Gideon

Can't say I know everything but hit me up and I'll try to answer your question.

Also with the cellular you have the option to then get a data plan as well. When I switch up my Verizon plan I am going to add it for like 15$s. Just allows updates on the fly, checking weather and notams a little easier, and the plotting of where you are at can be helpful for SA. The other option is to get wifi and tether to your phone but thats just some extra hoops and may be frowned on by an IP depending how strict they are. But like the guys said it all depends on who you get.

Haven't check the AWRs recently but considering my Company just got 10 from our Battalion I think it should be fine.

Gotta love the new "selection" process.

I'm a little late to the party but I was curious as to why you don't drop a packet now?

Fort Drum or Belvoir would be your best bet. I know some aviators at both PM me if you are interested.

I agree with all stated in the previous comment. Just a reminder, all my advice is based off my interpretation of what the essay is about. It's worth what ya pay for it. Also would like to reiterate to focus on the meat and potatoes, why you want to be an Army Aviator. The fluff and the heart throb of lost friends is touching, but you have to think of this as an interview. Why should I hire you to be a pilot? What do you bring to the table that Joe/Jane Shmoe doesn't? Not all of the members of the board are pilots either, so you need to be able to quantify what reasons you should be chosen to them as well. But always remember your entire packet has about 3-5 minutes in front of the board. Make it count. If you would like I can PM you my essay and break down how I divided it up. So been a little making breakfast and typing this up but what I took away from your essay is, 1. You never really thought about being a pilot. 2. You liked Army Aviation when deployed. 3. You ended up being a flight medic and had friends pass. 4. You met a retired Apache guy who made you think of being a Warrant. Those are the current main points I saw in your essay.

Hmmm, any delays may be due to the fact that the closest Army instillation is Fort Rucker 9 hours away. So he may be trying to get you slotted into a Naval or Air Force flight surgeon or whatever the National Guard uses. The problem as a civilian is that you dont really have any way to schedule your own appointment with the doctors since you are not currently in. The only thing you can really do is keep on your recruiter to get the appointment scheduled, or if you think he is giving you the run around find a new recruiter. Other than that you may also need to get used to the fact that you are now on Army time and things may not always move at the pace you want. Even when the ball is rolling. Hurry up and wait is sometimes the name of the game.

No one can predict the needs of the Army but overall selection rates have shown a higher rate for Street-To-Seat than regular Army right now. May just be a numbers game for less Street-To-Seat applying but like everyone else has said you don't have to worry about your commander not releasing you from your contract going that route either. Or getting hurt in the SF pipeline and losing elgibility for both programs. Or just life getting in the way and you keep telling yourself "I'll drop that packet eventually." But if you want to fly, go WOFT now. If you want to go infantry or SF go that route.

I also noticed after I moved in there wasn't a lot of information on apartments that was easily accessible. But it is all around Jackson Crossing, Lincoln Square, Madison Park, and Wakefield Townhomes. I personally know folks in both Jackson Crossing and Wakefield. Both of em seemed to be in fairly decent condition as far as I can tell. Then you'll also find the odds and ends online for random smaller listings but those are all the main complexes. I generally go home in between PT in class and just occasionally hit the gym and Dfac for breakfast. Some guys I know do that everyday though. Uhhh, I haven't looked into furniture much... I'm sure there are but I havent heard of any post sponsored ones.

You will also get called out in every single class at the beginning by new instructors. "Where are my former cew chiefs at? Don't be shy!" Followed up by "Am I right (crew chief)?" When telling Army tales. On the topic of goofing off there is plenty of downtime between courses to relax. Also take Friday and Saturday off so you dont burn out then hit the books Sunday again when you are in your flight line courses.

1. I save about 200-300$ in BAH each month and I am single in a 2 bedroom apartment in Enterprise. 2. Same as previous. We got lucky and it missed Rucker with the worst part. 3. Overall from what I have seen Daleville is just older and the rentals seem less maintained with a similar cost to Enterprise. (But I didnt look to hard for a place there) I did have 1 buddy who stayed there and when we was moving he decided in his own words that he didnt want to slum it anymore. He also only saved about 100-200$ more living in Daleville for a 1 bedroom. 4. Yeah Dothan is a ways off. 5. I havent heard of it apart from maybe some W2 buddies who come back for follow on courses. But thats a difference of weeks compared to 1-2 years. 6. They do. The beginning courses generally give you 2 hours after PT till your next time you need to be anywhere. So its right in the weird spot of enough time to go home but also gotta have some hustle in your step. Then during flightline you will PT on your own and thats generally after. I have used the gym a few times though and it works out. 7. Army doesnt care. For the longest time I'm pretty sure there was a guy on Rucker living out of his extended Sprinter van.

I made a folder with some of the basic stuff you can look over if you would like me to send it to you. Problem is you don't know if you'll get 67s or 72s so you can only focus on nonaircraft specific stuff. Also the time between now and when you'll actually start using and understanding it is quite awhile. A lot of the academic stuff didn't make sense to me till I started running over it with my IP.

For me the first month of Common Core and Advanced kinda felt like drowning to some extent. Because you are trying to learn everything up front. But after the first phase life kinda calms down some as you begin to focus more on review and the fire hose of information is pulled back a little bit. (Or maybe it was just burn out for me idk)

I feel that this edit may have lost its conciseness and in doing so some of its clarity. I see you are trying to provide more examples for the points you want to make. But I'm not 100% certain what those points are. From what I read its you are goal driven, loved flying, goal driven, leader, volunteer, technical, manager, trainer, leader, then kinda feel good Army slang stuff at the end. It's honestly just a lot and for someone who is time crunched they may just start reading, glance at it, then skim through. I've had to read it a couple times to dig into what you want to show from it. But, the board may not have that kind of time. Gotta treat it like the door-to-door salesman who only has 30 seconds for his pitch. Edit: Found some advice from Mike in another thread that I feel like may help you as well if you do want to focus your essay a little more. "I'm looking for your desire to fulfill a career as an Army officer, demonstrated leadership, potential, and proof you're aeronautically adaptable. (able to handle complex machinery). Flowery, unsubstantiated words, and passive sentences get you an straight line to FQ-NS pile."