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Hey man keep it down, I don’t wanna have to compete with 200+ people on heavies too! 😂

I would 100% have a plan B. The circuit is crazy this year, with fighter units getting 200+ applicants for 1-2 spots. You literally have a 1-2/200 or 00.5% - 01% chance of getting a guard fighter slot. Than even if you do get a interview, you will have to spend around $800 on flights, hotel, food, car rental, etc out of your own pocket. And even then they interview 15 guys and pick 1 or 2. If it takes you 12 interviews to get a spot, then 12x$800 and you are talking big $$$$. And that’s not counting all of the flight time you need to buy. You can go active duty, but it is possible that you can get a class with no fighter drops (although not likely). There is a good chance you will end up flying a C-17 active duty when u could have done it in the guard/reserve with a much better quality of life (and more $$$ from the airlines). You can also go navy or marine, but you might get a helicopter or osprey or c-130. Morale of the story is don’t pass up a great guard/reserve flying career flying heavies or something cool because you are chasing something that probably won’t happen. Try for fighters at first and give it 100%, but don’t ruin a great plan B because you chased a job with a 00.5% chance of getting hired. You have to be optimistic but also realistic as well.

Sure? But if only the top .5% can become fighter pilots, then statistically speaking, we all can't be fighter pilots.

I flew with the Bats at a couple exercises during that time. Nothing in that article was particularly surprising. The sad thing is that the USAF isn't far behind. I experienced the same shift-swap shenanigans at PACAF (mostly Korea-centric) exercises. One led to the scariest landing I've done (at 5 am/night/IMC/trail ILS) and the other we called KIO at step. I have yet to receive any backlash for KIOing a sortie on the ground, but I know way too many young guys that don't think they have the right to call it. For any of the younger guys listening, you can call KIO. I've done it 3-4 times in my career and have only received "thank-you," "good call," or a non-chalant "ok, cool."

It seems that some ppl here think if you even remotely understand the possibility that you won't get fighters then you have the "wrong attitude". Lol. Let's just all go in with blind optimism shall we?

**Update** AFOQT/TBAS: July/Aug. 2018 Sponsored: Sept. 2018 MEPS: Jan. 2019 MFS/FC1: April 2019 AFRC Sponsored Board (submitted): May 2019 AFRC Board Results (hired/acquired): June 2019 OTS: Jan. 2020 UPT: April 2020 - May 2021

I think this is comparable to the old initial solo, but keep in mind the legacy initial solo was a 0.3 sortie of 2, maybe 3 normal landings. And you were only cleared for that after you demonstrated the fact that you wouldn’t kill yourself to an IP in the same aircraft in the same exact conditions. You wouldn’t even get out of the plane. The IP would hop out, shake your hand, and watch you taxi back out. Now the initial solo is closer to the area solo of yesteryear.

The PTDY is not authorized for voluntary separation. Only “for a pre-separation or retirement relocation activity such as job or residence search and is eligible under AFI 36-3009, Airman and Family Readiness Centers, as a: (1) Voluntary separation incentive separatee. (2) Special separation benefits separatee. (3) Involuntary separatee (including “for cause” separatees eligible under AFI 36-3009). (4) Retiree” Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile app

Uhh don't the clouds from the contrails block some of the heat from the sun?

Yes, you continue to accrue 2.5 days/month while on leave. 21 days permissive (Cc’s discretion) for job hunting as well. You also accrue leave during those 21 days.

Indeed. After dozens of interviews and 3 years of struggling financially and even hiding in grad school for a while, I was supposedly "getting close" (drug of choice if there ever was one), but finally gave up on the fighter thing when the little money I had ran out. I needed to eat, and was already 3-4 years behind my phantom AD YG peers in getting the TAFSD clock going. Didn't seem like a big deal then, but now I'm kicking myself being 7 years to the finish line when I could be 3. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs: can't love what you say you do when you're hungry and broke first. And that was relatively easier to negotiate in that I had no dependents back then. Nowadays, forget it. So I took the first unit that would send me to UPT pronto and never looked back. To be clear, I don't regret not having gone AD, but I gave up a not insignificant amount of time in the holding pattern, which has affected me financially. Granted, the Lost Decade was in full swing, so I was going nowhere fast in the Bush II economy anyways, but the point remains. In the end, I low-crawled my way into a flying job I felt more suited and content with than the one that got me into the military, so it all worked out. Took about 8 years but that's life. Consolation prizes don't have to always be a pejorative. I certainly don't think so. I sleep well at night. Good luck!

Hate to admit it but you are right. We always hear the advice "just keep going and you'll get picked up! It took me 50 fighter interviews with 30 alternates before I got picked up, you can do it too!" That's not realistic for everyone and people need to realize that.

Just to help with a dose of reality. Persistency is indeed a very good trait to have. But we've all met many great dudes who have interviewed countless times and did not get the fighter slot they wanted originally. But they did still end up flying in the end. And thats what we're all here for. To fly and serve.

To piggyback on that, I have met 2 pilots who told me they interviewed EIGHT times before getting hired. Just don't stop till you get there.

Caliber has a retail side and a wholesale side...we work with them on the wholesale side which is how our pricing is so much better than their retail operation. Same company servicing the loan but you get two different experiences and pricing. Quicken is the same way. We used to work with Quicken but they are terrible. Thank you! Glad we finally got to work together. I'm always to first to tell people to use the preferred lender with new construction if the closing cost incentives are tied to using them and we can't match them. It's a crappy game builders and preferred lenders play but money is money. Jon

Ended up going on the deployment. Got back and min ran anything office related. Flew as much as I could to make up the hours I missed out on and now I am retired. Missing out on 6 months of IP time certainly has hurt my chances at flying for a major however I have a pretty good job lined up. Check of the month club is a good thing!

Am curious as why you went from A-10s or pointy noses to 135?