Marine F/A-18 Pilot, east coast, west coast, blue angel, start with jetBlue in the spring/reserve job in Atlanta. Give me a ring if I can help,
S/F, Weeds
Yeah, Yeah, Okay!! Albie gave me away..... I'm prior service Army, Infantry to Helos through the Warrant Officer program.. did that for 7 years then of to OCS and UPT at Columbus, MS.. flew a multitude of Helos, F-15's then of to the U2/TR-1, and T-38's, on to Germany in a Hummvee.. fortunate enough to get an F-16 CJ back to Shaw and finish out my time.... Thought about doing JROTC as an instructor just to be able to tell great stories.... fortunate enough to get hired by a few airlines and am thankful to have flown with a lot of great aviators... Drop me a line if you're interested in the transitions or the airplanes..
Departed the AF in August, got furloughed in September. Flew KC-135R and C-9. There is a website that has some pretty handy stuff that helps you prepare for the airline application process: background checks, certificates, etc. at totheairlines.iwarp.com
Sure are a lot of fighter dudes on this string...not that there is anything wrong with that
You guessed it--B-1s for the last 12 years, C-12s (believe it or not prior to that). About a year left. Been a good ride so can't complain too much. Looking forward to the next round.
My two Cents.
AFROTC grad.
Flown C-130's, T-39, B-707, T-38, and currently flying the greatest experience of a lifetime. The U-2 Dragon Lady.
If you're interested in flying in a spacesuit above 70K, drop me a line. This goes for any aviator in any service. I'll tell you how to get into the most challenging bird to land you'll ever put your hands on. A great mission too. This is one bird you don't need a war in order to do your mission. But a war definately makes it even more exciting.
If this sounds like a sales pitch, it is. I love this bird, but I'm looking forward to a SWA bird once stop/loss ends and I am allowed to retire. (We're short U-2 drivers) The Air Force has been a great ride. One I'd recommend to anyone.
Lackland (FSPOT and OTS), Laughlin (T-37 and T-38), Wurtsmith (B-52 and T-37), Castle (B-52), Langley (ACC Staff), Geilenkirchen (E-3 and NTCA) and Tinker (E-3 and TC-18). Was set to retire this November 1, but someone took care of that for me. I just completed the B-737 type rating and I'm treading water in the SWA hiring pool. Best wishes to all and Happy Holidays.
Three tours in Air Force Special Ops. B-707,MC-130E Combat Talon, Casa-212/Casa-235 (STOL), LearJet, and Army helos. Been flying goggles since '82 down in the dirt and lovin it!
I'm the last fully Navy trained pilot to fly the mighty E-6A/B (B-707)(LOL) . Anyway did that for 4 years at Tinker AFB, I shoulda been in the Air Force. I love my crew rest. Now I am a T-34 pilot in Pensacola flying the Navigators/NFOs around. It is all First Pilot/PIC/IP time. Navs don't even log the landings or approaches they talk you through. A lot less stress than the pilot trainers.
I am starting with jetBlue in Feb and interview with SWA in Jan.
I was just reading back and came across this thread. I don't fly in the military..... YET.... It's my biggest dream to become a pilot in the Air Force, but an even bigger dream to be able to fly a fighter in the Air Force. Just one thing, don't know if I'm being too cocky or not but... I really don't want to get stuck in a helo. Yes, I'm a pilot and I'm in the air, but I just don't think I'll get a hardon flying a helo as much as I would flying an F15. Anybody know an average percentage rate of the guys from UPT that get selected to go fly a chopper?
Another question... FAIP (I think First Assignment Instructor Pilot) but, what is it exactly? Your first assignment is an IP? Would you consider that good.... or well, I really don't know how to ask it, but you get my point...
<Anybody know an average percentage rate of the guys from UPT that get selected to go fly a chopper?>
As far as I know, 0%. Maybe it is possible to get a helo out of UPT, but I have never heard of it - I can only speak for USAF.
<FAIP (I think First Assignment Instructor Pilot) but, what is it exactly?>
When you graduate from UPT, FAIPs (good guess on the name) go to PIT (pilot instructor training). It's a pretty intense course that makes you an instructor in a primary trainer (T-37, T-6, T-1, or T-38). Then you spend your first assignment teaching students how to fly (normally 3 years).
<Would you consider that good....>
For most guys - no. It really is a good job, but most guys want to go out and do something operational. Life as a UPT IP would likely be a lot more fun as a second assignment. I have some buds who loved it - good flying and most nights at home. A couple down sides: After your FAIP tour it is tough to land a great assignment (it can happen) - and- you will be a few years behind your peers in operational experience when you get to your first ops assignment. On the plus side, FAIPs usually turn out to be some of the better sticks and they rapidly upgrade to IP (I can only speak for the heavy world).
Ok, answers my question. What I was saying is that I really don't want to get selected to fly a chopper for the AF. For some reason I thought there were slots being given away for after T-37 training for a helo spot.
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