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Help Needed
Hello,
I’m in a weird spot and need some assistance or recommendations on my career moving forward. I’m currently 25 years old and an active duty Armor Officer in the Army. I initially aspired to go Army aviation when commissioning, but unfortunately did not receive my medical in time due to needing waivers for previous medical history (mild asthma as a child being the big one). My waivers finally were approved and I received a qualified Army aviation medical. Due to the time it took to grant the waivers, I had already commissioned into another job in the Army. I do like my job, but I was potentially thinking about jumping ship and trying to become an Air Guard C-130 pilot. My predicament is:
1) Do I even have a chance at getting an approved Air Force pilot medical with my history of mild childhood asthma?
2) Is it worth risking a decently stable Army career to pursue this due to the risk of it not working out?
3) Has anyone else been in a similar situation and what did you do?
Ultimately my fear is that I take this leap of faith and get out of the Army pursuing an AF pilot slot, only to be denied a medical or overall not get it and then be out a job in the Army that I enjoy. I have a background in the civilian aviation world, so I can ultimately return to that if all fails, but it has always been a goal of mine to fly in the military and I’m not quite ready to be completely done with the military – whether that means getting an AF pilot slot or continuing my Armor career in the Army.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
– Carson
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2 Replies
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Carson, take heart brother! This is very doable, common in fact. There are plenty of Army and Navy folk who have joined the ANG and become pilots.
Q1: I’m not a doctor, but from what you describe I bet there is a path to victory. We offer a 1 on 1 coaching session with a flight doc who can get you dialed in on the process
Q2: The risk is perhaps smaller than you think. You don’t need to resign your USA commission until after a unit hires you for UPT.
Q3: Absolutely. My unit hired an O3 Army guy to fly F-16s two years ago.
Bottom line. Get a 1 on 1 with the doctor so you know where you stand medically and then rush units while still serving as an Army Officer. If (when really) you get hired into a UPT slot, you can weigh the options and (decide to) make the switch.
Good luck man! I think we’ll be out tank-plinking together in a few years.
Husky
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Awesome. Thank you for the help! I think I’ll go ahead and start actioning this to make it happen.
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