pwaterman
Forum Replies Created
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TBAS is latest score. AFOQT is super-scored. Info from my friend who took the TBAS a few weeks ago.
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Typically your sponsoring unit should pay for that. You wouldn’t go until after you got picked up for UPT spot.
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Finished up with UPT not too long ago. Current UPT environment seems like it is literally changing every day. At the moment, if you were to go to UPT being hired by a Guard/Res heavy unit you would likely do T-1 only track. There is a program at Vance and Columbus called XPW (Accelerated Path to Wings) and it’s a (I believe) 9 month, T-1 only program where you will actually get to fly the jet. Currently this program is running until at least 2026 because that is the current T-1 contract for MX. The other option is T-6 only (no more T-1 sims).
As I said though the syllabus seems like it’s literally changing every day and who knows what will be next. Shoot me a message if you have any specific questions about UPT.
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Unfortunately there’s nothing that could guarantee anything. You never know what could get in your way that could cause something to change. I’m not too familiar with the Marine program, but have heard that if you sign your contract and later cannot become a pilot for whatever reason you’re on the hook for a job of their choice.
My advice to you is to go find Guard/Reserve units where you’d be interested flying at and start making those connections. Getting hired isn’t easy and can often take a long time. The more places you apply, the better.
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It could help you out, but I would personally recommend not doing that. You could absolutely join a guard/reserve fighter unit as a non flyer and get to know all the people around there and get hired eventually. Couple things with that to think about are that you pretty much limit yourself to that one unit, and second that you now have a 4 year contract to do that job. There’s also always the chance that they’re unable to offer you a flying job.
Alternatively, you can just keep your current job and go out and rush all the units you’d potentially want to fly at. This gives you the option and flexibility to check out all sorts of places. Most units will like you to rush a few times, and it may take a few hiring cycles as well as a few years to get hired anyway.
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There really is no way to ‘request’ XPW prior to showing up to UPT. However, the way it has been going lately is that every XPW class will have 3-4 Guard/Res and 2-3 Active spots. Most of the Guard/Res are being non-vol’d since those studs already knew they were headed that way. Since you are Reserve once you get down to inpro with the 340th they can probably assist with helping you get placed.
I will also add that T-6’s are all going direct to FTU now so the timeline is about the same. I personally had such a blast flying the T-6 and would strongly encourage you to go in with an open mind since this is likely the only time in your flying career where you will get to do fighter-like flying.
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I don’t have great answers for you about the VA rating or the eyesight – however having recently gone through UPT I had met at least 2 prior Marines and a few prior Navy guys who had been picked up by Guard/Reserve unit. It didn’t sound like the process of getting hired was any more or less challenging than a normal off the street hire but I’m sure there could be a little extra paperwork to be done.
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Congrats on the hire! Not sure what sort of timeline your unit gave you but most people that I know is around 2 years. My understanding is that the Air Force can’t send people to OTS fast enough. But as soon as you can get OTS out of the way they should PCS you to UPT within a few months. Things could be different in your experience but that has been the case for most people.
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As of right now I don’t believe the Air Fore is currently doing this program. They do have a shortened version of UPT called Accelerated Path to Wings where you only fly the T-1 and the whole program is 7 months start to finish. Guard pilots can be in this program depending on what your unit wants. Only person I’ve heard of bypassing UPT was an Ex Army Helo guy who went guard C-130’s.
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Personally I would not reach out to pilots on LinkedIn or personal email. Find out when these units are hosting visits or when they are hiring and just go in as many times as you can. Bring a nice bottle or a nice gift and write your name on it so people remember you. Go to social events and just chat with as many people as you can. You can also try and coordinate visits via the hiring email that is on BogiDope.
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Hey Kate, I recently graduated from UPT and was a member of this board. Truth is nobody is going to hire you until you are a senior. The AFRES board will take place during your junior year so every member is likely going to be unsponsored. You can always rush units and show your face as much as possible but I wouldn’t get your hopes up about getting hired this early. Visiting local units always helps, as well as visiting units frequently. Just realize you are in no rush here and there’s nothing to worry about. Just keep building a strong resume. Feel free to ask me any questions about anything you might have.
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No problem! Feel free to shoot me a message if you ever need help with anything!
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Nope
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Yeah, I thought that was interesting how it mentioned that too but as mentioned earlier it’s not really going to work out until you’re a senior. When it comes to the board just build the strongest application packet you can and get some good references. That’s about all you can do, there’s no interview or mention of how many other people apply. If you are interested in visiting units just look at BogiDope job listings and find reserve units you might like. Then just explain your situation and mention that you just want to come out and visit. I still wouldn’t even worry about visiting units until your junior/senior year. Save your money.
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This reply was modified 8 months ago by pwaterman.
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This reply was modified 8 months ago by
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To this question specifically – yes if you can’t find a sponsoring unit you will be assigned one but not until after completing T-6’s.
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This reply was modified 8 months ago by pwaterman.
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This reply was modified 8 months ago by