Jump to content

Sketch

Registered User
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    168

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Sketch

  1. Sketch
    Wow, I'm fairly surprised to be honest. Like I said I figured almost all of those people wouldnt have made it that far with that attitude. When I was in ROTC just about all our pilot selects were gung ho and really wanted it. Obviously not everyone wants to go to ENJJPT and drop a raptor but damn. I guess its inevitable for a few to squeeze through the cracks. I'm assuming they usually end up at the bottom anyway due to peer/flight commander rankings right? How does these folks tend to fair in the ops world?
  2. Sketch
    Obviously I'm ignorant of the UPT world, but I have to ask are there actually studs like this? Guys that show up and think they're entitled to a seat if they just scrape by? I would think the long, difficult process of getting into pilot training would weed out those types of people. I don't know, maybe I just can't fathom that type of thinking.
  3. Sketch
    AD or Guard/Reserve?
  4. Sketch
    So in other words it just got WAY more competitive to get selected for it now?
  5. Sketch
    When I was new there were two guys in my det that got upt slots but said initially they weren't "qualified" for ENJJPT, then go out of nowhere got slots at the last minute before their EAD. I'm wondering how often this happens, but this was also before the sequestration cuts started.
  6. Sketch
    Just curious does anyone know what the ENJJPT cutoffs are? Last I heard it was GPA and the TBAS but that was a few years ago.
  7. Sketch
    As a hopeful USAF aviator I am strongly against this suggestion. BODN isn't just a great resource for current and former aviators, but for hopeful ones like myself as well. I can't begin to describe how helpful this site has been to me over the years and I'm sure there are plenty of others who can say the same (including some who started out where I am and are now aviators). I'm sure many people can attribute some of their success directly to the info and advice on this site. And its not just the gouge info on the main page but getting to interact with real aviators and get our questions answered is what helps make this site so awesome. Perhaps close certain sections of the site, like say the squadron bar and general discussion, but leave the Road to Wings and the Guard/Reserve and spouses ones open so we can still have access to it. I really hope this terrible idea never comes to fruition.
  8. Sketch
    This is true, but in addition if you're in the bottom of your senior class you may even get disenrolled just because they have to downsize. AFROTC offered a voluntary separation program for cadets in the Spring where those interested could opt out of their commission and owed the AF nothing. Unfortunately only a handful of cadets took the offer so they had to cut some people and I heard they will be doing it again next year. Times are tough. The only way you can be safe is to fix the things under your control and hope for the best.
  9. Sketch
    Thanks for the replies. I'm weighing my options and it looks like right now guard/reserve is the best one, I would need to get some flight hours soon though to be competitive. Enlisting has its pros/cons but I'm not ready to make that determination right now. However, since my ultimate goal is to go AD, (yes I know AD is worse), is it possible to start out in the guard/reserve as a pilot than transfer over? Can you go from one airframe in the guard to another on AD?
  10. Sketch
    So, long story short after 3 years ROTC didn't work out for me, so at this point my options are to enlist now or pursue a commission through OTS or the ANG/Reserves. I only have 2 years left before I finish my degree, which means I can start applying to OTS late next year. I realize its probably the most competitive route and currently there are no pilot slots for FY14/15. I'm 22 years old so I know time isn't an issue yet. My question is, should I enlist and finish my degree on AD, or should I just finish my degree now and start applying to OTS? I'm not 100% excited about enlisting to be honest (I've spent the last 8 years pursuing officer programs) but I will do it wholeheartedly if it means increasing my chances of going to UPT someday. I do think that given the resources I have I will probably have a fairly strong package for OTS, but if there are no pilot slots should I still apply? Any advice would be appreciated.
  11. Sketch
    Edit: Nevermind. I'm preaching to the choir. Thanks air force, I hope you know what you're doing when you cut people. Great ads btw. Some of the best I've seen since the "no one comes close" ones from the early 2000s imo.
  12. Sketch
    While this year it happened to be suicide awareness due to the timing (RW death and an airman at our local base all in the same week) the first thing normally brought up during ROTC commanders' calls is SAPR. Nuff said.
  13. Sketch
    I could always go work for the DMV.. Oh wait
  14. Sketch
    If this is serious, and I'm not fully convinced that it is, I'm gonna go right out and say this is completely f*cking ridiculous. The AF already turns down hundreds of outstanding airman/cadets every year for incredibly minor medical issues that really wouldn't prevent them from serving well if the "world-wide deployable" rule wasn't in affect. So instead of allowing them to serve, who would otherwise not need any special accommodations, you're gonna let people with serious legitimate medical DQs cut the line and get all the accommodations they want? And how exactly are they going to help better the mission that those DQ'd cadets/airman couldn't do? Sometimes I question why I'm even trying to join this service. UFB. And of course this would come from CA.. /rant off
  15. Sketch

    Cannon AFB

    Sketch replied to a topic in General Discussion

    So I'll be heading out to Cannon in a few weeks to visit a friend, any manned aircrew guys on here who would be willing to show a wet-behind-the-ears cadet around their sq for a bit? I have base access and complementary beer for any takers. PM me if interested, thanks!
  16. Sketch
    Not an expert, but the short answer is maybe. Most RPA missions are flown from GCSs in CONUS, but because of the 2 sec delay of the satellite feed from overseas pilots are needed in deployed locations to do the takeoffs/recoveries. Having flown the sim at HO, I would say good luck trying to land the real thing in a crosswind with a 2 sec delay on the controls!
  17. Sketch
    The math sections were what killed me on my first attempt. I highly recommend studying those areas and not winging it if you're a weak swimmer in math like I am. Its college level math ranging from Algebra 2 up to hints of Calculus. I wasn't prepared and I payed for it with a very low academic composite score (ironically i aced all the other pilot sections and if my math had been better my pilot could've been in the 90s), so for those planning to take it for the first time I recommend using both AFOQT specific study books and SAT prep material. I had an old SAT prep book from HS and I found it helpful especially for the english sections. Oh, and this may have been mentioned before but DONT LEAVE ANY ANSWERS BLANK!! Get as far as you can then during the last 30 secs just guess on the remaining problems. You don't lose points for wrong answers so it would be a shame to lose a few extra points for leaving some blank.
  18. Sketch
    Sounds about right, our det lost 40% as well. Based on the numbers people were posting on facebook it seems like almost every det got around 60%. A few got lucky (sts) with more but the highest I saw was 70%. Hopefully the AF does what it typically does in these situations and goes the other way (sts) in 2015 when it realizes it cut too many this year. FYI our commander is not a fan of AS500s, but he said because it was such a tough year he would let just about everyone who didn't get one come back for another try.
  19. Sketch
    For some, yes. A small portion (mostly 250s who applied for the first time) will get to try again next year.
  20. Sketch
    Numbers are out, not good. 60% national selection rate. Best of luck to everyone who applied.
  21. Sketch
    Gotta love that Flanker silhouette on the open house button on DM's website. And how come not even a single A-10 or tac demo is flying? Are we really that broke?
  22. Sketch
    Word on the street is the results will be released tomorrow, so expect notifications within the next few days..
  23. Sketch
    I have my eye on that one but I just ordered "Vipers in the Storm" which also been mentioned many times so I'll be reading that next. Uh.. tree top level supersonic pass directly over their heads? Also, has anyone read Air Superiority Blue: The F-15 Story by Donn Byrnes? Saw this while browsing Amazon and after reading about the F-X debacle in Boyd I was hoping this might go more in-depth.
  24. Sketch
    Just finished Warthog: Flying the A-10 in the Gulf War by William Smallwood. Its been mentioned here before and for good reason; its well written and overall I really enjoyed it. Its not perfect but the author does a great job of explaining the A-10's role in the Gulf and how they were able to accomplish their missions despite some of the tremendous obstacles they faced on both sides (many coalition CC's didn't even want to use them at first). The level of detail is incredible and a good portion of the book is pilot accounts of their missions and even a few pages of horrendous POW stories. Overall great book that I highly recommend but for any Hawg pilots be careful the ending is very bittersweet...
  25. Sketch
    Any news on the numbers? My guess is this year will be bloody.
×
×
  • Create New...