Pima haven't you been explaining though on another thread that the AFROTC Spring 2017 board will take a big hit (and presumably raise the difficulty/averages of getting a slot for us current AS 300s) due to OTS getting a larger slice of the pie by that point..?
I never said a big hit. Just a hit bc of the increase. Notice I said that again in my last post.
What I am saying is we need to see what the drop for OTS was for the July board and USAFA to see how it worked out.
Yes, they are increasing the numbers annually, but we don't know the breakdown for rated. Is it more Pilot slots, or the same from years prior with more RPAs?
This is when it becomes tricky and where I 1000% agree with WilB-2. Preferences matter. Think long and hard about this decision. RPA or CSO as your number 2. Realistically, either route you take with a goal of xtraining to pilot is something to really think about. RPA maybe critically manned for 5-10 more years. That means it could be longer to xtrain than if you went CSO. Your commitment though is still the same 9 yrs from winging pilot...UPT is 54 weeks. Drones are the future..do you just do your time like others and go Defense contractor/GS as soon as the commitment is up or do you now sign on for 10 yrs (UPT and winging), in essence it becomes 20 ADAF (retirement)? Do you go CSO with hopes of getting UPT and a fighter earlier?
~ Close friends got CSO. 1 xtrained last yr to RPA, did not apply for UPT. Another is applying for UPT only now. If he gets it, I bet my beloved Myrtle he will get a fighter out of UPT. Why? Because he has been flying a manned airframe for years now. It is two different worlds. He wants a fighter and that is all he wants. You have to think about the long term picture. One day you will be married with kids, and the AF will be over.
~ One of our closest friends for over 2 decades is now a SQ CC for the RPAs. He winged out of ENJJPT many moons ago. Flew with Bullet (my DH) for many years. Has been in the RPA world for @8 yrs. I state this because I do not want anyone to believe that I think less of an RPA pilot than a manned airframe pilot. I don't. I believe in that world so much, I have reached out to that friend and asked him to contact those cadets that got RPAs from a mentoring aspect. He believes in the program that he has happily pm'd those cadets.
Just saying...think about the what if when you rank your options. In the worst case scenario let's say you don't xtrain, and want to bolt at the earliest moment, which career path is best for bolting?
~My DH was WSO, aka now called CSO in the 15E. He never applied for UPT. Never wanted to be a busdriver in the sky. He did 20 ADAF. He is now a GS, and in a great position due to his 20 yr ADAF experience in fighters. However, CSOs are a dieing breeds, whereas, RPAs are really in their infancy.
~~ Think about navigational systems, HUD or SBS aka braking system in your car. Where did that start from? The military. Now look at Amazon starting to deliver packages with drones. 10 yrs from now it will be common impo. Why do you think RPA pilots are leaving at the pace they are currently? My guess is because it is the wave of the future for us peons buying crap on line! These companies will look for RPA pilots, and compared to the Navy or Army, the AF has the most experience impo.
Just my 0.018754 cents and with $2.07 cents more you can get a small Starbucks coffee. Good luck!
Aim High...Above All