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and golf, i am interested in vehicle repair, but i just didnt want to be stuck on Humvees all day.
Nor should you. Air craft engines are much nicer to work on
As for college I did my 4 year degree on line. Not for everyone but you can do some online. You can do some at school. Almost all colleges offer online courses.
I only finished about 8 or 10 semester hours while in the service and that was in the evenings and on weekends. However, that was enough to kick me in the butt to go on and finish graduate school after I left the service after 4 years.
I would think crew chief jobs vary considerable between types of aircraft and bases but I have no real proof of that. For example, a crew chief or loadmaster on cargo aircraft serve as crew members and have to fly. My job as a stateside jet fighter crew chief was more of an 8 to 5 job except when something exceptional was happening like the return of the F100s from SE Asia. Then we worked 12 on and 12 off round the clock.
And too, every situation is different. When I first arrived on my first permanent party base from technical training, the new F111 had not yet arrived at our New Mexico base. When I wasn't farmed out to the F100 squadrons in temp assignments, I spent most of my time in day classes learning what the the F111 was all about. One summer things were really slow and I worked for Family Services as a life guard at the base pools. Every assignment is going to be different.
Ah so not much to time to get a bachelors while in, i would atleast like to try and become a pilot while in.
It depends on you assignment... It depends on where you are at. Getting the time to go to class is one thing, but having the classes you need when you are available is an issue for many. Have you heard of ? USAF Air University: Community College of the Air Force
I got my bachelor's degree while in the Army, even took classes at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in Munich Germany! It took me twelve years. I probably could have got it earlier if i had gotten off my butt and really tried harder. I guess I could say with a wife and two kids things were rough, etc etc...
My wife is a pilot. This is the plane she got her ticket in:
I am a pilot, we owned that Cessna for about 11 years, sold it in 1999. It was our last plane, except this was ours, completely, all paid for, not a club/partnership etc... I came close to getting my A&P license, was short about 30 classroom hours, but never completed that...
There is a lot of opportunities in the Military, some just float through, some take advantage of every opportunity... I was somewhere in the middle.
Very well written, none of it really helped though. I need some people to help me out with what the jobs are really like, and an average day for one of them. So far i only have a lot of info on crew chief.
Very well written, none of it really helped though. I need some people to help me out with what the jobs are really like, and an average day for one of them. So far i only have a lot of info on crew chief.
Unfortunately, Michaelangelo7, I'm also a Tactical Aircraft Maintenance guy, as well. As the above has said, your daily routine varies WIDELY depending what aircraft you work on (F-15, F-16, F-22, F-35 and A-10 are the aircraft in that AFSC) On any given base, you could work on the flightline where you'll launch, recover, service and repair the aircraft. You might work in Phase Inspection, where you perform in-depth aircraft inspections required after a certain number of flying hours or calendar time. You could work in a Support Section in a maintenance unit taking care of the tools and equipment that the folks on the flightline need. Off-duty education IS possible once you get your upgrade training to your 5-skill level. Some duty situations are more difficult to find time for it. But you can usually work something out.
I retired some 16 years ago so don't have current information. But many bases have a civilian contractor to do on base vehicle maintenance & operations. So check with your recruiter on that.
Michaelangelo7, I would've never chosen Tactical Aircraft Maintenance as my job. But I sure enjoyed it while I was in. And I truly worked with some great folks, both maintainers and pilots and wouldn't trade my experiences for anything!
Flight Engineer you have to cross train into. It's not a AFSC you can get into straight out of boot. You have to be prior, and the prefer to go after those who were in the maintenance AFSCs.
As some of the others have have already mentioned, if you go crew chief it all depends on where you end up. You could be working everything from 6am-4pm Mon-Fri, to panamas, weekends, etc. It all depends on the base you get and if you're backshop or flightline. That's something you wouldn't find out till after Tech school though. If you're going to go Aircraft Maintenance, Crew Chief is by far the most rewarding. The other Maintenance AFSCs are more of a support role.
As to Vehicle maintenance the Air Force doesn't have too many Humvees. You would primarily be working on Buses, Vans, and Cars. Just like everything the workload for that AFSC depends on the base you get. Our guys here at Charleston are pretty busy, but that's because were AMC.. (Mod explaination: "AMC" is the Air Mobility Command. AMC moves people and cargo worldwide and, as such, is a 24/7/365 operation as opposed to a fighter, training or other mission base that tends to have more of a Monday-Friday work week)
College like everything depends on your base. They try to be as flexible as they can be, but don't forget the needs of the Air Force always come first. Most of us tend to go the online route, it's just easier that way. But we have several who take 1-3 classes a week in person. Their not going to let you miss work for class though, you will have to schedule your classes for off duty hours. While also keeping in my mind your work schedule can change often, and with little notice.
If one of your main passions is flying, I'd say go with crew chief. You're only going to gain more knowledge in that area, that will benifit you down the road. As sluggo mentioned if you end up on Fighters you develop a deep bond with the Aircraft you're the chief for.
As for TACP washout rate is high, as I'm sure you know. So if you go that route you need to be 100% sure of yourself. I think now if you wash out they discharge you from the Air Force. Use to be they would reclass you into open general and it was luck of the draw what you got. Granted I'm not 100% sure on this though, so look into it more. Keep in my mind as well those AFSCs take a heavy toll on your body and family life. My brother-in-law is a PJ, same age as me and currently has all kinds of medical issues from the job. To the point he loves it and wants to stay at it, but knows for his own well being he can only do it so much longer.
Last edited by Crew Chief; 03-03-2013 at 06:49 PM..
Yeah the only problem though is even though my passion is flying as a crew chief i might not ever get the chance to upgrade.
and as for tacp if you washout you dont get discharged you get your backup jobs.
From the 6th CTS (JTAC training course schoolhouse) detachment: It depends on the classification and contract one has with the Air Force. Depending on the trainee's scores and education (ranking), a student JTAC that washes out may or may not be continued in the Air Force; he may be reclassified into another job, or be discharged.
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