AZFlyer

So I spoke with the recruiter on the phone today for my local guard unit and was told two things basically:

1) They only hire pilots from within the unit. Ok, fine, thats understandable.

2) He told me that the age cutoff is 27 years old by the time you enter UPT.

I politely mentioned that I was under the impression that the age limit for the guard was 30 yrs, and he said that its 27 but can be extended to 30 with the waiver, but that this unit won't do waivers. I'm not going to argue of course, I mean, what do I know?

So, now I feel a bit more under the gun here, as I'll be 26 and 1 month when I complete my bachelors.

Can units create more restrictive age limits than the actual guard limit, or is 27 the actual correct guard-wide age?? If it is, I just don't see this being as feasible anymore.

At any rate, I'm also talking with the local AF reserve recruiter tomorrow and I'm going to try and find a way to speak with an active duty recruiter as well....but, there are seperate recruiters for OTS, correct??

If in the end I don't get to fly, I still plan on enlisting with the Guard so I can at least contribute to the service and be a part of the team. I know that I'll kick myself down the road here if I don't pull out all the stops to make this happen.

rickair7777

The actual cutoff age may vary according to the service needs. An individual unit could have an unofficial cutoff age for applicants to allow processing time to meet the actual cutoff.

Waiver availablity depends on demand.

It will be hard to get a 100% accurate answer on internet forums, however age 26 seems young enough...I always thought that age 28 was lowest cutoff for starting UPT. Try another unit/recruiter and see if you get a different answer.

Also check out baseops.net

Good Luck

crewdawg

He is WRONG! You have to enter UPT by your 30th birthday. It is possible to get a waiver for 31 but are very rare. I went through AMS with a non-prior that was 31 on his way to UPT. I also had a guy in my pilot training class that was 31 with a waiver. Again they are very rare but can happen. Tell that dumba$$ recruiter to take a look at the regs....it's his job! It still amazes me how dumb they can be.

I would try to get a number for OPS and talk to a pilot. They will be able get you in touch with someone who does hiring and actually knows ****.

For the most part, the same regs apply to the active/guard/reserve. Oh and the heavy pilots have to pass the same physical as the fighter pilots....I see that confused alot as well.

Goodluck, bro.

Slice

Actually, skip the recruiter. Contact a pilot in ops and find out who's in charge of the next UPT board. The only thing a recruiter does is handle the paperwork. They are useless in terms of finding out officer career info...especially for pilots!

blastoff

Don't know about the Guard or AD, but the Reserves has "Officer Accessions Recruiters" who ONLY deal with officer careers and know a hell of a lot more about the UPT process. You must specifically ask for one of those, not a regular recruiter.

LivingInMEM

Go to the squadron and ask to talk to the Ops Officer, ADO, or anyone in the actual leadership of the flying squadron. As everyone has said, make sure you talk to a PILOT - they are the only ones interested in getting new pilots into a squadron.

Fletch727

Agreed with everyone above. 27 1/2 used to be the age at which you had to be in pilot training, but that was close to 10 years ago. It has been 30 for some time (I turned 30 in UPT). I know many units will use 27 as the cutoff age that they will offer interviews because it can take up to 2 years to process the paperwork, gain approvals and get the clearance investigation completed (although it's not required to enter UPT). This allows for a little slop if there are any waivers, medical or otherwise, that need to be worked.

Don't settle on one unit either. Interview with everyone you can, get in if possible, then down the line, transfer to wherever you like.

Vandal

Yeah your first mistake was talking to a recruiter...they are generally useless in the UPT process. Talk to the pilot section.

And one more vote that it is 30 years. Must have started UPT by 30th b-day.

AZFlyer

Thanks for the great replies, guys. That it was what I was hoping to hear.

Yeah, this guy didn't seem too interested in talking to me once I mentioned that my aim is to fly. He did say that they only hire from within, but since he isn't the guy for me to talk to in the first place, I suppose it would still be pertinent to get a hold of a pilot just to make sure.

I do plan on interviewing with as many units as possible; I'm fine with relocating to where the job is.

Thanks again, and I'll post again if anything newsworthy occurs.

Oh, any recommendations on how to politely get to the right guy? i.e. a pilot, etc. What would happen if I just showed up at the gate?

crewdawg

If it's the AZANG, I'm pretty sure that is correct.

The guards would call OPS or recruiting and let them know someone is there to visit. They will most likely have send someone out to escort you. It's better to call ahead so at least they are expecting you.