Ant-man

One of the graduates from the first class is already back from a 6 month CENTCOM deployment in the F-35.

All good info above. I think the most important thing you can glean from this forum is the general consensus that controlling your destiny with a guard/reserve spot is preferred over the dynamic nature of AD assignments. That being said, there’s a gotcha to every good deal in the Air Force, even guard/reserve. For instance, you could get picked up by a Viper unit, discover that military flying is a different kind of challenge and that it’s not clicking as fast as you expected, and you find yourself struggling. Fast forward to the end of phase 3 and your unit no longer has confidence in your ability to pass IFF/B course and they drop you (seen it happen). Or, you get picked up by a fighter unit and they switch to an RPA unit while you’re in UPT. Guess what you’re flying after you graduate... I’m not saying this to deter you, and truthfully nothing anyone on this forum says should discourage you from pursuing what you want. On the active duty side, my personal opinion is that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be a fighter pilot to be a fighter pilot. And in fact, once you see how much work they put it that doesn’t involve raging, pulling Gs, and shooting guns, you may realize that the desire to be a fighter pilot for the sake of the achievements alone is almost required to stay motivated enough to put up with endless hours studying threats and counter tactics, getting crushed in debriefs, and having to accept that your best is never good enough. The benefit of the active duty side is that you’ll have the ability to pursue a different lifestyle should you realize that it interests you more. There are a lot of really cool missions in the Air Force that aren’t highlighted well, even in UPT. But if you want fighters, I wouldn’t worry about “chances” of getting a 38 slot. UPT IPs might back me up on this, but nowadays, if you’re good enough, you’ll get one. If not, it’s not a reflection of you as a person, and your instructors have seen a enough studs come through to know what they’re looking for. You’ll end up generally where you belong. You don’t wanna be the last guy that barely squeaked into 38s. Best of luck in whatever you pursue. Sounds like your head is in the right place.

As I think back, it seems like Kage has always been setting the example. All he ever wanted to be is a fighter pilot. We both put our names up for ENJJPT. I didn’t make the cut, and he was an alternate, even though he had a strong package (sts). I remember I was kinda bummed, but it didn’t seem to phase him. He was already focused on the next thing with a smile on his face. In UPT he was a few classes ahead, and every time I saw him I would bother him with questions. Didn’t matter what was going on, he would take the time to talk with me. I used his instrument gouge in T-6s where he effectively summarized the entire 217 into an easy-to-study format. It must’ve taken him forever to write. He was the same way in 38s, never too busy to give me advice. Truthfully, I looked up to him as a pilot. He was a natural talent, worked his ass off, and knew his stuff cold. His passing has made me think about the example that I have set for others, and whether I would be so lucky to be remembered the same way. We lost a good one. A toast 🥃

I can credit Lt Col Kincade almost entirely for preparing me to succeed on my instrument check. Phenomenal pilot. Rest easy gents. 🥃

Speaking of broken B-1s, last week, the OG at Dyess said it will take anywhere from 3-7 years to recover from all the maintenance issues. He said that the community will have to shrink, and that inevitably some people will finish MQT and be sent elsewhere. There are several pilots in the ops squadron on regression, and a few younger guys have been kicked to the OSS where they go unqualified. Wouldn’t it make more sense to send people to other airframes before pushing them through the FTU, only to send them elsewhere? For context, I have not flown a military aircraft since last year, and will not fly the B-1 until next spring at the earliest. My understanding is that General Ray wants to keep people in the aircraft that they dropped. I want to be clear that I am not ungrateful, I’m just concerned about the long-term impact on my flying career and don’t know how to bring it up to anyone with decision-making power.

KEND 18-14 (T-38-only drop): A-10 F-15C T-6 B-52