Just a little info about me and this blog. I'll add more as questions come up or I think something needs to be explained:
Who am I?
My name is Ben and I'm an Officer in the Air Force. I was born in Hawaii as an Air Force brat and grew up in various places, concluding in Indiana where I graduated from Purdue University and received my commission through AFROTC as an Aircraft Maintenance Officer. My first assignment was to Offutt AFB in Nebraska.
What is this blog all about?
I'm going to write this blog (hopefully on a regular basis) for two separate reasons: the first would be to keep my friends and family updated on what I'm up to throughout my training. The second is to document the process of the new RPA training pipeline the Air Force announced in June of 2010. I noticed that there are several blogs and websites dedicated to the process of UPT for pilot candidates that give a heads up of what to expect, and I was hoping to do the same for this new career field for those that get selected in the future.
How did I end up in this spot?
In October of 2009, I submitted a pilot application package after I came to the realization that the aircraft maintenance world within the Air Force just wasn't my cup of tea overall and I couldn't really see myself doing it for the next 20 years. The selection board came and went in January 2010 and nothing came of it for me. I subsequently deployed for my unit and started working towards my application package for the next year when I got an email asking if I wanted to be a part of this new RPA pilot training program the Air Force had just put together. Well, with the thought that this could be my only chance, I said yes. Not much info came to me after I said yes, so I didn't know if I was actually selected or I was just on some list somewhere as expressing interest. Next thing I know, I show up on my unit's loss roster with a date of December (this was in August) and I'm getting orders to Randolph AFB.
