PJ to Pilot

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CK_Sawyer

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Nov 11, 2015
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Hello all,
Before I die, there's really only two things I want out of life: to be a PJ and to be an Air Force pilot. I'm currently in college, and plan to enlist after graduation to Pararescue. What kind of rigmarole am I looking at? Does this seem like a feasible goal?
Thank you
 
If I had this in my head, I'd focus on preparing for the PJ pipeline; if it all worked out, I'd focus on being the best one possible....then worry about the rest later. Life throws you curve balls and the way you feel now could be something completely different a few years down the road.
*Not a PJ or a Pilot.
 
FWIW: There was a Col here who was a PJ gone ALO then Pilot, so It has been done before and is possible. Best of luck.
 
x SF med said:
Conflicting age requirements... if you do PJ first then go officer/Pilot, you'll be too old to be a pilot.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's true. Max age for pilot selection is 28. I'll defer to someone like @amlove21 but I thought the initial enlistment for Pararescue was only 4 years. Tough, but doable depending upon the OP's age.
 
Freefalling said:
I don't think that's true. Max age for pilot selection is 28. I'll defer to someone like @amlove21 but I thought the initial enlistment for Pararescue was only 4 years. Tough, but doable depending upon the OP's age.
Click to expand...

If he's 21 at graduation, has to wait fro a PJ slot- say 6 months, then do the pipeline, team time, put in for blue to Gold, extend until the next class, 7-10 months in OCS, he's pushing 27 before he can put in for pilot training... that's a tough squeeze.
 
x SF med said:
If he's 21 at graduation, has to wait fro a PJ slot- say 6 months, then do the pipeline, team time, put in for blue to Gold, extend until the next class, 7-10 months in OCS, he's pushing 27 before he can put in for pilot training... that's a tough squeeze.
Click to expand...

OTS is nine weeks. He'd have to start the transition process about a year out, but that's mostly administrative. There is ZERO guarantee he'd be a pilot though. He may only receive a rated officer position like Nav/ Weapons, Air Battle Manager, etc. Even the pilot route is "sketchy" in that he could be a stud, want fighters, and still draw C-5's or tankers.

The AF is currently at something like 85% manning in most officer fields. If he wants to fly his best bet is to finish school and apply then, giving up Pararescue. He can go PJ and try for a pilot's slot, but the odds are against him there. Nature of the beast.
 
x SF med said:
LL's niece got her pilot's slot... and they rated her for C-17's... even though it looked like she was qual'd to go fighters...
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Exactly. I had a Viper pilot explain the process to me. She may know more, but basically after a pilot finishes UPT, he generally becomes a UPT instructor. While there he receives his airframe assignment based upon the needs of the AF. His class took something like 6 for fighters but the next group took two. His roommate was third or fourth and sent to tankers. He then took U-2's once his tanker time was complete. The order of merit for UPT is also driven by his evals so a bad one there, for any reason, would drop him towards the bottom of the pile.

As LL's niece knows, there's just a lot of moving parts for a pilot's slot in the AF, particularly if you want a specific type of airframe.
 
The term pilot (Rated Officer) encompasses several pilot AFSCs. I'm not aware of many enlisted that obtained a commission going into a fighter pilot AFSC. The what type of military airframe (Mission Design Series) one wished to pilot is critical to the desired enlisted to rated officer career path possibilities and probabilities figuring.
 
x SF med said:
LL's niece got her pilot's slot... and they rated her for C-17's... even though it looked like she was qual'd to go fighters...
Click to expand...

Freefalling said:
Exactly. I had a Viper pilot explain the process to me. She may know more, but basically after a pilot finishes UPT, he generally becomes a UPT instructor. While there he receives his airframe assignment based upon the needs of the AF. His class took something like 6 for fighters but the next group took two. His roommate was third or fourth and sent to tankers. He then took U-2's once his tanker time was complete. The order of merit for UPT is also driven by his evals so a bad one there, for any reason, would drop him towards the bottom of the pile.

As LL's niece knows, there's just a lot of moving parts for a pilot's slot in the AF, particularly if you want a specific type of airframe.
Click to expand...

What FF said about availability. AFPC sends needs (quotas) to AETC who then breaks it down again and doles to bases (UPT Classes).
Some guys/gals take a First Assignment Instructor Pilot (FAIP) if they don't think they are high enough to get what they want, FAIPs are usually rewarded with airframe of choice as their follow-on.

Some guys were taking MC-12 co-pilot with a follow-on to OEF/OIF as a way to build hours and get airframe (or base) of choice. ALO "Volunteers" use to received the same treatment, new airframe or a follow-on assignment base of choice.

It's fucking Voodoo and black magic rolled into one.
 
CK_Sawyer said:
Hello all,
Before I die, there's really only two things I want out of life: to be a PJ and to be an Air Force pilot. I'm currently in college, and plan to enlist after graduation to Pararescue. What kind of rigmarole am I looking at? Does this seem like a feasible goal?
Thank you
Click to expand...
There are a handful of guys that have done it- we had a PJ that went to A-10's in the guard after his time in, so it's not impossible.

I mean- why? There is no way that your life is going to be complete if you don't do both?
 
You must start day 1 of UPT before your 30th birthday. There are waivers just like anything else in the military but extremely hard to come by even in the Guard/Reserve these days. Like AM said there is a dude flying A-10's, one flying C-130's, another in tankers and one in 60's. All left AD and went to the guard/reserve.
 
Could go Army Warrant Officer if you want to fly rotary....Quick google search shows the age cut off at 33 y/o
 
Last edited:
Yes that is an option if you want to deal with the big green machine for the rest of your career
 

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