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B2 to Fighters?
Hey Bogidope!
I’m active duty, 31 years old/2 years commissioned TIS (9 years prior E if that matters), and just finished UPT. I got 38s but when it came to drop night I got the B2. Although it wasn’t my first choice, I know it will be a sweet gig; however, because I’m now 11B, is there any way to eventually go from bombers to fighters? Or has anyone heard of someone doing that? Whether it be TXing or rushing a unit? Would I be too old to do so when the time comes?
For some background on the B2 track, I will need to go to T38 PIT to be instructor qualified and I will continue to fly the T38A because the B2 is expensive to fly. So the major difference will be that I will not have gone through IFF.
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6 Replies
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My man get whatever hours you can at Whiteman and then jump ship to St Joe or Topeka nearby and join the B2 mafia at United. There’s a bunch there.
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A guy in my first F-15 squadron was hired from the B-1 community, so definitely possible. Age won’t be a factor because you’re not attending UPT. The experience you’ll get in a stealth mission coupled with T-38 flight time will transition well into the 5th gen fighter communities.
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DJM – Congrats on completing UPT and getting the B-2. Because you went through the T-38 program at UPT, your chances of getting into a fighter unit are better than a heavy/T-1 trained pilot. As far as the age limit goes, that’s not a factor now that you are a rated pilot. Yes, you would probably need an IFF training slot from the fighter unit that would want to hire you. This won’t be an easy pursuit because many of these units will have current and qualified fighter pilots in the CAF to choose from. You would need to sell them on why you would be a better long-term choice! Also, you now have an ADSC of 10 years unless you can Palace Chase (curtail) some of that commitment towards the end. Look for opportunities to cross train into fighters while on AD but I’m not sure what the likelihood of that would be.
Good luck,
Snip
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That’s good to know! Do you know if I’ll have to apply to the UPT board because I haven’t gone to IFF? Or would I only apply to rated boards? At what year are you allowed to palace chase?
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Rated boards for you. Palace Chase timelines are dependent on the specific airframe that you are leaving and those decisions are typically made on a case by case basis by the personnel folks at AFPC (your “Porch” guys will ultimately provide guidance). Having said all that, my experience has been no more than 1-2 yrs of curtailment at absolute most.
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Well I’m glad it has been done before! By chance would you be able to get me in contact with him?
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