This first post will quickly bring explain how I got to the point I am at today.
I'll start from the beginning. When I was a Sophomore at Union College, a few of my classmates lived in an apartment next to a flight engineer from the 109th Airlift Wing. Thats where I initially learned about the Air National Guard, and began to look into what it took to get a pilot slot. All throughout college I would see the unit's C-130s fly over. This was especially exciting when at crew practice, since the base was right across the river from the Boathouse. It was my plan to graduate from Union and apply for one. Life went another direction, and I ended up attending grad school at Cornell. In the meantime, during a pair of summer internships during 2005 and 2006, I worked towards my private pilot certificate and became a pilot on September 12, 2006.
Following Cornell, I came back to the Capitol District and took a job at Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. It was not long until I was hired by Union Athletics as a rowing coach. Once again I would see C-130's fly over, repeatedly After about 4 years of working at Knolls and coaching, I was already 27. One day in August I saw a C-130 fly over and though "Its now or never". The following day I called the 109th AW Recruiting Office and inquired about the Unit's next selection board. It was in October. I had one month to put togther an application package.
As soon as practicable, I met with the recruiter and scheduled to take the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT) on Sept 6th, 2012. This was in about two weeks. The day after labor day. This test consists of a number of sections from verbal analogies, word definitions, science knowledge, table reading, math, and various spacial recognition sections.
In the time between the day I scheduled the AFOQT and Labor Day, nature would throw in a storm, which came to be known as "Irene," at the Northeast. Particularly hard hit was Southern Vermont. The weekend before Labor Day I decided to drive out to Camp to see if there was any damage as a result. This was not a normal trip to camp, as I had to drive about an hour out of the way through Massachusetts because of a washed out bridge in Woodford Hollow.
There was no damage at camp. One part of the road was washed out, but that part of the road was never particularly good. There was a guy named Chuck I'd met a few times who lived off the grid nearby and I decided to take a ride on the ATV past his house to see how he feared It turns out his road was a whole lot more washed out, so I visited with him and his wife for a bit. Knowing he was a pilot, I mentioned that it was in the process of applying for a pilot slot in the ANG. He told me that a friend of his, who had just retired from the Air Force Reserve, and had sat on his unit's selection board, was on his way over for dinner and he invited me to stay. I never would have thought that my seemingly inconsequential decision to take an ATV ride would set off a turn of events that would get me to where I am today.
At dinner, I met Chuck's friend Matt, who had retired as a Lt Col a few months earlier. We got along well, and he provided valuable insight into the selection process and even agreed to write a recommendation letter. He also provided me with the contact info for his unit, the 337th Airlift Squadron, as they had an upcoming selection board. I figured the more units I applied to, the better the chances.
I took the AFOQT several days later and did quite well. received the results a few days later, and was then able to schedule the Test of Basic Aviation Skills, or TBAS. This test evaluates nueromuscular ability, or hand-eye coordination, and memory. I did real well on this one too and by now my application was looking pretty good between my great test scores, excellent college grades, strong recommendation letters, and good work and leadership experience from coaching at Union. I submitted an application package to both the 109th AW, and the 337th AS. Later in the Fall I interviewed with each unit.
First, in November 2011, I interviewed with the 337th Airlift Squadron at Westover Air Reserve Base, MA. Right away I felt comfortable with people sitting on the selection board. The interview went smoothly, I was taken out to get a tour or a plane. Upon returning from the tour I was offered a pilot slot. Having not yet interviewed with the 109th AW, I respectfully deferred the offer until I could interview with them. I interviewed with them a few weeks later and did not get a slot from them, so I accepted the slot from the 337th. At the time, I wanted to fly the C-130 with the 109th because their mission was so unique. They fly ski-equipped C-130's all over the continent of Antarctica. In hindsight, I think going with the 337th is a better choice because I will see much more of the world in a more comfortable, faster aircraft.
Anyway, It was now December 2011. Getting sponsored for a pilot slot for by a reserve unit was probably the biggest hurdle I would face, but I still had to pass the medical evaluations, and meet the Air Force Reserve Command Selection board, as they ultimately decide who gets to go to pilot training. After a frustrating amount of delays with the recruiter, I finally took a military entrance physical at MEPS Albany in May. This went smoothly. After another frustrating amount of delays, I went to Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio in October 2012 for medical flight screening. All prospective Air Force pilots are required to travel there for a flight physical. They schedule four days for the physical, but I was fortunate enough to be there with only one other guy there, rather than the usual 20 or 30, so it only lasted a day and a half. I had never had so many tests done on me before; chest x-rays, enough blood tests that they needed 8 vials of blood, dentist, countless eye tests, anthropomorphic measurements, opthamologist exam, 4 hours of neurophyscological testing, an appointment with the flight surgeon, and other things I don't even remember. On the third day when my vision has finally recovered from the pupil dilation drops and I was able to read again, I went to the Museum of the Air Force, which is worth stopping at if you are ever driving through the state of Ohio.
Several weeks later my physical was signed off and approved by AETC (Air Education and Training Command) and everything was complete for my package to be submitted for the Fall AFRC selection board. Even though I was told that my package was very strong, and that I didn't have much to worry about I would be lying if I did not say I was a little nervous. A few weeks later, and I got the call. I was selected. It had been one year and four months since I had started the process. A few days later I got my class dates, and a few days after that I took an oath of enlistment and swore into the United States Air Force.
The class dates are as follows;
Officer Training Schoo-l Basic Officer Training Class 13-07, May 29th through August 9th
Undergraduate Pilot Training- September 9th, 2013 through September 2014
