Whirlybird

Charliehotel47, Thank you for the reply. I am not opposed to UPT. I would be more than happy to attend, however, I have H2 bordering on H3 hearing. H2 is waiverable for UPT but H3 is not from what I understand. A few years back, a unit I successfully interviewed with said I medically DQ'd but if I obtain 400 hours in Army FW then I qualify as a "rated" pilot and my army medical and hearing waiver transfer from the Army to the AF and I am only required to obtain a AF Class II. UPT candidates require a class 1 and it has more strict hearing requirements. This is how I understand it anyway. I had a friend go Army helo to AF helo with a H3 hearing waiver with no issues. Long story short though, I picked up Army FW, deployed and flew a bunch and now I'm back and knocking on the Air Forces door begging someone to let me in... just trying to figure out what's required and where this 400 hour rule comes from... V/R - J.

Kona, Appreciate the response. We have some aerobatics but I imagine its less that what AF guys get exposure to during UPT. V/R - J.

How's everyone doing? Quick question... maybe... Army pilot here, 2000 hours in Army Helo's and about 400 hours in Army FW, 4500 hours total with all civilian time. I've heard that I can transfer to the Air Force and fly airplanes (looking at guard/reserve only) and skip UPT if I have at least 400 hours in Army fixed wing aircraft since I would be considered a "rated" FW pilot. I have looked all over this website and I can't find any recent posts on it so apologies if I missed it. Can someone point me to the regulations that would discuss the requirements for a lateral transfer to bypass UPT and go straight to primary airframe? I know a few people that have gone from Army Helo to AF Helo but not FW. I am on the "old" side... age 35 but I have a 4.0 GPA, 99/97 Pilot/Nav score and a 98 PCSM score. Flight experience includes 940 hours combat, 370 hours imminent danger, 61 combat medevac mission and 5 deployments. Also a former UH60 IP/AMC, current airline captain, and current Army C12 PIC. Willing to move anywhere and fly anything. Just fishing for opportunities and trying to figure out what the regs require. Thanks in advance for your time and help. Take care. V/R - J.

Hey guys. Heard a rumor the other day from a friend transitioning to the Air Reserve to fly helos that individuals who had broken their collarbones before were DQ’d on the FC1 and from flying fighters because of the ejection seats regardless of how well it healed and their shoulder mobility. Seemed odd and out of sync with everything else I have read on hear but figured I’d ask. Is there any truth to this? Asking for a friend. Thanks in advance. V/R - J

Hey guys, I appreciate the input. I’ll stick with the LOR’s I got for the time being. In regards to age waiver, I’m planning that I’ll need it no matter what and if I sneak in before being to old, then great. As it stands right now, I’m applying to both Guard and Reserve and the earliest board for the particular fighters I’m looking at don’t even begin until June. I did call a reserve recruiter about completing an unsponsored FC1 though but he wasn’t sure it would be worth it. He said that if I got picked up by a Guard unit that they would more than likely make me redo the whole thing. Additionally, since I will more than likely require a H2 waiver, he wasn’t sure if being sponsored or not would increase the likihood of being granted one. I tried to do my own research on this but if anyone has any additional opinions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again - J

Hey guys and gals. I’m a prior service army dude looking to convince someone in the Air Force Guard or Reserves to pick me up and send me to UPT. Big preference on fighters, however, I’d be happy flying a cardboard box so I’m open to heavy’s or anything else except UAS. I’ve had my fair share of deployments so if I could return to war in something designed to fight, I’d be pretty stoked. So to keep it as brief as possible, here’s a quick synopsis of my current qualifications: PCSM – 98 AFOQT – Pilot 99 / Nav 97 / Acad 66 / Verbal 76 / Quant 52 Flight Experience – I have over 3500 hours in 23 different aircraft that include anything from military helicopters to a multi-engine seaplane to commercial airliners. An additional 250 hours in full motion simulators. Of that, I have provided over 440 hours of instruction that took place in 6 different airplanes and helicopters. I was also an Army UH-60 instructor pilot. Flight Hours Total Time – 3500+ CFI/II – 440+ NVG – 465 RW – 2384 FW – 1150+ (over 800 ME Turbine) Combat – 941 Imminent Danger – 214 FAA Certificates RW ATP/CFI/CFII FW AMEL ATP FW CFI/CFII/MEI FW Comm AMES/ASEL/ASES Advanced Ground Instructor Instrument Ground Instructor Army Schools UH-60 Instructor Pilot Course Tactical Operations Officer PR 290 Joint Personnel Recovery for Command and Staff SERE C A few more military schools but none that are really relevant Education B.S. Aeronautical Science w/ minor in MGMT GPA 4.0 Honors: summa cum laude M.S. Human Factors in Aerospace (6 out of 30 hours complete) GPA 4.0 so far… Deployments (4 separate trips) 12 months in Iraq 9 months in Afghanistan 9 months in Kosovo Current LORs AF Col Ret. (Former FS Commander) AF Lt Col Ret. (Former FS Commander) Army Col Ret. (Career in JSOC and a Navy Test Pilot Grad) Potentials LORs I could possibly get if I sacrifice my first born child... Congressman (Representative) Army Brigadier Gen. (Guard Pilot and state chief of staff) Volunteer work at a school for children ages 6 and under with special needs Future looking at upgrading to CPT at my regional airline this summer and maybe adding a glider rating to my FAA certificate for the hell of it My problems… I’m 32 and given what seems to be the average 1 year time span to start UPT, I’ll need an age waiver. I also may possibly need a H2 hearing waiver and from what I’ve read in the waivers guide, it’s possible but also challenging for a FC1. I think that about sums it up. My apologies for the length. I know waivers can be difficult but I feel I have a fairly competitive packet for at least something that flies. I’m looking for some recommendations on how I could strengthen or improve my packet whether it be through LOR’s such as a congressman or better scores (my last resort). I plan on rushing every unit I apply for and showing up with a gift of sorts for their bar. Finally, I have gotten a lot from this forum already so Ill do my best to contribute. For anyone with questions about the post 9/11 GI Bill and using it for flight training, feel free to PM me. I’ve used it for a few FAA ratings along with my degree and I believe there’s a form to use it for civilian DPE fees as well which can run $600+ a pop. Additionally, for guys already in the service, if you don’t already know, you can take your FAA written exams for free (including AMEL ATP) at many Air Force bases. I can post a link to a website with all the testing locations. I’m a regional airline and army helo pilot with 13 years in the Guard and going on 1 year in the IRR. If you have any questions that pertain to anything I do, PM me and Ill do my best to answer or point you in the right direction. Thank you for reading and any comments ahead time. Take care V/R - J

JohnClark, I experienced some of the same initial problems as you two months ago. I ended up scheduling with a ROTC unit at a university near my house although I had the option of utilizing the testing center at Tinker AFB in OKC. To contact the facilities, I used the numbers listed on: https://access.afpc.af.mil/pcsmdmz/TBASInfo.html If you go to the left hand column and click on “TBAS Locations” then a list will appear with numbers for every TBAS center. All the facilities I called offered the AFOQT as well. To answer your question about recruiting, it would appear as far as I can tell that hiring is somewhat random. Some units seem to post a UPT board every fall or spring while others haven’t posted one in years, and some will hire 2+ applicants at a time... I typically reference https://bogidope.com/squadron-job-listing to figure who’s looking for applicants. Not every unit will post upt announcements here but a lot seem to. Another way is to go to the “MAP” on bogidope and find the specific unit you’re looking at and contact them via email or phone. Hope this helps. V/R J