lph1235

Thanks so much!

I am about a year out from starting the application process for the ANG/AFRC and am looking to have Lasik done in the near future. After doing some research, I still have a few questions about the paperwork and number of post-op evals required for waiver consideration. From Wright-Patt's website in the FC1 instructions page: "All medical documents from the surgery center are required. That would include pre-exam, operative report, and 2 post-op visits (initial post-op refraction must be at least 90 days post-op and second refraction at least 1 month later)." That info is consistent with the info provided in this checklist, which I found in this thread. The info provided by those two sources is contradicted by the info in the Post-Op Appointment Schedule, which lists required post-op evals at the one, three, six, and one year marks, and that is what the waiver guide says as well. Which one of those is right? Which forms are required to be submitted for the waiver? I found this checklist in this thread, but I am unsure if it is out of date, and found this form on Wright-Patt's website. Would the latter form even apply to me, or is it just for personnel already in the AF? Regarding that checklist, which lists required reports of pre-op exam, the exam itself, and the post-op exams, are there AF forms for those, or is it just whatever the surgery center provides? Thanks in advance! Just trying to get on top of everything!

Thank you. I definitely do not want to commit to the Academy or ROTC. I do believe my eyes are good enough to fly, but there will always be that bit of doubt in my mind. I’ve spent a lot of time looking through the regs and even found someone on here who was in a similar situation and made it through. My eye alignment is fine, DP is fine, and I’ll have Lasik done in a few years. However, the bottom line is that I do not want to commit to AD, and then find out at Wright-Patt that I can’t fly and have to serve my commitment doing something else. At least if I go AFRC/ANG, I am not tied into serving in a different role if I am DQ’d. For sure, if I was dead-set on serving in the AF, with flying just as the icing on the cake, then I’d be looking at the Academy and ROTC.

Thanks for the response. I have heard that it is a good route to go, so I will definitely consider it. Plus, the tuition benefits seem great.

Thanks for taking the time to respond. From all of the hours I’ve spent reading up on forums, I can definitely see that it’s all highly competitive. Luckily, I’m really competitive academically in high school. I am looking to go engineering in college as well, and I plan on getting my civilian ratings so that I can still do the airlines if my eyes end up getting me disqualified.

Hello all, I’m a junior in high school, and my dream job is to become an AF pilot. I’ve been hanging around this forum as well as getting in touch with some AF pilots on airlinepilotcentral. I heard from an F-16 guy in the ANG that a good route to go is to enlist in the guard/reserves before college to get it paid for and then apply to units after college. The other routes I could go would be either to not enlist before college and apply to units afterwards or to do ROTC and then hope for a guard/reserve spot. For me, I think ROTC would be a huge risk because the chance of getting selected for ANG/AFRC instead of AD is pretty low from what I understand, not to mention you could get stuck with a non-pilot job. There is also the problem with my eyes. I had two surgeries at 3-4 years old to correct strabismus, but I’ve seen that someone on here had a similar issue and was able to make it through. Has anyone here gone the route of enlisting before college and then applying to units after college? If I went this route, would I be able to get an FC1 at Wright-Patt while I was enlisted to see if I’d be able to pursue guard/reserve flying after college? Thanks to all for taking the time to read about my situation.

I’ll be sure to have a look at it. Thank you.

Thank you so much. I’m going to dive into the regs and set up an appointment with my ophthalmologist (who performed my surgery) to get his opinion. Luckily, I believe I’ve had no issues with the condition since the surgery awhile back, so that is one thing going for me. I also know a former Marine Flight Surgeon, so I’m going to get his opinion as well. Your post was very inspiring.... I hope I can make a similar post to that one on this forum one day.

Thank you for the response. Would I only need a waiver if I wasn’t able to pass the test? Or would I need one regardless because of the surgery?

Hello all. I am a sophomore in high school hoping to fly in the ANG or Reserves after college. My eyes aren’t great but I think they are just good enough to make it through. Assuming my prescription doesnt fall below a -8.00 before I get Lasik or PRK done in a few years (at a -5.00 right now), the only potential issue I see is with my history of Strabismus surgery. I was diagnosed with strabismus very young, and I had two surgeries that were successful in correcting it. I have had no issues with depth perception ever since. Am I correct in my thinking that if I was able to pass the DP test, my history of having surgery would be a non-issue? Or, in the event that I wasn’t able to pass the test for whatever reason, would it be an issue trying to get a waiver with that on my record? Thank you. Delete