POKESC17

I showed up at Charleston, took my flight physical and then walked down to optometry and said I wanted on the contact program. Doc sized me up, gave me some lenses and said I couldn't fly with them until my 30 day checkup. Haven’t looked back sense.

I ran into a situation where a tractor trailer through a tire and it crushed the front of my truck. Trucking company got out of the deal because I could not get a truck or trailer number. Long story short, USAA wanted me to use aftermarket parts and their repair shop. I went and got three estimates (all using OEM parts), made sure the repair shop I wanted was the middle quote and sent them a fax of the quotes. I told them I was using one of these three shops and OEM parts. I got a check two days later. The only problems I had was having the custom paint job fixed.

If I recall the number of hours were not that much different at whiting than at AF UPT bases. It took me a little over 11 months to finish phase I and II and by the time I track selected and was ready to PCS it was over a year. Keep in mind, I did three hurrivacs, had one freak hail storm that downed over three quarters of the fleet, endured a fuel shortage after katrina and just had general bad weather all the way around. It also took me over a month just to complete the aerobatics phase becuase weather would never get above solo mins. If I remember correctly each stud does something like four or five aerobatics solo's and if they don't get up in five days they require a warm up ride before they are allowed to solo. The five day rule also goes across the board for all syllabus flights and the IP's took advantage of the giving studs 86 rides. I think it has a lot more to do with it being a more self paced program to. If you weren't ready, you didn't fly. The sim phase is also seperate from the flying phase. I never flew and had sims at the same time. When you started sims, you did nothing but sims until you were completed with that block of training, then you would go back to the flightline. There might have been some more navigation sorties since the formation portion was so short but nothing major. Looking back over my log book I had some months were I flew only twice in a month but the average seems to be around six. The most I had in a month was 13. You can also add another three to six weeks of time into the mix becuase after you finish the six weeks of phase 1, you will sit at whiting for one to three weeks (actually knew a few that sat longer than that) waiting to class up then you will under go another three or four weeks of T-34 specific academics and then start EP sims after that. Thats not really the syllabus for T-6's you asked for but you can start to see why it takes longer with the Navy.

recently started wearing Oakley Flack Jackets. No complaints. Pretty comfortable under headsets but anything will hurt after having headsets on for 10+. As for UPT. I always wore oakley wires and not once did anyone say anything to me. It's kind of hard for someone to tell you you're supposed to be wearing only AF issued sunglasses when they are sporting oakley's.

I like how he mentions XL getting the B model T-6 early next year.

+2 on "Flying Through Midnight" if you can handle the flash backs and flash forwards, and a few things that he claims are a little hard to believe; but overall a pretty good book

If I remember right its FAA. I seem to recall a now retired Major at Vance that was attached to them and flew out of OKC.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that a C-17 coming into the AOR is as intense as anything a helo or hog does, and I have nothing but the utmost respect and at times awe for the guys and gals that hang around down that low all day , and you are right. What we do for the most part is a lot more laid back, but what you laugh at for our approaches and departures is one of our main means of self defense and the less time spent in the WEZ the better, and that goes for any airframe. All I'm saying is that the reg is written in a way that all that is required is 20 missions in three specific air spaces for an AM and everything else is an AAM. Right or wrong is again a matter of opinion and a decision that is made at a pay grade a hell of lot higher than mine. I for one could care less if I get a combat action medal, Iraqi/Afhgan campaign medal or even AM/AAM for that matter. I do care that the E's in my Sq get the medals that were earned so if i'm going to write the packages for them then I have to put the O's in as well. I guess we're back to the fact that if someone is sore that a certain airframe is getting more AM/AAM than theirs, then it is self induced.

Each squadron obviously does it differently. I work in Sq awards and decs and our crews don't track or write their own AM or AAM. Someone long before me made a database that all sq missions are logged into and it tells us when someone has enough points to earn either. It then merges the data into the Form 1 and 3994 and all thats needed is a quick QC and the citation (which for the most part is canned, just add significant event) and off it goes for signatures. I personally think that if you flew 20 missions in the box then you earned it no matter what your job is. Yes it is our job and yes some of the significant events that get used are but earning the medal is based on the number of missions you fly, not the type of mission you fly. That falls under the single event Air Medal or a DFC. Whether that is right or wrong is subject to opinion but that is the way it's written. like it was stated before it's the AC's job to take care of the crew. Our sq just took it one step further to make sure people get recognized.

P-38 A-1 Skyraider THUD

Have the Vance LS guys call Altus LS. That is what I had to do. They know the drill. Sounds like they are just giving you the run around

And that one goes away 1 Jul

I've used both companies and they both do a good job. You will have to check into it but Ultrathin used to let you send in your old ribbon rack back and they would update for a small fee. Don't know if they still do that or not. Also its pretty easy to add the devices if that is all you have to do.

I wouldn't look at applying to OTS that way. If you apply and don't get accepted your not out anything but time, if you don't apply then you will never know. Can it not work out? Sure, you could feasibly get washed out of OTS, (the only people I saw this happen to either voluntarily left, or they just did really stupid stuff to get themselves into trouble), or you could wash out of UPT, it happens, but the only thing your out still is your time. The AF still paid you while you were in the program. My experience was that they talked it up just to see who was serious. I'm not saying that you're going to get excepted just becuase you applied, I've met several people who had a tough time getting into OTS, but at the same time, I've met many people, (myself included) who applied and got excepted no problem. As for my history, I did some time in the Air National Guard while going to school. Majored in Aviation Management, applied to OTS when I was 28, followed OTS with UPT at Whiting NAS and Vance. I tracked T-1's as my first choice followed by C-17's to Charleston. Good on you for doing as much research as you can, it will only make the process easier as you go

Ill Destructor pretty much hit it on the head. For some people OTS can be very difficult, but like Ill Destructor, I found it very easy. OTS is bottom of the barrel in a sense. They use OTS to fill the number of commissioned officers that the Academy and ROTC doesn't fill so the number of OTS selectees always changes. Anyways, you will find that when you get your PCSM score that your hours won't have a massive change in your score. Also the score is also based on hours and not your ticket. The hours would count the same if you had 250 hours and your instrument just as they would if you had 250 hours and just your PPL.

The only thing that I could see you doing wrong is not applying. If you don’t' apply then you will never know. I got selected and I only had 50 hours and a PPL. My GPA was not great and I had a weak degree (at least in my eyes). I played up the fact that I worked full time to support a family and went to school full time at night. Getting your license doesn't hurt and neither does getting your instrument ticket. You said you read all the stuff on whether or not having an instrument/commercial ticket would matter or not so I won't get into that. The number of hours you have will affect your PCSM score (more hours raises your score to a point). I don't remember what the cut off is but there is a max amount of hours they will count. If it was me I would get a hold of the recruiter and go from there. They will schedule you to take the test and get the physical. They will also help you starting putting the package together and getting the necessary interviews. After you take the AFOQT and a computerized aptitude test, they will take your hours and calculate a score. If you get more hours after you get this score you can resubmit your hours and they will adjust it. Anyways, it sounds like you’re on the right path so just keep doing your homework and start getting your package together and apply. Good luck

No prob. The recruiter cannot promise anything. They might be able to give you some insight on what the selection rate is but each board seems to look for something different. Most likely you won't get selected on your first try but it happens. Including myself I know of four others that got selected on our first try on the same board. Just don't get discouraged if you don't get selected on your first try. You won't sign up for anything until you are selected for OTS, then you will enlist as an E-5 right before you leave for OTS and receive your commission upon completion of OTS. You will apply for a pilot slot while you are applying for OTS and you will get selected for OTS as a pilot selectee. In other words you will show up to OTS knowing that you will follow on with UPT. Basically your package will go before a selection board and if selected your recruiter will give you a call saying congrats then you will sign a contract. You will also have to undergo a physical once selected. I'm not sure if it changed but most people seem to take it after selected, if you can, get it done before your selection board. Just one more feather in your cap and one less thing you have to do after being selected. Over all my selection experience was pretty painless, but I was in the guard at the time and I was able to do all the testing a physicals with my unit. That made things move a little smoother for me. If you get a hold of recruiter, get all the testing, physical, interviews, letters of recommendations, etc done, you could possible be selected before you graduate from college.

Your first step would beYour first step would be to find an officer accessions recruiter. That will get the process started. Be forewarned that everyone’s experience with a recruiter is different. Some recruiters take their job very serious and work themselves to death to get you selected; others are just filling a box and just earning a paycheck. That being said, find yourself a recruiter and get the paperwork started. The sooner the better. It has to be an officer accessions recruiter and not an enlisted recruiter. Most enlisted recruiters can put you in touch with one. After your package gets put together and if you get accepted then you can expect anywhere from six months to a little over a year before you begin OTS. I only waited about seven month before I left for OTS and I started UPT one month after graduating OTS. Everyone story will be different so keep that in mind. You could be on casual status waiting for a UPT class. Your GPA is a little low but not a show stopper. You can use your jobs as a benefit by showing your work ethic, leadership skills, blah blah blah, while going through college. Your hours will increase your score, but won’t be a deciding factor in your selection. You will have to take a test called the AFOQT. Go find a book by a company called ARCO and study before you take the test. This is just a quick run down so I hope it helps. If you have anymore questions just asks. There are tons of us on this site that went the same route. to find an officer

I know of two guys at primary that skipped ahead. One was a former regional airline pilot and the other one had 1000+ hours/instructor rating and all that jazz. Like Ellsworb said, they had to have a ride with the skipper or XO but neither one had a problem with the program.

along with all the stuff mentioned before, get rid of the week long "AEF" deployment across base, all the flickerball and volley war games, the leadership course that you do twice(I can't remember what it was called but it was actually fun), and about a million other useless activities at OTS and it would be a six week course. The FA's were talking about all the academic classs and PT requirements.

I'm in C17 PIQ and I'm about to be in the same boat as Chucktown was. Oh and after being to both LR and Altus, no comparison what so ever. [ 02. December 2006, 14:27: Message edited by: wannafly ]

I was wondering the same thing. :confused:

Whiting has three sq but AF only goes to VT-3. You are expected to know the procedures as the book describes them but you will get a demo in most cases. Most of my demos were usually a flight prior to what it was actually supposed to be so I would get a demo and then still have another shot on the next ride before they really counted. As far as the EP's go. They can be a pain in the ass but about half way through contact it becomes second nature (at least it was for me). Some of the IP's push EP's harder than others. BigIron was right. If you don't know the EP's your down. Second time and if the IP is pissed then it's probably a Ready Room down and your on your way to Force Shaping. As far as what all your peers there think of AF UPT. They don't have a clue as to what it's like as you have probably figured out. The grading standards between IP's really sucks. I've been told I had an outstanding hop, best the IP has seen in a long time and then I get handed an average grade sheet. Had the exact opposite happen as well. When you ask about it they say they have to make the grades average out or someone will start to ask questions. But hey, all you can do is roll with the punches. Enjoy your time there and have fun next hurricane season. You will probably be there awhile. It took me almost one year to the day to finish API and Primary. That was with no waiting for class ups.

Joint Military Athletic Competition. Twice a year (if I remember correctly) the Army/Navy/Air Force OTS/OCS get together and compete for a trophy (a painted practice bomb). From my perspective, after suffering through it, I would say it was . I was there for the Nov 04 competition and after three months of OTS the last thing any of us wanted to do was spend a Saturday on an Army base watching people do push ups and sit ups when we all had family sitting at Maxwell waiting for us. All that the competitors got was a T-shirt and a medal if the won a competition if I remember correctly. Basically just bragging rights for the CC for the next 6 months. Just my .02 [ 31. December 2005, 00:54: Message edited by: wannafly ]

I was actually asked to show them during my contact checkride at Pcola.