wikz

like ryley said, lots of good answers to your questions all over this forum; but I have no problem taking a swing at your questions. Your AFOQT scores are great. you could definitely get picked up by a fighter sq. (assuming that's what your interested in?) but expect them to ask a question like "your rated scores are outstanding, but why are your other sections low?" in an interview. I would advise against retaking the AFOQT and mitigating your stress. keep those scores because if you retook the test they take the most recent rated scores, not the highest. if you feel like you are competent enough to get the same or higher rated scores, go of it. the last three sections will take the highest scores of either tests. I wouldn't say leadership experiences weigh too heavy on the application side, but it is an all around beneficial characteristic. any kind of leadership will boost your application. In regards to your LOR's, I suggest getting it from college professors, your boss, or if you have any high ranked military personnel connections. (mentors) if you're interested in it, bogidope.com has a good deal. they scrutinize applications and help you prepare for interviews. 2 on what ryley said, the younger you are, the more appealing you are to units. start shooting your application. best of luck!

I'm currently not enlisted yet. I am taking my asvab here shortly and hoping for an open f-22 crew chief or life support slot to get the most exposure to the pilots. thank you for the insight though! I will try to utilize the advice when the time comes.

for some reason, every thread that I have read where you have answered a question, I cannot understand jack shit of what your saying. maybe your vocabulary is exponentially better than mines..😠 (I admire your competence)

appreciate the advice and the additional info @O Face! what is your definition of an annoying person at a unit? I understand you should "never miss an opportunity to st*u" but how are you able to make connections and let people know what you want to be in the future, without feeling like your imposing. I think about that a lot because I would like to connect with the pilots to a certain level where if they see me around the unit, they say "hey its a bro." and not "oh its Kawika, the annoying guy that keeps bugging me asking questions about my job and letting me know his aspirations." (maybe I'm getting over my head assuming pilots are distasteful about talking to others) funny story. the only opportunity I had talking with a fighter pilot, I stuttered and shook so hard I almost tripped on my way out. I kinda geek out about it. Me personally, I think pilots are rockstars and I would hate to bother people and implement a wrong face/ characteristic at the unit I'm about to get into.

Good afternoon aviators! As mentioned in the title, I was curious if there was a specific order that would maximize test scores. Hoping to get picked up for pilot, I need to start working on getting my PPL, taking the AFOQT, and the TBAS. To go more in depth, I will be starting full time college in a couple months (freshman) and part time enlisted in the guard. My plan so far was to work on the qualifications during summertime, because I think it would be hard to juggle college, work (ANG), and studying for one of the three. (PPL/AFOQT/TBAS) Is it a good idea to attempt one of the three only in the summertime to give my full attention to the tests, or is it possible to do while in school? Is there an order in which I should take the tests? (ie. get your PPL first to give you GK when you take the AFOQT and TBAS in the future) what was your guys' sequence? did it help, or did you complete them whenever without an itinerary? TIA, wikz.

wow, thank you!! I appreciate the advice and examples.

I totally agree. To be honest, I know that the sim wouldn't put forth too much assistance as far as doing maneuvers etc. ahead of time; but would having your own sim be more useful than chair flying in UPT? With the new technology at UPT, do studs even chair fly anymore, or do they rely more on sims?

I may sound like every kid on baseops, but flying jets for the military has always been the ultimate goal for me. I research a lot about UPT, and sometimes the idea of how much they train frightens me because I worry if I can keep up enough to graduate and complete my dream. Just trying to look for anyway to better my chances and do the best I can.

Ive seen a few YouTube videos on t-38 check rides, and the requirements needed to perform maneuvers. Videos and info like you suggested would be exactly what I would like to practice on, but who would I be to not dick around and fly 600 knots around the map. appreciate the advice!

exactly what I was looking for, totally agree. but who knows, maybe ill make a bad decision, and still buy it just for the fun of it.. appreciate the opinions.

Good morning aviators. I had an idea that crossed my mind about investing in a flight sim. Items including stick, throttle, and rudder pedals (https://shop.thrustmaster.com/en_gb/t-16000m-fcs-flight-pack.html), and some kind of good reviewed/ not too expensive pc and monitor to play Microsoft Flight Simulator, and DCS. I have the money to pay for something like this, so I am not too worried about the damage, but I was looking for some input. Do you think buying, and playing a sim is worth it? ex. improving pilot skills; getting familiarity with jets that could possibly help in phase 2 & 3 of UPT (possibly practicing t-6 and t-38 maneuvers, for example formation flying, split S etc. I am gonna look more into what type of flying they do); and keeping piloting skills fresh. I think it would also be a sweet gig for someone that's interested in aviation. Ive seen a UPT stud with a cheap sim setup that he used to practice at the end of the day, and he ended up getting top of his class selecting tailhook. I understand that anything I practice is nothing compared to the real training, just wanted to get an idea. Is there any pilots out there that have purchased something like this?

Is an ANG fighter selectee who doesnt track t-38's in UPT because of grades common, or a once in a millennia type of thing?

Good evening aviators. Been reading forums, and I couldn't find specific info for these questions, other than do your best and the scores will handle themselves. When picked up from an ANG unit for fighters, are you guaranteed to track select t-38's? I understand that you can be forced into t-1's from t-38's if you arent making "fighter grades" in UPT, but how badly do you really have to be doing to get switched tracks? is it possible to get picked up by a unit for fighters, make fighter grades, and not track t-38's because there's not enough t-38 slots in a class? I am a long way from UPT (not assuming i'm even going to get picked up by a unit), but I enjoy reading the forums, and thought id have the discussion posted for anyone that is possibly wondering the same thing I am. -wikz

Yeah.. The ANG is no secret anymore. If units are starting to avert rushing, honestly I think the best thing to do is like I said, shoot your application to any unit you'd be interested in, and hope to land an interview. If not picked up, asking for feedback on what you could've done better is also a great way to improve and critique things.

Speaking from no prior experience. I have done some reading on the forums, comparing peoples chances, and I am gonna second tomato on the leadership experience. Your LOR's, and flight experience are definitely strong. Your scores are pretty adequate, but when applying for fighters, there are people that have the same or even higher scores. if you want to improve you chances to get an interview or even get hired, I would check out https://bogidope.com and buy their package to improve your application. If you're looking for strictly f-15 and f-22, bogidope also lists the squadrons that are hiring. But the older you get the less appealing you are to units, so I would say to not be so picky, and only apply to f-15 and f-22 units. shoot you app everywhere! like everyone else after me that replies to this topic, assuming your going ANG, they are notorious for hiring from within. not saying you should enlist, but RUSH THE UNIT your interested in. get your face around the base, converse with people, but never miss an opportunity to STFU. Best of Luck!

@uhhello Appreciate your insight on crew chief! Whats the workdays like? Ive heard stories of working all day and sometimes all night if the jet needs maintenance. Not to sound lazy, if I wasn't in college, I would have no problem with the work load, but juggling college and a job like that would be difficult. Also how long was your crew chief tech school?

Good Morning Aviators! I am a senior in high school, and I want to pursue a fighter pilot career, but have some questions. I am planning on enlisting into my local ANG unit to give me a leg up when applying for the UPT board. Reading these forums, i've seen that the best enlisted jobs to have to get close with the pilots and learn about the aircraft would be crew chief, LM, and life support. I am looking for some insight on these jobs (been there done that). Is there a way to attend tech school and go to college (taking online classes), or am I going to have to do a gap year for basic and tech school? What is tech school like for any of the jobs/ how long is it? What was your life like attending college, and being enlisted in the ANG as a crew chief, LM or Life support(the work load/how did you handle it)? And finally, does being enlisted while at college really delay your college graduation time, if so how? Apologies for the supplementary amount of questions. Im always open to suggestions!

Good afternoon aviators. apologies in advance if this is a dumb question, but I am looking for some Navy and ANG pilots to shed some light on this topic. I am a senior in high school, and am stuck choosing between which branch I want to create a career in. Like every other person in this site, I want to pursue jets. I love the Navy's mission and I was inspired by the Blues at a young age. It would be a dream to inspire others like I was. But acquiring jets in the Navy is like "dark magic" such as where your placed for primary, your NSS, or how ever many slots are open in your squadron when you select that week, etc. (Needs of the navy). I dont know much about the national guard, but Ive heard rumors of choosing what you fly before going to flight school, and horror stories that ANG fighter pilots only fly a few days out of the month. My mother is also a flight attendant for Hawaiian Airlines and told me about a pilot who thought flying commercial was boring and became a fighter pilot for the guard. made it sound so easy. Here's the dumb questions... Being a (HS) senior I would like to know where I should go if id like to fly jets before committing to a branch such as NROTC in college? (which ive already applied to). I spent a lot of time engrossed in Navy and was wondering if I chose to pursue becoming a NA--but with luck of the draw I didnt pick up tail-hook in primary--and got my second choice--after I serve till the end of my contract in the Navy not flying jets--would I be able to transfer to the national guard and try for jets and go to flight school again? apologies for not knowing much about ANG, but I do plan on reading all forums to learn more.