<p>thank you guys for the advice. i do plan on taking life as it comes along, and though i won’t be focused on the future, i still think its a good idea to have something to look forward to and thereby to work even harder for it. i know that i very well may change my mind about flying fighters at USAFA (i can’t see myself in that postion right now, but who knows), but while it is still my ambition i will most definitely use it to fuel my efforts towards success. is there anything wrong with that?</p>
<p>just coming off as the cocky-over-confident freshmen who things he’s on top of the world. the Air Force is so much more than hot-shots flying cool planes</p>
<p>I’ll say it - you’re overambitious. Actually, let me rephrase, as I’m not sure you can ever have too much ambition. Like eagle mentioned, you reasons for joining the Air Force and for coming here seem shallow. You do come off as someone who saw a fighter at an airshow and immediatly decided to enlist the next day, thinking you’d be in the cockpit of an F-22 within a week. You’ve mentioned nothing about the Air Force, your desire to serve, etc. except for the fact that you like the 22 because it’s “shiny” and “awesome.”</p>
<p>Slow down. Think things through. Imagine for a second that it’s four degree year, and you take a massive hit in boxing class. Suddenly, you’ve lost your PQ, and you’ll never be able to fly. What then? Do you remain at the Academy? Why? Do you quit and do something else? Consider this, because not flying is a very real possibility, and not flying an F-22 is almost an absolute certainty. Sorry to break it to you bud, but these are the facts. Consider what you are doing, and what you want to do in the future. Focus more on the journey and less on the destination. Enjoy your time at home, because if you aren’t here for the right reasons, you will not enjoy your eight or so years before becoming part of an AD squadron.</p>
<p>Flyboy,</p>
<p>I am NOT the one who is going to tell you to stop dreaming and shooting for the stars. Without dreams, life becomes rather dull, and the road you take in life is a boring one. </p>
<p>But PETKO gives some excellent advice. Especially his point on enjoying life’s journey. Here is my twist: Always do your best, give your best effort at all times, and enjoy the journey. You are about to embark on an adventure only a privileged few will ever get to live. You won’t realize it now, but trust me when I say that when you get near the end of that road 20+ years from now, you will look back and realize just how blessed your life has been to be a part of the AF! The people you meet and work with, the sights you saw along the way, the great things you accomplished… All will be things you will look back upon with pride and joy.</p>
<p>Like I said before give your best, and things (Karma?) have way of working out in the end. </p>
<p>IMO, you’re treading dangerously close to becoming “That Guy” (see the WP side for a good thread on a similar situation) with the bravado and early declarations of stepping right into the F-22 you’re posting here. Guys like Hornet, G4C and PETKO may be you’re friends on this site, but they remember and they talk to the rest of the cadets (who may not be as sympathetic to a young man who declares his dreams on-line for the world to see). </p>
<p>Here’s my second recommendation (something all you future cadets and future officers can take to heart): when someone asks about your expectations and hopes, you say: “I will just give it my all, every second of every day. I’ll let the chips fall from there, but I know that by always giving 150%, my chances for success will be that much greater.” A little cliche, but I think this kind of answer will impress the cadre at BCT more than any. It will definetly impress your future sqaudron mates and the Commander when you hit active duty.</p>
<p>For all of you, you’re career will be full of hopes, accomplishments, and disappointments. My first real taste came in Nav School, where only 6 guys in a class of 70+ got tracked for fighters in week 14. I was one of the lucky ones (OK, luck was a big part of it, but hard work and determination were the biggest factors); and I saw quite a few of my friends there not selected drowning their disappointment in beer and whiskey in the O’Club that night. But one of my bestfriends in the class, a guy visibly disappointed that night because he was selected for EWO versus WSO, is now the Vice Wing Commander here at my base. He took his set-back and worked that much harder to make a name for himself. Use his lesson: love what you’re doing NOW, work your tail off to be the best at whatever the CURRENT situation is, and guess what – you can reach that dream!</p>
<p>Oh, BTW, yeah the Strike Eagle is cool, but if you ever get the chance to see the F-22 demo at an airshow, it will KNOCK YOU TO NEXT WEEK! I’ve been to literally dozens of airshows and seen all the latest fighters, both ours and the planes of the rest of the world. But last year was the first time I’ve ever seen an entire Wing of Fighter guys stop in their tracks and STARE at a flight display with their jaws hanging open! UNREAL maneuvers that made me sick to my stomach with envy and just shaking my cranium in disbelief. And the times I flown either with them or against them – all I can say is it wasn’t a fair fight, and I didn’t like being treated like a baby seal constantly being clubbed! The F-22 IS a kick-butt bird, but for the cost of one of them, they better be!</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing that, bullet.</p>
<p>“don’t count the days; make the days count”</p>
<p>Eagle for someone so young you are incredibly wise.</p>
<p>I have been fortunate to be Bullet’s other partner (I have jokingly told him that he is married to the AF and I am just the mistress…i.e. she gets 1st choice on whether he is with us for holidays, birthdays, etc) However, I wish I could rewind time and re-do every second over again, that includes traveling the Al-Can in a blizzard, moving more times that I care to remember and being treated like a second class citizen at the base hospital (except by our flt surgeons). The point is I can’t, but I sure do hope that I did make everyday count!</p>
<p>Flyboy, everyone here might seem to you that theyare being negative, but in reality they are doing you a great favor. They are living by the creed that you are their brother, and brothers protect each other. There were times in Bullets career that disappointment occurred, but it was his brothers that helped him overcome the disappointment by being brutally honest. That honesty was a reality check and allowed him to address his problem n a positive manner. Most of his shortcomings actually became the best thing for us later on, i.e. he went and jumped with the 82nd which allowed him to be selected for CGSC instead of ACSC.</p>
<p>I think that the point everyone is trying to make is you are wishing your life away…3 months from now when you are exhausted beyond any belief all you are going to want is to talk to your gf (not going to happen), eat your favorite meal that mom makes (not happening), go to the movies with your buds (not that either) or **sleep under the blankets instead of on top<a href=“got%20to%20wait%20for%20that%20too!”>/B</a></p>
<p>It is also important to prove that you want to be an officer, because believe it or not you will step out of the jet, to be promoted it is a guarantee, and if the AF continues with shortages that they have in remote areas you will also do a crap tour…(Bullet is 1 of the very few that timing worked and never had to)…It is great to keep that dream in your sight, but always have the back up plan ready. </p>
<p>I am speaking as a Mom who has a son that will be joining the AF with the intention of flying also, but he has lived this life and understands that flying is not everything. We have pounded in his head, and everyone on the site has read my posts stating you will always wear the blue before the bag…just as you are an officer 1st, flyer 2nd. DS has wanted to be in the AF since he was 10, he felt it was his duty to serve, and never wanted to be on a ship or in a tank (no offense to any service), only until last yr did he change his mind and decide flying was his thing up until then he wanted JAG. You have grown from the time you were 14 until now, the same will happen in the course of the next 4 yrs.</p>
<p>I am positive that you are dedicated to get whatever your dream is, just don’t close a door because you might miss a better one!</p>
<p>i wouldn’t say i’m wise. i’m just passing on a quote my dad shared with me a couple weeks ago when we were discussing my time here and his time left in his (then current, now ex-) assignment</p>
<p>one of our Lt’s here who graduated from the Academy last year was chosen for ENJJPT. Ofcourse, he’s a tool bag and a half so that is all i will say about him :)</p>
<p>They are amazing planes, and yes very expensive. I have heard the same commetns here about an unfair fight Bullet. I remember when they first moved the development group from Edwards to Nellis and opened the new shop here. I also remember the one that dropped like a rock onto the middle of the runway. They aren’t indestructable. I just thank God they are ours and don’t belong to some other country.</p>
<p>Oh and I still get that special feeling whenever I see them taking off or landing at Nellis. You’ll be out at the BX and here that deafning roar and look up to see two of the go…just a rush. The 16’s and 15’s aren’t bad either.</p>
<p>I was reading about one F-15C pilot who was rather upset that he was able to get a visual on the F-22, but couldn’t get a radar lock…he was a little upset, to say the least.</p>
<p>F-35 anyone? Man that thing looks awesome. I need to get a nomination to the Academy first before I start thinking of life in the Air Force. By the way, some ROTC detatchments get far more pilot slots than others. (10 slots as compared to 0-3)</p>
<p>F-35 is awesome indeed. By 2013, and maybe 2012’s UPT, it should be coming online I would think.</p>
<p>I don’t trust production schedules, but one can hope!</p>
<p>They had an F-35 simulator here the other day. It really has a nice cockpit!</p>
<p>They bring one out every year for the Nellis Airshow (F-35 that is). It too is a cool fighter. I only fear they may be trying to hard to create a multi-role platform. Different versions for each service. Beauty of the F-22 is you know it is there to take control of the air space and deny everyone else. May not carry a lot of weapons, but when it can kill you from 100miles away doesn’t make much difference. The F-35 is going to have a lot on its plate. Again I think Bullet is far better to speak to this, but it is cool getting to see them all up close a personal at the Airshow and Exercises like Red Flag. You know it is that time when you hear all the jets leaving Nellis and flying over our house out to Indian Springs before the fun begins.</p>
<p>So, EAgle36, your dad knows Box o’ Rocks? (the pilot on the last shuttle and former F-15E guy. Saw him and Bueno (Mike Good) last year at our airshow. Great guys who worked their tails off to get where they are today. Yes, dreams do come true, they just have a better chance to come true if you work your fingers to the bone to ensure they come true. I sincerely hope you all get your dreams as well, just use their example for inspiration and guidance.</p>
<p>As to the F-35, DS has some good points. One of the programs I worked on at the Pentagon a few years back was the Joint review of the program. The program survived being cancelled by the skin of it’s teeth (program delays because of weight, so it was having a hard time meeting the Marines’ need for VSTOL. The AF had to promise to purchase a number of VSTOL versions to keep the program alive). However, we made too many promises to our allies who are also purchasing versions of the JSF to just cancel the program now. It’s the pressure from our allies like the Brits (who have mortgaged the farm to put the future of their Strike capability on this program’s shoulders) that is keeping this program from being delayed even more. </p>
<p>But it is an awesome bird as well! I envy you young cadets who will have the chance to fly either the F-22 or the F-35 during your career. I am too old and wear the wrong type of wings (but the lack of a WSO in the AF’s latest fighters is the topic for a different thread) to get the chance! I will say two things to all you future Raptor or Lightning jockies: </p>
<p>1) get good at XBox. What I mean is be able to absorb information from multiple sources at the same time (multi-tasking). And I don’t mean Guitar Hero! Shoot em up games like Halo, where you have mini “radars” on the bottom of the screen as well as other “sensors” and bits of information at various locations on your screen. The next generation of fighters were designed to incorporate HUUGE amounts of information and display all of it on a single screen to help pilots build Situational Awareness (SA) in an easier to use format than today (4 screens for me, with over 25 types of displays available for each! You see, I get to play XBox games at Mach 1, at 25,000 feet and under 4+ Gs!). But it is still a huuge amount of information, and the biggest hurdle for young aviators today when the first start out in the fighters today is getting profficient at effectively absorbing it all and using it to their advantage. </p>
<p>2) You get the chance to play in the game (flying the latest and greatest), you have to pay the price of admission. It will entail long days studying in the squadron vault (I see a Lt goofing off in the squadron or surfiin the net, I grab them by the ear, drag their butts to the couch in the vault, hand them the tactics manual, and task them to brief me in two hours on what they would do against a certian threat); hours each week practicing on the simulator and other training devices (or I sit their butts there and run a few attacks with them, with threats), being the one who is tasked for all the mission planning (with me over their shoulder teaching them), and generally working your tail off (THAT part never stops, from I-day or the first ROTC lab to the day of your fini-flight). It will also entail having to pay the piper at some point in your career by having to take a less-than-desirable assignment for a few years, such as Staff, ALO, or Predator jockey. (It is the rare and lucky individual who flies for all 20 years of a career. I know a few; but it’s less than 1 in 50). </p>
<p>But one day, you’ll be in the arming area at the end of the runway, ready to take-off and dispense America’s justice on some terrorists or other individuals who generally need a spankin’, and the arming crew will give you that final salute telling you the weapons are armed, and you’re good to go for your mission. You’ll smartly salute back, call Tower reporting “#1 for take-off”, get their clearance, and taxi onto the active. You’ll then punch in the burners, and feel feel the kick in the seat as they light. And as you rumble down the runway, you’ll feel the jet just want to jump into the air as you reach rotation speed.</p>
<p>And doesn’t all that make the price worth it?</p>
<p>On paying the price of admission Bullet couldn’t be more right. Those long hours will pay off. A friend “Blink” 16 driver and former Weapons School Commander impressed that on potter and some of her friends. He spoke to them about what the school does (Graduate Level Education), and how they take exceptional pilots and make them better. Buy getting into USAFA you are getting your chance. By studying hard and preparing yourself you are paying the cost of admission. The ride will be a dream.</p>