1nfrequentF1yer
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Posts posted by 1nfrequentF1yer
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1 hour ago, UPTapplicant96 said:
Question for some of you guys that have been through MEPS and have completed their FC1...
I was hired off the street at a guard unit and was notified the following:
"We are going to try to streamline your processing by skipping MEPS and sending you right out to get your FC1"
Has anybody had any experience with getting their FC1 completed right off the bat? I assume this will get me TFOT and UPT dates sooner than later (If I pass the FC1)?
Might as well start my timeline while I'm here:
Application submitted: May 2020
Interview: 1 Aug 2020
Alternate Select: 4 Aug 2020
Re-interviewed w/ same unit: 10 July 2021
Hired: 10 July 2021
I followed the traditional process and although I don't see any downside with having you get sent to FC1 first I can think of a few reasons why that's not normally done in the grand scheme, and why I don't think it necessarily streamlines the process by that much. FC1/MFS slots are much more limited in terms of how many people they're able to see relative to MEPS. MEPS is intended to be an initial screening, so the thought is if you don't pass something at MEPS and cannot join the military at all, sending you to Wright Patt without that knowledge generates a lot of waste.
MEPS is usually not the long pole in the tent compared to FC1/MFS. So, that's why I say it won't streamline the process by that much because MEPS is something you can knock out relatively quickly unless that's not true for your local MEPS for whatever reason. It took me like a month since getting the call to go to MEPS (middle of COVID) and 2 months after that go to Wright Patt. So when you roll up the whole timeline, it doesn't change much IMO. Since you're guard, you still need to:
1) enlist into the unit (which requires getting the thumbs up from MEPS),
2) put together your approval to appoint (which requires the thumbs up from Wright Patt),
3) get approved by NGB for your slot, THEN you would be put in for dates.
Step 3 of the process is what takes the longest, from experiences of myself and others.
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My company offers what I would consider to be very generous mil leave benefits to us. Obviously that's just my sample of 1. Except... I can't tell you what company and benefits we get (PM me if you want to know).
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32 minutes ago, HelpWithAFOQT said:
I know it's possible to get picked up, I've seen post from guys talking about how they got picked up with worse scores but most of them did in the 2000s before the big rush/covid started. Now even heavy units are getting 200+ apps and many I've tried rushing say they don't allow individual visits and they usually only select the 50 or so top apps to visit and narrow down the interviews from there. So it's more competitive.
I'm only semi interested in CSO. If I get too old and can't get picked up as a pilot, I'll try for it. I would like to do a retake of the AFOQT first.I've been baffled for months on what to do. I am eligable for a retake in a few weeks. But I want to wait until I am sure I am going to ace it this time.
As for the day of the test, I felt fine. I got plenty of sleep, at a light breakfast, arrived extra early, I didn't cram at all. It looked like the Baron's book and the questions seemed similar.
GPA is 3.52 for undergrad, Master's is about 3.8 or so. PCSM is 70 (I wonder how much my pilot score affects it). I know I missed 4 questions on the UAV portion of the TBAS. I think my reaction time was a little slow too.
So for now it's figuring out what to do.
Your PCSM score is some combination of AFOQT pilot score, your flight hours, and TBAS performance. So a PCSM of 70 with 0 hours and a PCSM of 70 with 200 hours is a pretty different story. I'm not sure which camp you fall into here. GPA looks pretty good otherwise. Having taken the test once, if you know what you struggled on, then hammer those areas more. But if you don't know or didn't think you struggled on anything, then I don't really know what anyone of us here can tell ya besides trying again. Feel free to drop me a PM if you feel like there's anything I can legitimately do to help you do better next time.
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For guard units, it's probably still possible to get picked up with those scores, but if you could do better, then obviously try and do better and retake. What's your GPA and PCSM looking like? With so many more guard/reserve applicants, the bar is also a lot higher now. Are you also interested in being a CSO?
You said on your practice tests you were scoring over 90% of the questions correct. So take a minute and reflect... Did you just have an "off" day during the test? Were the test questions far off from those on the practice test? Was the test misgraded (this is very hard to prove and to contest)? You need to understand the cause so you're not trying the same thing without a new strategy. Taking some portions of the SIFT or ASTB that overlaps with the AFOQT will certainly give you more practice, but again, you need to understand why there's a big discrepancy between your practice scores and actual scores. The Baron book is what I used for practice, and it ended up to be fairly representative of the actual test.
The AFOQT is graded on a percentile, but say, for a 32nd percentile of quantitative, that means you're in the lower third of some reference population that took the test (who makes up that reference population is pretty nebulous to us common folks). So I think it's a bit unrealistic to try and assume that your scores is due to others doing exceptionally well. But with that said, take his/her advice on highlighting other areas of your resume (flight experience... career... leadership/volunteer... passion... tell a good joke/personality?)
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Short answer is no (as in nothing wrong with it). As a matter of fact, guard units usually prefer to hire someone local, all things being equal.
Longer answer is also no, but if you aren't getting much luck with the local units, then either keep trying with them, or start expanding your search ie casting a wider net (or give up and move on with life). Besides location, the mission is also something to keep in mind whether it's one you truly believe in.
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20 hours ago, stuckindayton said:
Don't worry about the timing of the the post-op exams. Those are requirements when current AF flyers get refractive surgery. Not applicable to people who are applying. You are correct, most people don't require a waiver when entering after having LASIK/PRK. Only exceptions are people whose eyesight (i.e. prescription) prior to surgery was crazy high (above -8.00, +3.00 or 3.00 Diopters of astigmatism). There is also a limit for what can be waived (above -10.00, +5.00 and 6.00 Diopters of astigmatism). All this assumes a normal, uncomplicated outcome and that you are at least six months post surgery (12 months for farsighted procedures). You still need (at a minimum) at least one pre-op exam, a surgical report and one post op exam at 3 months or later after the procedure. The folks at Wright-Patt can work with you if you have more specific questions.
Went to Wright Patt for my FC1/MFS few months ago having done PRK with refraction error within the -8.00 to +3.00 limits. Can confirm this is to be facts.
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59 minutes ago, JabroniWizard said:
Heard. I'm guard as well so this definitely applies. Just got the GTCC application done as of now. Admin is optimistic this issue will be cleared up. I'm the first off the street new hire they've had in a while so they're understandably scrambling. Bottom line though I'll go out of pocket if it means saving just a month of time by not re-scheduling the FC1.
If you're enlisted into the unit that hired you, then they should allow you to request an authorization in DTS for the TDY and book your travel through DTS (you'll need a line of accounting from your finance folks to fund that trip). Been said but my experience and experience I know of with other guard guys is that the unit will pay for it. So I'm not sure what's different about you going TDY to WP vs someone else going TDY to some other place.
On the reserve side, the dudes I met at FC1 said they have to pay for it out of pocket and their recruiter will get them reimbursed.
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14 hours ago, tlaw99 said:
Hired: Jun 2019
FC1: Jan 2020 (rescheduled)
FC1: Jun 2020
FC1 Approved: Jul 2020
NGB Sent: Aug 2020
NGB Approved: Feb 2021
Can anyone give any info/experience on how long it takes to get TFOT and UPT dates once your packet is approved by NGB?I got approved by NGB same time you did, and got told like a week later I'm going to the August OTS class. Nothing on UPT yet since that's gonna be an FY22 thing for me so I don't know if that's been laid out yet.
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29 minutes ago, TotableMink said:
Unsure, but I know my DO sent an email requesting dates. He didnt know why it hadnt been scheduled yet either. Been about a month since then, would love to know more but I also dont want to be the annoying FNG.
Who did your DO send an email to? When you say DO I assume you mean your squadron director of operations. I would still give your FDO (force development office) a call. It's a fine balance between being annoying and getting stuff done but a lot of times that's what it takes because you have to be one keeping those that are pushing you through honest. So if it's been a month, I think it's fair to ask at least somebody, but don't be a douche about it. Be like "hey I know you guys are super busy, but I'm trying to get some information about my FCI being scheduled, if I need to do anything, etc". If they tell you you're being annoying then ask them (politely) to hook you up with some answers so they won't have to be bothered by you anymore 🙂
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6 hours ago, JabroniWizard said:
For those of you hired off the street, what have you typically do/done on drill weekends? Looking for some perspective before my first one this weekend.
Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile appNot-a-damn-thing. Meet people, hang out, that's about it... Most/some units put you into student flight, but you might be able to "opt-out".
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On 3/4/2021 at 12:04 PM, TotableMink said:
Does anyone know of a reason a unit would delay sending someone to wright pat? I went to meps in june same as @ryleypav, package sent to NGB in october but still no word on going for the FC1. My DO was saying they were shooting for an end of the summer OTS date with UPT in FY22 so I would think we should be getting it knocked out.
Has your base training office (FDO) requested an appointment for your FC1? The way I understand the process is that Wright Patt "gives" so many slots to NGB (assuming you're guard), and NGB magically gives you a slot. But your FDO has to add you to the queue. If they have, then I would ask them what the situation there is. If they haven't, then you should ask/have your recruiter ask/have your DO ask/have your Sq/CC ask them to do it ASAP.
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Guard off the street heavy
Applied: Jan 2020
Board/Hired: May 2020
MEPS/Enlisted: July 2020
FC1: Mid Oct 2020
FC1 Approved (with eye related waiver): First week of Dec 2020
Packet completed, send to JFHQ/NGB: JFHQ mid Dec 2020, NGB late Dec 2020
NGB Approved: last week of Feb 2021 and put in request for TFOT
TFOT: Aug 2021
UPT:
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20 hours ago, thebleakmw said:
Thanks but no thanks email just went out from DC. Best of luck to those who made the final board 🤟🏼
That's interesting/hilarious since I applied to them a year ago, got the "Received" response, and never heard again either way. 🤷♂️
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1 hour ago, KSD said:
Hi everyone,
I was picked up by a ANG unit for a pilot slot in October, I can relate to the medical paperwork struggles. Tentatively I’m scheduled for MEPs this coming week finally. Can anyone let me know what to expect as far as how the process goes? I’ve reached out to my POC but have been struggling to get some of the answers. Are you supposed to dress up? Do you need to bring anything? Is it just the medical or is there any other paperwork they go through? Any help would be great!
Thanks
Sent from my iPhone using Baseops Network mobile appThey will typically put you at a hotel they contract with for the night before. Then at 5 in the morning or whatever, you get on a bus and they will bus you onto the MEPCOM base. You'll then be asked to have all your stuff put away in this locker room kinda thing, and then get your medical file that you'll pretty much be carrying with you the whole time as you go through different processing stations. You then do some basic stuff like vitals, listen to a briefing, fill out some forms (check Enlisted on your paperwork, assuming this MEPS appointment is to enlist into your unit to get your commission stuff going), do a breathalyzer. Then off to the urine (they watch you), hearing, vision, exercise like the infamous duck walk/height/weight, and then a doc will look at you individually. They rotate groups in between these different activities, so the order you do them in will probably be different than what I've said. Then you can probably grab a lunch, chill for a bit, they tell you you're good to go, then check out of there and dip. Just wear something respectable, be polite, be patient, and listen to directions. In my experience, the docs there all seem really salty... I imagine them wake up in the morning and be like "f I gotta deal with these mfers today f f f". Don't let that scare or intimidate you per se, but those that work the receptionist areas were nice when I had a question for them.
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On 10/19/2020 at 9:56 PM, tristate678 said:
3. Since I need LASIK or PRK, should I start working that independently, or first contact the units i'm interested in for guidance on their waiver process? I've heard that some states' ANGs still require PRK over LASIK even though USAF allows both, and this is the step I'm most cautious about. How time critical is this part; is there still a 6-month gap between the surgery and FC1 eligibility? (I'm assuming the surgery must be done prior to any interviews?)
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Since I need LASIK or PRK, should I start working that independently, or first contact the units i'm interested in for guidance on their waiver process?
Yes. For me, whether military flying was gonna work out, it was well worth it for convenience of life. You don't really need to contact the units about this specifically. Your unit doesn't handle the waiver so they'll probably shrug their shoulders.
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I've heard that some states' ANGs still require PRK over LASIK even though USAF allows both
To pass FC1, either PRK or LASIK is approved, subject to the pre-op limits. Within the limits, no waiver is needed assuming good outcome/no complications. Outside the limits, but below a higher limit, a waiver is needed. I suppose a guard unit can specifically require one over the other, but I have never seen this myself and can't think of a reason they would be more restrictive than USAFSAM standards.
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How time critical is this part; is there still a 6-month gap between the surgery and FC1 eligibility?
Not really that time critical. There is a 6 month period (you will need pre-op cycloplegic refraction, laser report, 3 and 6 month post-op report. Although I also got a 1 day and then 1 month assessment). MEPS will require similar paperwork. But assuming you get PRK/LASIK AFTER you get hired, it'd probably still be 5-6 months until you get to go do your FC1. I've seen people go within 2 months of getting hired, but they're usually prior/current service so they don't need to go through the enlistment process first.
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I'm assuming the surgery must be done prior to any interviews?
See above, some squadrons I've seen ask that you submit the waiver checklist if you've done the surgery with your application, so... it might be easier to hold off so you don't need extra s#!t to submit with your packet but ultimately up to you. I already had mine done by the time I started applying. It's not in my experience that they're gonna ask how your eyes are in an interview anyway.
Not related to your post really, but have baller AFOQT scores (I'm talking like 90+) and be able to talk confidently to the board about why you are trying to fly into the military now at a slightly older age and after already having a flying career and seniority at your 121 gig (assuming you're non prior service). Start calling up squadrons and networking now if you haven't yet.
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Since I need LASIK or PRK, should I start working that independently, or first contact the units i'm interested in for guidance on their waiver process?
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56 minutes ago, Av8 said:
The latest update ~a week ago said the issues are above the hiring board process so possibly still working through COVID issues.
On another another note...for the JAX phone interviews, has anyone gotten a call about scheduling their phone interview yet? Just making sure i'm not missing anything
For Jax, you should have gotten email on 9/7 about scheduling a time if you were contacted initially about it. They were supposed to happen on 9/9 and 9/10 from the email I got.
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7 hours ago, Dangerzone said:
I’ve found it difficult to make connections, what’s your approach—try and communicate with the chief pilot and ask to come out for a visit? But in a covid environment just try and give him/her a call and build a relationship that way?
I’ve just been sending out apps and hoping for the best, does not seem to be the winning approach.Definitely visit if you have the means to. I know it's a big time and financial burden but I'd pick 1-2 unit that you are really really interested in to go visit. Once you meet them in person and talk to them, you'll get a feel for the vibe and then decide how you want to stay in touch. It doesn't necessarily have to be the chief pilot or whomever, just someone you thought you vibed well with. Visit more than once if you can! If you don't feel like you vibed with anyone there, maybe it's not a great fit culture/personality wise for you. With that said, you definitely don't want to come off being fake.
If you're qualified/check all the boxes on paper, sending out apps isn't actually that bad of a strategy - it just takes more time to get some traction. So, depending on your age and whatever circumstances, just keep sending apps (not sure when you started applying, but I imagine spring time hiring boards will kick into gear again. As someone said, what's happening at the airlines now probably aren't affecting boards too much since hired to operational takes like 3 years) and something is gonna stick, I promise.
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2 hours ago, Dangerzone said:
Hey guys wanted to just poll the group about the success/failures people have been having this year regarding getting an interview or UPT slot.
I applied to ~10 units too, combination of fighter and heavy (actually all fighters except 2). Here's what went down for me:
Visited: 2 units, 1 heavy, 1 fighter. Got interview for heavy, but didn't really fit me. Got TBNT for fighter. one
Interviews: 2 heavy. Again, declined the interview for one. Accepted interview for the other, got offer, accepted offer (did not visit, first time in person was the interview. Loved the atmosphere, loved the mission, loved the people).
Phone/first rounds: 2 fighters. 1 TBNT, other one I declined because I already got picked up.
Stats-wise,
~180 hours, PCMS 99, P99/N99/V97/Q99/AA99. BS/MS in engineering, 4 years in industry. Moderately involved in undergrad. Cool guy all around 😎 (lol). Have you visited anywhere? It's tough to be interviewed without visiting is essentially what I've learned from the process. That and knowing why you want to be a fighter/bomber/tanker/herk/etc pilot and be able to delineate it well. If you get an interview, you're basically qualified. The interview is to weed out the people that are weird, jerks, not team player, not-committed, and not well suited for the military. If you aren't making it that far and have good stats/resume, the only thing left to do is making connections with people at the squadron especially for fighter units. Having someone within the squadron that is willing to vouch for you goes beyond any test scores or resume (assuming they still think you can graduate from UPT...). Also, keep applying.-
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First, congrats on getting and accepting an ANG slot. At this point, your recruiter is probably the best source of information. From my personal experience, it's a 1 year active (well, guard version of active) + 7 years inactive reserve as AF enlistment contracts are 8 years long. Essentially, that gives me (and them) a year to get pushed into the officer training pipeline. I didn't personally discuss it with my recruiter, but I am fairly certain that if something doesn't work out along the way (at FC1 or wherever else), I'll just go through an administrative separation process. All in all, there really wasn't much to it, no tricks, no gotchas.
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On 7/26/2020 at 2:31 PM, goodflightcowboy said:
I would really curb this type of thinking before your AFOQT and start sending out apps. Ive got a 92 pilot, 93PCSM and 500+ hours and I probably get every fourth interview. I've been at units with guys who have everything above 90 on the AFOQT and 99s on pilot + PCSM and they don't get everything they apply for. Obviously I'm not on a board, or I wouldn't be having this conversation, but every unit is looking for something different, and you never know what it is. You might fit the profile exactly at one unit, and miss by a mile with another one. As it's been stated above, you really just have to visit the units you want, and cross your fingers on the rest.
Can’t stress this enough. For some context I had P99/N99/AA99/V97/Q99 and 99 PCSM, 3.8 undergrad, 4.0 grad GPA both in engineering, industry experience etc etc and got 2 interviews after being told no for maybe 10 other apps I’ve sent out mostly fighters, and maybe a 135 and 130 sprinkled in. So as people say low score isn’t automatically disqualifying, high scores aren’t automatically qualifying either. I wasn’t a believer before, but it’s extremely important to connect and meet the guys at a squadron you really want to get into. I’m lucky the first time I visited the unit I’m with now was at my interview. I felt super at home and I was pretty much cheesin the whole time during my interview because I just thought it really fit me well.
Somewhat related, I think we as a community of current/prospective guys online should shift from the mentality of “Am I good enough” to “How can I improve myself even more”. You can’t control who else is applying but you certainly can control how well you present yourself, so as long as you are being the best you can possibly be, that’s what’s good enough.
Just my 2 pennies in time of coin shortage. Best of luck gents and ladies.
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2 hours ago, Yeeyee said:
Has anyone brought a bottle of liqour where you can only get from your local area to an interview? What are some pros and cons to this? I know applicants have done this while rushing, not sure if it's advisable after an interview while saying your goodbyes and thank yous.
It's more the thought that counts, if you have some interesting story behind what special liquor you wanna bring then go for it and make it a conversation point with the bros there. Otherwise the standard applies. It's (in my own opinion) extremely unlikely for them to hire one person over another because they brought some unique liquor. If you're their guy, then it's a really nice finishing touch. If you aren't, then no barrels of whiskey will make it so. Good luck, be cool, be yourself!
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2 hours ago, admdelta said:
“Electronic copy of application on a CD.”
Lol that’s interesting. Where the heck am I gonna find a blank CD nowadays? 😂
Time to dig up an old mixtape CD or that disc we used to burn a torrented game lol
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I don't remember seeing this on Bogidope or anywhere but came across a posting for a joint UPT board at AK ANG (176th Wing and JBER and 168th wing at Eielson). Link here: https://www.176wg.ang.af.mil/Careers/Flying-Officers/UPT-Application-Information/
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5 hours ago, ihtbasitc said:
Just got a callback from the 106 RQW. Looks like interviews are next week. 20 personnel being interviewed. Options for Zoom, phone call or in person. Good luck to all!!
I remember hearing that the logistics would be sent out once they know who's doing which option, have you/anyone seen anything yet?
Guard/Reserve timeline to UPT
in Air National Guard / Air Force Reserves
Posted
Absolutely, that's why the takeaway I was trying to convey is that I don't see a downside on your behalf to get it done first (and as a matter of fact if that or anything else they let you knock out, do it at the earliest opportunity), but also not to expect that to speed up the whole process to OTS and UPT by any meaningful measures. Also, if you see your doctor regularly, and don't have any medical history, anecdotally you'll make it through just fine.