WannaBePilot

Thanks for the words fellas. That logic makes complete sense. Time to make her quit the job!

I completely get the, “shit or get off the pot” statement man. Most of me is saying f*ck it do the ppl regardless of it is career driven or not as I do believe it would be a fun and rewarding challenge. We flew to Florida a couple weeks ago and I swear she almost had a nervous breakdown thinking we would die in a plane crash. No way she’ll go up in a little plane. You’re right though it would be a blast.

@Engineer2Pilot Maybe your post was generally good natured I however read it as “you’re being a bitch & here’s why” style of response. Since making the original post your’re correct. Trust the fact I’ve had several honest conversations with my Wife over this topic and lay awake at night thinking of this. If I’m not committed to something 100% I’ve never done them. That last statement is mostly true with exception to a few women in college. The first comment that comes to mind on this statement is I don’t give a shit what you like to hear on any matter but I especially don’t care when it involves my or anyone else’s family. I will agree that the cost of the license isn’t important if it provides you the opportunity to be more competitive for a slot. In a previous post some advice was given to get hired and worry about the details later. My opinion is to be absolutely positive this is what you want prior to ever submitting an app. With the amount of doubt I have it’s growing to be more certain I will not apply. Which is why I made the comment that it would be pointless to drop that kind of coin on the license which would have limited use to me. All in all this wasn’t an opportunity that I wasn’t actively seeking out. Over the years I pondered getting my PPL and applying just never acted on it. I’ve been working in the Fighter Squdron now for 12 years and apparently liked well enough to have pilots approach me about UPT. I’m perfectly fine with sacrifice on my behalf, but I’m fully aware that my Wife & Son will be the ones who are truly bearing the brunt of the sacrifice.

Yes & no I would say to the cart before the horse question. No reason to even apply if I’m having doubts now about leaving my family behind. Even more pointless to drop $8k in flight training to obtain my PPL if I’m not on board 100%. I also feel it to be a shitty move if I were to be hired then have a change of heart and decide to decline going to UPT while awaiting class dates.

Your response is spot on and I’m coming to terms with the fact it may not be the best decision for me despite the high likelihood I would be hired by my unit. My internal turmoil of this decision is ultimately caused by my failure to act sooner. It is what is and I own that. The voluntarily leaving them is what gets me. I’ve lately come to the conclusion that if the family isn’t willing to move that I’d much rather be in my backyard teaching my son how to toss a ball than to be repetively kicked in my own at UPT.

I believe I can be granted a waiver to maintain my BAH for my home of record then yes live in the dorms or rent a place. I guess one good thing in this situation would be my mother in law is moving to where we live which would provide the wife with help. Just was curious to hear stories of others that have lived through this type of situation and how they dealt with this situation.

Considering applying to my home guard unit to which I feel like I have a high likelihood or being hired based off previous conversations provided I don’t totally tube the AFOQT & TBAS.  I’ll require an age waiver as I’ll be turning 33 in the fall when the board will most likely happen. I’ve been holding off my PPL as my Wife a I have been discussing this. She is an RN and loves the floor she works on which took her many years to get hired on to so she isn’t real keen on the idea of quitting. She can go to an ultra part time status and travel to see me while in training every couple months. The tough part is we have a 3.5 year old son and leaving that dude behind would be tough, but I realize this sacrifice would eventually have a big payoff to our family.  Anyone else on here have a similar situation or know a bro who left the family behind? I’d be curious to hear how they worked this situation. 

Considering applying to my home guard unit to which I feel like I have a high likelihood or being hired based off previous conversations provided I don’t totally tube the AFOQT & TBAS. I’ll require an age waiver as I’ll be turning 33 in the fall when the board will most likely happen. I’ve been holding off my PPL as my Wife a I have been discussing this. She is an RN and loves the floor she works on which took her many years to get hired on to so she isn’t real keen on the idea of quitting. She can go to an ultra part time status and travel to see me while in training every couple months. The tough part is we have a 3.5 year old son and leaving that dude behind would be tough, but I realize this sacrifice would eventually have a big payoff to our family. Anyone else on here have a similar situation or know a bro who left the family behind? I’d be curious to hear how they worked this situation. Thanks

Haven’t taken either yet. Within the next few weeks I’ll knock those out. I’m going to study up a bit and get my mind thinking along those lines. I graduated with my degree in 2010 and haven’t been in any real academic mindset since then. Really just want to brush up on math & work on aviation knowledge. This entire post is putting the cart before the horse I realize. Just wanted to hear other stories from folks whom were in similar situations.

Thanks for the replies! Was the learning curve quite steep from zero flight hours to getting some in a diamond to now flying T6s? My Home unit is a fighter unit. They atleast want me to have solo’d an airplane by the board but really would prefer me to be PPL complete. I’m 32 now so this will basically be my last chance. My unit is more than willing to push the age waiver for me. I’m not the quitting type so I know if I were to wash out I’m going down swinging instead of watching the 3rd strike go by.

I’ve been enlisted at my guard unit for 12 years all of it being spent in OPS. Starting at the end of last year it was asked why I hadn’t yet applied for a UPT slot. The simple answer was I had never flown an airplane and having seen some of the apps come through figured I didn’t think I would have much of a chance. As the weeks went on more pilots made reference to me potentially applying and thinking it was a good idea. I guess me being a generally good dude and always trying to help does indeed pay off. All these happenings and other talks now have me about to start my PPL and get that shit knocked out prior to our next board. While I’m not guaranteed a slot nor should I be it does make me feel more confident about my chances. Im currently a full time AGR with a wife and Kid. I love working in the squadron and interacting with everyone but have felt for quite some time I’m capable of doing bigger things. I bitch to my Wife about this at times. Now I have this potential opportunity and I can’t get the thought of failure out of my mind. Maybe I’ve done to much reading online of UPT washouts. I’d hate to be selected and dick it away and come home to only a part time job if my unit would still keep me. I feel like a jackass for posting this but maybe someone else had a similar situation and could put shit into perspective for me. One of my thought processes is to throw caution to the wind and go for it. If for some reason I wash out then I guess I guess I find another job & say it I tried.