Retraining into TACP

Rodgers12

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I am an active duty E-5 with just over 9 years in. I will be within 12 months of my DEROS in Feb 2018. However, the base I will be at when that window hits will not have the medical facilities required to perform a flight physical. I have a few initial questions:

1. Is there any way to find out what exactly needs to be annotated on my flight physical so I can get one now, before my retraining request? (I'm on flight status and have a current FCIII with static-line approval that will expire next year)
2. There is 1 SSGT slot availible for FY18, will I be able to apply for that even though I won't be stateside until FY19?
3. Will making TSGT effect my eligibility if I make it after being approved? Are there regularly any TSGT retraining slots?
4. Will I be allowed to give up a stripe if that's the only limiting factor for an ANG position?

I have retrained before and searched for these answers prior to posting so if some of these questions have been answered somewhere I apologize. Thank you for your help and patience.
 
While I cant answer all of your questions, I do know that calling your local Flight Medicine and telling them what the job you need the physical for should be enough information for them to figure out what annotations you need. If the name hasn't changed, the physical should be for a Ground Controller. But I don't know why you're trying to do it right now, especially since you're not going to be applying for over a year.

That being said, you having a current FCIII will make the process much easier on you since you're already cleared. All of your other questions can probably be answered by the personnel in the retraining office, or reaching out to the ANG unit you were talking about.

Also if you haven't already, go check out www.romad.com and www.specialtactics.com.
 
There should be a contact listed on the Portal under the Retraining section. There were some TSgt retrainees when I went through the Schoolhouse. Not many, but a handful.
 
I am an active duty E-5 with just over 9 years in. I will be within 12 months of my DEROS in Feb 2018. However, the base I will be at when that window hits will not have the medical facilities required to perform a flight physical. I have a few initial questions:

1. Is there any way to find out what exactly needs to be annotated on my flight physical so I can get one now, before my retraining request? (I'm on flight status and have a current FCIII with static-line approval that will expire next year)
2. There is 1 SSGT slot availible for FY18, will I be able to apply for that even though I won't be stateside until FY19?
3. Will making TSGT effect my eligibility if I make it after being approved? Are there regularly any TSGT retraining slots?
4. Will I be allowed to give up a stripe if that's the only limiting factor for an ANG position?

I have retrained before and searched for these answers prior to posting so if some of these questions have been answered somewhere I apologize. Thank you for your help and patience.
#4. usually a yes.
What is your current career field?
Does the AF allow a move into a 3rd career field??
 
Paramagician and CDG, I will look further into those since I wasn't able to get much from those sources before.
DA SWO, I'm not exactly sure. I am ATC. I do know though on vMPF that there is a 3rd and 4th AFSC block in the data brief or some similar page.
 
If you make TSgt you will have to go off the TSgt slots on the retraining advisor off MyPers. All FY18 retraining slots are for a school date in FY18, so either you'd not get selected or your pcs date would change to reflect retraining.

You could get released to retrain again, but getting your functional to release you will be difficult. There is a Memorandum out so your functional can't stop you from putting in to retrain into a BA AFSC though. I think I posted it before in the forums.

Edit: Don't know if it's only for FTA though
 
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If you make TSgt you will have to go off the TSgt slots on the retraining advisor off MyPers. All FY18 retraining slots are for a school date in FY18, so either you'd not get selected or your pcs date would change to reflect retraining.

You could get released to retrain again, but getting your functional to release you will be difficult. There is a Memorandum out so your functional can't stop you from putting in to retrain into a BA AFSC though. I think I posted it before in the forums.

Edit: Don't know if it's only for FTA though
Thanks for the information. I have the letter and it says nothing about FTA.
 
Some other things to think about going forward. Retrainee slots are highly competitive. You should be well beyond the minimums on the PAST, and you should be able to articulate why you want to cross train as a TSgt into an AFSC with an incredibly steep learning curve. At the Schoolhouse, you would likely be a flight NCOIC. It's an entirely different leadership style than what big blue teaches.

Following on, if you were to make it, you would know as much about the job as the A1C reporting in next to you. You would be getting trained/smoked at an ASOS by a SrA or SSgt. So be prepared to forget all about those stripes on your shoulder, and stay in receive mode.

So, in summation, be a PT beast, be able to answer questions about why you want this, and what you can contribute to the AFSC. Stay humble. Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your progress.
 
Some other things to think about going forward. Retrainee slots are highly competitive. You should be well beyond the minimums on the PAST, and you should be able to articulate why you want to cross train as a TSgt into an AFSC with an incredibly steep learning curve. At the Schoolhouse, you would likely be a flight NCOIC. It's an entirely different leadership style than what big blue teaches.

Following on, if you were to make it, you would know as much about the job as the A1C reporting in next to you. You would be getting trained/smoked at an ASOS by a SrA or SSgt. So be prepared to forget all about those stripes on your shoulder, and stay in receive mode.

So, in summation, be a PT beast, be able to answer questions about why you want this, and what you can contribute to the AFSC. Stay humble. Good luck to you, and keep us posted on your progress.

I will, thank you.
 
Hi, I actually went the opposite way as you. Crosstrained from active duty TACP to ANG ATC. It's pretty standard that ANG positions have at least a maximum authorized grade of E5. Looking at the CFETP for TACP that seems to be the case, so you would not have to give up rank to cross train. The only exception might be if the unit has something strange like they will bust you down to, say, E4 until you get your 5-level. That's still pretty unlikely though, but sometimes individual units do weird things.

Not sure how much time you have left in ATC, but there are some assignments that might help you when you cross over to TACP.

1.) Combat Airspace Manager at an Air Operations Center (AOC). Not at all a sexy job and really pretty mundane day-to-day. However, you will become very familiar with the Airspace Control Plan (ACP) and Airspace Control Order (ACO) and depending on AOC the Air Tasking Order (ATO). That familiarity will help immensely in the liaison role with the Army and building/understanding Airspace Coordinating Measures (ACMs) - even though JTACs seem enamored with throwing up simple ROZs for everything :). Basically, you'll get a much broader and comprehensive understanding of the overall battlespace than you do as a brigade TACP or lower. At least that was my experience.

2.) CRG at Ramstein: The controllers assigned there are all required to graduate Pathfinder school and it seems about half will get Airborne. I think they are the only CRG that has those requirements though. They also do a lot of LZ/DZ work, which while not a traditional TACP skillset, could definitely still be useful and I know TACPs do sometimes fill that role. Plus you would get more badges which always seems to impress the grunts :)

You've probably thought of this, but why not cross to Guard TACP and transition the FAA ATC. Make the money in the FAA and do the fun combat stuff in TACP. I'm in the FAA and also in an ANG Air Traffic Control Squadron, so if you have any questions on that route feel free to ask as well. Sorry this reply was a few months late, but hopefully it was of use to you. Best of luck with whatever route you take.
 
Hi, I actually went the opposite way as you. Crosstrained from active duty TACP to ANG ATC. It's pretty standard that ANG positions have at least a maximum authorized grade of E5. Looking at the CFETP for TACP that seems to be the case, so you would not have to give up rank to cross train. The only exception might be if the unit has something strange like they will bust you down to, say, E4 until you get your 5-level. That's still pretty unlikely though, but sometimes individual units do weird things.

Not sure how much time you have left in ATC, but there are some assignments that might help you when you cross over to TACP.

1.) Combat Airspace Manager at an Air Operations Center (AOC). Not at all a sexy job and really pretty mundane day-to-day. However, you will become very familiar with the Airspace Control Plan (ACP) and Airspace Control Order (ACO) and depending on AOC the Air Tasking Order (ATO). That familiarity will help immensely in the liaison role with the Army and building/understanding Airspace Coordinating Measures (ACMs) - even though JTACs seem enamored with throwing up simple ROZs for everything :). Basically, you'll get a much broader and comprehensive understanding of the overall battlespace than you do as a brigade TACP or lower. At least that was my experience.

2.) CRG at Ramstein: The controllers assigned there are all required to graduate Pathfinder school and it seems about half will get Airborne. I think they are the only CRG that has those requirements though. They also do a lot of LZ/DZ work, which while not a traditional TACP skillset, could definitely still be useful and I know TACPs do sometimes fill that role. Plus you would get more badges which always seems to impress the grunts :)

You've probably thought of this, but why not cross to Guard TACP and transition the FAA ATC. Make the money in the FAA and do the fun combat stuff in TACP. I'm in the FAA and also in an ANG Air Traffic Control Squadron, so if you have any questions on that route feel free to ask as well. Sorry this reply was a few months late, but hopefully it was of use to you. Best of luck with whatever route you take.

Is it hard for NG TACP to get airborne?
 
Is it hard for NG TACP to get airborne?

Airborne was recently added to our CFETP (finally) so it's now a requirement for all TACPs. The leadership is working on what the plan is going to be to actually accomplish that. It is a waiverable requirement, but that's anticipated to really only be used for dudes who have no need to go at this point in their careers.
 
Airborne was recently added to our CFETP (finally) so it's now a requirement for all TACPs. The leadership is working on what the plan is going to be to actually accomplish that. It is a waiverable requirement, but that's anticipated to really only be used for dudes who have no need to go at this point in their careers.
Does this mean the AF finally got it's school up and running?
 
Pretty much what we were told at the schoolhouse. Jump is going to be inherent to the career field. They're also projecting taking a pretty heavy hit to manning due to members not being able to get a FCIII due to prior injuries, which is pretty crazy to me.
 
Airborne was recently added to our CFETP (finally) so it's now a requirement for all TACPs. The leadership is working on what the plan is going to be to actually accomplish that. It is a waiverable requirement, but that's anticipated to really only be used for dudes who have no need to go at this point in their careers.

Good news! Thank you. Are you Guard or AD?
 
How’s the drill weekend in the Guard with TACP? Is it the same as everyone else in the Guard or it’s longer? What about TDY?
These are questions for whichever ASOS you are trying to join. It varies.
 
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