Question about age limits and Military flying

[ChasenSFO]

Hey guys, I know I've been told that ANG units won't take guys over 28 these days, but I was wondering if there are any military branches that will? I'm in school right now as a full time student, but I highly doubt I'll have my degree by age 28(just turned 24), I think 29-30 is the more realistic goal. At that point, do I have any fixed-wing options? Just curious.

 

[ryan1234]

Hey guys, I know I've been told that ANG units won't take guys over 28 these days, but I was wondering if there are any military branches that will? I'm in school right now as a full time student, but I highly doubt I'll have my degree by age 28(just turned 24), I think 29-30 is the more realistic goal. At that point, do I have any fixed-wing options? Just curious.

I think right now you just need to be in phase two (a month or two in) of UPT by your 30th birthday. It's definitely doable to go active duty. The Guard sometimes takes a long time getting everything processed, etc... so that may be where the 28 deal comes from. Exceptions to Policy (ETPs) for age for non-priors are very few and far between... but anything can happen. If you're 24 now... you could easily push a Bachelor's out by age 27-28, depending on your degree and the availability of summer classes. I was in a similar situation... and ended up taking about 19-21 credits/semester while working full time to make it happen.

 

[ChasenSFO]

I think right now you just need to be in phase two (a month or two in) of UPT by your 30th birthday. It's definitely doable to go active duty. The Guard sometimes takes a long time getting everything processed, etc... so that may be where the 28 deal comes from. Exceptions to Policy (ETPs) for age for non-priors are very few and far between... but anything can happen. If you're 24 now... you could easily push a Bachelor's out by age 27-28, depending on your degree and the availability of summer classes. I was in a similar situation... and ended up taking about 19-21 credits/semester while working full time to make it happen.

I'm majoring in Business Administration/Entrepreneurship which isn't one of the harder ones, but I'm limited to online classes for work. The goal to finish ASAP though so perhaps I'll have a shot if I haven't found a career already, thank you.

 

[Hacker15e]

My bet is that there is going to be a giant vacuum of aviators, especially, in the AF here in 3-5 years.

In the post-Desert Storm drawdown, it was about 97 or so before the AF had realized its mistake in letting too many pilots go and training too few pilots in the UPT pipeline. Once that realization hit, the floodgates opened and there were "pilot slots for all my friends" for the next 5 years.

So, if tradition holds (and especially if Russia continues to sabre-rattle in Eastern Europe and "The Caliphate" starts trying to kill people outside the Levant and Mesopotamia), we should see a similar hiring spree in about the same number of years.

That is, of course, unless the RPA lovers have their way.

 

[iceman21]

I'd love it if they'd need to draft a "few good men" and I'd be one of them. I missed the 28 boat 6 years ago

 

[Andrew_Neal]

I'm in a similar boat. Currently active duty working on my bachelors online and via extended campus courses. I knock out about 12-18 semester hours every 16 week semester (sitting at 29 semester hours right now). Normally closer to 12 due to the full time work schedule. I'm 22, will be turning 23 in October.. however I wanted to be able to finish in enough time to get my PPL as well, in order to be more competitive for UPT.. and I don't think I can handle college and PPL schooling at the same time on an active duty schedule with a wife and 3 children.

 

[ElihuSmails]

What about enlisting in a Guard unit? Could make you more competitive, and I think there is a waiver (used to be, at least) for prior service, on a per month basis, for up to two years. I'm Navy, so I can speak more for our guidelines, but if I remember correctly, the age limit was 28 1/2 to be accepted into OTS with a pilot slot. With 24 months of prior service, this could give you until 30 1/2.

 

[Soku39]

What about enlisting in a Guard unit? Could make you more competitive, and I think there is a waiver (used to be, at least) for prior service, on a per month basis, for up to two years. I'm Navy, so I can speak more for our guidelines, but if I remember correctly, the age limit was 28 1/2 to be accepted into OTS with a pilot slot. With 24 months of prior service, this could give you until 30 1/2.

Waivers are not available from NGB at the moment, I would not put any of my eggs in the basket for needing any waivers, age or otherwise.

 

[ElihuSmails]

Waivers are not available from NGB at the moment, I would not put any of my eggs in the basket for needing any waivers, age or otherwise.

No waivers!? WTF!! Different times I guess....

 

[scoobs]

Army is 32?

 

[Screaming_Emu]

Waivers are not available from NGB at the moment, I would not put any of my eggs in the basket for needing any waivers, age or otherwise.

Most of my students when I was a CFI were part of the initial flight screening program with the Naval academy.

My absolute best student was two days before going down to Pensacola for flight training when they said "we have too many people down there. Anyone with any kind of a waiver will have to go somewhere else. She wore contact lenses.

She had wanted to be a navy pilot her whole life and did everything to stack the deck in her favor till some arbitrary decision ruined that for her.

 

[jskibo]

Most of my students when I was a CFI were part of the initial flight screening program with the Naval academy.

My absolute best student was two days before going down to Pensacola for flight training when they said "we have too many people down there. Anyone with any kind of a waiver will have to go somewhere else. She wore contact lenses.

She had wanted to be a navy pilot her whole life and did everything to stack the deck in her favor till some arbitrary decision ruined that for her.

Seems to happen. I had an Angry LTjg DivO than according ot him, got bumped from Pilot training to NFO, then cut from NFO and sent to AMDO. He hated the world and it showed. We were used to Mustang DivO's not angry flunk outs. That cruise sucked!

 

[CoolRunnings]

I don't mean to hijack the thread but didn't seem like I should make a new one. I am 29 turning 30 in two months. I have a bachelors degree and PPL working on instrument rating right now. I've taken the first steps to contact the ANG and the "lead team" has reached out to me. Is there any chance I of me getting a pilot slot or am I too old?

 

[Soku39]

What the hell is an ANG lead team? Usually when you are interested in ANG positions you contact individual wings. Yes, you are probably too old at this point.

 

[CoolRunnings]

No idea they contacted me and left me a message.

 

[Soku39]

Well if they are recruiters I would generally advise avoiding them until you have a UPT slot in hand and are ready to sign on the dotted line. You'll get nothing but incorrect information out of them. Only dangle the carrot of you signing up to get them to schedule you for the AFOQT and other stuff like that.

Edit, I'm guessing you just went on the ANG website and clicked additional info about being a pilot, trust me, it ain't that easy

 

[drunkenbeagle]

Hey guys, I know I've been told that ANG units won't take guys over 28 these days, but I was wondering if there are any military branches that will? I'm in school right now as a full time student, but I highly doubt I'll have my degree by age 28(just turned 24), I think 29-30 is the more realistic goal. At that point, do I have any fixed-wing options? Just curious.

I would talk to some AFROTC detachments in the area. At least way-back-when in the stone age when I was around, detachment commanders could theoretically find 2 year scholarships for cadets, so you might we be able to be full-time in college your last two years. Even if not, there is no commitment to the Air Force for being a cadet the first year or two if you aren't on a scholarship.

 

[CoolRunnings]

Great thank you.

 

[Soku39]

Great thank you.

Ya sorry about that news, every year we get tons of great packages from 28 and 29 year old guys, and it's just like, where were these dudes 2 or 3 years ago? It's now been made even worse by the age waiver situation.

 

[Gmata]

Sorry for hijaking this thread but I have a quick question. I am 29 turning 30 in a couple of months I have my commercial Multi Instruments and CFI Airplane and I am Prior service with the USAF as a C-17 Loadmaster I am going to finish my Bachelors of Aeronautical Science spring 2015.

Any branch that would take me? Or am I too old to even try?

Thanks!