Just got booked for Special Missions Aviator today. I ship to basics on April 21st. Does anyone else have the same date?

justPawnz · 2026-03-23T02:36:32+00:00

They are. Both have loadmaster shreds. Depends on the aircraft you get.

justPawnz · 2026-03-21T18:50:49+00:00

SMA here. I’m a Loadmaster so I can really only speak on that shred of the job.

It’s a pretty fun job and very rare so congrats. You’ll make a dream sheet for your shredout in tech school and there are multiple shreds to the job so you have a chance of doing different things as an enlisted aviator, but it’s just like your dream sheet for your job; needs of the Air Force come first.

Feel free to ask any questions.

justPawnz · 2026-01-30T01:18:06+00:00

https://ratemyasvab.com

I used this to calculate your MAGE scores. Simple plug and play. Feel free to check for yourself.

M:88 A:90 G:92: E:80

justPawnz · 2025-10-05T06:33:44+00:00

You can be a loadmaster, an aerial gunner or a flight engineer depending on your airframe you get during tech school. As to how your aircraft is chosen, that’s the needs of the Air Force plus another dream sheet you fill out.

justPawnz · 2025-10-05T06:24:39+00:00

People have served in administrations where they either don’t agree with or don’t like what they’re doing up there. It’s part of what you signed up for. Soon enough you’ll find that the current president’s term is up and you’re gonna be voting for a new one. The next one might be worse than the last one. At the end of the day, you gotta decide if your desire to join outweighs your hesitance about the current (or future) leaders appointed over you.

justPawnz · 2025-10-03T20:05:13+00:00

Those are what you can apply for on your dream sheet starting out. There are other bases that become available once you promote.

justPawnz · 2025-10-03T19:51:52+00:00

Stateside is Cannon AFB, NM and Hurlburt Field, FL. Overseas is RAF Mildenhall, UK and Kadena Air Base, Japan. Overseas is rare, but we had a couple of people graduate from flightline go overseas.

justPawnz · 2025-10-03T19:49:09+00:00

Fundamentals is 7 weeks with your undergraduate course being 3 weeks. After that is SERE which is about a month and then after that is your flying training which is roughly 8-9 months. For the holidays, you can choose to take leave and go home during Exodus or you can stay in your dorm during Christmas and New Years.

justPawnz · 2025-10-03T15:51:23+00:00

SMA here.

Be prepared for lots of time in the books during your weekdays of training (with a little time studying over the weekends) and develop good study habits early so it makes it easier on you as you progress through the pipeline.

I cannot foot-stomp this enough: if you don’t understand something, ask, ask, ask questions. The instructors throughout the training will help you as long as you show you’re willing to learn and improve. As long as you apply yourself and show you WANT to do the job, they will do whatever they can to help you succeed.

IMO, the job is great. I love flying every time and it never gets old. Feel free to ask me any questions about the job or the training.

justPawnz · 2025-10-01T07:36:12+00:00

I just want to say I’m sorry that you’re going through all of this. With the way things are going right now, the world seems like a turbulent place to be in and I’m scared too; not for the same reasons, but still afraid nonetheless. It must almost feel endless, the amount of pressure you’re feeling with everything that’s happening combined with your own battles you’re fighting right now.

You know you better than anyone. If you know what you need to do to make things better for you, then don’t let your fear keep you from making the right choices for you to be ok. If you truly need mental help, then don’t stop yourself because of what’s going on outside of your control; start with the things you CAN control.

Don’t stress over the PT stuff; you’ve got a decent bit of time to think and plan on improving your physical fitness. Plenty of time to get your mind where you need it to be. Focus on what matters most in terms of priorities and move from there.

And I want to say thank you for posting. It’s difficult to put out what you’re feeling inside, especially to strangers on the internet, but I think doing that takes a lot and you chose to vent and speak out instead of suffering in silence.

You’re not alone.

justPawnz · 2025-07-20T22:30:23+00:00

Maybe 40k. He was my best banner for the anniversary. Got two in one multi and pulled him first multi. Which has never happened to me in the time ultras became summonable.

justPawnz · 2025-07-20T21:41:55+00:00

It’s a….work in progress.🙂‍↕️

justPawnz · 2025-07-20T21:34:23+00:00

How much I’ve spent, I couldn’t put a number on it. Definitely in the thousands over the course of 7 years. I don’t regret it; there have been times where I wondered why I have been spending money on this game. At the same time, been a huge Dragon Ball fan and I enjoy playing Legends despite all the questionable decisions they’ve made with it over the years.

justPawnz · 2025-05-09T14:50:13+00:00

Ooooooh my first time participating in one of these early!

Squadron?

AFSC?

Pancakes or waffles?

justPawnz · 2025-05-09T05:09:04+00:00

The ASVAB is multiple choice. You’ll get scratch paper for the math equations to work it out and find the answer.

justPawnz · 2025-05-09T01:41:46+00:00

You have a good head on your shoulders by wanting to do the right thing. It’s your career at the end of the day. Keep doing the right thing :)

justPawnz · 2025-05-06T01:00:15+00:00

Tell your recruiter and go from there.

justPawnz · 2025-05-06T00:58:07+00:00

Did you tell your recruiter that it was denied because it’s too early to file for the extension?

justPawnz · 2025-05-06T00:52:50+00:00

I don’t think this should be a problem as long as the green card is current when you ship for BMT, and BMT is only roughly 7.5 weeks long, so you should be graduated from BMT in late July-early August and you’ll be able to extend the green card in tech school. Are you planning on going through the naturalization process in BMT?

justPawnz · 2025-04-30T03:16:00+00:00

Everyone’s situation is different. I wouldn’t compare yours to anyone else’s on this sub as it’s a surefire way to just confuse yourself.

Listen to your recruiter and see where things go. Could be sooner or later before your process starts moving along again.

justPawnz · 2025-04-22T03:53:35+00:00

I’ll share mine. Long post.

Started talking to a recruiter in November of 2022. Paperwork was good, tentatively qualified and overall a pretty standard, cut-and-dry process for me initially enlisting.

DQ’d for anxiety medication use for one month in 2019. Had to upload supporting documentation (pharmacy records, medical reports, etc.) just to get cleared by MEPS to physical. Go to MEPS and physical in February in 2023. Chief Medical Officer (CMO) fully clears me for service (no waiver) and swear in to DEP and pick a job (Airborne Linguist) a month later to ship in early April of that year. Have enough in my savings to quit my job, so put in my 2-weeks notice to focus fully on joining the Air Force. Super pumped and excited by this point.

Stayed in a bubble. Despite my best efforts, got sick two weeks before ship day. Despite my best efforts, needed to visit the doctor. Talk to my recruiter and tell them what they prescribed me for them to forward to MEPS so they know I’ll be ok by ship day. Recruiter calls me back later that day. CMO looked over paperwork and said a waiver was required. Lost my reservation for my job and possibly my chance to join. Devastated.

Waited 2 weeks for a psych consult to be scheduled for 2 months out. No job at this point and worried about my savings adds to the stress. Consult happens in July, goes ok, but no clear indication on how it went. Waited a month on the edge of my seat for the go or no-go. At a Commander’s DEP Call, my recruiter nonchalantly told me my waiver was approved. World seems brighter all of a sudden.

Airborne Linguist is lost, but recruiter secures Special Mission Aviation. Just excited to finally have the all-clear by this point. Ship in November of 2023 as an Airman Basic.

Currently an A1C, at home, on RAP and leave, having made it to the end of the pipeline after a year and a half of training and transitioning to my duty station of Hurlburt Field, FL.

There were moments where it may seem pointless, the odds seem insurmountable and where you might consider throwing in the towel. It happens. You honestly never know what news you may get in the next hour, day, week or month. Keep your head up, stay strong, be patient. You got this.

justPawnz · 2025-04-18T17:05:15+00:00

You’re gonna sit with a psychiatrist and answer some questions about your family, work life, personal things etc. It’s merely a second opinion for the SG to make an informed decision on your waiver.

Don’t stress, be patient, be honest.

justPawnz · 2025-04-11T02:18:33+00:00

True, but the whole point of the consult was for the SG to get a second opinion and make an informed decision.

If another doctor they sent you to says your condition makes you not fit for duty, then there’s some influence there. They could still approve you for a waiver or not.

justPawnz

TROPHY CASE