FDNYOldGuy

@ThreeHoler and @Guardian have the options right. Put it in the TSP for cheap investments but limited options; pull it to a Roth IRA for a broader investment choice but a higher burden (ish; depends on what you do with it) of investing and (slightly) higher fees. Also realize that the MATCH is not a Roth; it’s Traditional pre-tax match. So, it doesn’t get you extra in your Roth.

So THAT’S why all the hand sanitizers around the squadron smell like tequila...

If this is the case, then where should we go as a nation? For policy: overturn Citizen’s United and remove corporate and special interest money from politics; enact laws to stop the revolving door between government agencies/positions that shift policy, lobbying groups, and corporations; revise the tax code to close loopholes that allow wealthy and corporations to stuff billions in offshore tax havens (and simplify the code for the average folks, while you’re at it). Saying what we could do personally is a minefield, but that’s the crux itself. We need to stop allowing ourselves to be polarized and thinking of opposing viewpoints as the enemy/dumb/not patriotic/whatever. Realize that, while someone may not trust the mainstream media (bring back Fairness Doctrine), FB/Twitter/whatever.com lead to information feedback loops that stop presenting opposition viewpoints and turn into echo chambers that take all of us away from reality, while dehumanizing the opposing viewpoint. Lastly, we could all use to have some more in empathy. Just because we can’t understand or relate to how BLM or Trumpers/anti-vaxxers or COVID scared/trans people or religious people/flying spaghetti monster supporters or any other “different” viewpoint is, doesn’t mean it is meritless or not worth considering. What’s stupid to me is dear to someone else and vice versa, so understanding that we have these differences and trying to see where someone else is coming from could help humanize the other side and bridge the gaps. Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes and Golden Rule would go a long way.

Well, well, well how the turntables... "Disgraceful scenes": World leaders condemn chaos at U.S. Capitol

Ahhhh, yes, I remember back when Al Gore took to the airwaves to trash democratic processes, berate his fellow party members for not supporting him, and to call on his supporters to rush the Capitol (and Supreme Court) when he believed the election was stolen from him/there were ballot irregularities.

100%, bro. Granted, I hit a different timing window (2.5 years ago) than you are, but I got Reserves heavies at 36 when the limit was still 30. The limit is now 33, so you wouldn’t even need a waiver to get hired now. Problem is the squadron hiring boards have slowed to snail’s pace, competition has ramped up as the job market outside sours, and the Reserve UPT boards have become insanely competitive since Active Duty has taken Reserves UPT slots. Bottom line, you’re gonna have to pull up that PCSM. Recent hires with my squadron and others I’ve heard about are not getting selected for UPT by Reserves boards due to low-mid 70s PCSM scores. That’s passing for board standards, but they’re less likely to pick you over another Reserves candidate with higher PCSM. Guard doesn’t have this hurdle (I don’t think), but their pipeline timelines are much longer (which hurts with your age) and they also face limited slots/higher competition. For sure, you’ve got a shot, but you need to put in a ton of legwork and hustle to try to get yourself as polished for hiring boards and ahead of the game as possible. Competition is stiff (sts), so you’ve gotta be on your game to get that call; even more so than usual. But, always possible!

As the above said, you don’t need to have MEPS to get hired and a unit supporting you through MEPS will cut through red tape. That said, the more boxes you have checked going into an interview, the better you’ll look. MEPS is something that can stop people in their tracks, depending on what is in your medical history/what the docs wanna see. So, having that done by the time you send apps/interview is just another hurdle out of the way that will give the unit more warm fuzzies they won’t hire you and have you kicked back due to something out of their control. Many hire backups/alternates for situations like that, but still; better to keep trying to get it done before you’re hired, if you can.

Just had a few of these Jai Alai IPAs and, damn, they’re awesome with a 7.5% ABV punch. I’m trying to mend my ways of being a multitudinous cheap Lights quantity over fewer quality beers kinda dude, so getting into better beers has been some work. But, these babies are tasty and available at the Class 6. Then again, since this thread was started (or even back to 2015), the beer world has drastically changed and it’s tough to get into too many shitty beers these days.

The problem is that folks that are below 80 PCSMs are competing against hired folks with higher PCSMs for fewer and fewer available AFRC UPT slots. Sewing circle says AFRC is allotted (numbers likely not 100% accurate) ~60 slots for FY21 UPT with 100+ people hired by Reserves units waiting to go. Since “they” feel PCSM is one of the better predictors of UPT success, they’re likely picking people with higher PCSM scores in their boards than lower to ensure the slots aren’t “wasted” on someone they think has a higher chance of washing out.

This 100%. Waiting for the recruiter or hiring folks to be the driver and guide you will certainly mean delays in you getting started. If you can get ahead by having required paperwork done before they ask, you’ll help yourself out immensely. There’s a litany of basic paperwork you need filled out before moving forward, so just being able to hand email that to the recruiter before they ask is huge. @Metalhead731 and @JabroniWizard, I don’t remember all of the forms I needed, but there’s a stack of them. I can’t remember whether I got a list and I haven’t been able to locate one through some quick email/Google-fu. What I have found is some of the number/word salad of documents requested, all of which can be Googled or pulled from the AF E-Pubs Site. My list might not be what’s currently needed or complete and my experience is only with the Reserves, not the Guard, so YMMV. Here goes: AF Reserve Application, SOU, PRC, AF 2030, and AF 883. Before MEPS, I have an email to fill out the AF 2807-2 and hand sign/initial it (I am pretty sure I turned one in before MEPS so the recruiter could look over it) and AF 680. Anything you have on the 2807, start getting all the documentation you can from your doctors. They’re gonna ask, so you can mitigate delays if you have the info already. If you really run into delays with recruiters, you might be able to get help from your hiring unit’s point of contact. They can call the recruiters and get some wheels moving, if you’re really hitting a wall. Just also realize the recruiter is a gatekeeper, so don’t piss them off too much; you need them to get you through a lot before starting. Lastly, and not to put out a disheartening note, but I’d be very patient and expect for things to start slowing quite a bit more. COVID and the boomeranging retention has wreaked havoc on the pipeline. I’ve heard from more than a few folks that Reserve UPT boards are really tightening up their selection criteria, FC1s have been tough to come by, and UPT slots available are lower for FY21 than the number of bodies already hired/waiting to go. Again, I’m not involved with any hiring, it can all change overnight, and it could all be hearsay. I’m not trying to rain on the parade; just keep expectations reasonable from what my take is on the current situation. As always, YMMV.

A little late to the party for this question and I can't speak to the 17, but that's a step in the Pilots' "Wheels-Up/Crash Landing" CL in Section 3 of the -1 for ol' Fat Freddie. It's given a "should" in the Note following that step, but it is addressed.

Went heavies. It was pretty much my only option; both due to my advanced age/fighters usually not wanting to write waivers and, honestly, the lifestyle/type flying I was looking for. I was fortunate in the interview department; was only invited to/went to two interviews (one Reserves and one Guard) and got offers for both within 24 hours, so I got to be choosy.

Your scores and GPA/major are pretty solid, so I’d say you’re competitive; especially for heavies. I’d venture to say most units aren’t going to care about any of your AFOQT scores besides the Pilot and Nav beyond just poking fun about a low score in one category. No one cares at all about the scores beyond the interview boards, either. Source: I got hired and earned some wings with a 27 Quant score. Once I’ve reached taking my socks and shoes off, I’m about done, math-wise and I hadn’t factored fractions in about 15 years, so I tanked that portion of the test. Got my balls broken in the interview, laughed about it, never heard a thing about it again. Don't over analyze everything; just start putting together a solid app package and send it off. Good luck!

Caveat to this @yaboi1is that heavies and Reserves no longer give 2-3 years of AD seasoning orders; they offer a no-obligation, up to 4 year term civilian (GS) job (called TDART) in lieu of orders. It’s a 40 hour a week job that’s you showing up in your flight suit daily to fly locals, jump in a sim, and do something office related for the squadron, but home every night. Not sure if you could make it work with med school schedule or not. You could run into what @jazzdude said about min-running and potentially pissing your unit off if you don’t take the job because you’re less useful as a basic copilot/less of a team player if you’re not getting hours to upgrade and playing your part. But, most units also don’t seem to be forcing people to take it, so you could split right after UPT to work on school. If you’re honest with the unit about your intentions when hired and everyone is on the same page, no one should be too upset. You could probably still be a somewhat useful asset loading up missions during school breaks and summers, but I guess a lot depends on a million other moving pieces. Anything is possible; just might take some serious hustle on your part and making sure your unit is in on the plan, but there’s likely a way to make it all work somehow.

Bird in the hand, and what not. Especially in this environment. Secondly, you’re on the outside looking in, so while it sounds like you have done your due diligence on missions, you won’t know what it really all means until you’re doing it. Lots of people love “XYZ” when they walk into UPT; a couple flights in/after talking to people/etc., they realize they didn’t want what they thought they wanted and shift priorities/wants. Third, people play a huge part. In the heavy world, you’re gonna be sitting next to folks for a long time. Better in the long run to like the people than the mission, IMHO. After all that, you can commit and then change if you get another offer. The first unit will have backups for that reason. It’s hit or miss whether they think it’s a scumbag move to take a slot and then go somewhere else, but it’s also your life at the end of the day.

No applying necessary; you’ll get Enid automatically because they’ll PCS you there. They’ll pay you Enid BAH until the waiver goes through, then they’ll debit all the Enid rate all back out and pay you your home BAH rate for the previous months missed as a lump sum and then just pay you the new rate going forward. Kind of a PITA, so just make sure you’re prepped with some extra savings to ride the bumps. I don’t know how the Guard works since I went Reserves, so I can’t really answer how the waiver flows. I’d guess through your home unit, since they own you. You’ll be able to do zero with Finance at Vance, since they own no part of anyone not Active Duty.

1. You can definitely live in the dorms if married. 2. I didn’t get charged to live in the dorms for the ~2 months I was there before fam joined (had BITs and SERE before UPT start) and “got” BAH for fam back home. I put it in quotes, in that you’ll have to apply to get the waiver, which takes months to get approved. During that time they’ll pay you Enid BAH, until you’re approved. So, if your expenses are high, be prepped for 4-6 months of getting ~$1000/mo Enid BAH.

This checks with my somewhat dated knowledge from my hunt in 2018 and what I heard from unsponsored folks in UPT. 135s at Beale, Niagara Falls, and Andrews were lower manned and looking for pilots (Beale and NF just got back their flying missions and needed to restaff, IIRC). 130s I didn’t know as much about, but do remember Keesler being on the list of options for unsponsoreds. Actually pretty surprised if you got calls from Dobbins 130s and Dover 17s. Both usually are tougher to get into due to proximity to airline hubs, from what I’d heard in the past. Granted, not sure how COVID is diddling with that dynamic, but those are fairly sought-after spots if you’re considering and don’t already have your eye on a specific airframe or location.

I remember the Reserves-specific program, but I don’t know if it is rolling yet. The Randolph T1 only program was offered to a Reservist buddy of mine in the heavy pipeline, but he already had a slot in the normal UPT pipeline starting, so they pulled the offer. I met an IP brought there for the program before it started, so it’s definitely going, but it seems geared to active folks that are wanting heavies from the get-go with a few Reserves/Guard sprinkled in. Vance was supposed to be starting a similar T1 only program around July, as well as the T6 only program. I left in May, so I didn’t keep tabs on it, but have anecdotally heard they’re still going.

Get on that degree and the AFOQT/TBAS quickly as possible, as the next steps are pretty moot until you’ve got those done. Then start talking to units, both Guard and Reserve when you’ve got those in hand. Shiny scores will open doors. Time is not on your side and you’ll need an ETP for age, so moving faster is a benefit. Heavies are your best bet, if you’re definitely looking to fly due to age and competition. I don’t know the exact criteria, but two training bases are doing a T1 only track for those with CPL/IRs, which puts you on a faster track and (potentially) makes you more marketable. Good luck!

Started August of 2016, so about 6 months of it under your disliked folks, continued for 3.69 years under current reign. Disregarding the fact that it likely took time to recognize shortfall, begin to address it, and that it accelerated into the million+ range under Trump. Or that it was 100% under Trump Admin that Dr. Prezant’s (who has been a solid champion for us) letters inquiring about the loss have been ignored. See admission article here But, yes, continue to feel “attacked” and that I’m distorting facts as I cowtow to “Lightgiver.”

Personally, I’m just stoked for an administration that doesn’t do this: EXCLUSIVE: Trump administration secretly withheld millions from FDNY 9/11 health program To top it off, their admission of doing it is a dogshit insult and the best they can do is “try” to fix it/not do it going forward. It’s an abomination that Biden and Trump are the best choices this country of 330+ million can come up with. That said, only 1 party hasn’t made 9/11 first responders grovel for money for care as they pay the price for their service over the years. First Zadroga; now this. That alone will keep me voting D. Anyway... 🍻 to all those lost that day 19 years ago today that went to work that morning with expectations of coming home that night. I’m pouring a little more out for the 343 brothers lost that day and the nearly 1 in 8 that have gotten cancer from being down there; folks that rely on the very program this administration has admitted to withholding money from. Politics didn’t matter for those helping that day; why should they matter now?

With the Reserves, yes, you will be on full time orders between all gaps in pipeline training. You start orders up the day before OTS and are solidly paid until you’re spit out at the other end as an winged and MWS-qual’d copilot. They aim for less than 30 day gaps in training, but you could have months’ of break, too. I have a Reserves friend that’s been “casual” at their home unit, post-UPT wings, awaiting FTU start dates for 6 months, getting paid/insured the whole time. It’s ideal if you don’t have another job and just need that paycheck/Tricare or are moving family around with you during training and giving up your place at home. Guard is much more prone to breaks in training that aren’t on paid orders, so you may be funemployed with no income if you don’t have a job that’s holding a spot for you. If you are fortunate enough to have a job you can bounce back to whenever, it’s a good way to keep furthering your career/building seniority/possibly earn more money. Or you can save during training and go travel in the breaks. The COVID wrench may make this much less appealing, but last I heard nature doesn’t give you COVID. One size doesn’t fit all and some work better than others for certain folks, so do your research and make sure you’re ready for what may come.

Yes, the status quo is clearly the epitome of mental acuity... “Look, having nuclear — my uncle was a great professor and scientist and engineer, Dr. John Trump at MIT; good genes, very good genes, OK, very smart, the Wharton School of Finance, very good, very smart — you know, if you’re a conservative Republican, if I were a liberal, if, like, OK, if I ran as a liberal Democrat, they would say I’m one of the smartest people anywhere in the world — it’s true! — but when you’re a conservative Republican they try — oh, do they do a number — that’s why I always start off: Went to Wharton, was a good student, went there, went there, did this, built a fortune — you know I have to give my like credentials all the time, because we’re a little disadvantaged — but you look at the nuclear deal, the thing that really bothers me — it would have been so easy, and it’s not as important as these lives are — nuclear is so powerful; my uncle explained that to me many, many years ago, the power and that was 35 years ago; he would explain the power of what’s going to happen and he was right, who would have thought? — but when you look at what’s going on with the four prisoners — now it used to be three, now it’s four — but when it was three and even now, I would have said it’s all in the messenger; fellas, and it is fellas because, you know, they don’t, they haven’t figured that the women are smarter right now than the men, so, you know, it’s gonna take them about another 150 years — but the Persians are great negotiators, the Iranians are great negotiators, so, and they, they just killed, they just killed us, this is horrible.”

Just popped out of UPT recently with 143.5 hours split just about down the middle between T6 and T1.