Trying to get into Air Force

[scuzzer23]

I am trying to get into the Air Force, but my recruiter said I have to have 20/70 vision. All I know is that my contact prescription is -2.75. Any way to convert the numbers? Also, I had a petty theft charge when I at the tender age of 16. My recruiter told me this would be disqualifying. But I have since spoken to people who say it is not. Any input? I have a bachelor's with a 3.7 GPA and over 400 hours flight time, but they seem to not want me at all.

 

[Mooseflyer]

This has been discussed on this board recently, but I think in one of the other sections. Do a search. Don't bother talking to a recruiter if at all possible. If you have a guard/reserve unit near where you live, talk to them - it's a way better gig than active duty. Ask around, chances are you'll find a friend of a sister's buddy's cousin who flies there. Seek an introduction and get the real scoop. Additionally, look at www.usajobs.gov and look for reserve info there - I some info there the other day when I was searching for something else. Good luck.

 

[F16TJ]

scuzzer23...

I am trying to get into the Air Force, but my recruiter said I have to have 20/70 vision. All I know is that my contact prescription is -2.75. Any way to convert the numbers? Also, I had a petty theft charge when I at the tender age of 16. My recruiter told me this would be disqualifying. But I have since spoken to people who say it is not. Any input? I have a bachelor's with a 3.7 GPA and over 400 hours flight time, but they seem to not want me at all.

I'm not an optometrist (that's probably spelled wrong) so I don't know the numbers on the vision stuff. When I entered a long time ago you had to have 20/20 uncorrected to enter flight training. After you entered flight training, your eyes could go to He ll in a handbasket and as long as they corrected to 20/20, you were good to go. As with the theft charge, I'm not sure. They don't look too kindly on that type of background, if you want to fly. If you just want to enlist, it probably wouldn't be a problem.

One thing you have to realize is that civilian flight time doesn't mean squat to the AF. It doesn't make you more marketable to the AF in the way it would with a civilian company. I had a guy in my UPT class who had over a 1000 hours and he thought he was God's gift to aviation, until we started flying. He darn near didn't make it through the year. He had way too many bad habits that had to be broken and then relearned the AF way. This is not a flame at civilian flying, it is just that the AF does things differently.

Getting into UPT is cyclic just like everything else in aviation. In hard times on the civlian side, like the post 9/11 world, it becomes harder to get into the AF to fly because there are more candidates to choose from. When the airlines are hiring, it usually becomes easier to get into the AF. So, little things like eyes and a blemish on the record can be a disqualifier. However, where there's a will, there's a way. Don't let anybody tell you something is impossible in the AF, 'cause if you want it bad enough, you'll find a way to make it happen. I'm proof positive of that!

Mooseflyer is correct, stay away from recruiters. They want warm bodies. And they don't advocate the flying route, they are trying to fill hard to fill AFSCs or undermanned AFSCs. Find a Guard/Reserve unit and court them. I truely wish I had known about it before I made the decision to go the active duty route.

Good luck in your quest and keep us posted!

 

[chawbein]

DO NOT BE DISCOURAGED!

You must have 20/70 vision or better, corrected to 20/20. You are outside of the standards (+2.00 to -1.50), and that doesn't matter whether you have astigmatism or what. You might be within limits for a waiver. The only way you can find out is by doing the exam. You should check out this bulletin board as it has HUGE amounts of data about eyesight and other standards for Flying Class 1 physicals.

http://www.dynamictruth.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=3

Just because your eyes MAY be a disqualifying factor doesn't mean that you can't take the AFOQT/BAT tests to see if you can get the scores to qualify. I have a post that I just wrote on "getting in". Check it out here: http://forums.flightinfo.com/showthread.php?t=41556

If you are amped about serving, being an Officer, and being part of an aircrew, there are other ways than being the driver. It's all what you want to do.