UPT Chances

[Slack]

Age: 24

GPA: 2.85 Information Technology

AFOQT: 98P / 99N / 84AA / 80V / 79Q

PCSM: 75 with 0 flight hours. I am currently getting a few hours and will update my PCSM soon with 11 hours which will push it to 87.

4 LOR’s: 1 from my university programming professor, 2 from my current and former manager, and one from a retired O-5 AF Pilot.

I am a civilian with no prior military experience.

With my GPA, basically I was a knucklehead when I started college and did poorly; I lacked focus. Ended up temporarily quitting school in 2013 with a 1.5 GPA. I got married in 2015 and went back to school and busted my butt. I’ll graduate in May next year and hopefully I’ll be able to get my GPA closer to a 3.0 by that time. I’ve been on the Dean’s List 3 out of my last 5 semesters.

I’ve been working the IT field for about 5 years now. And since going back to school in 2015 I’ve been balancing full-time work and school.

I played competitive club soccer till I graduated high school. Lettered in Varsity soccer all four years of High School as well. Currently I play in a men’s league on the weekends and on Monday nights.

I was the head coach of a high school boys’ soccer team for 2 years. I gave that up when I went back to school as I no longer had the time for work, school, and coaching.

 

I’m open to Active Duty, Guard, or Reserves. I’d love to fly fighters but at the end of the day I’m not picky.

I just want to fly.

 

What do ya’ll think? 

[Stoker]

You're probably going to need to get your PPL before you are competitive for Guard/Reserve fighters. Your PCSM is absurdly high for someone with 0 flight hours, what's your 200+ hour score look like, 99? Don't sweat your GPA if you have a good explanation of why it sucks and why you're different now. The sports participation is a good check in your box for fighters, they like that sort of thing.

If you want to fly fighters in the Guard/Reserve, you are definitely young enough to spend the time to visit/apply to units you want to join multiple times. Even if you get rejected in the first few boards, keep coming back to the same units and build relationships. It's definitely doable for you (provided, of course, that you aren't a tool).

[Slack]

I am working towards my PPL, difficult to find time/money for hours while I am in school. Any advice on the most cost effective way to build hours? 

It would take me 81 hours to get a 99 PCSM score.

[jspace17]

I think you're pretty solid. Other than your GPA, your application looks pretty competetive. Any supervisory/management positions would help or if you can get your GPA to a 3.0, you're a shoe-in. That being said, your GPA isn't low, it just could be better.

As for getting hours for your PPL, find a cheap school and fly a smaller plane like a C152 or something on the cheaper end. They don't seem to care what kind of hours you get as long as you got some PIC and dual time.

I was just picked up for AD and your scores look better than mine. Good job!

[Stoker]

8 hours ago, Zam_Fisher said:

I am working towards my PPL, difficult to find time/money for hours while I am in school. Any advice on the most cost effective way to build hours? 

It would take me 81 hours to get a 99 PCSM score.

Good lord. You probably scored literally as high as possible without any flight hours.

[extender10]

Wow nice job!

I've met a few Herk guys who got hired without PPL's but their units said that they wanted to see them solo at least before they would submit to AFRC.  Everybody I got hired with had PPLs. Congrats on that score! With some flight hours I bet you'd be an easy hire at most units.

 

[Slack]

On 8/19/2017 at 8:48 PM, extender10 said:

Wow nice job!

I've met a few Herk guys who got hired without PPL's but their units said that they wanted to see them solo at least before they would submit to AFRC.  Everybody I got hired with had PPLs. Congrats on that score! With some flight hours I bet you'd be an easy hire at most units.

 

 

I'll be able to get about an hour every week or two towards my PPL, it'll be slow going but i'll get there. Thanks for the advice! 

[Slack]

On 8/18/2017 at 11:45 PM, sforron said:

Good lord. You probably scored literally as high as possible without any flight hours.

Well that is nice to hear, I saw 75 and was a little concerned. I added my flight hours (1 less than planned so far) so my PCSM is an 83 now.

[Slack]

On 8/18/2017 at 4:04 PM, jspace17 said:

I think you're pretty solid. Other than your GPA, your application looks pretty competetive. Any supervisory/management positions would help or if you can get your GPA to a 3.0, you're a shoe-in. That being said, your GPA isn't low, it just could be better.

As for getting hours for your PPL, find a cheap school and fly a smaller plane like a C152 or something on the cheaper end. They don't seem to care what kind of hours you get as long as you got some PIC and dual time.

I was just picked up for AD and your scores look better than mine. Good job!

Yeah my GPA isn't where it should be, difficult to get into management in my field without a decade of experience but I do have some coaching experience. 

I've found one that flies a C172, haven't found one that flies a C152 yet. So I'll be getting about an hour a week or every two weeks. 

Congrats! When do you head off to UPT? 

[jspace17]

1 hour ago, Zam_Fisher said:

Yeah my GPA isn't where it should be, difficult to get into management in my field without a decade of experience but I do have some coaching experience. 

I've found one that flies a C172, haven't found one that flies a C152 yet. So I'll be getting about an hour a week or every two weeks. 

Congrats! When do you head off to UPT? 

Honestly, your OQT and PCSM blows that out of the water so you don't have anything to worry about. I had a 86 PCSM when I applied and that's with over 80 hours. Get a little bit more time and you're set! You're probably going to get picked up even without any more hours.

The 172 is a great plane and it's what most of my hours are in. Nothing wrong with it, it's a great trainer for the price. I only suggested a 152 as they're cheaper but the price of a C172N is comparable to a C152. If you're flying S models currently, it'll feel like quite the downgrade. Keep it up! Be consistent and you'll have your license before you know it. I kept taking breaks and it made the license take longer than it should have. I got rusty between flights.

Thanks! I just finished my FC1 and am awaiting a class date. I'm hoping for a January OTS date but I'll be at UPT sometime next year. Can't wait.

Good luck to you! Your scores are very competitive so don't stress. The board will understand the GPA thing as we were in similar boats. Hope to see you at UPT soon

[Slack]

On 8/22/2017 at 2:06 PM, jspace17 said:

Honestly, your OQT and PCSM blows that out of the water so you don't have anything to worry about. I had a 86 PCSM when I applied and that's with over 80 hours. Get a little bit more time and you're set! You're probably going to get picked up even without any more hours.

The 172 is a great plane and it's what most of my hours are in. Nothing wrong with it, it's a great trainer for the price. I only suggested a 152 as they're cheaper but the price of a C172N is comparable to a C152. If you're flying S models currently, it'll feel like quite the downgrade. Keep it up! Be consistent and you'll have your license before you know it. I kept taking breaks and it made the license take longer than it should have. I got rusty between flights.

Thanks! I just finished my FC1 and am awaiting a class date. I'm hoping for a January OTS date but I'll be at UPT sometime next year. Can't wait.

Good luck to you! Your scores are very competitive so don't stress. The board will understand the GPA thing as we were in similar boats. Hope to see you at UPT soon

UFT Board 18-04 select!

Did you end up going to OTS in January? 

[FDNYOldGuy]

5 hours ago, Zam_Fisher said:

UFT Board 18-04 select!

You got picked up? Congrats! It's great to read success stories! If you don't mind getting into it, what was your journey like from when you posted last year to now? 

[Slack]

16 minutes ago, FDNYOldGuy said:

You got picked up? Congrats! It's great to read success stories! If you don't mind getting into it, what was your journey like from when you posted last year to now? 

Yeah sure did, sorry should have made that more clear. I'm an alternate currently so I'll go to training either when there is an empty UPT slot or I get sponsored by a unit. Heading to visit a few units soon so I'm pumped. 

Well since I posted last year its been a lot of hurry up and wait with paperwork. I went to Wright Patterson for my FC1 physical a couple months ago. Other than that I was just finishing up college and doing my best to get my GPA higher.

I got my paperwork finished up with my medical approval back in late April and my recruiter submitted my stuff to the UFT Reserve board after that. I was told the board met the first week of May, but I didn't hear anything until last week when I got a call from the 340th letting me know I was selected. 

That was basically all that happened since my last post, just a lot of waiting. Waiting seems to be the name of the game with this process. 

[FDNYOldGuy]

Awesome to hear that you've gotten a spot and you're headed down the road to doing what you want to do; fly for the Air Force! There have been some good posts on here about unsponsored slots and it seems like not a bad spot to be, since you can rush squadrons knowing that you're already headed to UPT. 

Good luck at UPT and with the rest of the journey!