hpfulguardbum Posted March 20, 2015 Posted March 20, 2015 Civilian pilot select here from the recent board 15ot01. I met with my recruiter yesterday to get medical docs finished and talk about the upcoming process. To make a long story short: he said that I have to swear in after my MEPS physical and that I can get my flight physical (FC1) at Travis AFB. Has anyone done or heard of this?
dvlax40 Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 Civilian pilot select here from the recent board 15ot01. I met with my recruiter yesterday to get medical docs finished and talk about the upcoming process. To make a long story short: he said that I have to swear in after my MEPS physical and that I can get my flight physical (FC1) at Travis AFB. Has anyone done or heard of this? surprised youre doing the FC1 separate for the MFS. but yeah any major base can do the FC1 is the MFS part of that process that suuuck
hpfulguardbum Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 dvlax40: I'm confused on the whole process and as I'm hearing now my physical "track" might be much different than others I have read about. In the end I just want to make sure that I am only going in as a pilot selectee and I won't get screwed over (I haven't felt like my recruiter is trying to screw me over at any point) but I just want to be sure my contract is intact. I also don't want to be held up for reasons other than my own. I apologize if I come across as a doucher,I may have had a few cocktails. Thanks for the help!
#84 Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 I'm right along with this guy ^^^... I did MEPS a few months ago. Didn't swear in but now my recruiter is telling me I need to DEP before going to Mchord to do my FC1? And that if don't pass my FC1 I go back to being a civilian. I'm wondering why I have to swear in to do my FC1 and I didn't have to for MEPS? Just making sure I'm not getting screwed over as well.
mp5g Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 My assumptions only, but I think it's because Big Blue won't pay for you to go TDY to get your FCI if you're still a civilian. You have to be on some sort of military orders for them to pay for it.
dvlax40 Posted March 21, 2015 Posted March 21, 2015 My assumptions only, but I think it's because Big Blue won't pay for you to go TDY to get your FCI if you're still a civilian. You have to be on some sort of military orders for them to pay for it. ^^^^^^^ this dont know why they didnt swear you in at MEPS... but it is MEPS so that doesnt surprise me.
Kilabe26 Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 How do they test uncorrected visual acuity for the IFC1 and in MFS? Do they use an AFVT? Or is it a chart on the wall? Also, how strict are they on minor squinting?
81L BLR Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Visual acuity, corrected and uncorrected, is tested with the OVT (Optec Vision Tester). I don't think anyone will be watching your eyes to see if you are squinting or not. Remember that you must get every letter in a row correct to receive credit for that level.
Kilabe26 Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Visual acuity, corrected and uncorrected, is tested with the OVT (Optec Vision Tester). I don't think anyone will be watching your eyes to see if you are squinting or not. Remember that you must get every letter in a row correct to receive credit for that level. They use the OVT at MFS as well?
Kilabe26 Posted April 20, 2015 Posted April 20, 2015 It will be used at MFS. Are all the vision tests done corrected (with contact lenses or glasses) beside the one Uncorrected visual acuity test?
deaddebate Posted April 22, 2015 Posted April 22, 2015 (edited) You need to be wearing glasses at least 30 days before the MFS evaluation. Contacts (whether hard or soft) change the curvature of the surface of your eye and it both effect the results of your test and that change will be evident to the optometrist reviewing the test results.Stop worrying so much about this. Most tests are done with correction worn, some do not. The standards are well known and they will not spring something unorthodox on you in the spur of the moment. You are heavily over-thinking this. Edited April 22, 2015 by deaddebate
Jumpseat18 Posted September 24, 2015 Posted September 24, 2015 An ANG unit I have applied to needs my approved DD 2808. My AFRC recruiter (who organized my FCI/MFS) is unreachable while on leave, anyone have advice on how to obtain a copy of the final stamped and approved DD 2808 directly from USAFSAM or AETC?
Dynamite Posted February 20, 2016 Posted February 20, 2016 I'm interested on the answer for the previous question as well. How can you get the approved DD2808 after completing MFS/FC1 at wright patt?
bb17 Posted April 7, 2016 Posted April 7, 2016 I did my FC1 a couple weeks ago, showed up Monday, was done by lunch time Tuesday. Was very straight forward. PM me if you have any specific questions and I'll let you know. Civilian going Reserve. 1
black hills tj Posted August 26, 2016 Posted August 26, 2016 Heading to Wright-Pat Sunday for my FC1. Any last minute pointers aside from "relax" would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
bb17 Posted August 28, 2016 Posted August 28, 2016 On 8/26/2016 at 0:45 PM, Kiloalpha said: Smile, laugh and be interested. The folks at Wright-Patt are good and they'll do what they can to help you. You'll do a lot of running around, sitting, waiting and you'll answer a lot of questions. Understand that the entire process is out of your hands, but you can do a lot to "help" yourself by being cordial and polite. Plan on visiting the National Museum of the Air Force when you get cleared. It's awesome. This is great advice. Also don't say anything stupid that will disqualify you. One guy in my FC1 group complained about having a migraine and they gave him the boot right that moment. The look on his face when his dreams instantly came crashing down was sad to see happen. Also, visit the museum BEFORE you get your eyes dilated which usually happens on Tuesday. I went afterwards and couldn't see anything. I tried to take some photos that I could look at later and they all came out blurry. Go figure. 2
black hills tj Posted September 2, 2016 Posted September 2, 2016 I just returned back to my home unit from my FC1. I would say I was more or less "done" by noon of the second day, and was dismissed with an "all clear" recommendation by Tuesday afternoon. It really went quite well. All of the staff were very friendly and more than helpful. They are there to help you succeed, without a doubt. Wednesday I spent about 5 hours at the Museum...AWESOME!
Vixty Posted October 19, 2016 Posted October 19, 2016 Has anyone had to take the MFS seperate from the FC1? I took my FC1 for an active duty OTS package about a month ago and have since been hired by a guard unit. I was told I still need to do the MFS but i'm just wondering what all will be involved. By reading online ive heard they retest parts of vision, take measurements and do some kind of other testing. Is that really all the MFS is about? I'm a little worried about the MFS becuase my eye refraction during my FC1 was right at the limit. I won't be swearing into the unit until mid to late 2017 so i assume my MFS won't get done until after that. I'm a little worried my eyes will be past the limit by then.
stuckindayton Posted October 19, 2016 Posted October 19, 2016 5 hours ago, Vixty said: Has anyone had to take the MFS seperate from the FC1? I took my FC1 for an active duty OTS package about a month ago and have since been hired by a guard unit. I was told I still need to do the MFS but i'm just wondering what all will be involved. By reading online ive heard they retest parts of vision, take measurements and do some kind of other testing. Is that really all the MFS is about? I'm a little worried about the MFS becuase my eye refraction during my FC1 was right at the limit. I won't be swearing into the unit until mid to late 2017 so i assume my MFS won't get done until after that. I'm a little worried my eyes will be past the limit by then. For eyes, MFS consists of corneal topography, red lens and color vision. If something on your IFC I raises questions, it can be more than that, but under normal circumstances, you will not see the optometrist or have your refraction repeated.
tk1313 Posted October 20, 2016 Posted October 20, 2016 On 8/28/2016 at 7:42 PM, bb17 said: This is great advice. Also don't say anything stupid that will disqualify you. One guy in my FC1 group complained about having a migraine and they gave him the boot right that moment. The look on his face when his dreams instantly came crashing down was sad to see happen. Also, visit the museum BEFORE you get your eyes dilated which usually happens on Tuesday. I went afterwards and couldn't see anything. I tried to take some photos that I could look at later and they all came out blurry. Go figure. That's what nightmares are made of... 1
tgonzo29 Posted January 20, 2017 Posted January 20, 2017 Has anybody done their FC1 or been told that you will be taking it at Dover? My recruiter has recommended sending me there because he said there is a huge wait at WP and Dover is ran better.
Dynamite Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 On 1/19/2017 at 11:45 PM, tgonzo29 said: Has anybody done their FC1 or been told that you will be taking it at Dover? My recruiter has recommended sending me there because he said there is a huge wait at WP and Dover is ran better. You can do the FC1 at any base with the appropriate medical facilities, however, you will still need to go to Wright Patterson AFB for the MFS part of it.
stuckindayton Posted January 24, 2017 Posted January 24, 2017 On 1/19/2017 at 11:45 PM, tgonzo29 said: Has anybody done their FC1 or been told that you will be taking it at Dover? My recruiter has recommended sending me there because he said there is a huge wait at WP and Dover is ran better. Dynamite is right. You're going to Wright-Patt either way. If you get your FCI at Dover, then you'd go to Wright-Patt for the MFS only. If you go to Wright-Patt, you'll get a combined FCI/MFS. I don't know if there is a shorter wait list for the MFS only vs. the FCI/MFS combined. If you live very close to Dover, it's probably a wash. However, if it's a 2+ hour drive, you're likely to be making multiple trips to Dover as the odds of them getting everything done in one day is very low. I can guarantee you that Dover is not even close to the efficiency of Wright-Patt, where there is a dedicated branch designed to process physicals. That's just recruiter talk.
BEEPBEEPIMINAJEEP Posted February 3, 2017 Posted February 3, 2017 (edited) Hello everyone, I recently got back from my trip to Wright-Patterson and I could not be happier with my experience there. Not everything was smooth sailing for me, as far as my pre-existing eye condition was concerned, but the folks there went incredibly far out of their way to ensure I had every opportunity to pass their tests. For that, I am extremely grateful for their care in what they do and ultimately, allowing me to pursue my dream. A little bit about my experience: I had an eye muscle disorder that I discovered a few years ago after preemptively visiting an optometrist to make sure everything with my eyes were kosher. Upon finding out what I had, I was crushed. Over the course of the next year, I found a specialist, explained to him what my intentions were as far as pursuing this career and ended up having surgery to correct the problem. The surgery went very well, but that still did little to unease the unsettling feeling I had about my chances. I read numerous stories about others who had similar conditions; I read the AFI's, waiverability guide and medical publications; I even messaged a few professionals on these very forums to gain as much insight as possible. From all of these sources, my confidence on passing was extremely low. Nevertheless, I continued to interview all over the country in pursuit of my passion, even with that overwhelming sense of uncertainty. The last few years have been the most trying test of my endurance, mentally. I spent thousands of dollars travelling for interviews, faced numerous rejections, put off career advancement in my fall back career, all for just the chance at a shot for my dream job. I knew, at least for me, that if I had not done this, it would plague me for the rest of my life knowing I had given up. I had engulfed myself with everything there was to know about my condition and how it would be measured/tested. I ascertained that my biggest hurdle was going to be depth perception, as is for most people, even with the best of eyes. I am prior enlisted and have had a history of failing the depth perception years back at MEPS. I spent months researching techniques people use to train their eyes to pass the test to include purchasing the Magic Eye book, as many of you have recommended. Even so, I was still not confident come judgement day that I was indeed going to pass. Once arriving on day one, you are not given an exact itinerary on what order you will be accomplishing all the tests, so I sat there stewing in the inevitable encounter with my kryptonite. It ended up coming relatively soon on the first day and it was not pleasant. I had measured 20/20 uncorrected, but come time to do the depth perception, I could not seem to make it work for me. This revelation that my hopes and dreams just came to an end began to sink in. Nevertheless, they had me do a full workup with the optometrist there to figure out what my underlying problem was. We went over many more eye tests and had very long, comprehensive talks about what they were seeing, what my chances/options were, what their role is as far as having a standardized approach in measuring/testing applicants. All of these things really did a great job at putting me at ease. It was the kind and length of talks from a doctor that no civilian doctor, at least in my experience, has taken out of their day to explain exactly what is going on. They made it abundantly clear that they will do everything in their power to ensure you have every opportunity to demonstrate that if you CAN pass, they will pass you. They ended up prescribing me glasses to retake the exam about mid-way through day two to see if it was simply an acuity problem not being able to see depth perception. I wore the glasses for a few minutes, retook the test, and failed again. This, again, made my stomach turn upside down. I was then given the advice to wear the glasses for a little while longer to have my eyes adjust some more. Day 3: Nearly everyone I was there with had already been given the all clear, having a great time touring the museum there (which is a must). I knew it was my make or break day. I wore the glasses the entire night before and also woke up early in the morning on day three to walk around outside to get my eyes readjusted. I had found out that walking around outside, particularly looking about 3 feet in front of me when walking, seemed to have the most of an effect on my eyes. First thing in the morning, we began to do some more evaluations with some easier to see depth perception tests that they had there. These tests were rated at much higher arcs than the standard needed to pass, but were instrumental in helping me with the technique that best worked for me to bring them out. Personally, I found out that opening my eyes up wide, as opposed to squinting (which I was doing before), and vaguely starring at the entire block of circles was working for me. Miraculously enough, I eventually got to the point to where I could legitimately see all the way through line D. (This was quite the emotional roller-coaster for me at this point). I was incredibly excited at this point that the future that I thought I had lost was slowly coming back to me. However, I was not quite out of the woods. Even though I had gotten through line D, it was a struggle, to say the least. The doctors had long talks with me about their standards and liability they assume by making such decisions and it was in mine, and their best interest, to ensure that this was not a one-time thing. They needed to be certain when you leave there, that you are going to be able to pass it every year after that. They had me do a few more depth perception tests (and passed) and more workups with multiple doctors and they came to the agreement that I met their standards. I cannot describe to you what the feeling of years of doubt being immediately lifted off of my shoulders felt like. I am so extremely grateful for the doctors and techs there at Wright-Patterson for taking so much time to work with me through all of this! Thank you so much!! To those out there still in the hunt or awaiting your turn at MFS/FC1, never give up! Be as prepared as possible. Make appointments on your own so there are no surprises. If you find a surprise, get a second opinion. Research every option. Above all, remain calm and be as polite as possible. I know the former is easier said than done, but it can truly help. Good luck to everyone! Edited March 9, 2018 by BEEPBEEPIMINAJEEP Words 8
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now