mp5g

When I went, the van was only available to AFA Cadets. Therefore, we had to rely on the base shuttle to take us over to area B if you didn't have a rental car. As for where you are staying, if you call the Wright-Patt Inn (phone # is on the Wright-Patt website), they should be able to verify if you are on or "off" base.

Definitely get a rental. If for nothing else, just the ability to get away from billeting after you are done for the day is well worth the money.

I know it's a day late, but a great read about the First Wave at Omaha Beach

Well.... a reflective warrior.

Funny shit. bin Laden's Burial at Sea

Out of the Prior Service guys, we ranged from Flight Suits, ABU's, and PT clothes. The civilian guys wore jeans and t-shirts / polos or pt gear. Nobody said one way or the other. I'd recommend wearing PT gear, especially the first day. Definitely makes it more comfortable when you are doing the EKG, Anthropomorphic measurements, etc.

The White House has finally made it official: bin Laden death photos I really don't care that they aren't going to release the photos, but I do have an issue with the rationale behind their reasoning for not releasing the photos. "Mr. Obama said he concluded that images of Bin Laden, bloodied by gunshots, would do nothing to persuade skeptics, but could inflame tensions in the Muslim world and pose problems for America’s nationnal security." IMO, I really don't care if tensions were inflamed in the Muslim world. I know of quite a few people who were inflamed when several U.S. citizens were videotaped having their heads sawed off with a butcher knife by al-Qaeda or people adhering to jihad. Why, oh why, do we have to pussify ourselves and make sure that we aren't offending anybody in the entire world? Just say you aren't going to release the photos, period.

"2."

No, they will retest your eyes at the FCI to make sure you are correctable to 20/20. As long as you have an approved commission physical, you should be able to get the FCI. Just be sure to bring your glasses with you when you go to Wright-Patt so you can test with them.

I just got back from my FCI yesterday and wanted to give a few pointers to anyone heading out there in the future. First, rent a car if at all possible. A taxi from the airport will be anywhere between $50 - $70 depending on how much the cabbie wants to screw with you. There is a base shuttle that runs for $38 per person for one way, or $18 per person if 2 or more people are using it. However, there is no base shuttle, so unless you like going back to your room and sitting by yourself until the following day, I'd suggest getting a rental car. The building that you will be in for the physical portion is: Medical Flight Standards Branch, 2947 5th St, Bldg 840, Area B, Wright-Patt AFB. If you are at the Wright-Patt Inn, you are in Area A, and will need to either drive to Area B, or take the bus that comes in the morning to take you to Area B. If you did not rent a car, the bus you need to take is the USAFSAM bus. It is a big Blue bus and will arrive in front of the Wright Patt Inn at 0700. It drops you off at Bldg 840, but again, it would be nice to have a rental car so you weren't dependent on the bus. As for the exams, it was a pretty intense couple of days. We were lucky and finished in 2 days, but normally it will be 3 days at a minimum. It's pretty much everything that has been discussed here before plus a ton of "Hurry up and wait" time. Overall, a good experience. The flight surgeon told me it would be about 2-4 weeks before I heard back on the FCI results. Seems to be a little quicker than before the transition. Hope this helps anyone with questions, or getting ready to go.

Undergraduate Navigator Training. Google is my Friend

US Military Plane Crashes in Germany Anyone have any more information than the 1 liner on Fox News?

8 dudes in 9 sentences? West Coaster or a die hard fan of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY6o5313UhQ?

I have, but it is set for April 25th. I am Guard, so I don't know if this made any difference.

So is it both you and John waiting on NGB and FCI dates? And it definitely seems like we are going to be in the pipeline at the same time. I'm telling you, this shut down has really messed the timing up. At least after the FCI is done, you should be able to start getting rides in the back seat of the D model.

I don't think that's an option H-10. I've tried to go through every avenue due to my FCI date in April. Having it in April, means I won't be able to do AMS until the following Fiscal Year since they only have a handful of classes for Guard, so my unit has been trying everything to get it pushed forward, but it doesn't look good at this point. I figure we are all going to get a first class lesson in "Hurry Up and Wait."

I got a physical date of 25 Apr 2011, but it was through NGB. Don't know if it makes that much of a difference or not.

Yeah, both of those positions, or rather all three (FE, Loadmaster, and Life Support) will give you face time with pilots. ARMS does that as well. The two things I would say you need to consider are this: 1) Your age. I mentioned it before, but you are 25, like I was when I enlisted. The window to get to pilot training is getting smaller by the day. I don't know if you are looking Guard/Reserve, or Active, but you are more than likely going to have a delayed entry into the Air Force. For Guard, I was delayed 9 months before I was sent to BMT (which is 8.5 weeks). I’m not sure about the timeframe on the Active side of things. So that already puts you that much closer to the age cut-off for UPT. Plus, on top of that, you have to then go to Tech School, which again, for me in the Guard, I had a split option (meaning that I came home from BMT) and had to wait 6 months until my school opened and I could attend a 6 week course. Active/Reserve, from what I’ve seen go straight from BMT to Tech. Now the two jobs you mentioned, Loadmaster (has a Tech School length of 59 class days, which does not include weekends) and Flight Engineer has a Basic FE course that lasts 6 months at Lackland, plus the additional survival training that is required (all pulled off of usmilitary.com). All of this training adds up and once again, puts you right up against the age cut-off for UPT. 2) Now the other thing I would consider is picking a job that you are okay with even if the UPT thing doesn’t work out. Many have mentioned it before and I’m sure you have read, that going into a shop just shouting that “you want to be a pilot and that this is only a stepping stone in your career,” is a quick ticket to being labeled a douche. You need to enjoy your job, and do it to the best of your ability to send out the right type of message. If you think that you won’t be happy sitting behind a desk and doing admin work, then do not choose ARMS. Pick something that you can look back in 4-6 years and still enjoy doing. Hope this gives you some direction. For my situation, I chose ARMS because I like the work. But it was also a quick Tech School, and it gave me face time with the pilots. I knew that I wanted to get to BMT, Tech, and back as quickly as possible so I could start getting that face time, and making a name for myself. If you have any other questions, just let me know.

I was 26 when I enlisted in my unit, for all of the same reasons. My unit has been very up front with me, however, in letting me know that I am able to apply anywhere and everywhere to try and get a Pilot slot. I was DEP for about 10 months, and I still went on 2 interviews, while waiting to go to Basic. Now that I've finished Basic and Tech, I am still able to apply anywhere I wish, and if selected, would be released to that unit. I think you should be fine if that is what you are really leaning towards, but just be sure that if you enlist, and you are not selected for a pilot slot or any other rated position, that you are okay with your decision to serve. Nobody would want someone whining for the next 4 years of their enlistment because they didn't get what they wanted in terms of jobs. Lastly, as you are in the same age boat as I was, be sure to pick a Tech School that is SHORT in duration. I chose Aviation Resource Management, which if you saw the earlier posts in this forum, was previously called Operations Resource Management. 6 weeks of school, and I was done, back getting face time with the pilots, in Ops.

I second what C17Driver stated. I'm in Tech School currently (trying to get the Pilot Slot soon though), and we have had briefs left and right informing us that if you fail, or washback in training, you are very likely to get completely separated from the Air Force due to a manning swell. I think they are trying to get rid of about 1300 enlisted people, and somewhere along the lines of 4400 Officers (if I remember the articles and memos well enough). Hope the info is useful.