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Going Backwards: Legacy to Air Guard

Old 07-07-2022, 05:25 AM
  #11  
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I'd get ahold of their drill scheduled days and make sure to show up every day they have drill so they know who you are. Bring some booze for them and leave it on the bar with a note or a thank you and your name, go out of your way to introduce yourself to everyone. When the interview comes you dont want the conversation of "Anyone speak to this guy?" being talked about. Be yourself too as stated above, if you dont mesh with their culture no matter how much you want to fly their airframe you are going to not enjoy yourself. It's not 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks a year. You'll be spending a good deal of time with every person who is in that sq now for the next decade.
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Old 07-12-2022, 09:31 AM
  #12  
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Originally Posted by Meme In Command View Post
I am Army aviation branched fixed wing commissioned officer. My only rotor time is from the flight school, which was another hurdle. No matter how many times I specified I was a fixed wing guy, AF personnel offices always got hung up on me being "the army rotor guy".
You went straight to fixed wing in the Army Guard?
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Old 07-12-2022, 09:37 AM
  #13  
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Originally Posted by Gilligan13 View Post
You went straight to fixed wing in the Army Guard?
There are a few unicorns out there. He seems to be one of them.
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Old 07-12-2022, 03:16 PM
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Originally Posted by Meme In Command View Post
I am Army aviation branched fixed wing commissioned officer. My only rotor time is from the flight school, which was another hurdle. No matter how many times I specified I was a fixed wing guy, AF personnel offices always got hung up on me being "the army rotor guy".
I hate to say it, but the challenge you will face as an already fixed wing rated winged pilot is that you can’t go to pilot training. It would be like a C-17 guy applying to a guard fighter unit for a UPT slot. He’s already taken his bite at the apple. Even though there was no opportunity for you to compete for a T-38 slot in pilot training, the system will see you the same as that C-17 guy. They may be able to send you through a quickie T-38 course, IFF (intro to fighter fundamentals), and then the B course as a cross flow. Unfortunately, no only is this rare for anyone, but you would be simultaneously learning a challenging jet, all the relevant AFIs, and making the cultural shift. That’s not a small lift. This is not to say it’s impossible, merely very difficult.
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Old 07-12-2022, 05:31 PM
  #15  
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Originally Posted by tnkrdrvr View Post
I hate to say it, but the challenge you will face as an already fixed wing rated winged pilot is that you can’t go to pilot training. It would be like a C-17 guy applying to a guard fighter unit for a UPT slot. He’s already taken his bite at the apple. Even though there was no opportunity for you to compete for a T-38 slot in pilot training, the system will see you the same as that C-17 guy. They may be able to send you through a quickie T-38 course, IFF (intro to fighter fundamentals), and then the B course as a cross flow. Unfortunately, no only is this rare for anyone, but you would be simultaneously learning a challenging jet, all the relevant AFIs, and making the cultural shift. That’s not a small lift. This is not to say it’s impossible, merely very difficult.
Did he go to UPT? Sounds like maybe he did standard Ft Rucker followed by assignment to FW out of the gate? Don't think that transition training counts as UPT?
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Old 07-13-2022, 06:24 AM
  #16  
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Originally Posted by rickair7777 View Post
Did he go to UPT? Sounds like maybe he did standard Ft Rucker followed by assignment to FW out of the gate? Don't think that transition training counts as UPT?
Every prior Army rotorhead I instructed when I was an MWS school house IP only did some time in the T-1 (some didn’t even do that). So if those guys didn’t require a full UPT course, I’m not sure why a guy who already has wings and is fixed wing qual’d would be seen as needing UPT. The folks who have to approve such things would likely take the position of sending him to pilot training is a waste when he could go directly to any heavy unit without needing a year (taking a valuable slot) of UPT. If he can convince this unit that they love him and he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, maybe they could pull a fast one and get around all that. Unfortunately, I think he may be caught in a weird catch 22.
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Old 07-13-2022, 07:23 AM
  #17  
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Originally Posted by tnkrdrvr View Post
Every prior Army rotorhead I instructed when I was an MWS school house IP only did some time in the T-1 (some didn’t even do that). So if those guys didn’t require a full UPT course, I’m not sure why a guy who already has wings and is fixed wing qual’d would be seen as needing UPT. The folks who have to approve such things would likely take the position of sending him to pilot training is a waste when he could go directly to any heavy unit without needing a year (taking a valuable slot) of UPT. If he can convince this unit that they love him and he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread, maybe they could pull a fast one and get around all that. Unfortunately, I think he may be caught in a weird catch 22.
One could argue that UPT is a vital foundation for USAF fighter track and he legit needs to do it regardless of prior FW time. An AF heavy guy had his bite at the apple, but an Army guy did not. I don't know how the AF thinks though.
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Old 07-13-2022, 07:32 AM
  #18  
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I used to run the A3 training office in the Pentagon… if he wants to fly fighters he’ll need to go through an entire UPT course (T38s) and IFF… no short cuts jumping straight to T38s. Maybe some (50%?) flexibility flying a heavy or rotor in USAFR or ANG if the Generals are pushing it… age is going to be the real issue.
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Old 07-13-2022, 12:56 PM
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Originally Posted by ugleeual View Post
I used to run the A3 training office in the Pentagon… if he wants to fly fighters he’ll need to go through an entire UPT course (T38s) and IFF… no short cuts jumping straight to T38s. Maybe some (50%?) flexibility flying a heavy or rotor in USAFR or ANG if the Generals are pushing it… age is going to be the real issue.
I think you are missing my point. The USAF bureaucracy will see him as a qualified fixed wing rated pilot with a background in King Airs (or whatever he flew). That bureaucracy will see sending a rated pilot through UPT as a waste of resources when there are many MWSs he can already go into. I agree that there is no shortcut to T38s, but the same bureaucracy that will tell him he has to attend UPT to fly fighters will tell him that qualified military fixed wing pilots can’t go to UPT because they are already rated pilots. For his sake I hope I’m wrong, but I doubt it.
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Old 08-07-2022, 03:16 PM
  #20  
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I’d say go to a drill weekend and see who you can meet. Definitely talk to the guys in the squadron and whoever is running the OSS. Earn the yes, but at worst make them tell you no.

If you can’t go to drill yet, call the OSS/CC as they will at least have the information you want.

Oh, whiskey and scotch go a long ways too
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