admdelta
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Posts posted by admdelta
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On 8/15/2018 at 9:15 AM, Petty Pilot 69 said:
Who else is embarrassed and insecure about their 2-3 minute video that the 176th required? I want to delete mine asap 😳
Super. I actually decided to post it in the Pilot Network facebook group to get some feedback before I posted it and it was just an endless wave of "OMG SHAVE AND PULL THE STICK OUT OF YOUR ASS." 😞That said it was really good feedback.
How do you know they all downvoted you though??
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On 8/10/2018 at 8:38 AM, Champ Kind said:
Be sure to check T-Mobile coverage not just in places you live and work, but also transit frequently. We looked at a stretch of interstate that we use to travel back and forth to see family and it looked like trying to get coverage in northern Siberia. Even the customer service rep at the store shrugged her shoulders. We are keeping our eye on the Sprint merger and how that will change their coverage. The price plan is as-advertised, though. No gimmicks.
I can't imagine it's going to get any better with the Sprint merger. I switched from Sprint originally, and if there's one provider with less coverage than T-Mobile it's definitely Sprint. I doubt there's a single square inch of land that Sprint has that T-Mobile doesn't already have covered, haha.
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On 6/28/2018 at 4:53 AM, Runr6730 said:
T-Mobile has a great cell phone plan for military. They are offering the T-Mobile One unlimited plan at 20-50% off depending on how many phones you have:
https://www.t-mobile.com/offers/military-phone-plans
I’m paying $80 for unlimited everything on 2 phones which includes free Netflix (if you already have Netflix, they take over the payments), international roaming, hotspot, etc.
Yep I get this too. Super cheap. Just gotta get used to the finicky coverage if you're switching from Verizon or something.
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Anybody know if there's anything coming up for 731st AS at Peterson, or if there's a POC there? I seriously can't find a trace anywhere on the internet. Even my recruiter can't figure it out. 😩
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8 hours ago, mp5g said:
Dude I get it. I started out with the dream to fly as well but I want to make sure you understand one thing first, if you don’t already. Your number one priority for signing up should be to serve, not strictly to make a means to an end. The reason I say this is that the path to wings and even to an operational squadron is an arduous journey, filled with plenty of pitfalls. What if you get picked up to fly fighters for a Guard or Reserve unit, but don’t qualify in T-6’s for the fighter track because your class ranking is so low? What if you fail out of IFF, or an RTU? Would you be willing to work a different job that isn’t a pilot position within that unit if you couldn’t be a pilot in that unit?
I get that you may not want to enlist if you don’t medically qualify but apply that to what could happen if you weren’t able to make it back to the bros with wings on your chest if you got commissioned. You need to know if you’d be happy, and still have job satisfaction if you were serving in the military even if it’s not what you originally envisioned yourself doing. Nobody likes working with the dude who hates his life everyday and is counting down the days until he can leave the base in the rear view for good.
Well what I was getting at was why would I go enlisted when if all of this doesn't work out I can still go in as a non-rated officer instead. The enlisted route is a means to an end in terms of becoming a pilot, but I don't see joining the military that way on the whole. I'd just rather be an officer than enlisted.
That said I ended up getting my eyes and ears checked by private doctors and everything checked out fine. My 2000HZ hearing is good (though just barely) and my depth perception is perfect. While I'll still need to have them redone later by the Air Force, I ended up deciding to take the job and enlist. I spoke with some people in the unit, including my future boss as well as the pilot who heads the UPT board, and decided that I absolutely want to be a part of this unit whether I fly for them or not.
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First of all sorry if this is in the wrong section, I couldn't decide which one it fit in best.
So lately I've been applying to UPT boards for the Guard while also working with an enlisted Guard recruiter as a backup plan in case nobody picked me up because this particular unit hires pilots almost exclusively from their pool of enlisted people. This past week I had two major developments - 1) my recruiter locked down a job in Aviation Resource Management for me, and 2) I got in touch with a reserve recruiter for the first time (for some reason I never really looked into them before and I'm kicking myself over it now) who thinks I have a pretty good shot at either a sponsored or unsponsored slot with them.
Right now my recruiter is holding that job open for me until tomorrow and he's basically implied that if I don't take it they're going to release it to a different applicant and probably cut ties with me. I won't have to ship until much later this year, but I hadn't anticipated having to make a decision this early because I wanted to apply to different boards freely until my 29th birthday in July, and only go enlisted as a last resort (and I wanted this unit in particular because they're known to give age waivers). If I had to go that route I think the job would be really good for me getting face time with the pilots, however I don't want being enlisted in the guard to hinder my ability to be hired by a Reserve unit for UPT.
So basically my question is - if I'm enlisted in the Guard but haven't shipped to BMT yet, is it still possible to transfer to the Reserve for UPT? If so, how difficult is the process and what would it look like?
Thanks!
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Hello everybody. I'm trying to become a pilot either in the Reserve or ANG. I'm planning on spamming out lots of apps to different units, but have also been working with an enlisted recruiter for the ANG as a backup plan (their unit does nearly all their UPT recruiting internally from people already enlisted with them). My recruiter sent me to MEPS to get my physical last week and I didn't really understand the results until a Reserve officer recruiter pulled my physical and told me I'd failed both depth perception (weird since I've never had an issue with that in my life) and hearing (but just barely, I'm 5 db over the limit at 2000HZ in my left ear and everything else is passing)(also fml). He told me he wanted to get me set up to visit a base to get retested and gave me some tips to help me do better.
I informed my Guard recruiter about this who has been pushing to have me sign up with him in a hurry, and also told him that I need to get retested before I'm willing to make any commitments because why would I go enlisted if I'm not gonna qualify to fly anyway? He went into full damage control mode and made it sound like in order to this, the entire application process has to be purged from the Guard and transferred to the Reserve, at which point it will be the end of the line for me and that Guard unit. I asked him if he could do something similar and send me to a base for retesting himself, and he said he couldn't because my record is owned by San Diego MEPS.
I'm super confused by all this. Why is it that the Reserve recruiter is able to send me to a base for retesting but not my Guard recruiter? And if the Reserve recruiter does it, is it true that the Guard has to give up my application and records to the Reserve? And lastly, since waiverability might be a key in my decision to continue pursuing this or to just try and become a regular officer, what are the odds of these things being waiverable if I fail one or both of them again?
Thank you!
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1 hour ago, Stoker said:
Don't know a ton about the unsponsored route, but at the AFRC board that selected me they picked up like 33/36 sponsored applicants and 3/6 unsponsored. So your odds are reduced a fair bit. And some boards just don't accept unsponsored candidates at all.
I failed depth perception at MEPS as well. I was sent by my recruiter to the nearest base for a full eye workup with the med group, which I passed. I think that's a waiverable thing though, same for hearing at that level (if you're at 30 then I think you're only 5 away from passing). Ask in the medical questions forum (after searching, of course).
You probably do need a PPL to go unsponsored. You probably don't need one to get sponsored by a heavy squadron. The Guard B-1 squadron is hiring people with ~20 hours, heavy squadrons are telling people with 0 hours to get a few and come back next board. If you have the money, get it, it'll save you six weeks at IFT and at least as many more waiting around to go and then waiting for UPT to start after you get back.
I would only enlist if your long term life plans are fulfilled by you enlisting. Doing so as a stepping stone to becoming a pilot is a high-risk, low-reward gamble (as there's a good chance you're unhappy, and a small chance you improve your odds of going to UPT).
The reserve recruiter mentioned doing this to retest me for my eyes and hearing at a local base, but when I told the Guard recruiter about it he made it sound as if in order for that to be done my entire record has to be released from the Guard and taken over by the reserve. I asked him if he'd be able to do it himself to avoid doing that, he said no because I'm currently in Colorado for the next few months but I'm owned by San Diego MEPS (where I got my physical last week). I don't know what to make of it because it seems like they're both giving me conflicting stories about how all that works. I guess I'll check out the medical forum then if you think they'd know the answer.
But when you had that done, you were able to do it without going back to MEPS, right? Sounds like you didn't have the issue my recruiter is telling me there is.
As far as enlisting goes... my long term life plans are just to be a pilot. If all things medical were perfect then I think going for the reserve would be the best option. But if I fail those tests again, it seems to me going enlisted in the Guard would be my best chance at getting waivered for those issues. The unit I was looking into hires their pilots almost exclusively from within their own enlisted pool which is nice, but like you said, still a big gamble. I'd be more inclined to do it if going to OTS for active duty was possible mid-contract but I've gotten really mixed messages on that from different people.
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On 5/17/2018 at 2:07 PM, Stoker said:
"Unsponsored boards" are a Reserve thing, every Active Duty board is unsponsored. The Reserve unsponsored board is not going to be helpful with a waiver, you need a squadron that likes/needs you in your corner pushing the paperwork forward (plus, the unsponsored boards come and go depending on needs of the Reserve).
Fighters would seem unlikely for you. From what I've seen they are much less likely to do age waivers, and most require a PPL at minimum.
Going enlisted ANG and hoping to get picked up for UPT isn't the worst idea ever, it's slightly better than invading Russia in the winter. Really, though, it's a big "risk" (depending on how negative you'd view spending your time enlisted) for not a huge increase in likelihood of being picked up for UPT (as you'd now definitely need a waiver, and one for being 32 or 33, not just 30).
My advice is that you should apply for Reserve heavy squadrons. They're hiring tons of people right now and your scores are competitive for them. Given how the Reserves have streamlined the process post squadron hire (AFRC boards every six weeks instead of six months, surplus of dedicated Reserve spots at OTS/UPT), you would have a good chance of getting to UPT before your 30th birthday and thus not require a waiver. That's barring any screwups with your medical at MEPS/FC1, neither of which are guaranteed.
For comparison, my time between hire and UPT was 14 months, and that was with four months of delays for medical shenanigans and three months of waiting on the AFRC board.
So does that entirely rule out going unsponsored, or will they still send someone to UPT without a waiver with the expectation that the unit that picks them up will waiver them? I've heard of people over 30 going unsponsored so I'm all confused.
Also I consider the enlisted route a risk just because if for whatever reason I can't fly, I'd much rather wait for the next officer board than be enlisted in the Guard for 6 years. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for me, I'd just rather do different things. I consider it a means to an end, and it would suck if I can't reach that end.
And speaking of applying to reserve squadrons, there's been a big development - I spoke with a reserve recruiter yesterday and he was initially stoked when he saw my scores and all that, though he said I basically NEED to get my PPL before the next board in July. However then he pulled my physical record from MEPS, and apparently my depth perception isn't up to scratch nor is my hearing. I feel like I can remedy the depth perception issue, but apparently I have 30 decibels of hearing loss at the 2000 HZ level which is disqualifying.
He recommended I retake both these tests, and suggested a few tips to try and do better at least on the hearing but I feel pretty gutted learning this right now. I also spoke with my enlisted recruiter who was wanting an answer from me by today if I was going to sign up with him or not, and I told him I didn't want to move forward until I've been retested. He went into full on damage control mode about it and said that in order for me to retest their unit will need to release me which will apparently take ages, and that once that's done I won't be able to come back to his unit if everything else doesn't work out. So now I've got until Monday to decide if I'm going to permanently sever ties with that guard unit. So it's been a tough couple of days. Not sure what to do now.
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He doesn't address things like the breakout period going from a few months to over 10 years. He also says that people are framing this as a dichotomy between either having the deal or going to war, but I don't really see it that way at all. We can still just allow them to develop nuclear weapons, which they probably wouldn't use aggressively, but would maintain as a deterrent and as a boost to their regional power which nobody wants either. Unless the other signatories manage to make something work, we are still stuck with one of those options and they both suck. If they do manage to make something work the resultant deal would probably be even worse since Iran is going to have a major advantage in those negotiations because without the US involved it's very easy for them to walk away from terms they don't like.
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I turn 29 in July. Unfortunately I was a bit late in the game deciding I wanted to fly for the Air Force, and by the time I did, it took me ages to actually correspond with an officer recruiter (like almost a year). I finally managed to get in touch with one late last year who told me there was no chance for me because of my age and pulled the plug on submitting me to the April board because apparently I'm officially in waiver territory. I've been told by a lot of people in the Air Force that it can be done, but the recruiter told me they're all wrong. However, turns out I've got until my birthday to make something work out with the Air National Guard.
So far I've applied for one UPT slot with the ANG, and I wasn't selected for an interview. I'm trying to spam applications right now but there aren't a whole lot out there that I can apply to before my birthday that I've come across so far. I've also been speaking with an enlisted recruiter for an airlift squadron. Apparently basically all the pilots in their squadron came from enlisted first and were selected internally for UPT, including some with waivers, however I'm a bit wary of going this route at my age. I scored 99 on the ASVAB and could potentially work any job I want that's close to the pilots, but it seems like a pretty big risk to potentially be locked in as an enlisted airman without any guarantees. Especially since if I want I can still just become an Active Duty officer if flying isn't in the cards anyway. However, I really really really want flying to be in the cards.
Stuff about me:
* BA in Anthropology and Communication Design, GPA 3.41.
* AFOQT Scores: 93 Pilot, 98 Navigator, 76 Academic, 98 Verbal, 44 Quantitative
* 84 PCSM with 27 flight hours. Can bump to 88 with 14 more hours.
* LORs from a fire engine captain I fought wildfire with who is former navy, my flight instructor, a high school teacher, a pastor, and a supervisor.
* Prefer to be a fighter pilot but seriously not picky.So what are my chances? Is there still any hope for flying Active Duty? How likely am I to lock something down with the National Guard? Is going enlisted in the ANG first and hoping to get picked up for UPT internally the worst idea ever? If it turns out to be, can I join Active Duty as an officer before my contract is up? And if I choose to enlist but get picked up by a unit before my ship date, am I stuck?
Furthermore, while lurking I've seen a few people mention unsponsored boards but I'm a bit unclear on what they are and how to apply to them. Is that just a Reserve thing or does Active Duty do it as well?
Thanks everyone.
EDIT: Just found out last night my hearing and depth perception aren't so good. I feel like that just blows everything up and I feel super gutted now. Is there anything that can be done about that?
Edit 2: Disregard what I said about hearing and depth perception, they're fine.
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On 5/8/2018 at 1:42 PM, brickhistory said:
It was a bad deal to start with.
Not to mention the second most egregious example by the previous Administration to do an end run around the founding contract of our system of government - the US Constitution.
Any formal agreement (treaty) between the US and any other country that binds us to any action or behavior isn't valid until it is presented to and ratified by the Senate. This J-POS as well as the even worse Paris Climate Accord were done via Obama's infamous "phone and pen." And just as easily undone (except for DACA for some reason espoused by one lower court judge) by the next Administration.
If it were such a good deal for the US, then why didn't Obama present it to the Senate? Because he knew he couldn't get it through, so he simply ignored them. And they let him. They voluntarily abrogated one of their basic responsibilities. Which disgusts me even more than the J-POS did.
It isn't a formal treaty though. It was an agreement by the administration to drop sanctions that were created by the executive in the first place. The president has full authority to withdraw sanctions that he himself has implemented. Congressional approval isn't required to do this. Obama didn't present it to the senate because he didn't need to, and frankly also because they wouldn't have approved it anyway, for the sole reason that senate and congressional republicans were 100% hellbent on preventing Obama from doing literally anything, not to mention republican warhawks don't want peace with Iran anyway even if it is in reach.
But really I haven't seen anyone present a reason why the deal was bad other than attacking it from a constitutionality standpoint. Our problem with Iran was that they had the capability to build nukes. Now they don't. Someone please explain why that's bad for us.
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On 10/18/2017 at 11:40 AM, GDAL said:
ANG and AD can't both have access to your MEPS records. I just fought that battle to get AD to release my MEPS records so I could proceed with my NGB application.
Sorry, bumping - I have a MEPS appointment scheduled for next week with the ANG but I'm still trying to send apps to everyone. Should I cancel to prevent an issue if I get picked up by someone else?
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Basically what I'm gathering is that people think it's a horrible deal because Iran got some things out of it. But honestly that's what deals are. You can't just have one side getting everything they want and nothing for the other and call it a deal.
Good or bad though, tearing it up would be worse. Diminishing Iran's capability to enrich uranium so that their breakout time is 10 years is a lot better than NOT diminishing that capability. We're better off now than we were a couple years ago when their breakout time was a few months. Furthermore, if the deal is torn up then who the hell would want to trust us in negotiations any more? Kim Jong Un could pull the plug on everything that's going on because he might figure the next president will just undo the whole thing in 3 or 7 years.
There's nothing wrong with trying to make amendments, but throwing the baby out with the bathwater will be awful for countless reasons.
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On 4/30/2018 at 4:31 PM, Sopwith Camel said:
The announcements for Fresno were made today and names posted on their website.
http://www.144fw.ang.af.mil/Resources/Pilot-Boards/
... I'm not one of them
Same. I was hoping to hear back from them anyway so I could figure out what to do better in the future.
Anybody know if they plan on contacting people who weren't selected for interviews, or if there's a way to reach out to them to ask? (Or if it's advised...)
Upcoming Boards
in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves
Posted
Sweet should I add that experience to my packages from now on? 😛