Question for any USAF officers on here (or heck, any military!)

[SynthesisI]

I'm considering a career in the Air Force after graduation next May and had a few questions I really wanted answered by someone actively serving:

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22. If I can serve for five years and get my pilot's license, I may do this. But my life-long plans to start a business and family alongside earning an MBA do not have the budget for a ten year+ tenure.

2. What are the physical requirements since I believe I meet everything else (based off what I saw on the website)? I'm 6'3", 140 lbs. and in outstanding health.

3. Is it true entry salary is ~$24k with a food and housing allowance (reply via PM if you wish)? I understand it's better than enlistees, and I'm not going into the USAF for monetary reward, but I would really like to know so I can get a feel for what to expect if I choose this route. Is housing and food paid for on or off-base?

4. What are the travel and relocation opportunities like? Optimally, I'd like to live in Alamagordo, NM or someplace in the southwestern U.S. for a year or three, and then transfer to a base in Germany for my last year or two. I can think of few better dreams than taking my new German sport sedan back over to it's homeland and driving on the Autobahn!

I hope my ideas and thoughts are not too superficially stated here, as I am serious about considering the path of serving my country more than you can imagine and recognize the importance and responsibility thereof, but also want to live the Air Force life as well. If some of you guys could answer my questions and give me some help, I would be greatly appreciative. I will be contacting a recruiter near me before the end of the year as well to discuss the same questions as well. Thanks!

 

[Howard]

You're as skinny as hell!

 

[alm4rr]

go here
http://airforceots.com/portal/index.php

create an account for the forums and you are set

 

[alm4rr]

also note that if you are NonTechnical, there's way too much supply and not enuff demand for your degree

 

[Gravity]

You are a bit tall and a bit skinny to be a bomber pilot.

Also, you might not be able to get out once yer in. Their funny like that.

I do think you should serve though, even if you enlist or get commissioned.

Best to you,

Gravity

 

[SynthesisI]

Originally posted by: alm4rr
also note that if you are NonTechnical, there's way too much supply and not enuff demand for your degree

What do you mean exactly?

I've talked with an Air Force officer in person before who said I wasn't too tall or too skinny. I look bigger than my numbers say here. If I ask a friend, they usually will say something around 160lbs, FWIW.

Thanks for that site link! Will definitely check that out. And if there's a snowball's chance in hell that they're going to try and secretly keep me in for ten years if I sign up for five, I just won't be able to do it. My place in life is in the private sector starting my own company and raising a family.

 

[HappyPuppy]

Join the Marines, serve a couple of years as a grunt, learn what "service" is all about and then go for flying B-52's around the globe bombing people.

You make me puke.

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: HappyPuppy
Join the Marines, serve a couple of years as a grunt, learn what "service" is all about and then go for flying B-52's around the globe bombing people.

You make me puke.

There's service in many ways. A cook is no less valuable than the marine out there in the fields. The sooner you learn that, the better.

-Ed

 

[AnyMal]

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22.

You sound like a 12 year-old. Military is not your cup of tea, I can tell you right now. The commitment you have to make should not have time limits, you should plan to stay as long as your country needs you.

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: AnyMal

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22.

You sound like a 12 year-old. Military is not your cup of tea, I can tell you right now. The commitment you have to make should not have time limits, you should plan to stay as long as your country needs you.

Then you'd get nobody...it's perfectly fine to get people who want to serve 4 or 8 years.

-Ed

 

[AnyMal]

Originally posted by: BruinEd03

Originally posted by: AnyMal

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22.

You sound like a 12 year-old. Military is not your cup of tea, I can tell you right now. The commitment you have to make should not have time limits, you should plan to stay as long as your country needs you.

Then you'd get nobody...it's perfectly fine to get people who want to serve 4 or 8 years.

-Ed

I understand. What I was trying to say that commitment can not be "cut and dry". Situation me demand (as it is happening right now) that you will need to serve MUCH longer then anticipated.

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: AnyMal

Originally posted by: BruinEd03

Originally posted by: AnyMal

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22.

You sound like a 12 year-old. Military is not your cup of tea, I can tell you right now. The commitment you have to make should not have time limits, you should plan to stay as long as your country needs you.

Then you'd get nobody...it's perfectly fine to get people who want to serve 4 or 8 years.

-Ed

I understand. What I was trying to say that commitment can not be "cut and dry". Situation me demand (as it is happening right now) that you will need to serve MUCH longer then anticipated.

hm...yeah I see where you're coming from if you state it like that. But on the flip side, if he commits, he has to serve for 4 years guaranteed...and possibley a set # of years or more, so he can't really cop out in the middle of his service, only at set intervals.

-Ed

 

[T2T III]

Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years?

It could be possible, but the military might make it tough for you to leave. Good bonuses are paid for areas such as pilots. If you see the cash, you might just stay in the miltary for another term.

 

[Siddhartha]

" Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years?"

:Q

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech

Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years?

It could be possible, but the military might make it tough for you to leave. Good bonuses are paid for areas such as pilots. If you see the cash, you might just stay in the miltary for another term.

If you're a pilot, you're locked in for a long time...

-Ed

 

[SynthesisI]

Originally posted by: AnyMal

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22.

You sound like a 12 year-old. Military is not your cup of tea, I can tell you right now. The commitment you have to make should not have time limits, you should plan to stay as long as your country needs you.

Please.

It takes all types in our military today. Not everyone who joins the Armed Forces stays for ten years.

 

[SynthesisI]

Originally posted by: Dr Smooth
" Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan,"

:Q

Yes?

 

[kaizersose]

syn,
you shouldnt join the military as a pure "career choice". if you choose to serve in our military, you have to fight whether you want to or whether it is convenient or not. it has to be something YOU REALLY WANT!

also, if you want to be a pilot, kiss 8+ years goodbye. do you know how much it costs to train a US fighter pilot? the standard commitment for OTS is 3 years--you go to pilot school and they tack on ~5 depending on your ride. if you want to fly an F-22, you will have to wait longer as they do not take inexperienced pilots for squadrons with elite aircraft like that. to fly the F-22 or F-117, you have to be recruited from an existing squadron and you have to be good. with a few exceptions, those are th ebest pilots in the world!

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: SynthesisI

Originally posted by: AnyMal

1. Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years? I have an equally great (if not greater) interest in the private sector in starting my own IT corporation as soon as possible and also get my MBA. But I want to serve my country in the USAF and fulfill my lifelong dream of flying and owning the skies in a B-52 or F-22.

You sound like a 12 year-old. Military is not your cup of tea, I can tell you right now. The commitment you have to make should not have time limits, you should plan to stay as long as your country needs you.

Please.

It takes all types in our military today. Not everyone who joins the Armed Forces stays for ten years.

check his answer a little below his original post in response to my post.

-Ed

 

[SynthesisI]

Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech

Is it possible to go to Officer Training School, learn to operate a B-52 and fly carpet bombing sorties over Afghanistan, and leave after five years?

It could be possible, but the military might make it tough for you to leave. Good bonuses are paid for areas such as pilots. If you see the cash, you might just stay in the miltary for another term.

That's possible. There are just about three routes of my forthcoming short-term life I have to decide from ASAP since I graduate in May.

 

[SynthesisI]

Bruin- I understand about the set intervals. That makes sense. I just hope it's not something like 4-8-12-etc. If I truly found what I wanted to do in the USAF for several years and the pay was good, I might consider eight years, but I really cannot see myself doing more than that at the current time, even if I fall in love with every aspect of it. There's still so much else I want to do outside of the military.

I'm just one of those guys that already has his entire life planned out to a small buffer zone between retirement and death. Over the course of the next few months, I'm basically sitting at a virtual fdisk prompt in my head trying to figure out what decade is going to be allocated to what area.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: SynthesisI
Bruin- I understand about the set intervals. That makes sense. I just hope it's not something like 4-8-12-etc. If I truly found what I wanted to do in the USAF for several years and the pay was good, I might consider eight years, but I really cannot see myself doing more than that at the current time, even if I fall in love with every aspect of it. There's still so much else I want to do outside of the military.

I'm just one of those guys that already has his entire life planned out to a small buffer zone between retirement and death. Over the course of the next few months, I'm basically sitting at a virtual fdisk prompt in my head trying to figure out what decade is going to be allocated to what area.

And there's nothing wrong with that.

Usually 4 is the minimum u have to sign on for...after that...it might be intervals of two...not sure though. However, years can be tacked on if you take additional education at the gov'ts expense e.g. pilot training, grad school, etc.

-Ed

 

[SynthesisI]

Originally posted by: kaizersose
syn,
you shouldnt join the military as a pure "career choice". if you choose to serve in our military, you have to fight whether you want to or whether it is convenient or not. it has to be something YOU REALLY WANT!

also, if you want to be a pilot, kiss 8+ years goodbye. do you know how much it costs to train a US fighter pilot? the standard commitment for OTS is 3 years--you go to pilot school and they tack on ~5 depending on your ride. if you want to fly an F-22, you will have to wait longer as they do not take inexperienced pilots for squadrons with elite aircraft like that. to fly the F-22 or F-117, you have to be recruited from an existing squadron and you have to be good. with a few exceptions, those are th ebest pilots in the world!

Agreed on the first paragraph, and thank you for your information. Can anyone with experience second this? Not doubting you, but I really need to have factual information - not opinions - from all of you on this stuff. I'm kinda playing with life decisions here.

 

[SynthesisI]

Bruin- yeah, grad school (MBA) is another major route I'm wanting to do before this decade is up, but I dunno if the gov't. would pay for me to go elsewhere. Kinda doubt that, but I could be wrong. I would really like to get my pilot's license at the government's expense though- flying corporate jets part-time for NetJets or something similar has always facinated me. But I digress...

 

[BruinEd03]

Originally posted by: SynthesisI
Bruin- yeah, grad school (MBA) is another major route I'm wanting to do before this decade is up, but I dunno if the gov't. would pay for me to go elsewhere. Kinda doubt that, but I could be wrong. I would really like to get my pilot's license at the government's expense though- flying corporate jets part-time for NetJets or something similar has always facinated me. But I digress...

I think they can pay for MBA's...but it'll cost ya in terms of years. that's years as in time you spend in school + extra years. Also depending on what time of planes you want to fly, you have to log a certain amount of hours while flying in the air to qualify. I know to fly like 767's or something, you had to log X amount of hours on a huge aircraft like the C-130.

-Ed