Stop talking to recruiters, period. Your physical attributes are not what commanders/decision makers are concerned about. You have to convince them that you can be focused, moldable, meldable and be willing to put in the 12 hrs per day for 5-6 days a week to learn what it takes to master the employment of the weapons system. Chop, chop……

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Great question! If there’s one lesson or theme to take with you to UPT it’s to be an open book, a sponge. I don’t care if you have 10 hrs or 4000 hrs, you will be taught a new way to approach aviation training. Yes, your experience might provide some key insight to help your overall performance but don’t let the way you’ve been taught to do…

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So, I’m biased towards the crew chief role. It’s the most “role up your sleeves and get the mission accomplished” job out there. You’ll also have opportunities to interact w/ the squadron’s pilots as well. Just remember, and this is IMPORTANT. The most critical thing is to be a respected and appreciated contributor in your current job…

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Congratulations Wyatt! Enjoy ENJPPT!! Kick ass at UPT and earn that F-35!

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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…

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My son’s a fighter crew chief. I get it. Sieze this moment and chase your dreams. Welcome aboard!

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…

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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…

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RCLEGG,

BogiDope offers 1-on-1 coaching sessions with Aeromedical experts (some are even AF Flt Docs) who would be perfectly suited to help you. It would be money well spent to help you better understand your situation.

Good luck!

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Last night, we held our first Mock Interview session for the membership group. It was a great first look into some of the questions you’ll be faced with when interviewing for military flying positions in the ANG/AFRES or Active Duty, the latter in preparation for your OTS officer accessions interview.

The opportunity to simulate some of the…

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Pipes,

To answer one of your follow-on questions, YES, a BogiDope membership would provide you all the support, networking and guidance on these type issues and so much more. Good luck as you pursue this life-changing career transition!😉

I would recommend that you attempt to broaden the scope of your Letters of Recommendation. You should…

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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,

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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…

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Hello BogiDope!

Many of you are asking what you can be doing right now to prepare to serve as military pilots in the world’s greatest Air Force! Well, we have a whole host of 1-on-1 coaching and other membership-based opportunities to help prepare you to enter this life-changing profession. Tonight, our Air Force membership group will be…

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Zayan,

How to rush an Air National Guard unit? There’s no one way to do this so I’ll suggest some different approaches. First off, do some research online to learn more about the unit; Google, Wikipedia, AF.mil are all your friends! Also, BogiDope and MilRecruiter offer you a map of all the flying squadrons in the US and territories. You…

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Most multi-airframe examples, as Husky was describing, most likely resulted from folks serving in the Active Duty AF or Navy/USMC and then transitioning to a reserve component later in their career. Actual exchange tours, once you are flying in an ANG/AFRES unit aren’t readily available.

For Monday’s Interview Prep session we will deep dive into the following two questions:

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 and 15 years?

– In order to answer this effectively and completely, we’ll discuss, in some detail, what’s life like in a flying squadron in the first 5-15 years.

2. Tell us about a time when questions.

– We’ll…

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For next week’s Air Force Group webinar on Monday, 6 Nov at 8:00pm ET, we will continue our focus on Interview Prep. Once again, our goal is to not repeat data that is readily available to you via our Video Library – lots of great content there and growing by the week! I’m striving to make this session as value-added as possible for our paid…

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Aearly,

Sounds like you’re doing everything you can at this time. Focusing on your GPA, flying and being a stand-out student and airman is key. Well-rounded pilot candidates demonstrate an ability to rise to the top of whatever organizations they are involved in. Also, if you haven’t already started making connections at your AFRES unit,…

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Isaac,

Your desire to pursue ROTC in college and follow on to serve as an officer/pilot in the ANG/AFRES is doable but not the most common path. What do I mean by that? The name ROTC can be misleading…typically, ROTC cadets are training to receive commissions as officers into the Active Duty AF (the path I took, BTW). Choosing ROTC and then…

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Whiting_Fish,

Yes! As Husky stated, somewhat of an uncommon occurrence, but not impossible. I personally worked with a pilot in one of our squadrons who was pursuing this path. They do consider ANG/AFRES pilots for those highly sought-after Air Force Test Pilot positions. If selected, you would temporarily enter active service and go to…

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Raven,

Assuming you’re going to need about 3-4’ish years to finish college, you’re gonna be getting close to the age limit to fly. The current maximum age without an Exception To Policy (ETP) is 33. Specifically, you must have a letter of intent to hire from an ANG/AFRES unit before reaching your 33rd birthday. Generally speaking, fighter…

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Yoshi,

Unfortunately, this program wasn’t around when I was on AD but I’m sure you can find the same info online that I found on the Googles – this was pretty informative…

…

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For next week’s Air Force Group webinar on Thursday, 26 Oct at 8:00pm ET, we will begin our focus on Interview Prep. My goal is to not repeat data that is readily available to you via our Video Library but, as always, I’m striving to make this session as value-added as possible for our paid membership group. So, here’s your chance to share…

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Alec,

“I connected with a local recruiter and they told me that a PPL and 100 hours of logged flight time were required before taking the AFOQT/TBAS or starting the application process.”

This is completely false information.

Passing the written FAA exam that you must take in order to obtain your PPL will help you prepare for the pilot portion of…

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Let’s talk! 1-on-1 General Strategy Session will be WELL worth your investment. So much to discuss here. Either way, I wish you the best in achieving your dreams.

Cheers,

Snip

Any opportunities that you can pursue that can help grow your leadership experience will help you. Your ANG enlisted time will offer some leadership experiences but, in that role, you’ll probably be more focused on job performance and dedication/commitment to the unit.

Lenny,

I can’t speak specifically to F-35s as I was a previous F-15 bubba but, when hiring experienced (rated) pilots, we would look at their “Letter of X’s”. This is your previous squadron’s training document that shows all the pilots and what specific qualifications they’ve earned and start there. Based on the needs of your new unit,…

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Wikz,

You are on the right track. This can be a long and arduous path – don’t miss opportunities to blow off a little steam along the way. Think about the following priorities in your life:

1. GPA, GPA and GPA…

2. Leadership opportunities in college (clubs, classes, social groups, jobs)

3. Choose hobbies/activities that you’re passionate…

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Find another officer accessions recruiter. Maybe call an ANG/AFRES recruiter and explain your situation- they might be able to put you in contact w/ an Active Duty Officer recruiter with a pulse. Don’t accept a non-response. Keep pushing!

Jay_See,

You’re late to the game so time is critical. If you are just looking at your local unit, where you have served, hopefully you’ve built a relationship with a decision maker in the flying squadron (typically a Lt Col-type) and ask for a one-on-one with them. Ask them if your age is a deal crusher in this pursuit. Some units are more…

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Marco,

Ask yourself this, “Can I forgive myself in 15 yrs if I never gave myself the chance to become a military aviator?”. If your answer is, “Yes, for several reasons, the risk, at that time, wasn’t worth the reward”, then stay your current course and kick-ass in whatever it is that you do! If you wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself,…

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