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Introduce Yourself
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250 Replies
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Hi – My name is Wyatt – I’m a senior in AFROTC and I’m scheduled to commission in June. I recently found out I’ve received a pilot slot and will be attending ENJJPT. Over the last four years I’ve been involved in many aspects of the AFROTC program and have been completing my undergraduate degree studying logistics and supply chain management. I’ll be starting graduate school studying Global Security Studies in January.
In my personal time, I enjoy flying (PPL, 100+ hrs) and exploring the Pacific Northwest where I currently live with my wife and dogs. I’m also currently a full time employee at Amazon Web Services specializing in startups and helping founders build technology products in the cloud.
My goal is to fly the F-35. I’m currently on track to go the active duty route after commissioning but have submitted some applications to guard units of interest to keep all avenues open. Looking forward to connecting with others and answering any questions anyone has.
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Congratulations Wyatt! Enjoy ENJPPT!! Kick ass at UPT and earn that F-35!
Snip
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Congratulations, Wyatt!
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Congrats on the pilot slot Wyatt! I have an AFROTC scholarship interview coming up. If you went on scholarship or know those who did, got any tips?
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Congrats! I’m a high school junior also from the Pacific Northwest hoping to go that route, through AFROTC to ENJJPT. Any broad tips you’ve got for university and AFROTC that helped you get into ENJJPT?
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That’s amazing, WAS! Congratulations; it seems that you are a dedicated and hard worker and earned everything you’ve achieved. I sure wish I had everything together when I was college age. Best of luck to you moving forward!
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Hello everyone, my name is Eric. I’ve been a career college dabbler, which unfortunately made my GPA suffer, and have been a project manager for my entire professional career. I moved to Denver about 2 years ago and got fascinated by the constant air traffic overhead, including the Buckley F-16s. In the course of looking into how to become a pilot, I found Bogidope and have been singularly focused on getting my life together in order to hopefully secure an ANG spot at one of the units along the Front Range (the MAFFS mission with the Wyoming ANG looks amazing, but I’d also love to be in one of the F-16s screaming over Denver one day), and hopefully dedicate my life to flying important and fulfilling missions.
So, I have built a home gym to get into shape, and reenrolled in college in order to finally finish in order to make this dream a reality. I have age against me, as I just turned 31 last week, but I couldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t at least give it my all and let the chips fall where they may.
I see so many driven and dedicated people on this forum, and truly wish everyone the best! And thank you to all of the mentors that consistently dedicate time to providing guidance and insight to us all!
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Hey, I’m JC. Until May of this year I had zero thoughts about serving in the military. I woke up early 3 days in a row (like 430 instead of 7) with the idea that I needed to try and join the Air Force. After much prayer and counsel to make sure it wasn’t just a bad burrito or roast beef, I really started to look into it. I took my afoqt (99, 92, 99, 91, 85, 88). I reached out to the AD officer recruiter near me and didn’t quite get a hard no. Reached out to a few reserve and guard units and had one reply they’d consider age waivers. Oh, did I forget to mention I’m 43? ????
Tbas schedule for December
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Hey JC, wow! Welcome aboard this wild ride! How have things been going?
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How did you get the AFOQT scheduled and taken without a sponsor, being in ROTC, or going into an active duty recruiter?
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@WAS – Congrats on ENJJPT and good luck with graduate school. Get as much of your graduate school knocked out before ENJJPT (if that’s important to you…not really required for an AF or airline career if you intend to go down that path). I would not recommend trying to do graduate school during UPT, so you may decide just to enjoy those last 6 months of “freedom” with your wife and dogs before the demands of Uncle Sam take over. Just my $.02.
Keep us posted with your AFROTC –> Guard/Reserve pursuits. That seems like a great deal if you can make it work.
Good luck and we may be reaching out for you advice with optimizing AWS!
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@SLAP Thank you for the advice and kind words. I plan on doing grad school while on casual status and definitely agree doing school + UPT concurrently is not the best idea. I’m hoping to get as much done as I can before dropping into a class at Sheppard and then picking up after UPT if required.
I’ll continue to provide updates on the ROTC -> Guard path, although with commissioning only about 6 months out it’s looking like the AD route will be the direction I head. I’ll keep monitoring the job boards and applying where possible. I last applied for the 159th FS as it lined up most effectively for my career and family goals but things didn’t work out for the most recent hiring board.
Regarding AWS, it’s super cool to here BogiDope is an AWS shop. I’m more than happy to dig into optimization opportunities with you and/or your IT team. I work with startups all the time looking to cost optimize and improve architecture so happy to connect! Feel free to send me a direct message or let me know if you’d like me to share my contact info with you.
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@EricD – great to hear you’re not giving up! It only takes one squadron to say ‘yes’ to change everything and age waivers (if not hired before 33) are historically easy to get approved.
How much college do you have left? As you already know, time is not on your side, so do everything you can to expedite knocking out your credits.
Good luck and welcome to BogiDope!
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@SLAP Unfortunately, I have about 1.5 years left, so hoping to start be able to start rushing this summer (thanks to the advice of @CHAOS ) and then start legitimately sending packets next year. That unfortunately only gives me one year of being qualified and sending packets before I’m 33, so working on a very compressed timeline, but the positive of that is that it’s keeping me laser focused. Just hoping that drive and intensity is enough for a unit to pick me up!
And @SLAP thanks for founding BogiDope and bringing awareness to such an amazing and unique life path and providing the tools to achieve it.
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@JCO – Everyone here got the military bug at different points in their lives. Some as kids, for me it was in college after 9/11, and for you, 43. It still makes you one of less than the 1% of Americans willing to serve, so I think it’s great that you’re trying to make it happen.
Have you looked into RPAs or CSO slots? The max age is 40, so although you would still need an age waiver, it’s likely an easier sell – and let’s face it, RPAs are the future, so it opens up a lot of interesting civilian opportunities too.
Thanks again for your desire to serve and welcome to BogiDope!
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Only rpa right now on bogi is the one in AZ. I mentioned it in my emails to the active duty guys, but no response from them
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There is one RPA for Texas Air National Guard
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Thanks! Is this still active even though it says through Sept, ‘23?
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Hey y’all my name is Jon, I’m a Weapons troop trying to get a Guard pilot slot. It’s been a looong road but I recently put in my very first application to the unit I work at and was selected as alternate. Heading to my IFC1 next month. I love AZ so I plan on trying once or twice more with my unit before opening up to other states. Turned 24 a couple days ago so I’ve got a bit of time on my side. Love this community and all the help I’ve had!
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Jon,
Welcome and good luck chasing your dream! BogiDope is here to help you throughout your journey. Look forward to seeing you achieve your goals and welcoming you into the military aviation “brotherhood “!
Cheers,
Snip
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My name is Cameron, grew up north of Baton Rouge, LA. I got my degree in History years back and love to talk about the topic, especially the military category, could probably enjoy discussions about it for hours. My mission is to be a fighter, so I’ve been swinging between Air Force but more Navy recently, I wouldn’t be too picky. Most of my stuff is done, big thanks to BD for laying it all out for me over the past years. Right now I’m part of a ground crew at an airport, got my PPL there too.
I don’t really talk about myself much, don’t like to either, so sorry if this is a bit awkward. Grinding to get competitive has turned me into a workhorse so I don’t really have many hobbies, too busy for them I guess, most of what I do I consider work. I do enjoy reading and writing a lot when I get the time. Also picked up language learning as something to do over the summer; not particularly good yet, just something I found interesting.
Sorry I don’t have much more to add, never did talk much, but here’s an inspiring picture of a Dutch Viper with their lion coat-of-arms
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What’s good y’all,
Since 2018, I’ve been a Recon JTAC in a Marine Corps dive team. I left active duty this October to pursue military aviation, a dream which was previously unavailable to someone as blind as I was in high school. I was ecstatic when the DoD adjusted its standards, now allowing those (like myself) who’ve undergone PRK to become pilots. Thanks to the support of my wife who took the majority of baby-duty while I studied, I was able to score a 99 pilot and 90+ across the board. I aim to bump up my 83 PCSM with some flight hours now that I have my freedom and time hahah. I’m set to finish up my degree with Norwich this coming July with a 3.8.
It’s my goal to take my “ground-guy” tactical CAS and Recce experience to the Air Force to support the guys and gals I’ve grown to admire. No better deal than to interview for a platform of choice, guarantee that platform if hired, and get to homestead my young family in one place for 10+ years.
Feel free to hit me up if you wanna talk shop or learn more about the homies down below and how we function. I think it’s important that pilots try to learn as much as they can about ground tactics, especially fighter/non-standard/drone guys who may have to directly support friendly maneuver in the future. The most important part of the 12-step is line 7.
-Alex
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Alex! Misty 01 is tally target, visual friendlies. Request my mark with WP, your brief, your control.
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What is up everyone! My name is David and I have had a massive change in direction this past month. I served 5 years AD and as of the beginning of this year, Palace Chased back home to go to flight school. I have been dreaming of becoming a pilot since I was 5. I hold my PPL and Instrument rating and currently just building hours toward my Commercial cert. My logbook sits at about 210 flight hours. Yet this is where things change! Flight School got extremely expensive for my liking, so I took a full time technician job back in my AFSC with the ANG and realized maybe the path forward to flying was not what I thought it was, (I was pursuing the Airlines.) This Spring I am finishing my BA and am looking to commission in a few years. My goal is to fly for the Air Force and further the career I have already started. Just here to gain as much insight and wisdom I can while I’m on the first step in this path: commissioning.
Any and all advice is appreciated and welcomed. Of course I have my preferred airframe I want to attempt and a Squadron I am interested in, but am always open to any and all new opportunities.
r,
Dave
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Welcome Dave!
Congrats on having the courage to not just dream about career change but start down a path of actually accomplishing said dreams. I’m not sure there’s a better place out there for you to build awareness, network with peers and prepare to apply and interview for the military flying job of your choosing. BogiDope offers all kinds of value to help you succeed. We look forward to working with you soon!
Cheers,
Snip
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Hello, my name is Samuel currently 33 years old. I will be completing my bachelors degree in nursing on Feb/24. I am a paramedic/registered nurse with some few months of flight nursing experience. I have myopia -5.25 in one eye. I saw a YouTube video that gave me motivation to download this app. I plan to talk to a recruiter this Monday and check out my possible opportunities. Willing to accept any advice.
Thank you!
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Hi everybody. I’m Brendan. I’m another “trying to do it later in life” person. I’ve always wanted to serve but never knew in what capacity and ended up going to school, getting a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, and becoming a Software Engineer instead. Now I have a strong urge to be of service. I grew up always looking up at aircraft and going to air shows. I’ve always been a huge fan of aviation and will finally be starting a PPL this coming March. I will hopefully be getting a PPL right before I turn 31. I joined BogiDope to see what options I have being in my 30’s wanting to serve and fly planes. I hope it’s not too late. Any advice and insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you.
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Brendan,
Time is critical…
1. Solid degree: ✔️✔️
2. Get your PPL and keep flying after
3. Start rushing units and figure out if they’re willing to consider an older candidate. Some are and some, not so much…
4. Consider a 1-on-1 General Strategy Session. A BogiDope coach can look at your specific situation and help you focus your pursuit.
Time is critical.
Good luck!
Snip
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Thanks for the reply, Snip! I’ll continue working on this and see where it leads. In the meantime, I will consider doing a 1:1 session soon. Is there a place you can point me to that will give more information about what rushing is and what stage that comes in training? For example, do I need to go to Officer training first and then rush units? Or rush units first and then if they like me I go to Officer training?
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Brendan,
BogiDope has a ton of information; eCourses, recorded webinars and direct coach access, through our membership tiers. Those programs are being restructured as we speak to provide even more value, guiding you with a specific path to achieve your military aviation objectives. To answer your specific question, no worries about AF Officer Training. Once you are hired by a unit, one of the first formal courses they will send you to is OTS, where you’ll graduate from and earn your butter bars (2nd Lt)!!
Cheers,
Snip
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Snip,
I truly appreciate the info.
I am signed up for the job announcement alerts and am looking at those each week just to get an idea. That’s good to know you can rush first and then do training to be sure you know what job you are getting. I’ll look into the other tier options for BogiDope in the coming months as well. I’m going to start that PPL in March and get a better idea if this is truly something that I have a calling for (I really think it is). Then I can REALLY dive in.
Thank you,
Brendan
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What’s up yall my name is Joshua, I am currently AD Air Force as a crew chief for the 135s in Florida. Maintenance is an alright gig but it’s not something I’m passionate about doing in the long run. I’ve been wanting to fly since I was three years old, and I have gotten a few opportunities to fly a plane for a little bit, but life and finances got in the way. As of now, I am halfway through my bachelor’s while deployed at the moment and having all this time on my hands is making me realize why I am not pursuing my dream to being a pilot. Future goals after getting my degree is to find out how to get my PPL before commissioning, and I would like to apply to a reserve/ guard unit that flies either C-17’s or fighters. Looking forward to gaining future insight from you all!
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Ronin,
Depending on your timing (age), you might be better off doubling-down on the pilot pursuit now and focus everything on getting degree done, flying your butt off and building your resume w/ leadership examples/experiences and notable accomplishments in and out of the AF.
If you pursue commissioning outside of flying, it might further delay your pursuit. If the flying thing doesn’t pan out, you can always get commissioned after.
A General Strategy Session with a BogiDope coach will help organize your path ahead and steer you as efficiently as possible.
Good luck!
Snip
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I am 25 years old. Thank you for that advice. The biggest thing being on Active Duty (especially as a maintainer) is managing my time wisely. I’ve been doing a pretty good job keeping a work/ life balance so far but I will have to look into squeezing what I can do to start on my PPL especially after this deployment. Thank you!
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My son’s a fighter crew chief. I get it. Sieze this moment and chase your dreams. Welcome aboard!
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Hello everyone. I am currently enlisted in the air national guard. I have finished my degree finally and just like most everyone else trying to figure out a way to fly.
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Hello everyone, my name’s Tyler. I am an ammo troop with the Maryland Air Guard. I’ve always had an interest in flying but was a late starter with college. I just graduated with my B.S. and start toward my PPL on January 1st. I turned 29 in October so I have a bit of a fight against time as well. Here’s the kicker, I deploy in March, so my goal is to build up as many hours as I can, study for/take the AFOQT, take the TBAS and do my best to build as competitive of a package as I can prior to leaving to hopefully start sending in applications. I have a solid list of references helping me out including my group commander (also a current A-10 pilot), my Chief, and others.
If anyone has any advice that may help out along the way, it would be greatly appreciated!
Look forward to the process and thank you all!
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@Biagi How was that first flight lesson? It’s going to be tough, but if it’s possible to complete your PPL, AFOQT, and TBAS in the next two months before your deployment, you won’t have to miss any application windows while deployed (March has historically been a month with a lot of UPT application deadlines). PPL isn’t a requirement to apply, so at the very minimum, knock out your AFOQT and TBAS so you can apply while you’re away. Your first solo is still a realistic goal before March and looks good on a resume. The point is, it’s going to be a busy few months to accomplish all of this, but it’s worth the effort so you don’t miss any potential opportunities. Good luck!
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Hello everyone,
I’m Luis and I am currently active duty stationed in Virginia.
I have been working on my private pilots license and should hopefully be done with it at the very end of this month or the beginning of next year. It has been a slow progress to get my PPL since I have gotten deployed 2 years back to back and had to put a stop to my training plus having a family to attend to. I am working on my Bachelors degree and should be done in less than 12 months from today.
My goal is to become a pilot in the Air Force and hopefully make a good career out of the military by serving and doing something I love to do, which is flying.
Glad to have found this community and all of the resources available to help us succeed.
– Luis
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@Vance Thanks for joining! Were you able to finish your PPL in December? Are you trying to stay active duty or switch to the Guard/Reserve?
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Thanks!
As of today, I am scheduled to take my final Prog check within the next week and a half and if everything goes well they’ll send me off to the DPE. My goal is to get a pilot slot in the guard/reserves and fly for a mobility unit.
– Vance
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Howdy. I’m prior Army, selected to fly for the AF reserve unit of my dreams. Here to help others, gain some knowledge, and tell other pilot hopefuls to stop overthinking little stuff.
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@SwollenOstrich First, great name. Second, congrats on getting selected for your dream Reserve unit, and thanks for offering to spread some wisdom to those trying to navigate a similar path!
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Hey everyone, my name is Cody Waldrop. I am 33 and currently fly helicopters for my local police department. I always wanted to fly in the military since a young boy. I let family and friends talk me out of pursuing that role, when I was in my twenties. Three years ago, God started putting this dream back on my heart and started opening doors for me. I was tasked to help start an aviation unit in my department and they trained me to fly the helicopters we acquired from the Army. Over the last three years, I was able to obtain my degree and continued with my masters while doing flight training and working. My love of flying has pushed me to accomplish these dreams I had many years ago. My dream is to fly fighters or the Apache but, after several conversations, it seems this is a tough road to accomplish this dream at my age. I have not fully given up on the Air Force route but I think my best bet would be flying in the Army. I have been working with the Army coach and he has helped me tremendously with contacts and guidance. I also have been working with the tutor Jeff Negus to help boost my scores. I am currently in the process of getting the asvab and Sift scheduled. Does anyone have any insight for study material or tips for the Sift test?
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@Waldrop Great story rejecting the naysayers and following your dreams. Glad to hear the BogiDope team has been able to help make your Army app competitive. Keep us updated on how it goes. Good luck!
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Hello, everybody. My name is Bo, and I’m a Junior in AFROTC who recently got selected for a pilot slot in the Air Force Reserves. I’m expecting to commission in May of 2025, so right now I’m beginning to focus more on finding a Reserve unit and submitting my applications to them, hopefully before I commission; I have a few units and airframes in mind, already, but I’ll see what my path has in store for me.
I’m a Mechanical Engineering major, and I’ve been involved in AFROTC throughout my whole college career. This last Fall semester, I actually had the opportunity to do a semester exchange at the US Air Force Academy and immerse myself into cadet life there, so it’s been cool to see 2 different commissioning sources and 2 VERY different college experiences firsthand. I made a lot of great connections there and participated in some outstanding training, all of which I hope to bring back to AFROTC in some way.
Aviation-wise, I have a Commercial Pilot’s License and have been flying privately since 2019. I am also active with training and mentoring cadets at my local Civil Air Patrol squadron as a C/Col and have pilot qualifications, as well (Transport Mission Pilot, Mission Scanner/Observer). Aside from flying and doing CAP, some of my other pastimes include shooting and playing guitar.
I look forward to connecting with others here and gaining more insight into this amazing career path of service.
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@Boseph Congrats on the AFRC ROTC pilot slot! That’s super rare, so kudos to you. My understanding, though, was that you had to be “sponsored” by a squadron before going down that path. You got selected into the AFRC without a specific squadron assignment (“unsponsored”)? Can you share what that process was like (perhaps in a dedicated forum discussion)? I’m sure there are more than a couple ROTC prospects that would be interested to know the details. Was the ANG an option for you too, or just AFRC?
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Thank you very much. For the ROTC Reserves route, you can go either Sponsored or Un-Sponsored, the latter of which I did of course. The only real difference in the application to the AFRC board through ROTC as a Sponsored candidate is some minor paperwork, I believe, essentially saying that you have been conditionally hired by a unit.
ANG is technically an option out of ROTC, but from my understanding you cannot go Rated out of ROTC to an ANG unit; you can only go to AFRC units if you get that pilot slot; my Detachment Cadre helped confirm this with me, based on their understanding as well.
If anyone would be interested, I’d be happy to start a forum discussion about my process for other ROTC-AFRC hopefuls and share how my journey has gone so far.
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@Boseph Thanks for the additional info. Clearly this path is not well advertised yet, because you were told that you couldn’t go to the ANG, but here’s an article written by one of our previous clients who did just that: http://bogidope.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-earning-a-pilot-slot-in-air-force-rotc-part-2/.
Maybe starting that forum discussion you mentioned would be a good way of consolidating these nuggets of wisdom in one central place. Thanks again for offering to help and congrats again on getting selected!
bogidope.com
The Ultimate Guide to Earning a Pilot Slot in Air Force ROTC, Part 2 | BogiDope
Share In part one of this article series, we discussed what Air Force ROTC is and what it is like. This article will detail how…
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Hey all, my name is Weston. I’m a prior Active Duty and current Reservist F-15E Crew Chief at SJAFB with about 6 years in. I have many Aircrew mentors from my time in the 15 community which gave me inspiration to chase my aviation dreams and goals. I’m now a Junior in college and an AS300 in ROTC about to compete for the rated board. I’m not required to contract with ROTC until 30 days prior to graduation due to my existing Reserves contract which gives me flexibility. With this extra time, I was thinking about rushing Guard and Reserve units for a potential spot while I compete for a pilot slot via ROTC. If I don’t get picked up Guard/Reserve, then I will keep fighting for a slot out of ROTC; if I do, then I can drop ROTC and go the OTS route for the unit that hires me. I have a 97 PT Score, 4.0 GPA, and max flight hours for the PCSM score. I am continuing my PPL training and starting instrument rating after. My weak point is my Pilot AFOQT score, I’ve taken it twice and improved, but my score is only a 61. I have been approved for a waiver for a third retake and have been studying my butt off to get it up. Any thoughts on this are welcome, thanks!
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@Dub-J It may be worth messaging @Boseph about the AFROTC pilot slots in the Guard/Reserve. He may have some useful insight.
Regarding your AFOQT scores, I would reach out to @Tutor-Gunboss about setting up some AFOQT tutoring. He has a some great tactics for maximizing your scores. Good luck!
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@SLAP appreciate it sir! ????????
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Howdy, my name is Ben, I’m a Captain in the Marine Corps, and I’m trying to join the Air National Guard with a slot to attend UPT. I’m a logistics officer but I started as a student naval aviator in Pensacola back in 2019, but I washed out of training from poor academic performance due to my own poor time management, but some outside factors included the birth of my first child, the Saudi Arabian shooter that killed 3 sailors and stifled the pipeline somewhat, and covid protocols also heavily altering the normal POI. I’m taking the AFOQT on Wednesday, so hopefully that will give me more answers moving forward in my application process. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
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Hi Ben – In addition to maximizing your AFOQT scores, I would start getting as much flight time as you can. To convince a hiring board that “this time around will be different,” you’ll have to be able to display measurable improvements in areas that caused you to wash out (e.g. more aviation experience, academic achievement, etc). Good luck!
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@SLAP and company, thanks for hosting an awesome site! I’m a Navy Prowler ECMO/Growler EWO (Growler patch) currently doing a FAO tour and exploring my options to continue flying in the ANG. I’m a senior O-4, so a bit long in the tooth, but excited about figuring out what options are available to me in the Guard. I’m also happy to help field any Naval Aviation questions that come up. Thanks again gents!
Cheers,
Keebler-
@Keebler we could certainly use some more voices for Naval Aviation around here, so any knowledge bombs you can drop are always welcome.
It sounds like you may need a couple of waivers for your commissioned service time (and age?) but definitely doable with the type of background/experience you have. We’re looking to working with you. Welcome to BogiDope!
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Hello all,
No official callsign at this time. Although you can call my Falcon, which is my middle name.
I am currently active duty Air Force serving as an EOD technician. As of now I am working on an OTS package for a rated board (putting in for pilot and helo). I have followed BogiDope for about 3 years now and have always been intrigued about going Guard to fly.
Regardless of my selection or not I was fortunate to have been selected as the recipient of a $10,000 scholarship through the Air & Space Forces Association. It is with this I will be getting my PPL in the coming year and then will be moving on to get my instrument rating after.
I hope sooner than later as I gain experience I am able to contribute to people’s questions, knowledge and stories!
Cheers,
Falcon
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@Falcon First, the obvious question…is that really your middle name? There has to be a good story behind that. Do tell.
Congrats on the scholarship! That’s incredible. I’m sure there are tons of people on BogiDope that would be very interested to know how to get some of their flight training paid for, so if you have any info/lessons learned to pass on to the group, it would be much appreciated. Welcome!
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Growing up my dad was always flying hang gliders and ultralights. We also had family friends that I was able to fly with often. Being that my dad’s life revolved around hang gliding, I was given the middle name Falcon and my sister the name Amelia (after Amelia Earhart).
Yes! So, there was no particular science to how I got my scholarship. Other than the work I put into the application itself… AND the strong letter of recommendation a Major I worked for previously. I am just fortunate to be geographically located near where this large scholarship was being advertised for. I did apply for many other scholarships, just they were typically between $500-$2,000.
How I discovered these scholarships was all through googling, YouTube videos and podcasts which provided me with links or “insider” information. I cannot recall which video I watched in specific that I found the specific scholarships I applied for. Although just for example here are two videos I found with a quick search that provided links in their descriptions to scholarships:
https://youtu.be/wACUZ7IF8dQ?si=QqGfz8CDFe7h9tN9
https://youtu.be/QcCezfTilGk?si=FazMKYwEgMehNhMJ
For those that are active duty Air Force, there is AF COOL which many flight schools near Air Force bases typically accept. If they don’t accept it, there is a process of getting the flight school to be an approve institution (if they have a curriculum). So, if you’re Air Force it’s worth the leg work to get that $4,500 of AF COOL.
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Greetings!
My name is Chase Morgan and I am a current senior at Gettysburg College studying physics. I have an offer lined up at Northrop Grumman for Systems Engineering in the Baltimore, MD area.
It’s always been my dream to fly fighter jets and I’ve been looking into the ANG as a way to both work as an engineer and fly fighter jets. I would like to fly for the DC or MD units in my area but I am quite lost as to how I begin this process of doing both ANG and engineering.
This website/app has been very encouraging and I look forward to interacting with it more!
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@Chase Welcome to BogiDope! Being an engineer and fighter pilot in the Guard is totally doable, especially if your Guard unit is in the same city.
You will have to go on military leave from your job for approximately 4ish years as you go to flight school and complete your “seasoning days” back at the squadron that hired you (your civilian job will be protected this whole time). After that you’ll likely need about 8 sorties a month to stay current (drops to 6 sorties for most fighters after you’re deemed “experienced”). 8 sorties doesn’t necessarily mean 8 days of work per month (you can often get multiple sorties accomplished in one day).
Work as an engineer Mon-Thurs and then go fly jets every Friday (the best day in the squadron anyway) and one drill weekend. That should be doable schedule to keep both your civilian and military bosses only moderately frustrated with your availability.
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Hello everyone!
I’m Robynn! I recently was recommended to check this app out by a fellow pilot. I’m about a year out from graduating with my B.S. in aeronautics. My goal is to fly fighters for the guard or reserves (although would be ecstatic for any pilot slot.) I’m currently a first officer for a regional carrier and have about 2,000 hours of flight time.
Apparently there’s a section of this app where you can see different hiring events for squadrons. Anyone have knowledge on where I should look? Any help is appreciated!
I’m quite enthusiastic after learning about this community and look forward to connecting!
-Robynn
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@Duck Welcome to BogiDope! I’m guessing by “hiring events” you mean the job board? If you click on Military Jobs under the Job Board tab on the main menu, you’ll see a list of all Guard/Reserve pilot jobs submitted to MilRecruiter.com (where squadrons post jobs and collect applications). MilRecruiter and BogiDope auto sync every 24 hours, so anything posted by a squadron on MilRecruiter should show up on the BogiDope Job Board soon after.
If you were talking about something else, let me know and I’ll try to steer you in the right direction.
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SLAP,
Yes, thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. I didn’t have luck with finding it on the app but found it on the desktop version. Thanks again. I really appreciate the help!
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Hey everyone,
My name is Alex, and I’m 22 years old. Currently, I’m a senior in AFROTC, expecting to commission around October 2024. Recently, I found out that I’ve been selected for an unsponsored pilot slot in the Air Force Reserves (congrats to anyone else who got selected and is reading this!). I don’t have a specific airframe preference; my goal is to join the fighter community and work with like-minded individuals.
I’m an Aviation Management major and have been involved in AFROTC for most of my college career. I joined “late-ish” and studied abroad for a semester last year in Norway. In terms of flight experience, I have a Commercial Pilot’s License/Instrument Rating and am close to finishing my commercial multi-engine (with around 250 total hours).
Always looking to push my limits, I enjoy lifting and training for triathlons. In my free time, my hobbies depend on where I am and who I’m with, as I find enjoyment in almost anything. Mostly being outdoors activities, they range from working on dirt bikes, surfing, and reading to camping, enjoying a beer with friends, and ice fishing. Of course, flying as well! During my sophomore-junior year, some friends and I started a flying club/LLC, apparently with the ultimate goal of burning a hole in my wallet, ha. Jokes aside, we gained a lot of experience and happily introduced many people to the world of aviation 🙂
I’m eager to help others who are pursuing their military flying goals while I do the same. I’d be more than happy to share any experience or advice I can. I look forward to contributing to the community SLAP has started!
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@A_Foster Welcome to BogiDope and congrats on the AFRC pilot slot! I think you might be the third person in this thread who has gone down that path from the AFROTC, so it appears it’s starting to grow in popularity.
Which AFRC fighter squadrons/airframes are you focusing on? Unfortunately, there aren’t as many fighter squadrons in AFRC as in the Guard, but they have some of the best locations (F-22s in AK and F-35s in UT if you like the mountains and F-16s/F-35s in FL and TX if you don’t like taxes!):
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Thank you! Yeah! I believe there were 7 selected last year and 9 this year.
As you mentioned, there aren’t many fighter options in AFRC, but all have great locations. Since I’ve lived in all climates and have a hobby for each one, I’m open to making any place my home. Until I find that “home”, I plan on applying to every unit hiring. I recently applied to Moody to fly the A-10. I’m excited to see if they get back!
Unfortunately, I have heard the units in Alaska and Utah do not hire UPT candidates/ haven’t up to this point. If you or anyone else has heard different please let me know!
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Hi everyone! My name is Jackson, I’m currently a student pilot at ENJJPT flying the T-6. I’m an AD 2Lt, but heavily debated between the Guard and AD during my junior and senior year of AFROTC. I’d be more than happy to share my experiences at UPT and answer any questions or help set up a connection with someone that might be able to better help.
Cheers!
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@jd3 Welcome to BogiDope and congrats on your ENJJPT slot! This is dating myself, but I was actually in the first T-6 class at ENJJPT back in 2008. I’m sure a lot has changed, but I’m guessing that airplane is still a lot of fun to fly.
What seem to be the common drops recently at assignment night?
I’m sure there are a lot people interested in the active duty path and learning about the latest at ENJJPT as well, so any gouge you can provide the community woud be much appreciated. ????
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Hey @SLAP, thanks for responding. I’m sure your class memorabilia is still around the building, we still have pictures and ceiling tiles from classes all the way back in the 80’s and 90’s hanging around D flight. The T-6 is still a blast to fly!
Only fighter and bombers for AD USAF out of ENJJPT. And the big recent news is no more BUFF drops for studs out of ENJJPT since T-1 guys are now able to drop it. I’d say it’s consistently been 3-4 5th Gen with more and more 35’s each drop, with a few Vipers and a Strike Eagle with 1 or 2 FAIPs and 1 or 2 bombers depending on class size. You also have the occasional T-38A aggressor or EA-18 Growler opportunity every once in a while.
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Hello everyone!
My name is Kyle and I am also an Air Force ROTC cadet selected for a pilot slot in the reserves. I am 22 pursuing a B.S in mathematics and graduating next year.
I was invited to rush a KC 135 unit this weekend and am very excited. My first glimpse at the life of a reserve pilot (not exactly though haha).
I currently just have my PPL, but plan to get my instrument rating this year. On my free time, I like to fly and watch TV. Not many hobbies.
Very grateful for the BogiDope community, especially for the medical consultation. I was able to get my medical concerns addressed without stressing too much at the flight physical.
Hope to see y’all in the skies someday!
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@Kyle Apparently the secret is out on the AFROTC to Guard/Reserve path. Congrats!
How’d the weekend go rushing the KC-135 squadron?
Glad to hear the medical consult went well. They do a great job.
Congrats again and welcome to BogiDope!
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Hi @SLAP !
The weekend went well. I got an insight for life at the squadron and got to tour the KC-135. Everyone was helpful and made me feel welcome. I do plan to rush other squadrons this year before I graduate, but I may visit for one day rather than 2 since squadrons get busy on drill weekends.
Currently in touch with a couple other units to give some recognition before I apply.
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Hey everyone,
My name is Thomas Stephens. I’m 22 years old and currently an aeronautics student and AFROTC cadet at the University of North Dakota set to graduate and commission in May 2024. I have 250 flight hours, my CFI/CFII and Commercial Certificate with instrument and multi-engine ratings. I was awarded an AFRC unsponsored UPT slot in December of 2022 and in the process of applying to units.
In my free time I like to watch football and baseball, go fishing, and have a few beers while playing poker with friends.
Feel free to reach out to me if you want to connect or have any questions about getting an Air Force Reserve pilot slot through AFROTC!
– Thomas Stephens
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@TStephens34 Nothing faster than a winter preflight walkaround in Grand Forks. Great school.
Congrats on the AFRC slot! There’s a trend developing on this welcome board. AFRC is doing a great job of stealing AFROTC cadets away from active duty (Equivalent of the college sports transfer portal in military recruiting!). That’s awesome.
Any specific airframes or locations you’re focuing on?
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@TStephens34 Thanks for the intro and congrats on your path to wings in the Reserve! I’ve worked with a handful of ROTC cadets who have shown a desire to transition their commitment to a UPT slot in the Guard or Reserve. Hopefully those in the community see this and reach out!
Thanks for your willingness to share your experience!
-CHAOS
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