LNGH

I'm a civ so take what I say with a grain of salt, but I think is sound: What was your GPA in school? Low GPA is ok if you have a good reason why, which it sounds like you do. It's functionally impossible to get a military flight physical as a civilian, but you could go get an FAA Class I which while it doesn't carry over at all does help a teensy bit on your resume. Your age is going to make getting fighters extremely difficult. While the age limit is technically 33, with the way timelines work it's likely you'll be late 33, 34 years old before starting training which will require a waiver for any aircraft. On top of that, fighters are typically biased heavily towards younger guys. Most fighter units prefer individuals <29. Not a hard and fast rule (most places) but it's a good rule of thumb. Possession for pot is also going to problematic. I believe it's a Cat 2 moral conduct offense according to 36-2032 which is waiverable but tough. My understanding is there's a big difference between did it vs did it and got caught. Your LORs look good, biggest thing (so I'm told) is less title and more people that know you well. Having both title and a long personal connection is best. Your scores are ok. Not great, especially for fighters, but your pilot is good and nav is acceptable. I'd study up and retake asap. Good scores would help offset GPA issues as well. Do you have a pilot's license? Flight hours? A license isn't required but it's something most of your competition will have. While possible to get hired anywhere on 0 hours, for fighters you'd have to be an absolute all-star in every other way. TL;DR: it doesn't look good for fighters. Heavies are achievable but it's still a bit of an uphill battle. That's a lot of negative so here's some advice and some good things: Go for it. If you want to be a fighter pilot, get your package together and apply everywhere. Worst case is they'll say no and then you apply again. Make them tell you no, don't let not trying be the reason you didn't make it. The good news is you have time for heavies. Age waivers are reasonably common, I believe someone around here got one for 37(?). Rush units, being a good guy that everyone likes will beat out black marks on your application. Guard units are hugely concerned with who they're going to be flying with for the next 20 years so showing them you're a good, fun guy goes a long way. Retake the AFOQT. Study hard, good scores are very achievable. For reference mine were 99/99/99/97/96. Not a brag, just what happens when you study for a good 2 months. More important than studying, at least to me, is practice. PM for advice. Bogidope offers a lot of good content with their prep packages. I'd say at least get the resume/cover letter one. If this is what you want, it's worth the money.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you'll send in a packet prior to MEPS to essentially get permission to come into MEPS and anything you need a waiver for will be in that.

Bypass the recruiter. Call up their education office and request it directly. Otherwise your options are: - Do everything the recruiter wants - Tell the recruiter to shove his paperwork and just schedule it - Find a different place to do it

No you don't. You don't need one for the TBAS either.

A DUI will likely give you a lot of trouble. As always though the answer is if this is really what you want you should try. Put in the time and effort and make them tell you no.

To answer the testing questions: If you really want to make that January board, think hard about your test dates. If you can take the AFOQT and TBAS whenever (by whenever I mean the test administrator is cool with whenever) then make sure you're totally prepared and take it then. If you've reached out to where you're going to take the AFOQT and the TBAS and found out they only do them certain times or scheduling will be difficult, get it done ASAP. When I did the AFOQT my options were that week I called (I wasn't ready) or wait 3 months. TBAS was another 3 weeks after that. With regards to the recruiter: the recruiter has their best interests in mind, not yours. They can be helpful but don't take everything they say at face value.

What airframe? If it's heavies you're fine. The official limit is 33 and people have been waivered as high as 36, maybe more. If it's fighters that's a different ball game. If you know the pilots at the unit really well and otherwise are a strong candidate, you might sneak in. If not, definitely apply, never rule yourself out, just don't hold your breath.

Color cone contrast and medical flight screening

If you're leaning towards heavies you have all the time in the world

You can always add a cherry on top for the other 40% of the time too

Just a nobody commenting but dang even during my PPL my instructor had me fly solo to two or three airports I had never been to before. A couple of short "cross countries" to a couple of new airports dual, then back to those solo, then "Hey, you're going here today, you know enough to figure it out"

Not saying don't try, for all I know someone who can answer questions is hanging around but I just wouldn't hold your breath.

Wisconsin is deployed, I wouldn't expect a response until late October

No you obviously got the best score, you can skip UPT

VR should be used to supplement time in the cockpit, not replace it. The impression I get is that leadership wants to use it to cut training costs so the overall pushback is no it's bad. It's not bad it's just being used wrong. It could be a really good tool for teaching to enhance the program, but only as it adds to it, not as it replaces things. Just my .02 as a nobody.

Don't get too hung up on scores while you take it. It's a quick way to lose focus. One mistake you can't do anything about and really isn't a big deal, but if you let that mistake distract you and bleed into the rest of test it becomes a big deal. TBAS is a mental game, not just testing your mental abilities but your ability to keep composure after you inevitably screw something up.

@Jordan P Don't email, call. Also look at local ANG/Reserve units, many of them offer it. Ask for education when you call. If they don't have it they may be able to point you in the right direction. Don't be a dick but don't necessarily take no for an answer. When I was taking it I initially was told it wasn't possible for either the AFOQT or TBAS as a civ but I called back again, got someone different, and got it scheduled.

I'm not that far in the process but from the people I've talked to living abroad shouldn't be much of an issue (lived in Europe and Canada through all of high school). The issue there comes if you, for example, lived in Russia or China for a while. Being a naturalized citizen could be more problematic though. I would guess the answer is maybe, maybe not. The only way to find out is to go for it though. Make them tell you no. If this is really what you want do everything you can to make it happen and don't quit until everyone has told you no. Even if you don't make it through there's a big difference between "I tried my best and it just didn't work out for XYZ reason" and "I never even bothered".

I'm not even gonna touch the rest of it but this part... God forbid they want to share their experience and expertise to help people through the process and have a low tolerance for bullshit. Also, this forum isn't just for hopefuls, there's other reasons to be here than to cater to choosing beggars.

Wow

Keep in mind your PCSM is function of flight hours too. Not saying it doesn't help, I'm sure it does, just a note

You can't "study" but you can practice. Look at the TBAS information website and it should be pretty easy to find ways to prepare. A lot of them are posted on these forums.

I've got $20 burning a hole in my pocket, I'm in

Every unit is different. Some will have a listed POC and some will not. Some will list an ops desk some will not. Generally, ANG recruiters deal with enlisted and not officers, but they might be able to point you in the right direction. Additionally, more and more units don't allowing rushing these days. Some only at certain times, some invite only, like everything, it depends. You do need to have a degree to become an officer, and you need to be an officer to fly, so if you haven't graduated you need to at least be close (1 semester or so). Each unit can have it's own specific requirements so don't be surprised when it varies unit to unit. Some will require a license some won't. Some might require hours while others don't. For a lot of units, fighters especially, you can apply and technically be considered with 0 hours but the reality is without a PPL you get pushed aside pretty quick. EDIT: To add to that, here's an example of where Ops is listed: https://www.138fw.ang.af.mil/Contact-Us/ If you're interested in being a pilot here's an example posting: https://www.115fw.ang.af.mil/About/Careers/Pilot-Training/ Notice some info on there that if you're just getting started you probably don't have and will need to get sorted before you can seriously discuss hiring with anyone.

Call around and just keep looking until you find something that works. Topeka just took my name and gave me a time and date to show up. Same for Whiteman for the TBAS.