Humey,
If he is a UPT class right now, he should be up and doing his dollar ride within days, not a month. I want to say he had his dollar ride by at least 6 weeks in. I know for a fact it was less than 2 months bc he came home for a short Memorial day weekend visit and they (hubby retired AF flier and him) were discussing he would be starting formation flying shortly after his return. In essence, within 3 months from the start of UPT he was doing formation flying. I believe their track night was @5 months. His drop night was @ 49 weeks.
Back on topic.
My DS also as a military dependent OPTED not to go to USAFA. He was a weird one, he had 5 noms., but as soon as he got his traditional college acceptance with his AFROTC scholarship in hand, he decided USAFA was not for him.
JMPO, but I think sometimes candidates and their parents get wrapped up in the idea of the prestige regarding USAFA commission and lose site of the reality of a USAFA life as a cadet on their way to commissioning. Bullet and I admire and respect every cadet at USAFA, but USAFA is not for everyone, and we knew that as parents regarding our own son.
~ Our DS had 5 noms, 3Qd. DS knew he wanted to be a pilot, but as a military dependent his entire life was wrapped around the AF. AF says move, you move. AF says you will be deployed and miss your child's 1st birthday, oh well, you will still deploy. He knew he wanted to serve, but also for the 1st time in 18 yrs not ruled by the AF everyday for the next 4 yrs. Especially, since he also understood that as a pilot he would owe 10 yrs. In essence, for him his college years would be him just being a civilian and experiencing that life, while keeping one foot in the water (AFROTC).
~~ As parents, we knew that our DS was not a match for USAFA. This was a kid that had the smarts, 34 ACT superscore. Top 7% of his class. Umpteen APs and Jump Start. However, he loved History and Politics, not STEM classes. He had strong STEM class grades, but did not love those classes. USAFA is known as the Little Engineering School in the Rockies. It is not known as a LAC. It would have been 4 yrs of eh at best regarding academics.
Getting in is one thing. Commissioning is another. My DS commissioned AFROTC with a pilot slot. He attended UPT with Fencer's DS (USAFA grad) they both now fly the same airframe.
True honesty here. If our DS went to USAFA, Bullet and I truly believe he would never have had commissioned, USAFA would not have been a good fit for him. I believe he is a great officer, and AFROTC gave him those tools along with those he stands next to everyday as an ADAF officer, from the NCOIC to the Wing King/Queen.
In the end, don't apply and accept due to an idea of prestige from an ADAF perspective, 50% of Flag officers are ROTC. UPT doesn't give a rats arse regarding your commission, it is how you handle the stick. I don't think there is 1 appointee that enters on I Day believing they will be part of the 25% that will not commission, but yet 25% will not commission. For me, I wonder if that rate would be lower if appointees were brutally honest regarding not only the academic world they are entering, but the life style too.
