Kensy,
Quick question. Are you considering getting your PPL to make you more competitive for the AFA and your future as an AF pilot or for pure personal enjoyment?
The reason I ask is you have stated before you have a DoDMERB issue which is a DQ. It would be to your advantage to place more time on getting that issue cleared than spending 150-200 bucks an hr flying. It is incredibly expensive to fly privately. If it is to be a pilot in the AF, than you need to research this more from a FC1 physical perspective.
Let's assume you go plan B,for whatever reason. AFROTC is different regarding pilot selection in part because of PCSM 2.0 includes flight hours, and they don't give a true bump until you hit close to 100 hrs. I don't recall the real number break, just posters from another forum saying that they had @90 hrs., and will max out points when they have a few more hours.
Additionally, I know when our DS solo'd; think of it like a dollar ride he didn't get his PPL, he still needed to do a longer solo mission. He went to college at that point so never did it. However, maybe somebody else, such as hornet can tell you if you need a flight class 1 physical. If so, it will make the DoDMERB exam look like a weight/height only physical.
~~~~ For AFROTC pilot selected cadets they will be sent to WPAFB their rising senior yr. It is a 3 day TDY and 2 of those days are 8-4 physicals, everything from EKGs to dental exams. This is what the AF does for AFROTC cadets to guarantee that they meet the FC1 requirements.
Getting a waiver to join the AF does not necessarily equate into getting a FC1 clearance.