it's no longer a thing. The bomber cap is long gone. That said, there's plenty of T-38 tracked guys making the transition to the Reserves. T-1 tracked guys are still largely being steered to T-6s and T-1s. Also remember, active Duty is sending 11Ms (et al) who were 38 tracked in phase III, so saying 11Ms are now the lion's share of the 38 UPT cadre is an unnuanced take on this manning shift. Not saying they couldn't at some point just chuck people into 38 IP UPT billets without having flown the airplane as students, but as of right now that's not the majority case. As to the Reserves, we are not undermanned in T-38s. CBM is broke and on their ass, so the manning is masked by that since there's not much metal to turn on the 38 side. Active Duty is getting creative and you guys will hear some more about it in the coming month but I'll keep that close to the vest for now. Our (AFRC 38s) footprint is the smallest within the realm of the 340th, IFF exempted. Our IFF inputs are probably the the worst manned overall based on airline projections and people's unwillingness to do that job past a certain age, but they are holding steady on the requirement for IFF graduates only. DLF would probably be the worst, and I don't know how bad it is currently. I know it's not as bad as it was when I went in as a T-6 guy in the tail end of the Lost Decade. People are posturing for the upcoming recession, so things will get quickly snatched up the second the airlines stop hiring for a bit and people panic back to Uncle Sugar. Mark my words (only been doing this shit for 13 years, BWTFDIK). 100% chance of not getting what you don't ask for though. Good luck.

What if he said Pro Pilot pay should be $300k/year? He can't make that happen, but apparently it would make a lot of folks feel better. As I slowly disconnect from my past life, I still chime in here because I like Base Ops. But it will be the same complaining as when I was a junior Captain, to senior Captain, and now a few years post separation... and people are still complaining about the same stuff. The time is ripe to get out. But as I said above, don't stay with the girl hoping she'll come around in the next 1-4 years... it ain't happening.

This. For those who lament the fact that AF management (and your elected politicians) don’t care about the impact of a pilot retention crisis on national security and the likely potential for an increase in deaths/mishaps... well, it’s because they really don’t care. We won’t lose wars against near-peers because we won’t get into them, just approach them enough to scare folks into more spending. That’s by design. If a few dozen pilots mort because of abbreviated/inadequate training, well, America at large doesn’t care. It’s not about winning wars or providing national security, at least not as the primary goal. You’re but a peon in the massive jobs program that is the Defense Industrial Complex, too big to fail. As others have said... once you understand that the purpose of the Department of Defense is to spend taxpayer money, everything starts to make sense. Life is far, far better with active duty AF in the rear view mirror.

Am I the only one that sees a disconnect? I’ve been aircrew, then Intel, and now Cyber, so I get both sides. If you fix, load, AND fly the jet, then you truly are worth more than everybody else. But keep in mind that Snuffy May have spent his shift getting your jet code 1. You end by saying that leadership needs to value your people and their mission. That applies to non bag wearers too. i know who the audience is here but you guys occasionally act like you’re singing “Cus I’m a Pilot” by Dos Gringos And taking it seriously. standing by for return fire...

Agreed... reworking of Goldwater-Nichols to put force providers on parity with COCOMs would be good. AFCongressman still lurking around this board?

Put a ton of effort into learning instruments correctly from the start. Don’t get through the phase and dump the knowledge. That solid foundation will pay off whether you’re flying an Eagle back into Lakenheath or a tanker landing in a sandstorm.

Not to be a jerk, but you’ll need to consider retaking the AFOQT. Majority of competitive fighter applicants have 90s across the board, not just in the Pilot category.

Take advantage of those programs and don’t try to rub some dirt on it and get back out there. I’ve got constant neck and back pain that has gotten significantly better by talking to the people mentioned above. At Hurlburt, it was the same guys that work with the STS folks and they helped me a good bit. It was simple stuff to help strengthen certain muscles and get others into balance. It’s worth it.

That's the first intelligent fitness-related development I've seen from the USAF since 1991. As a fighter back-injury-sufferer, I could've used a little of that rather than "take some Motrin and get on the flying schedule next week".

Push-ups, pull-ups, 1.5 run, waist. And they really believe this test accurately tells them anything about what physical condition someone is in? As a business practice, is the investment in dollars and resources worth the data we get from the "fitness program"? A month before I turned 50, I did my mandatory PT test with one of my best friends, who was 47. Of the other 7 in your PT group, one was early 30's, and the other 6 were early 20's. Me and my artificial hip came across the finish line at 10:16 with Brad about 20" behind me. We stood there and heckled the other 7 with shouts of "old guys rule!" Most of them were sucking wind. I lapped one of them twice. While this is only one indicator, it was obvious that these kids in their early 20's were lethargic. But was anything productive done with this data now that they were identified? Or was the time away from work, and the money spent on the salary for the full-time civilian monitor with the expensive AED heart-attack-restart box worth it? I appears to be such a monumental circle-jerk that we simply couldn't improve during my 28 years in.

I guess I was the bottom ~25% of my year group according to the Air Force. Maybe I should start working like the shit bag Big Blue believes I am. Come in late, two hour lunch, gym at about 2, go home after the gym...

AF: “We have a massive pilot shortage! They’re leaving in droves. We need more money to fix this.” Congress: “You’re not getting more money, and It’s beginning to sound like you’ve been mismanaging your organization...” AF: “Actually, we just fixed everything. We’re good now.”

Oh awesome. Not a year after the push to have squadron PTLs administer tests. We trust evaluators in the squadron to administer checkrides to aviators in a job that can kill people if not done right, but we don’t trust them to administer PT tests. This is what happens when you let nonners (AFSC neutral term to me) run the Air Force.

Ask your wife. She's the one that'll live there.

Oh man I want to rant and rave so badly about the PT test but I think about about the 9 or 10 year point you just lose the will for it anymore. The AF is not serious about building healthier airmen. What's the point in trying to get them to realize how to make it better.

That was my strategy too...

Thanks for the reply. I'm looking out on all fighters websites and contacting them to visit. I'm not letting anything get past me and hoping to put my best foot forward for each and every unit. I've already taken it twice so I've exhausted that option. It is really risky because even if I took it again I'm never guaranteed that I would score higher. I've been told my PCSM, pilot, and GPA can thrust me through my other bad scores on the AFOQT. I just want to show up humble and ready to explain I'm ready to learn anything and everything and give it my best. My lower scores certainly don't define me as a person, I just hope I'm able to explain it well enough to get an interview!

Thanks for the advice. I wouldn't be applying to Louisiana just because the location is not nice but I do completely understand that in my circumstances I cannot be picky. I am actually considering the active duty route now because of this uphill battle. Maybe it would behoove me to grind it out in UPT and secure the fighter slot instead of the guard as of right now. Transfer back into guard or reserves when I have more experience. I'm afraid you may be right. Although fighters was a lifelong dream of mine, I might have to consider that I have a different calling. TBH there are other really cool platforms that aren't fighters as well. I'm going to seriously consider all of this and weigh my options. Thanks for the advice everyone!

Looks like there are hurt feelings on here. It's an opinion, I don't want to live in the south.