Air Force Question

I have to second Rons (strong) recommendation to get in writing.

I got my $10,000 enlistment bonus only becuase I sat in front of the recruiter for an hour insisting that he show it to me in writing. After he made several phone calls he finally added a hand written note into my enlistment package stating that I was eligible for the bonus.

2 years later when I went to me personal sergent to file the paperwork to claim the bonus he looked in my file and told me that I did not have the required form for the bonus. I then showed him the note in the back of my file and they retroactively added the required form. If I hadn't insisted on seeing it in writing I would not have gotten it.

In the military if it isn't written down, it didn't happen.

Brian Case
 
Best thing is to get a good paying job in the private sector, make lots of money, buy an airplane and fly whenever you want.
 
You can talk to all the recruiters you want, but most of them (and all of the ones I have ever dealt with) do not know much about the physical requirements for flying status or disqualifying conditions. Having something in writing can help, but if the needs of the military change, you will be out of luck. You can get the physical exam requirements online- it is the AFI48-123, and see if you meet the requirements for flying status. Also, some conditions can be waivered. As mentioned, the status for the ARC are the same as REGAF.

Good luck.
 
steingar said:
Best thing is to get a good paying job in the private sector, make lots of money, buy an airplane and fly whenever you want.
Click to expand...

If you just want to fly, I would agree with this. However, what if the OP just wants to serve his country in this capacity?
 
There are also crew positions, such as boom operator, that do not have quite as rigorous physical requirements as pilots. You can look up the requirements, or have your recruiter take your initial screening form to a flight surgeon and see if there are any glaring issues that are disqualifying or might require a waiver. This should always be the first step, and save you and everyone else in the process a lot of time.

We had a young guy meet a flying board, go through the whole process and paperwork, only to find at his flying physical that he had previously undergone lasik. At the time, this was not waiverable, and in addition to the time everyone spent working on his package, he was of course devastated. This could all have been prevented by running the person's history through the flight surgeon's office first.

So, even a doc in a MEPS (medical screening for all military applicants) likely would not know all of the physical exam requirements. So, whether ANG, Reserve, or AD this would be the best bet as a first place to start.

Finally, you can get something in wriitng, but if you don't meet the criteria for the physical exam, training, etc, the letter can be overturned by someone higher ranking to meet the needs of the military.
 
AcroBoy said:
There are also crew positions, such as boom operator, that do not have quite as rigorous physical requirements as pilots.
Click to expand...
I think boomers (and all other aircrew) still have to be correctable to 20/20 (which, IIRC, the OP was not), and speaking as a former receiver, I'm glad they are. You definitely don't want a nearsighted boomer mistaking the "Mig mirror" for the receptacle and sticking the probe through the WSO's canopy some night (which happened to a crew in my RF-4C RTU squadron while I was there).
 
Hey, the boom strikes aren't always the fault of the boomer- the receiver has something to do with as well. Nowadays even a slight miss going into the receptacle can result in a mission abort if the paint is scratched just a little.

In the back of the F-16 it is a little unnerving seeing that big pipe swing past your head. I don't care how thick the canopy is, it still seemed pretty fragile compared to the size of the boom. I always ran the seat all the way down, as if it would make a difference.
 
AcroBoy said:
Hey, the boom strikes aren't always the fault of the boomer- the receiver has something to do with as well.
Click to expand...
Not in the case I mentioned -- boomer flat screwed up.
Nowadays even a slight miss going into the receptacle can result in a mission abort if the paint is scratched just a little.
Click to expand...
Well, that was 30 years ago, but I'd say busting a hole a foot wide in the WSO's canopy is more than scratched paint.
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top