Thinking about going into the air force

[smonroe86]

well I know a bunch of you on here are in or where in the military so if you dont mind could you share your experience? Im looking at going into the air force as it seems to be most like have a regular job...kinda, or am i wrong? please any help would be appreciated.

well the air force is prolly the one that everybody wants to join because of them being relaxed
when we fly wit them guys they are something else, they are wearing reg. baseball caps and civ. shirts with their jump suit tied to their waist. my unit we cant even step outside in nothin less then a reg. unifrom by regulation lol this is being in iraq. but i believe it just depends on the unit you go to and your leadership.
Deployment wise well what can you handle lol.. i am on a 15month tour i got 2 months left
but our navy guys the FCs and ITs come in and out same for the air force we dont have marines here where i am... but i did meet some kool ass marines
but it depends every service is different but mainly focus is pt and your mental status!
HOOAH!!!

 

[rxtreme7]

Can enlisted's be pilots?

ive been on the navy site today too and that seems like another good route.

also whats your daily gring in the military? what is a normal day for you?

 

[webbashl]

Can enlisted's be pilots?

ive been on the navy site today too and that seems like another good route.

also whats your daily gring in the military? what is a normal day for you?

No, you'll have to be officer. I know in the army you can be a commissioned officer or a warrant officer to fly.

As honest as I can say if it wasn't for choosing Uncle Sam as a career, I serouisly doubt I would be where I am today. It took me a year to decide to join. I ended up taking a sheet of paper out and listed all my pros and cons of entering or not. Needless to say my pros out weighed my cons.

The pay gets a lot better as you stay in and with all the perks it's even better. Good luck, you have to enter it though with a positive attitude just like with anything

 

[rockadaous]

Can enlisted's be pilots?

ive been on the navy site today too and that seems like another good route.

also whats your daily gring in the military? what is a normal day for you?

pilot/No
but that doesn't mean you can't hold a fly'n position
Loadmaster
FE
crew chief. Not as much fly'n, but you still go quit a bit.

If being a pilot is your thing work it in your off time. You can go OTS later. OTS=officer training school.

it's up to you once you get your foot in the door. Good luck in your decision.

 

[razorshark]

lol...you guys are funny. Everyone has pre-conceived notions about the Air Force, probably because we don't have sexy movies or commericals or ever on the news.

The Air Force isn't the best service...we are all equal, in that we each have different missions and do it the best in the world! We are one team. I can't stand people to pit one service versus the other, its a joint-service environment and the lines between the services are becoming more blurred with time. I fully expect all of us to be integrated within the next 10 years, probably when we get invaded by aliens...joke.

Our primary job is to support our pilots to put bombs on target, although there are many missions we do have nothing to do with this.

I've been an Air Force recruiter for 4 years...PM me and I'll give you my cell number so we can speak.

 

[TXBusa05LE]

Razor, what's the top 5-10 enlisted AFSC's that are needed now?

 

[razorshark]

Razor, what's the top 5-10 enlisted AFSC's that are needed now?

Security Forces
Mechanics - All AFSCs, especially EOD, Ammo and crew chiefs
Cryptologic Linguists
Special Tactics - PJ, CCT, SERE, TACP
Intelligence

Depends on qualifications and how fast you want to get to BMT...

Here's what you won't get until you know someone high up or get extremely lucky:
Medical
Admin
Comm & Computer Systems
Meteorology
Contracting
Finance
Public Affairs
etc...

 

[TXBusa05LE]

Does the time you spend in delayed enlistment count for anything? Pay, TAFMS, etc?

 

[razorshark]

Does the time you spend in delayed enlistment count for anything?  Pay, TAFMS, etc?

not really, I was in the DEP for 2 weeks, 97QT on ASVAB, qualified for everything, just wanted to be in the AF and got in ASAP.

there are some benefits are have retroactive dating to the beginning of DEP like the GI Bill, you have use it 2 years from the moment you DEP once you sign in to your first assignment...that applies to everyone, most people just don't know it

 

[TXBusa05LE]

Seems like our 3C's are dropping like flies. Nice to be a 33S though...

 

[Smoke_Dog]

I retired in 06 after almost 22 years AF. Looking back on my career I would not trade it for anything. It had it's ups and downs, but for all the training you get, places you'll see and friendships you build, you just cant beat it. If you don't have a degree yet the military will pay for it essentially 100%. Yes deployments suck but that can be controlled to an extent if you pick the right job. My only regret was that I didn't try to get over seas sooner than I did. The 5 years I did in Europe are some of the best years of my life. Now I'm retired, my military retirement wages pretty much cover my house payment, and some extras. I had a great job that has carried over to the civilian life that pays well. Thanks USAF! Its a great way of life!

What he said! But, I myself have just retired after 26 years in! I wouldn't do any thing different, but the 2nd job I retrained into! I should have taken, radiology or pharmacy! Basically these jobs are 9 to 5, but at the same time pay good on the out side, after you get your degree! Plus while in, you will have lots of time to get your degree, with these 2 jobs!!!!!!!

 

[Sloto200]

The war on terror is changing all branches of the military. When i joined 16 years ago, it was a absoulutly different Air Force then. All services are deploying together now and driving convoys and walking the streets of Bagdad. Gone are the days of the Air Force waiting for the Marines to go in a clear the area, the Navy Seabees after to build the dorm so that the Air Force can come in a live it up. We all get stuck together in the same conditions. Now this doesnt happen with ever job the Air Force has. But the more time goes by, the more change there will be. Dont base your choice on the service that "looks most like civilian life". I'll tell you know that if you came to me from basic training and tech training with that mentality, you wouldnt last long. I dont have time for someone that wants a 9-5 job in the military. There are some "cush" jobs left in the Air Force but it wont be long before everyone is feeling the 120+ day trips to those god awful places they only used to send the Army and Marines. I've been teaching tech training for the last 4 years and i cant tell you how many people have been kicked out because they get out of basic and try to revert back to there "civilian lifestyle". The military is a lifestyle change and if you dont accept that you may find out the hard way that it wasnt for you and then end up with a blemish on your federal record. razorshark can answer alot of your questions about joining. He is a straight foward guy that isnt going to tell you what you want to hear. He will give you the truth. If you have questions about aircraft maintenance, let me know. I'll tell you what you want to know. I wont sugar coat it. If i dont have the answer, i can most likely get it. I know alot of people in alot of places. If i cant get the answer, i wont BS you. Drop me a line if you want more info! Best of luck to you!!

 

[drfbusa]

I definately recommend talking to legit recruiters like the ones on this board. When I say legit, I mean ones that have your interest in mind. There are some shady recruiters. I dont mean to offend any recruiters on this board as all military pax are recruiters, but Ive worked the other end of the recruiting spectrum as a Medical Officer. Ive worked MCRD-SD, USMC boot camp and am an MO for an infantry battalion. There are a number of people in the military who shouldnt be. They saw the commercials and were seduced by the lore and though that it would be for them. Unfortunatley, some recruiter out there saw their desire to come in and "promised" a whole lot. When the expectation wasnt met, the problems occured.

Please look before you leap. There are so many waivers out there: age, drugs, legal, medical...etc. If we werent in two wars, recruiting wouldnt be as aggressive and those that shouldnt be in wouldnt be here. I dont recommend open contract. If you want to be X Y or Z, sign a contract that will get you into that MOS community. otherwise, your expectations of the military will have a significant discord.

THe military is a great gig if its for you. Im glad it works for me. I love the Navy as Im a sailor and I love the Marines as we are a Blue Green Team. I feel as though all Americans should serve their country but dont think the military is for everyone. If I were on the outside looking in, Id ask "what sucks about the military?" and see if Im comfortable about it. Maybe someone could start a thread about what sucks about it cuz heres a few from me:

-9+ month Deployments
-Being stuck on a ship for weeks without libery ports
-Being stuck on the beach for 10 hours in the rain as we wait for the ships to pick us up so that we can be stuck in their ship for weeks without liberty ports.
-Mustering at 0300 to get my rifle at the armory in order to be at the beach at 0700 so we can wait for 10 f'ing hours in the rain for the damn ships to get in range to pick us up so we can be stuck in their ship for weeks without liberty ports.
-being wet and tired in an over heated non vented personnel compartment on a hovercraft after waiting 10 hours on the damn beach only to be "nut to butt" with the next devil dog as we bob on the water en route to the gray hull beast that will be our prison for weeks without a liberty port and finding that the category 3 sea state causes you and everyone else in the sardine can to puke.

Never mind. Everything I mentioned are reason why I love the military.

To aid in your decision, Navy has it all. Subs, Ships, Air, Ground, SEALs, blackwater, blue water, brown water, green water, Explosive Ordinance Disposal, Construction Bn, divers, port calls...

Lastly, the military isnt a job. Its a lifestyle.
Good luck!