Too little, too late??

TriViper · March 7, 2015

So I spoke to some Guard Strength Managers in a few states. Basically, the feedback wasn't good for an ole guy like myself at age 33 (although most of my requirements have been met: APFT, SIFT, physicals, bachelors degree, strong letters, etc).

Many of you have mentioned seeing Guard members in flight school in their late 30s/ early 40s, with some as recent as this past year despite the drawdown.

So my question is: what are the backgrounds of these older guys getting age waivers well into their 30's? How rare is this? Are they from certain states that are more lenient with age? I've posted on this topic before, so my apologies for the redundancy. Any tidbits or advice would be appreciated.

Cheese · March 7, 2015

Not to sound rude, but who cares about everyone else. Submit waiver with strong packet and hope for the best. Don't worry or stress over what you can't control.

Cheese · March 7, 2015

PM sent, might have a contact for you.

shainbourassa · March 7, 2015

Not to sound rude, but who cares about everyone else. Submit waiver with strong packet and hope for the best. Don't worry or stress over what you can't control.

I'm almost certain he already did, and it was denied.

UH60L-IP · March 8, 2015

I know what you are trying to do, stack the odds in your favor. Here's the truth. The odds are not in your favor and you know that. You are not going to find any state that will guarantee you a flight slot before joining up, especially at your ripe old age. You may very well go to a state where you think you have the best odds, go enlisted with the hopes of going to flight school and then get turned down. You will end up hating your job and hating yourself for living in a state that you can't stand because of a pipe dream.

Here's the most straight forward advice I can provide. If you are set on going the guard route, join the national guard in the state of your choosing. Apply and hope you get selected. If you don't, at least you tried. If it doesn't work out, at least you are in the state you want to be in and doing a job that you'll be somewhat happy with (hopefully).

Doing research is good. You have been given all of the answers that are available though. Nobody can tell you if a specific state is likely to send you to flight school. They don't know. You do not have a chance on active duty right now. You might in the guard. Each state's needs go up and down with the day of the week. They might be desperate one day and over strength the next based upon state budgets. That is not going to change nor become more or less likely based upon the info you receive here. A state might tell you that you don't have a chance and then all of a sudden have slots drop on them that they can't fill. The opposite is true as well. Timing is important and you cannot forecast that very well in this situation, unfortunately.

TriViper · March 8, 2015

I've never had this idea I'd be guaranteed a flight slot either before or after swearing in. It's an uphill battle for me and the NG landscape is fluid, but it helps to get as much feedback as possible for any major decision. The purpose of this post was just to expand on some things that were already discussed. It's no fun to wish you would have looked into something after the fact. I know I'm picking brains here to the point of probably being a little annoying, but I appreciate everyone's straightforward input. It means a lot.

I'm not going to join the NG solely for flight school. Serving in some capacity would be a great thing for me and something I've been thinking about for a while. Having said that, will I continue to work hard and adjust my lifestyle for a chance at WOFT? Absolutely. My focus is to continue to find ways to become a better asset, apply, and let the rest take care of itself. The military's not in the business of making people's dreams come true. I get it. But if I'm fortunate enough for that to happen, I'm not going to feel guilty for that either, especially when I've already put a lot of time and effort into my packet.

Joe_P148 · March 8, 2015

Tri,

There is an unspoken attribute for some of the older guys that have made selection. It's networking. Our community is driven off of it and so are most others.

Sure, some guys and gals were in the right place at the right time but for you, it's not the right time.

As stated previously, you can't compare yourself to other older candiadates. I knew one, that had 7000 flight hours. Do you think that's obtainable? Do you have a degree? Do you have hight test scores? Do you have medical waivers? How many times have you submitted you packet?

I really think you have a shot in the guard, but like all these guys have said, pick the job you want. Start networking and building a good reputation. If it's meant to be, before you know it you'll be wiggling sticks in flight school.

All you can do is your best. Stay motivated and keep going forward. Find a warrant officer and ask him or her if they can mentor you.

TriViper · March 8, 2015

Tri,

There is an unspoken attribute for some of the older guys that have made selection. It's networking. Our community is driven off of it and so are most others.

Sure, some guys and gals were in the right place at the right time but for you, it's not the right time.

As stated previously, you can't compare yourself to other older candiadates. I knew one, that had 7000 flight hours. Do you think that's obtainable? Do you have a degree? Do you have hight test scores? Do you have medical waivers? How many times have you submitted you packet?

I really think you have a shot in the guard, but like all these guys have said, pick the job you want. Start networking and building a good reputation. If it's meant to be, before you know it you'll be wiggling sticks in flight school.

All you can do is your best. Stay motivated and keep going forward. Find a warrant officer and ask him or her if they can mentor you.

Bachelors, no medical or moral issues, 22 hours RW, 267 APFT now (but only 250 when I submitted my packet), decent test scores overall (GT competitive, SIFT not so much). Very strong letters from military pilots/officers. Submitted packet but waiver was declined by Reg. Army. I'm not sure if submitting my packet already would help or hurt my cause for the Guard?