How does my package look for upcoming rated board?

[tgonzo29]

Hello All,

I am new to the board.  I have just applied for OTS (as a civilian) for the upcoming rated board.  I have only applied for a pilot slot as I plan on being a third generation pilot in my family.  My recruiter has been great to me throughout the entire process and seems very optimistic about my selection, especially considering the need for UPT candidates. The board is in May.  I believe its 17OT2

Age:25

AFOQT Scores:

Pilot: 79 Nav:41 AA:37 Verbal: 56 Q: 23

PCSM: 62 (1st attempt)

Flight hours: 49 

FAA Student Pilot Certificate

FAA 1st Class Medical

I am scheduled to have my private pilot license check-ride in February.  (mentioned in my application)

GPA: 2.59  B.A in New Communication Media from SUNY Cortland

Since graduating, I have been working full-time as Operations Manager of a flight training school (yes, i get to fly on my lunch break :D) and working part-time at a restaurant.

Private hockey instructor

Volunteer

Volunteered at church packing lunches for unfortunate kids, 2 mission trips to help rebuild houses for people living in poverty, helped boy scouts get their ice skating merit badges with one of my hockey teams and about to start volunteering at Pax River Naval Air Museum.

Assistant Hockey coach on my little brother's hockey team.

Personal:

Athlete with a 10+ year competitive hockey career (including college and canadian junior hockey) and have been in leadership roles on many teams.

Excellent Physical Condition

Infractions: (all waivered)

3 speeding tickets 1 Public Intoxication 1 Disorderly Conduct (The most recent infraction was 06/2015)

Officer Interview: Couldn't have imagined it going any better.  We hit it off. It was supposed to be a 1 hour interview and we ended up talking for 3 hours.  We spent most of talking about military aviation with some serious questions throw in between.  I wore my best suit, which is ironically the same color as an Air Force service dress uniform.  I had the option of doing a skype interview and elected to buy a plane ticket up to Syracuse (from Virginia) to do my interview.  The officer told me I made an excellent impression, and that he doesn't see my GPA being too big of deal when they look at the whole person concept

LORS:

1 from a former O-5 and my primary flight instructor who was former an F-15E WSO and Fighter Weapons instructor. He vouched for my flying skills, decision making, situational awareness,  and said that I have potential to be an excellent candidate for UPT.  

1 from an O-6 who is a former F-16C pilot and IFF IP.  He vouched for a lot of the qualities mentioned above and said that I have the potential to finish at the top of the class in UPT.  He talked about a lot of my personal qualities and that I would make a great well-rounded officer.

1 from a former Army Warrant Officer/ US Customs/ Army National Guard Blackhawk pilot who has known me my entire life.  He wrote about how i've had a passion for military aviation ever since I was a little kid and have worked very hard to get where I am now in my flight training

1 from a former Air Force enlisted F-16 maintainer who is also a CFI at the flight school and now an FAA Inspector.  He talked about my proven ability to manage the flight school, as well as my passion for learning as much as I can about aviation, as well as being a good student

1 from my guidance counselor whos known me for a long time and knows me very well.

 

Low GPA/Infraction explanation:

I went through a very rough patch after my mom was diagnosed with cancer, where I racked up both infractions and most of the traffic violations, as well as struggled to put up a 1.5 GPA immediately following.  A year later, she had an aneurysm/stroke which made me get my act together and make this life changing decision to change career paths to become an air force pilot. She recently passed in october.  Its been my primary source of motivation which has been discussed in my interview and is in my package.  I know these areas could hurt me, but I feel like i've done a lot to add to the whole person concept which could really help my chances.

 

I know i've given you all a lot of information.  My package has been submitted Do you think I have a good shot? Any ways I can improve if I am not selected? I'd appreciate any help or advice. Thanks :)

Edited January 30, 2017 by tgonzo29

[tgonzo29]

5 hours ago, Kiloalpha said:

Wait, they're doing this now? Before it was mandatory to pick 4 AFSCs... which meant RPAs were a possible future for the applicant. If they're allowing you to apply "flying only" that's news to me...

I just put 1 next to pilot and left the others blank.  My recruiter said i could do it. 

[FishBowl]

I applied pilot-only for the 15OT03 board and was selected. 

[bb17]

Based on what I've read here a good package will put you to the front of the line to fly F-15's. Good luck. 

[tgonzo29]

6 hours ago, bb17 said:

Based on what I've read here a good package will put you to the front of the line to fly F-15's. Good luck. 

thanks good to know! From what I've heard when they select raptor pilots, they look for a higher pilot aptitude.  Does that mean with my current numbers it will be difficult to end up strapped onto an F-22?

[tgonzo29]

2 minutes ago, Kiloalpha said:

Nope, not at all. F-22s are in your future if you want them.

Great to know. Just have to wish for the best!

[viper154]

On 1/24/2017 at 11:59 AM, tgonzo29 said:

 

GPA: 2.59  B.A in New Communication Media from SUNY Cortland

 

Just wait until you have to explain 15 billion times to everyone you meet not from NY what SUNY Cortland is. (SUNY Potsdam myself) 

[FishBowl]

Your numbers on your application have little (to absolutely zero) sway over what you'll end up flying. Your performance in UPT determines where you rack and stack among your classmates and decides how much preference you have over your assignment. Overall, it's the needs of the Air Force, timing and luck. 

[tgonzo29]

Just have to go out and do the best i can.  Right now i'm just waiting and hoping my application qualifies for OTS. Fingers crossed!

[tgonzo29]

8 hours ago, viper154 said:

Just wait until you have to explain 15 billion times to everyone you meet not from NY what SUNY Cortland is. (SUNY Potsdam myself) 

haha truth

[bb17]

13 hours ago, tgonzo29 said:

thanks good to know! 

Yup, just e-mail the hiring board a picture of your package and go from there! 

Edited January 26, 2017 by bb17

[HeyWatchThis]

On 1/26/2017 at 11:34 AM, bb17 said:

Yup, just e-mail the hiring board a picture of your package and go from there! 

Are you even at UPT yet?......bold move.....funny.....but bold

[bb17]

5 minutes ago, HeyWatchThis said:

Are you even at UPT yet?......bold move.....funny.....but bold

Sorry, the thread title was too much of a softball. 

[bb17]

So to provide actual feedback to the OP instead of stupid jokes - 

The good news is that you're 25 so you have plenty of time to make things work out. Your GPA and AFOQT/PCSM scores are all a bit on the low side. They might be good enough for an AD board - I'm not really sure what those numbers typically look like so maybe somebody else can chime in on that.

It is great that you're applying to the upcoming OTS board - I really hope it works out great for you! If not, don't get discouraged. You have some time to finish your PPL and retake the AFOQT/PCSM to really get your scores up there. Your GPA is really low, but you have a good story to back it up. I went through a similar situation actually with my mom passing away like that so my condolences for having to deal with that. The problem is that its hard to convey that story in a resume or cover letter. You do seem to have excellent extracurricular experience and good recommendations, so definitely focus on all the strong points you touched on in your post. What I learned throughout the application process is that they care about a lot more than just scores. Good luck! 

[tgonzo29]

On 1/27/2017 at 2:10 PM, bb17 said:

So to provide actual feedback to the OP instead of stupid jokes - 

The good news is that you're 25 so you have plenty of time to make things work out. Your GPA and AFOQT/PCSM scores are all a bit on the low side. They might be good enough for an AD board - I'm not really sure what those numbers typically look like so maybe somebody else can chime in on that.

It is great that you're applying to the upcoming OTS board - I really hope it works out great for you! If not, don't get discouraged. You have some time to finish your PPL and retake the AFOQT/PCSM to really get your scores up there. Your GPA is really low, but you have a good story to back it up. I went through a similar situation actually with my mom passing away like that so my condolences for having to deal with that. The problem is that its hard to convey that story in a resume or cover letter. You do seem to have excellent extracurricular experience and good recommendations, so definitely focus on all the strong points you touched on in your post. What I learned throughout the application process is that they care about a lot more than just scores. Good luck! 

I'm always a guy for jokes, but I appreciate the constructive feedback.  My goal was to have my PPL finished by the time my package was submitted, but winter weather has slowed my training down quite a bit since the fall.  I do plan on retaking the TBAS to further boost my PCSM and am confident that I can do much better. I felt comfortable with the multitasking but it took me getting the first 20 spatial orientation questions wrong after getting a bit confused by where the directions said the nose was supposed to be pointing.  62 is still decent, but ill do better if needed.  I feel strong about the rest of my application.  I absolutely knocked it out of the park with my interview and I still feel rather confident given the needs of the air force at the moment.  Thank you for your condolences and encouragement! I'm sorry about yours as well.  I am also about to try my luck with some Guard Units.  Hoping to learn something new that will help with each application that proceeds it.  I'll make sure I get in a cockpit 

Edited January 30, 2017 by tgonzo29

[bb17]

17 hours ago, tgonzo29 said:

I'm always a guy for jokes, but I appreciate the constructive feedback.  My goal was to have my PPL finished by the time my package was submitted, but winter weather has slowed my training down quite a bit since the fall.  I do plan on retaking the TBAS to further boost my PCSM and am confident that I can do much better. I felt comfortable with the multitasking but it took me getting the first 20 spatial orientation questions wrong after getting a bit confused by where the directions said the nose was supposed to be pointing.  62 is still decent, but ill do better if needed.  I feel strong about the rest of my application.  I absolutely knocked it out of the park with my interview and I still feel rather confident given the needs of the air force at the moment.  Thank you for your condolences and encouragement! I'm sorry about yours as well.  I am also about to try my luck with some Guard Units.  Hoping to learn something new that will help with each application that proceeds it.  I'll make sure I get in a cockpit 

Yup, the test questions are really kind of stupid (how does a poorly drawn airplane have anything to do with a compass reading?). The whole AFOQT and TBAS are kind of like that - just kind of fumble through it and hope for the best. However, the study guides do give some method to the madness. Although if i remember correctly (I took it 5 years ago!), the study guides are not entirely consistent on how to solve problems. Anyway, see if you get the slot - if not, give the tests another shot. Just make sure to ace them the second time around because I think you can only take them twice, and most people do worse the second time around because they get complacent. 

Edited January 31, 2017 by bb17

[tgonzo29]

1 hour ago, bb17 said:

Yup, the test questions are really kind of stupid (how does a poorly drawn airplane have anything to do with a compass reading?). The whole AFOQT and TBAS are kind of like that - just kind of fumble through it and hope for the best. However, the study guides do give some method to the madness. Although if i remember correctly (I took it 5 years ago!), the study guides are not entirely consistent on how to solve problems. Anyway, see if you get the slot - if not, give the tests another shot. Just make sure to ace them the second time around because I think you can only take them twice, and most people do worse the second time around because they get complacent. 

Thanks for the heads up! Its a waiting game now and its taking forever!

[tgonzo29]

On 1/30/2017 at 7:57 PM, bb17 said:

Yup, the test questions are really kind of stupid (how does a poorly drawn airplane have anything to do with a compass reading?). The whole AFOQT and TBAS are kind of like that - just kind of fumble through it and hope for the best. However, the study guides do give some method to the madness. Although if i remember correctly (I took it 5 years ago!), the study guides are not entirely consistent on how to solve problems. Anyway, see if you get the slot - if not, give the tests another shot. Just make sure to ace them the second time around because I think you can only take them twice, and most people do worse the second time around because they get complacent. 

I just spoke with my recruiter.  He said that I was ranked 3/31 in Officer interviews with everything marked all the way to the right and the addition of 8 bullet points.  Hopefully this can push me over!

Edited February 15, 2017 by tgonzo29

[bb17]

1 hour ago, tgonzo29 said:

I just spoke with my recruiter.  He said that I was ranked 3/31 in Officer interviews with everything marked all the way to the right and the addition of 8 bullet points.  Hopefully this can push me over!

Awesome, good luck! 

[FlyingC!rkus]

On 2/16/2017 at 2:23 AM, tgonzo29 said:

I just spoke with my recruiter.  He said that I was ranked 3/31 in Officer interviews with everything marked all the way to the right and the addition of 8 bullet points.  Hopefully this can push me over!

Any news? When will you know?! Best of luck!

[tgonzo29]

I should know March 17!

[tgonzo29]

Hey guys,

Great news! I was selected to go to UPT! thanks for all the help!

[Astro_Rekt]

Very nice! Good luck man!

[boobooaboo]

So what do y'alls cover letter and resume look like for UPT? I've written plenty of both, but I just want to get an idea of how or if it changes for the Military.

[tgonzo29]

Hey man, congrats! That is awesome you got selected and great inspiration for us with not so stellar scores and GPA's. Did you apply to the AD board? 

Yes I did. Thanks. Keep plugging and do whatever it takes to make yourself as competitive as possible


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