bmather9

I wasn't suggesting that the standard be lowered, just that if the course was properly designed and good candidates selected that there shouldn't be a high washout rate. If that's truly the case, I believe that is a failure on part of the USAF. From reading a few other posts it seems that although FWQ required fewer flight hours, that it didn't really save much money. Not sure how that math works out, but I guess there's overhead and other costs involved with maintaining a FWQ course. I joined the Army although I think life would be better in the circus...uh, I mean, USAF.

I'd never heard about the high washout rate before; it seems like that could be fixed by expanding the training timeline or changing something else about the course. In the end it would still be a good deal for the USAF to put less money into training already seasoned pilots.

I'm curious if anyone has heard anything about FWQ coming back because of the pilot shortage? I've seen a few younger Army aviators go through UPT/UFT, but since I'm 32 I doubt it's an option for me.

Ouch, have you ever talked to a recruiter? Try telling them that you want to transfer out of Active Duty USAF to the Army National Guard, and then go ask another one the same question and I'd bet my manhood you won't get the same answer twice. I'm still not sure that anyone actually knows how to accomplish something like that; it was sheer luck that I made it through the transition. I typically never received any useful info from them, and they deserve at least some of the blame for the color vision debacle I dealt with previously. I've been much more successful collecting my info from any source other than recruiters. Anyway, I'll give it a shot since it can't hurt. Any other ideas in the mean time?

I heard a rumor that the USAF is looking for helo pilots? Any truth to it? Or where would I go to find out?

To go one step further, where does the V-22 fall into those categories? The way I read it, as a rotary wing pilot I could potentially get into a rotary wing weapon system in the USAF as a trained asset. Would V-22 be an option?

Thanks for that info. The last time I read that AFI was before it changed while I was still on active USAF; what a buzzkill.

So I've heard in the past of Army pilots going to a fixed-wing qual course in the USAF, but realize that this no longer exists. So if I understand you correctly, say I got picked up by a fixed-wing guard unit, they would have to send me through UPT? Which would mean I need FCI and wouldn't get a waiver for color vision? There's no way around this with some other course similar to FWQ? What about the 'operational evaluation' others spoke of for USAF pilots to transfer platforms? If I transfer into an H-60 platform I'd be considered 'trained' and be able to get a waiver for FCII. What about this 'operational evaluation'? Is that not an option for me to switch platforms? What does RPA's have to do with this? When I was in the USAF, but DQ'd from UPT (after PCSing to Laughlin) I asked if I could go RPA's but I was DQ'd from that along with spec ops, flight test engineer, and every other USAF job I was interested in. Am I considered 'trained' in RPA's for some nonsensical reason? Is there someone at AETC I can contact about this? Or who is the correct authority to ask?

I know this thread has been dead for a while, but I'm looking for some info on this topic. 5 or so years ago I was DQ'd at Brooks for color vision anomaly, that I never knew about my entire life. I passed the PIP plates during my FCI, went through an abbreviated ROTC program as a Master's student, and was PCS'd to Laughlin for UPT. Before I could start training, I went to MFS at Brooks where I was DQ'd. I have a bit more to my story, but ended up transferring to the Army National Guard where I currently fly H-60's. My story is here: (https://www.airwarriors.com/community/index.php?threads/usaf-to-usn-inter-service-transfer-for-color-vision.34429/) So my question is: would I be able to transfer back into the USAF (or Air Guard/Reserves) and be a pilot? Am I considered a 'trained' aviator now so that I could get a waiver in my current airframe? Or maybe even switch airframes if I pass an operational evaluation?