First Class Base Assignments tomorrow

dohdean

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My C1C daughter just called to say that the Academy has announced Firsties will receive their base assignments tomorrow (Thursday) rather than on 100s Night as was originally expected. Upside: Firsties will know where they are going tow months early. Downside: finals start on Saturday -- it's going to be tough for anyone to study today and tomorrow. Someone must has decided it was a good idea to get this done before Winter Break. Timing of announcements tomorrow is up to each Squadron to determine.
 
My assumption in earlier posting (that announcement of base assignment before Winter Break is an anomaly) was apparently wrong. I've been told by other parents that until recently (maybe 5-6 years ago) base assignments were usually announced before Winter Break. I've been told that it has only been the last 5-6 years that assignments have not been announced until
100s Night. Anyway -- for these Firsties -- the timing is exciting! Our fingers are crossed.
 
She will be a Financial Management Officer (her first choice). Her posting requests were all based on proximity to MBA programs -- hope is for LA, Boston, DC, Ohio, northern California, etc. Her class ranking is good -- just depends on where there are openings for this class.
 
Base Assignments

Sounds exciting! Please let us know how it turns out.
Can you share at what point she really decided what she wanted to do...and at what point she had to declare her choice of options?
Also, are the 'steps' to declare your choices of what you want to do, then receive notice of what you will be doing...then declare your choices of bases, then find out what base you will be assigned to?

New to all of this and just trying to figure things out...
S
 
Sounds exciting! Please let us know how it turns out.
Can you share at what point she really decided what she wanted to do...and at what point she had to declare her choice of options?
Also, are the 'steps' to declare your choices of what you want to do, then receive notice of what you will be doing...then declare your choices of bases, then find out what base you will be assigned to?

New to all of this and just trying to figure things out...
S

Regarding steps:

Late August / early September you put in preferences for what you want to do. If you don't want to fly, you enter your top six preferences.

Early October you find out your AFSC. If you want to fly, they literally go down the list of rank-ordered cadets and give pilot slots. This year there were more slots than cadets requesting them. If you don't want to fly, a program more or less tries to optimize what cadets want with what the AF needs.

Mid October you put in base preferences. Some careers only have a few options. Others (i.e. Civil Engineering, Support) can go just about anywhere.

Now we find out tomorrow. My squadron will be going to a bar for a good time after the mando holiday spirit dinner.
 
The only other aspect of this that I would add to the mix (as a parent) is that class rank is important (class rank being made up of grades, military scores, etc.). A cadet could explain better the actual components of the ranking system. I do know that some of this year's Firsties did not get their first or second choice of jobs. I believe that base assignment is based on a combination of class rank and available openings. As described above, my daughter picked her major (Business Management) first, then her desired job. Once she knew she had gotten her desired job classification, then she ranked the bases at which her job description could be used. In ranking her choice of 8 possible bases, she took into account graduate school programs which will accept part time students. But there are many ways for cadets to pick bases -- for some, everyone with their job goes to just one or two bases. For others, there are more options.
 
Well, since our son is on exchange semester still in Spain, his AOC emailed him his pilot training base assignment. He got his first choice in Vance AFB in Enid, OK with a IFF start date of Sept. 18, and UPT start date of Nov. 11. He is looking forward to being closer to Texas and family and pleased with his quick start date after graduation leave. "Ready to get started!" he reports.
 
First base assignment - interim

Specifically on the pilot training front -

What is the sequence, given the specific time frame just specified.

Graduation June 1 (ish).
60 days off takes them to August 1
48days until IFF on Sept 18th (where are they during this time)?
IFF for how many days?
And then is it "casual duty" at their UPT base after IFF is over?

We asked DS, but his response is that when he needs to know these things, the AF will tell him where to be and when ... :)

We hate it when he is 100% right, but we're still curious . Best of luck to all our cadets getting to where they want to be!

Thanks
D
 
Specifically on the pilot training front -

What is the sequence, given the specific time frame just specified.

Graduation June 1 (ish).
60 days off takes them to August 1
48days until IFF on Sept 18th (where are they during this time)?
IFF for how many days?
And then is it "casual duty" at their UPT base after IFF is over?

D

Between the end of 60 day leave til IFF they will be casual somewhere -- often at USAFA, but just as often at their UPT base.
IFF is approximately 5 weeks long.
After IFF will go back to UPT base and be casual until UPT start date.
 
To clarify, you mean IFS with an S and not IFF. I doubt their doing a 5-week T-38 course before heading to the T-6. ;)

Congrats to your kids!
 
Son #1 is definitely hoping for IFF in a couple of months! :shake:

Stealth_81
 
Specifically on the pilot training front -

What is the sequence, given the specific time frame just specified.

Graduation June 1 (ish).
60 days off takes them to August 1
48days until IFF on Sept 18th (where are they during this time)?
IFF for how many days?
And then is it "casual duty" at their UPT base after IFF is over?

We asked DS, but his response is that when he needs to know these things, the AF will tell him where to be and when ... :)

We hate it when he is 100% right, but we're still curious . Best of luck to all our cadets getting to where they want to be!

Thanks
D

dtkdarnoc,

Here is how the sequence went for Son #1 (Lifted this from the AF UPT thread)

May 2011 - Graduate USAFA
July 2011 - Report to Laughlin AFB - Casual status working in the base command post.
November/December 2011 - Report to IFS in Pueblo, Colorado for 5 weeks.
Dec 2011 - Back to Laughlin AFB - Casual
January 2012 - Start UPT
July 2012 - Track Select/Start T-38C Phase III
February 2013 - Assignment night - get airframe/Graduation
April/May 2013(?) - SERE and Water Survival training/IFF
June or July 2013(?) - Report to Formal Training Unit for 6-12 months of additional training depending on airframe.
January 2014 to July 2014(?) - Mission Ready Pilot.


But your son is right, the AF will tell him where he needs to be and when.

Stealth_81
 
Not many have seen the new publication yet but a note for people as of Oct 2012. The AF has waived IFS for those with a PPL in the 2013 fiscal year.

I'm excited for that personally. It means (if they don't change back) that I can start UPT much sooner when I graduate at the beginning of Oct 2013. :thumb: Let me say, at 24 I am quite ready to be done with strictly academic schooling and want to be doing a real job! (Yes, I know the amazing opportunity, the career aspects, etc. but come on, you'd be ready to move forward too in the same position!)

So for those of you going or with a DS/DD going to UPT at Laughlin, I'll see them there at the end of next year. I'll be the old, imminent Captain in their class and possibly the senior ranking officer (SRO). I'm going to have fun going through UPT with some of my USAFA 4 degrees! Glad I was nice. (And my USAFA classmates will be my IPs)
 
Twin A was originally assigned to do his casual at Whiting Field, FLA (Navy base), then was to head to IFS in Pueblo at the end of Jan, then back to Whiting. Well, that transfer program with the Navy was apparently cancelled and now he is at Vance, and his IFS has been moved up to Jan 2. Um, let's just say that Vance is not PENSACOLA. ;)

Twin B was originally assigned to Vance but traded it for a later start and casual duty at USAFA. He'll go to IFS in mid-January then report to Laughlin ("hell-Rio", TX) in Feb. He was able to finish up a big Operations Research project while at USAFA.

Things can and do change in a hurry sometimes.
 
Twin A was originally assigned to do his casual at Whiting Field, FLA (Navy base), then was to head to IFS in Pueblo at the end of Jan, then back to Whiting. Well, that transfer program with the Navy was apparently cancelled and now he is at Vance, and his IFS has been moved up to Jan 2. Um, let's just say that Vance is not PENSACOLA. ;)

Twin B was originally assigned to Vance but traded it for a later start and casual duty at USAFA. He'll go to IFS in mid-January then report to Laughlin ("hell-Rio", TX) in Feb. He was able to finish up a big Operations Research project while at USAFA.

Things can and do change in a hurry sometimes.

Wait, let me understand, they have cancelled the partnership with Whiting? No more USAF training at Whiting? This is news to me!
 
Wait, let me understand, they have cancelled the partnership with Whiting? No more USAF training at Whiting?

Correct. The current students who are there will finish Phase II and move to Vance, but no more AF students will start at Whiting. Cost-cutting.

Stealth_81
 
Stealth,

What did the track select numbers look like for your son's class at Laughlin?
 
Well I'll be off to Vance! Very happy with my dates. Heading to IFS on August 29th, and an October 25th UPT start date.
 
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