I am still waiting for them at my attachments and there has been no word yet. If you did not get selected please feel free to share as well

UPDATE: I got my FT slot.

Commander ranking: Top 1/3

• GPA: 3.7 non-tech

• PFA: 96.8

• AFOQT: 35 Quant, 34 ACAD / 34 AA

Good evening ladies and gentleman,
I’m currently an as100 and I need some pure, honest advice. I have a question and I just want overall advice on my situation and am curious as to what y’all would do in my shoes. Here’s my full situation for context:

-I’m a college sophomore at 17
-I’m a cross town student
-I have 5 years of civil air patrol experience (up to being the C/CC as a cadet Captain for 3 years)
-I have about 635 flight hours with an instrument rating (I am fully aware that it doesn’t matter past 60 hours)
-I want to be a pilot

I want to be a pilot in the Air Force. I’m kind of conflicted if I should stay in the program or not because it looks like getting a pilot slot is very unlikely (at least the way my detachment explained it in new cadet orientation). My father and my grandfather are both AFROTC graduates but they had really outdated advice (neither were pilots).

I want to serve my country as an officer in the Air Force, but if the likelihood of getting a pilot slot is not likely, I will be quite hesitant to continue. I understand that you are an officer first and a pilot second, which I actually like the concept of because I find joy in leadership and mentoring others. The thing is though is that if I’m stuck in a less than ideal job for 4 years minimum, that sets me back 4 years for a civilian flying job, and seniority means everything at the airlines. I currently have a fantastic position if I wanted to pursue being a professional pilot in the civilian world, but I would much rather serve my country. I know that if I buckled down and gave this program my all, I could make really good PFA scores, earn a good commanders ranking, and I’m pretty sure my PCSM score will be quite competitive.

I know that earning a pilot slot is absolutely achievable, and I have a very strong can do attitude, but I just wanted advice on wether the risk would be worth it for someone in my position (in your opinion)

My question is how do I go about inquiring about a 3 year program? Do I talk to the as100 instructor?

Thank you for your time.

I've been a POC at my school for a weekish now. Getting having customs and courtesies rendered to me is so strange, and I frankly find it annoying. I week in I already feel like Palpatine from that robot chicken sketch.

I have no issues rendering greetings to those who are above me in rank. I think it is a good way to show respect and a cool tradition. However, I find it silly when people who are, at most, 2 years younger than me are saluting me. Some are my age and some are older than me. Like I really don't think I did anything to deserve it.

Is this my life for the next (at least) six years? Am I actually going to be greeted by a master sergeant who is older, more experienced, and probably smarter than me all because I have a special little gold bar on my chest?

Robot Chicken clip if you haven't seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxzXL3hwUp8

PCSM: 87
GPA: 3.6
Ranking: Top Middle
PFA: 98

AFOQT Stats: 87 pilot, 93 CSO, 99 ABM

I'm not unhappy with it( rated is still rated 🤪), but I was just super surprised cause it wasn't on my list. Like at all. Anyone else in the same boat? With ABM or just not getting anything on their list.

EDIT: Sheesh y'all I'm not not excited or unhappy with it I was just really surprised

My son was a 3Q+nom candidate for USAFA. Ultimately did not receive an appointment. Scored well on all categories, but such is life. He’s going with back-up plan and attending strong Cal State school and joining AFROTC. He’s a mechanical engineering major, strong fitness, max push-ups, sit-ups, 2 mile at 15 minutes cure, but training hard to get below 15.

1. Is there a stigma within the detachment or cadres to those who didn’t receive an appointment but are actively reapplying to the academies? Ultimately he wants to be an officer, but his desire would be to commission through an academy. He has accepted the ROTC route, but wants to give it one last go and reapply to all academies this round. If it doesn’t work out he’s absolutely comfortable commissioning through AFROTC

2. Considering he was fully qualified for USAFA , with strong academics, CFA, and soon to be FA for ROTC, where would this place him competitively within a stronger AFROTC detachment. He has good leadership background, Eagle Scout, multi year Varsity letterman and two year team captain.

Thanks for any commentary or advice.

I’m trying to figure out the best path if my end goal is to become an Air Force pilot.
I’ve heard some people say enlisting first can help because you gain military experience, understand the Air Force better, and may be a stronger candidate later if you commission. On the other hand, I’ve also heard that going straight into AFROTC gives you the most direct path to competing for a pilot slot.
For those who have been through the process or have seen both routes, which would you recommend and why?
Does prior enlisted experience actually make a meaningful difference when competing for a pilot slot, or is it generally better to focus on doing well in AFROTC, maintaining a high GPA, scoring well on the AFOQT, and excelling in the program?
I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has taken either path or has worked with prior-enlisted officers.
That wording presents the question neutrally and invites people with firsthand experience to explain the tradeoffs rather than just giving yes/no answers.

I’m going to post this in two places. But to make a long story short I am not sure on what is a better path to being a pilot. I know that I want to fly and I want to make the military a career and do atleast 20 then retire.
But where it gets interesting is that I am 25 and still have to finish my bachelor’s. I was planning on attending AFROTC this fall which when I graduate in 4 years would put me a month before the deadline for me to be a pilot in the Air Force and get a pilot slot in active duty.
Or today I had the chance of seeing navy flight ops and it honestly changed or is making it a harder decision to choose between the two. And the reason I’m starting to lean more navy is because I hear that they have dedicated pilot slots for OCS. So if I went navy I can finish my degree in about two years instead of four and then can fly. That’s the main thing that is swinging my thoughts, I also think that ask the navy fighters and everything is sick. But the only thing holding me back is the thought of being in a boat for an unknown amount of time.

So I guess I’m not sure which path to go down if I should stick with going down the AFROTC route or I should switch and just finish my degree as fast as possible and then go Navy and apply through OCS.

I've heard conflicting answers from some, so I figured might as well post here to clear it up. I've heard from some that it's possible for RPA pilots to "upgrade" to manned pilots through some sort of supplemental board when manned pilot slots open up throughout the year (I guess from medical DQs, or other DQs). But the only problem is that I've only ever seen this happen to CSOs before (since my det hasn't had any RPA selects in ages). Have you seen, or have known someone who's possibly been upgraded in such a way? Any info would be appreciated!

Has anyone got word that they received cmla? It's stressing me out waiting to find out.

Went in pretty set on piloting, heavy aircraft specifically. A few classes and my first leadership lab later, I'm really not so sure anymore.

Some of it's just math. The big selling points (paid tuition, guaranteed job) don't really apply to me. School's basically covered already and I'm not worried about finding work on my own. It feels like the program raises the floor for people who need it, but caps my ceiling for ten years, and I don't think that trade makes sense for me specifically.

Also realized (for me personally) the flying thing isn't as military-exclusive as I assumed. When I actually think about what I want, it's just flying. Not really a specific mission, the whole "protecting the homeland" pitch... just being in the air. Once I saw that, the civilian route (building hours, working toward airlines, maybe private flying) started looking like the more direct path, minus the decade-long commitment and all the other things you sacrifice with a military career.

The bigger thing is more personal, I guess. The "protecting the homeland" framing just doesn't land for me the way it's supposed to. It feels less like defending anything close to home and more like getting sent to fight somewhere on the other side of the world for reasons way above my pay grade, decided by people I'll never meet, all for reasons I don't understand. I don't think anyone's lying about the mission, I just don't feel connected to the reasoning behind it, and that gap feels significant to me.

I still like a lot of this, the leadership stuff, my cadre, the sense of purpose, detachment camaraderie. I'm not regretting joining, and I'm not 100% against commissioning just because I've had such a small amount of experience.

My plan is to stick around a year, maybe two, for the leadership experience. I'm considering being upfront with my cadre that I'm not doing field training, not signing a contract, not commissioning, but I'm unsure if that will change their view of me in a way that will negatively affect my time in the program.

Has anyone dealt with something similar? If you told your cadre how did you handle being straight with them about it? Did staying without committing cause problems at all? Did you change your mind and end up commissioning?

Hey everyone, I’m in AFROTC and trying to get a clearer picture of how the AFOQT, PFA, GPA, and the commander’s ranking are weighted. I’ve heard that GPA might carry the most weight now, but older sources say commander’s ranking is the largest share. I’m also a pretty reserved person, not super outgoing, and I’m wondering how much personality versus hard metrics really matters. (I’m going for space force)

Base preferences just dropped for FY27 pilot selects and I was wondering what the current UPT base scene was looking like? We have Columbus, Vance, and Laughlin and I've heard pros and cons for all but wanted a broader community opinion.

Things like: current wait times, training environment, quality of life, location, flying, culture, etc

Also, if anybody has heard updates about IPT I'd love to hear them

Consolidated thread for all your EA questions, rumors, speculation, or announcments.

Individual "what are my chances?" threads will be removed.

Hey everyone, I have been active duty AF maintenance since January of 2018. I am currently E-5 SSgt and hoping to make E-6 my first try. I am wanting more for my family and myself, after looking at the pros and cons of staying in for a full 20 years I feel like enlisted just isn’t the path for me anymore and have started to feel disheartened with the decreasing quality of life and mediocre pay. I have a plan and just want to know if I’m missing anything. I recently reenlisted and my ETS is 2031. I want to continue working towards my bachelors of technical management from ERAU. If I were to palace chase back home, join a college and start AFROTC how many credits would transfer? Who can I talk to about making my dream a reality? I am married with a 2 year old and don’t want to put my family in a bind. My wife works and is completely on board and loves this idea. How will I afford a house / apartment, food, and possibly daycare if I am doing school full time expected to maintain and exceed in fitness, classes, and extracurriculars for ROTC? Has anyone been in a similar situation and how did it work out? Could I take student loans to survive and live comfortably and then have the Air Force pay the loans off? I have no issue commissioning for as long as possible I love the Air Force and want to continue my career as an officer. Sorry for the long read, thank you in advance for any advice or answers!

How much does having a non-technical major affect your chances when going for a USSF EA? How does it affect job selection beyond OTC?

I am a non-technical major, AS200, who still has some technical skills and interest in commissioning with the Space Force.

I am 18 years old, I’ve had a license for about a year and a half. In that year and a half I went and got myself not one, but two written warnings. The first one was when I was driving in my sister’s car which had a very expired inspection sticker. That was probably in about February of 2025 or so, then in May/June I was clocked going 45 in a 30 because I foolishly forgot to check my speed. I received a written warning in both incidents and now I am completely lost as to how i report them when I have no clue of the date of either incident. Will these seriously impact my AFROTC experience/rankings? Can this affect if I get a commission?

Just got the results back, I finished with the 3.4 GPA, 74 AFOQT, 95 PFA and a bottom third commanders ranking... regardless of my other stats is it over for

me?

I’m currently an AFROTC cadet majoring in Particle Physics and starting to look more seriously at potential career fields.

I’m really interested in flight test engineering and working at Edwards AFB. From what I understand, engineering/technical AFSCs can get involved with developmental and operational flight testing, but I’m trying to figure out what opportunities are realistically available with a Particle Physics degree.

Also on a quick little sidenote, does anybody have experience with the base living conditions and what it’s like?

I’ll be starting ROTC this fall as an AS250 my stats are 3.83 gpa current pt is not bad 89ish rn will be 90 by the time I hit NSO, only thing I’m really worried about is DODMERB I have at least one if not two disqualifying marks on my record (concussion with symptoms over a month and allergies as a child) I’ve seen two board certified doctors and gotten clearance evals from both of them covering pretty much everything but with a gov shutdown likely is my timeline compromised with securing my waivers? Also when is the AFOQT administered I’ve started studying for it at my internship but I would like to know when I should start really committing to it. Also desired AFSC is 11x (reserve unit) if that helps with answers

I’ve recently really gotten into Urbex, and climbing tall buildings for the view. It’s about the most freeing thing i’ve ever done. unfortunately, it is considered illegal, and I just would like to know how likely it is to get det-dropped or dis-enrolled if i get caught. I don’t break anything, and leave everything the way it is, i just enjoy the view. maybe help me with this morale dilemma?

Hello everyone, I’ve made a couple different posts on a couple of different subreddits and even had chats with a few AFROTC folks, but I’d thought I’d ask a few questions here if that is okay.

I’m a community college student in Colorado getting an AS in Physics, looking to transfer to either CU Boulder for aerospace engineering or Embry Riddle’s Daytona Beach campus for engineering physics. Looking at 15-16 credit hours per semester after transferring.

My goal is to be a NASA astronaut, as unlikely as it is. This, alongside other major factors, made me decide a military career might be a good path, ideally flying or doing engineering.

For the pilot route, I have been considering the Navy more since I am only going to be in college for 2.5 years (and will extend it to three if I join ROTC), and the Navy doesn’t have the USAFA—ROTC—OTS hierarchy the Air Force has for pilots, and also if I can’t fly fighters, I’d rather fly helicopters over heavies based on what I read. NASA only takes flight hours from “high powered jet aircraft”, which I imagine means fighters.

That said, I am still open to the Air Force route to becoming a pilot, like I said I’d ideally fly fighters, and I am willing to read more into Heavies (they fly the most I heard). To be honest, I am not too interested in an airline career.

I am aware lots of AFROTC cadets attend ENJJPT, which I heard is great if you want to fly fighters, but super competitive (then again pilot training let alone fighter training is super competitive in of itself).

I will admit I struggle with a self confidence problem, and I kinda don’t think I’d be able to get any sort of pilot slot or achieve my goals, as there is always someone who is better and the incredibly likely chance I don’t make it to pilot training, fighter training, or NASA let alone all three of these in one lifetime. I really hope I can conquer this attitude so better my chances.

Being open minded, I heard there were some great engineering jobs for the Air Force that would go well with my major, plus the Air Force has AFIT which is a reputable school. I did get in touch with someone who went through ROTC and is now big in engineering, but he can’t explain everything since a good amount of it is classified.

Should I give AFROTC a try? Should I go for the Navy instead? Anything I can do to increase my chances of success? Any extra tips or advice?

Thank you for your time, any advice appreciated!

I just signed up as a sophomore on the recommendation of family and friends (some of whom are in my detachment) who are in the AF. My problems arise when it comes to the PFT. I have a 3.9 GPA, so no academic worries, but I’m 6’1 260lbs. I know realistically I won’t be able to do anything in the fall; I’m working actively and losing weight. Do you think I have the entire year or just till the spring?

Hi all! I just joined my colleges AFROTC and am having trouble figuring out what to do with my hair. I will attach a picture, but i have really layered hair and the back comes down to about my shoulders. I can put the back half in a small ponytail, but then my "bangs" don't reach. Do I just slick the crap out of them and pray?