[SMAX]

Randy,

I can appreciate the frustration with putting in lots of work and it hasn’t paid off so far. If this is truly your dream, then don’t give up. An age waiver is nothing more than a piece of paper, and if you are the right fit for a unit, the unit will go to bat for you and convince their upper levels of leadership that this age waiver is legitimate and worth their signature.

My advice to you would be to set realistic expectations and find the spots where you have the best odds. That means searching out units that have fewer applicants to their hiring boards. Focus on units who have a mission focused in border security, possibly helping with Customs and Border Protection, so you can play that experience up. Lastly, although expensive, I do think that having as much flying experience as possible as an older candidate will make you more intriguing to units. You want to stand out from the crowd, and alleviate any areas where a hiring panel can eliminate you from contention.

Hopefully this helps steer your search a little and you can gain some traction. Best of luck!

[SMAX]

@kaitlin-palm If you’re around military aviation long enough, especially the training side of the house, you’ll find that one of the few constants is change. The Air Force is always looking at new ways to safely fill cockpits as quickly as possible. The IPT program is just another way to accomplish this objective, outsource some of the initial skills required so that they can shorten the T-6 syllabus and generate winged pilots.

Talking with a few of the folks I know who went through the initial iterations of IPT; everyone goes through the full academic and flying syllabus. The person who is hired to an ANG unit from the regionals with an ATP and 2000 hours will go through the same material as the person who has only soloed a C-152. One will likely progress quicker than the other, but the same standard is held for everyone going through the program.

Folks aspiring to be hired by an ANG unit need to look at IPT as “part of the training process.” Once you’re in the training pipeline, your goal is to be the best at whatever Training Command puts in front of you. Prior to receiving that interview and job offer from a unit, your goal is to have the most competitive resume possible. I am confident in saying that whatever the Air Force determines is the best training flow for students is separate from how units look at applicants and select the best fit for their organization.