Forum: Careers & Assignments

Hi everyone, I tried searching the forum to see if anyone had started a thread on this topic and couldnt find anything so... here goes.

I was wondering about the timeline for promotion through the Air Force. More specifically, what rank are you comissioned at during UPT, what rank are you when you get your wings, how long does it take to promote through captain, major, lt. col. etc.

Thanks!

P.S. - I know that pictures draw reads, so I included a picture of officer insignia for those who aren't familiar. Enjoy!

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The following timeline is approximate based on promotion board timings and whether ones gets promoted "below the zone"

2Lt - 2 years
1Lt - 2 years
Capt - 8 years
Maj - 4 years
Lt Col - 4 years
Col can last forever or no time at all if you make General

Thanks a lot Roscoe. This is a little off topic, but did you work for Lockheed as the Production Manager? I am finishing my MS at Stanford right now in Mechanical Engineering and looking at applying for a UPT slot with the guard or getting (dare I say) a job Sad

Sounds like a cool position if you were overseeing thr production of Vipers though.

Thanks again!

No, I was the USAF program manager buying them from Lockheed.

Yo Ho!

Let's refine Roscoe's timeline, shall we?

A year and a half to 1 Lt.

3-4 years total commissioned time to Capt.

About 10-11 years for Major. 15-16 years total to Light Colonel.

20- 21 years total to make full bird.

Fast burners will beat the Major, light colonel and full bull dates by many years, as with each fast promotion, they enter the eligibility for the next rank sooner.

As of now, you have to be a Brigadier by 30 years or you're out. Seems like it's about 26 years for a light colonel.

later,

Gums, you're dating yourself I am afraid. My timeline is accurate for the current rules (I just retired 1 May).

My dates (And all my promotions were on time):
29 Aug 84 - Commission 2lt
29 Aug 86 - 1lt
29 Aug 88 - Capt
1 July 96 - Maj (11 yr 10 mon)
1 Feb 2001 - Lt Col (15 1/2 years)
2005 - would have met first Col board had I not retired

PS - USAF eliminated all early promotions to Major in about 1999.

thanks for the info Roscoe... thats pretty much what I wanted to know. Im hoping to get a UPT slot next year and was wondering how long it would take me to get to Captain. (I want to apply to the astronaut corps and I heard that you need at least captain before you try).

Thanks a lot!

Let me tell you about astronaut (I've been through much of the process and several of my close friends were selected.) The following is off the cuff...I would go to the appropriate web resources to get the details accurate. Also note that the following are generalities, and as the old saying goes, "all generalities are false, including this one."

There are two paths as a pilot you can get there.

If you just want to be an astronaut and don't feel compelled to be a shuttle pilot/commander, then you can get there from the operational flying world. Several line flyers have been selected to be Mission Specialists. But you need to be near the best at everything you do, and have interesting hobbies (i.e. have a life!). NASA doesn't want workaholics or stay-at-homes. They want folks with a variety of interests which essentially indicates curiosity. Advanced and/or technical degrees help if you can find the means and/or the time. Don't expect to be competitive until you are a senior Capt or a Major (10-12 years).

If you want to be a Shuttle Pilot, you almost have to be a test pilot (It used to be mandatory to be a graduate of a military test pilot school - I'm sure there is an example of a non-test-pilot being selected as a NASA pilot, but I can't think of one at the moment). To be a test pilot you need a technical degree (engineering. mathematics or a science degree of some type) of some type and be identified by your leadership as a good stick. Contrary to myth, today's test pilots are not necessarily the best stick and rudder types around but they certainly very good. What they are are smart (technically), disciplined (sticking to rigid test procedures, maintaining very precise flight conditions that are very often tedious), work well with others, and most of them leave their ego's at the door. Most pilots enter Test Pilot School at or about the 8-10 year point. Of those that get selected, most get picked up in the first three years after TPS...otherwise you're probably too old.

All that said, folks get picked up all the time whose first thought was "Me, are you kidding?"

First recommendation would be go the NASA web page where the Astronaut bios are kept and start reading.

Second recommendation is to find what you want to do and be good at that and enjoy that. DON'T pick an entire career on a dream that is quite frankly difficult to reach. You don't want get old and feel like you wasted your life filling square rather than doing something you truly enjoyed.

Good Luck!

Thanks again Roscoe. I have been looking into the astronaut selection process for about 4 years now. I am 22 and just finishing my MS at Stanford University in Engineering. I got my private pilot's license about a year ago and my life has changed as a result.

My reasons for wanting to join the guard are these: Service to country, the absolute joy and challenge of flying, and as a strategic career move to enhance my application for NASA. I am applying for a UPT slot in a location that would allow me to continue my studies at an accredited institution as well as fill squares. While I am sure that there will be some intermediate challenges off the bat, I am dedicated and highly motivated to overcome these and succeed. My current situation is one where my academic credit is complete to the level that earning my PhD requires the completion of a dissertation and defense of my thesis; both of which can be done in addition to flying with the guard. Even if deployment with my unit is required, my particular field of study can be put on the shelf for a few months when duty calls.

I appreciate your comments and I value any advice I can get from people who have been where I am now and share the same dreams and aspirations as I do. Hopefully someday I'll post some pictures from space, the moon or Mars, but for now I'm looking forward to strapping on a viper and getting through school. Very Happy

~Mix

P.S. - After 15 consecutive years of school, Im ready for a little break and UPT/SUPT sounds like a BLAST!

Forum: Careers & Assignments

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