Fly For a 62E

I've been asking this same question with nothing difinitive yet. My unit's chief pilot recommended I talk to our DO about the possibility of a step increase. I was told ART jobs disregard rank when determining GS grade - they follow hour/qual (e.g. IP) requirements. The TDART brochure I got this year says hours count starting in FTU, though they also have a note saying: The standing job announcement states "flying hours logged as student pilot are creditable."

Just to raise awareness, if you are selected for an unsponsored slot, you may be assigned a unit before you even make it to UPT. When I in-processed at the 340th in Feb before heading to training, three unsponsored selects were assigned KC-135 units at the end of the week.

Will confirm the shortage of slots has complicated things. Some people I know have decently long gaps between training (~2 months) in the Reserves. They were told they will still be on orders (collect full pay, insurance, and entitlements), but they will either stay and work with the 340th or go back to their sponsoring until it's time for their next training course. You are 100% correct that you are not "owned" by your sponsoring until training is complete, even if you are working in the Squadron sweeping floors and manning the phone.

Non-rated AD Air Force to AFR C-17 unit. FC1: November 2017 Reserve Hiring Board: April 2019 Hired: April 2019 Palace Chase Application Submitted: May 2019 Palace Chase Approval (Jan 2020 separation): July 2019 AFR Pilot Board: September 2020 (met and accepted) Separated AD: January 2020 Gained at 340th: February 2020 SERE (maybe): March 2020 UPT: April 2020

That depends on a number of things - approval of Palace Chase, when you make it through the UPT board (if Reserve), and then also availability of slots. I was hired by a unit in April, picked up on the September AFR UPT board, was scheduled to Palace Chase on 8 November, but had to push it back because they "definitely might" have an opening in an April 2020 UPT class for me.

I don't have an official AFI or document reference off hand, but the airforce.com website says 33. That seems pretty conclusive. https://www.airforce.com/careers/detail/pilot

I'm active duty Air Force, so our timelines may look similar. My tentative separation date is 8 November, but that may get pushed slightly for outprocessing purposes. As far as the transition period, there will likely be a 2-3 month gap where you're not paid. Be prepared for that. From what I've been told from the 340th, when I separate, it will be about 1 month until I can get gained by the Reserves because of beaurocracy (duty dates are backdated to show no break in service). Then there's a minimum 30 day wait between inprocessing and actually starting training. With classes every 3 weeks, hopefully it all lines up well. There's also the potential to PCS to your UPT base and go to SERE before UPT. Hopefully that's helpful.

My situation is somewhat unique since I'm already commissioned, but the 340th estimated assigning a date 1-1.5 months after the board results. My actual UPT class would be about three months after board results are out.

I've heard everything from same day to seven weeks.

Last year their application deadline was Oct/Nov. The interviews were in January. Probably a similar timeline this year.

Ohio posts all of their jobs (to include pilot positions for the C-130s, KC-135s, and F-16s) to their state government website. The boards (from what I've been told) are usually June or July-ish for the F-16s. The other boards are slightly earlier in the year.

Jumping off what my man N730 said, BogiDope.com has quite a few numbers for units (though it's not every unit). Some may be outdated, but if that's the case the person still usually is able to help point you in the right direction. When you do call, ask for a pilot (preferably the one in charge of UPT hiring) and ask for application requirements and when the next UPT board will be. Keep pressing and you'll get good info sooner or later. Persistence is key! Good luck.

I'm in the process of transitioning from active duty (officer) to AFR. You can get a slot before you even apply for Palace Chase (PC) - I strongly recommend doing it that way. It helps with your PC application. Try to have your resume, tests, etc. taken care of with two years left on your ADSC, then apply to units. The earlier the better, actually - don't let your ADSC keep you from applying.

Springboarding from what N730 said about the AFOQT, a jump from 80 to 99 in the pilot section of the AFOQT can increase your PCSM 10 or more points. That's something you can study for and achieve if you put in the time and effort. If you want a slot badly enough, it's a no brainer to retake that. The table reading section is what usually gets people. There are resources to practice a table incredibly similar to what they have on the real AFOQT. If you can legitimately finish that section, do as well as you did on the math again, and have general pilot knowledge, you'll be in great shape.

I am an active duty officer (non-rated), 28 years old, and have scores similar to yours. I had one fighter interview (no-go), one heavy interview at my dream unit (got it), and three fighter interviews lined up. I applied to a whole lot more than that. When it comes to checking the basic boxes, you're there. But there are a couple things you may not have thought about. 1. For fighters, you're oldish. Some units prefer older guys, some prefer young. I've known a 30 year old go to a fighter interview, get told he's an outstanding cantidate (seriously, he was fantastic), then get told they're going with someone else because of his age. I've also known of interviews where everyone is 27 or 28. *shrug* 2. Your retainability is only about 10 years. Some units look at when you can punch your 20 year ticket, and for you that's three years in training and 10 at the unit. Up front, I was told by an F-16 unit they want someone who they can fly with for a long time and my active duty time worked against me in that respect. Disclaimer: Please keep in mind I have never sat on a hiring board and have only recently been picked up myself. Everything is from my experience and perspective. Take it for what it is, and good luck.

Palace Chase tentatively approved as of yesterday. Developmental Electrical Engineer (62E), asked for 10 months off of four year initial ADSC to attend UPT and fly C-17s for AFRes. Initially submitted 14 May if I remember correctly, so it took less than two months.

Reserve boards are held every two months (next board is in July with a suspense of 30 June). I don't know if they only accept unsponsored applicants at certain boards or if they take them at every board alongside sponsored applicants, so this may not be helpful information.

To answer your second question, I'm a 1Lt engineer and started applying with just under two years left on my commitment. After two interviews I was offered a position with 1.5 years left active duty. I'm now trying to Palace Chase to get out early, but my unit doesn't mind if I stay active to finish my commitment. My advice: apply as soon as you can. Some units won't be interested because of your commitment - others won't care. Get that TBAS done, work those flight hours, sexify (it's a word) that cover letter and resume and you'll be in good shape.

I wish I was on my computer so I could go a little more in depth. If you decide you'd like specifics, let me know and I'll get everything I can for you (book titles and other resources). You probably know basic study habits since you've been through college, but I'll say it regardless. My background: AF electrical engineer with PPL. Took AFOQT to get into a special OTS program. Flying has always been the dream. Retook AFOQT to be more competitive for ANG/AFRC slots (did very well), was offered slot in April. Prep Books: In general, most books are okay for the pilot section, awful for the table reading (AFPC has practice tables you can use that are actually accurate and incredibly helpful), but good for the other sections. Some books are out of date when it comes to what the test sections are. Look that up and know it all so you don't waste your time. What you want are... All books with practice tests (amazon). Learn the basic concepts and strategies, get yourself in a realistic testing environment, and seriously test yourself. This is the best thing for you. Include time limits. Review your answers and see where you need to focus your study efforts. I studied concepts and content for 30-60 minutes a day during the week and did a full practice test each day on the weekend. I felt as prepared as possible after a little over one month of this. Like flammable said, people get rusty. If you take it seriously and get plenty of practice, there's no reason you can't knock this out of the park. The AFOQT is not an intelligence test. It's a preparation test. Prepare your butt off.

I'll be landing in the early afternoon on Thursday, but I may not be available Thursday night. Shoot me a message and we'll figure it out.