Army to AF Transfer (Green to Blue)

[xcraftllc]

Some more tips and advice:

One of the things I experienced that needs to be taken into consideration when doing this is the financial aspect. In order to submit my officer and UPT packet, I had to be enlisted in the ANG unit. This meant having to accept a demotion to SSgt. I was a prior E-4 in the Army before going Warrant and therefore had no NCO time or schools which qualified me for anything higher. This also meant that I was out of a job and steady income until OTS and UPT. Luckily between UTA days and AT orders etc, I was able to pay the bills, but was still only getting paid as an 8-year E-5 (quite a step down from a W-2 with flight pay). Another former Warrant I talked to had the same experience with active duty, only he didn't have to worry about the time in-between training. One might assume that you would be entitled to Save-Pay since you're promoting to lieutenant, and if you commission in the Army you indeed are; but there is some kind of stipulation about having to first enlist in the AF to do this (since they don't recognize Warrants), and therefore you are actually first being demoted to an enlisted rank.

Still all worth it in the end but something to keep in mind. I'm actually getting paid a couple-hundred less now than I would if I stayed in the Army but it's a small price to pay for the opportunity and training. Your years of experience that apply to your flight pay do indeed carry on forward into your AF career, so don't worry about having to restart that clock.

Some things to keep in mind which might help: The Army will still pay for your move after ETSing and if you do a DITY (since you have nothing else to do anyway), you can make some change off of that. I moved to Alabama which worked out well. I didn't have any issues getting out of my lease when my UPT orders came out. Also, I sold 57 days of leave since staying in the Army using that leave would have just prolonged everything else and risked me not getting into UPT on time. All things to consider.

Edited May 12, 2017 by xcraftllc
I used to be dumb. I still am, but I used to be too.

[Stitch64]

So I'm brand new here and exploring my options for the future.

I'm a 30 year old active duty AH-64 CPT with a company command, 2 deployments, and about 1000 hours total rotor wing time under my belt.  I'm looking seriously at trying to get into AFRES/ANG as a fighter pilot which has been dream of mine since I was old enough to look up.  Too bad I only learned about this option recently.

I know my age and time of active duty service will require an exception to policy now that FWQ has gone away.  Have any of you seen successful exception to policy requests?  Any advice on where to start and how to improve my chances?

Thanks folks.

-Stitch

Edited June 26, 2016 by Stitch64
grammar

[Sprkt69]

Your best bet is to make a list of all the Reserve/ANG fighter units out there and start contacting them. See what manning requirements they have and figure out how you can help them. Also, find out when they are having a drill weekend and plan to go visit. There is a lot more to it, but this will get you started.

[JustHangingOut]

how does one get out of their Army Guard ADSO if they want to switch to Air Guard?

I am looking at going green to blue as well

[Phil]

I recently came off active duty Army and got hired into an RPA unit in my home state.  Packet has made it past the state level and now onto NGB, anyone have any idea on the timeline it usually takes to make it back to the unit?

[Misfit42]

Just tagging in as well. I have the exact same question. I am Army Guard switching to AFRes and have a 5 year ADSO from IERW, but NO MSO (as I was enlisted for 8 years prior to becoming a Warrant). I know this seems daunting, but the major thing in my favor is that my state is extremely over strength in both WO and O-grade Aviators. As a guardsman how does your ADSO get waived when you will incur a 10 year ADSO upon joining the AF.  Thanks

On 12/5/2016 at 7:48 PM, JustHangingOut said:

how does one get out of their Army Guard ADSO if they want to switch to Air Guard?

I am looking at going green to blue as well

 

[xcraftllc]

Clarification on SERE-C/SV-80A:

Seems to be some confusion on the AF side since the average Schools NCO hasn't done one before, but I just got my SV-80A waiver signed so yes, it is a thing. Might be a bit different for active duty guys but myself and one of the guard guys a few months ahead of me simply sent our Army SERE-C Certificates (the ones from the "new full-up SERE-C" program that began around 2010) to our Schools NCOs. I'm not exactly sure who/what the appropriate channels are from there but the waiver approval authority is an O-6 position titled "Chief, Special Operations & Personnel Recovery". The current one has had at least a couple of these cross his desk recently so it shouldn't be an issue. That might help you AD types if they say they don't know what to do with your certificate and waiver request. If you need a template for a memo, PM me and I'll hook you up. I have some contact info for the Rucker SERE school that might help if you have any further issues. I emailed them first before I sent my waiver request up just to get their input and add it to my case.

You will still need to complete SV-90A, -80B, and -90B which are the water survival, land parachute, and water parachute courses. All of those take place at Fairchild and they only take about a week total to complete. At the end of the day, it saves the NGB/AF some money and a slot so it's a good deal for them. Put it that way if you get any push-back. As fun as it was, if you're anything like me, you got the point the first time. There is still some kind of SERE-qual refresher training you'll need to do every 3 years in order to be deploy-able but it's in no way the full program so don't get confused about that if you hear about it.

Edited March 3, 2017 by xcraftllc
punctuation

[matmacwc]

We don't know what an ADSO is?!?

[JustHangingOut]

2 hours ago, matmacwc said:

We don't know what an ADSO is?!?

Active Duty Serive Obligation 

obviously us guard guys are not active duty, but you get the idea...hey you went to this school, we get to keep you for this long

[matmacwc]

Oh I'm ANG, but on the air side it's more of a handshake they can dismiss at a whim.

[stract]

14 hours ago, JustHangingOut said:

Active Duty Serive Obligation 

obviously us guard guys are not active duty, but you get the idea...hey you went to this school, we get to keep you for this long

we AF peeps call it an ADSC (c for commitment); we understand the concept, just the acronym was different.

[JustHangingOut]

3 minutes ago, stract said:

we AF peeps call it an ADSC (c for commitment); we understand the concept, just the acronym was different.

I figured there was another term out there to say the same thing

thanks for filling me in

[Lawman]

Oh I'm ANG, but on the air side it's more of a handshake they can dismiss at a whim.

So pretty much exactly the same as the unconditional release.... which usually comes with conditions like not leaving in a timely fashion to get ready for your new job lest your losing command give you a death sentence OER that stops you from leaving all together...

[matmacwc]

Nope, we had an AGR (on the bonus) apply to something out of state, TAG told him good luck and released him, no repercussions.  He didn't get the job in the end and just remained an AGR here.

[ackc]

For what it's worth, I hope this helps someone, and maybe someone more experienced can shed some knowledge on me.

I was recently hired by the Guard to fly A-10s, and I definitely couldn't be happier, but my background is as an Army Infantry Officer.  I found it really difficult to work the transfer process while on AD, and since I was already an AD officer, the AF wouldn't take me in the pilot program.  I was able to talk to a bunch of units, but taking leave to go visit was nearly impossible because I was stationed OCONUS.  I eventually had to get out of the Army entirely after my obligation was up, and go through the process from there as a civilian.  First, I got my PPL, which I would encourage, because the Aviation Information portion of the AFOQT seemed to be pulled almost exactly from the PPL Written exam.  Then I studied my ass off for the AFOQT, focusing on the MK, IC, TR, and AI portions of the test, since they directly influence the pilot score, and then went to a part 141 flight school on the GI Bill for my instrument rating, and those extra hours brought my PCSM up high enough that I had a competitive AFOQT and PCSM score.  From there, it was revising my resume, visiting the squadron, and eventually interviewing.  (it might not be the best advice, but I only applied with one squadron, because they were the only squadron that really felt like a good bunch of dudes that I could fit in with)  I was hired about a month ago, and now I'm going through the effort of the paperwork to send me back to MEPS and getting reinstated.  The forms are all simple enough, and the only thing I'm waiting for now is my conditional release (DD368) from the IRR.  My recruiter has told me that since I'm already an officer with a security clearance, I won't need to go to AMS, and since I have enough hours, I shouldn't have to go to IFS, so the pipeline should be getting sworn in, getting the flight physical, and then reporting to UPT. (God willing)  

It's basically just doing exactly what civilians do, but with a conditional release from the IRR.  It's not the fanciest way to get out of the Army and into the Air Force, but it was the simplest for my dumb grunt mind.

 

For those of you who were Army guys before turning Blue, were there any things that stood out as drastically different from the Army?  I think going from Army Aviation to Air Force Aviation wouldn't be too much of a change of pace, but I'm just trying not to get caught off guard going from Army Infantry to Air Force Aviation. The squadron seems to be a bunch of really cool dudes, so I'm not worried about the people- just the general climate change from one organization to another.

 

Thanks in advance, and good luck to my Army bros trying to fly in the AF! 

[xcraftllc]

On 5/10/2017 at 10:55 AM, ackc said:

all that shit he said...

Dude, PM sent. I got you 187% man. If you can pull this off all the power to you. My only real advice to you and all the other Army guys who might be reading this is: play it smarter not harder for reals this time (it's not just a passing phrase in the AF, it's something you will be judged and graded by). To answer your question: No. Literally just be your Army self and be respectful and humble. All the skills and traits you learned in the Army will suit you well in the AF because although they might not like to admit it, they are a product of the Army, and still hold true to the same values. Rock on man.

Edited May 12, 2017 by xcraftllc

[ATX51]

Hey fellas,

 

Some great information in this thread. I am UH60M Pilot coming out of a company command and I am looking to try to transition to the air force ANG/Reserves as well.   

 

two questions to ask with this process:

Finding a unit: should I just cold call them and reach out to their hiring board guys??

Age waiver:  Im 29 turning 30 this summer, can I get an age waiver to UPT??

 

[Tgates]

On 6/19/2017 at 3:46 PM, Alex160 said:

Hey fellas,

 

Some great information in this thread. I am UH60M Pilot coming out of a company command and I am looking to try to transition to the air force ANG/Reserves as well.   

 

two questions to ask with this process:

Finding a unit: should I just cold call them and reach out to their hiring board guys??

Age waiver:  Im 29 turning 30 this summer, can I get an age waiver to UPT??

 

1) find a unit that you want to join and hunt down their DO/CC and ask if they have any positions open. If you're having a hard time contacting someone, use your officer recruiter.

2) it'll be up to the unit if they push for a upt waiver. Keep in mind, joining the ANG/Reserves doesn't happen over night. It took me 9 months from the time I was hired in the interview to the day I stepped in the unit. I had 0 delays in paperwork, just had to wait on the damn scroll. If your serious about switching, I'd suggest getting with a recruiter ASAP and getting all your paperwork organized so that when a unit says they'll hire you, you're ready to go.

 

Lemme know if you have any other questions.

[JustHangingOut]

On ‎6‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 6:46 PM, Alex160 said:

Hey fellas,

 

Some great information in this thread. I am UH60M Pilot coming out of a company command and I am looking to try to transition to the air force ANG/Reserves as well.   

 

two questions to ask with this process:

Finding a unit: should I just cold call them and reach out to their hiring board guys??

Age waiver:  Im 29 turning 30 this summer, can I get an age waiver to UPT??

 

PM'ing you

[Termy]

Ackc-congrats dude. That is awesome.  We had a former infrantry officer in one of my f-16 ANG units (he had sf and ranger tabs too) and it was cool. 

[xcraftllc]

 

On 6/19/2017 at 5:46 PM, Alex160 said:

Hey fellas,

 

Some great information in this thread. I am UH60M Pilot coming out of a company command and I am looking to try to transition to the air force ANG/Reserves as well.   

 

two questions to ask with this process:

Finding a unit: should I just cold call them and reach out to their hiring board guys??

Age waiver:  Im 29 turning 30 this summer, can I get an age waiver to UPT??

 

Not sure what you're trying to fly or where you are trying to get hired but guard tanker units right now are generally welcome to the idea of age waivers for prior service guys. During my year at Laughlin, I met two prior service Army pilots who got hired by tanker units with age waivers. Also one was a captain and needed a commissioned service waiver since he was commissioned in another branch for more than 5 years. Very strange rule, not sure why it exists but it seems pretty easy to get waived.

[ackc]

On 6/24/2017 at 3:37 PM, Termy said:

Ackc-congrats dude. That is awesome.  We had a former infrantry officer in one of my f-16 ANG units (he had sf and ranger tabs too) and it was cool. 

Thanks, man- I really appreciate it. I wasn’t an SF guy, but I do have my Ranger tab. I saw that the new AFI authorizes the wear of Army badges and tabs like the Ranger tab, but did he wear his? I’ve seen 2 pictures online of Air Force guys wearing a Ranger tab; pilot wearing a Ranger tab on his flight suit at his buddy’s Ranger graduation, and some PJs wearing them on their service blue coat sewn on their shoulders- but obviously the internet is filled with pictures of things that may or may not be allowed. Then again, I saw an article that said there are only about 40 Ranger qualified dudes in the Air Force, so maybe just no one sees it.

Sorry for the late response- I’m pretty bad about social media, or discussion forums. Thanks again for the props, man!

[Termy]

I'm not sure. I have air assault wings and know they aren't allowed but my airborne wings are. (Although then everyone just assumes I went to usafa). If I were you I wouldn't wear the tab on flight shit but I'd research if they are allowed on the dress jacket. 

[ackc]

53 minutes ago, Termy said:

I'm not sure. I have air assault wings and know they aren't allowed but my airborne wings are. (Although then everyone just assumes I went to usafa). If I were you I wouldn't wear the tab on flight shit but I'd research if they are allowed on the dress jacket. 

Yo, my dude- I checked AFI 36-2903, and the most current version authorizes Air Assault Wings, and pretty much every other Army, Navy, and Marine Corps Badge. 

Check out that AFI Chapter 10, bullet 10.5, then look at Attachment 5 for a list of authorized badges from the Army. Air Assault is totally there, and so is the Ranger tab, which is why I was asking. 

I’m not sure about how to wear the tab, but you’re totally cool to wear your Air Assault wings, bro.

And hot damn email notifications are a great thing for this forum. 

[Termy]

Can I wear both my air assault and airborne wings with my pilot wings? Thanks for researching!