Did the same thing on the USMC side. It kinda rocked. Corpus was way less fun than the first time around as a married 35 year old with a kid, but I was absolutely the most overpaid O-4 in the DON.Anecdotal side story… my buddy from my last squadron got picked up for a warfare transition (helos to jets) in his mid 30s, and at 17 years of service (prior E).
I couldn’t imagine going through flight school again at 17 years, especially if you have a spouse and kids
From my time as a flight instructor in CNATRA, it appeared that those with prior flight time had a significant advantage. Some of the computer based flight sims are definitely useful, and having some prior airsense with even rudimentary steps as taxiing around an airport and basic pattern work would be beneficial, an instrument rating is a step further. Best of luck.
Do you have an extra $30K to spend on a PPL and Instrument rating?
Or.. find an Air Force Reserve or USAF Air Guard unit flying a platform that you could see yourself in, apply with a bachelor's degree and Private Pilot Certificate . Assuming you are otherwise qualified and fit physically and emotionally you will likely find yourself with a solid military flying career opportunity. Pro tip, use online resources to identify units with critical pilot manning shortfall and a large amount of UPT slots. You would be promising a unit the next 8 years of your life and will need to reside locally. But a solid path that is well documented. Your investment in self funded flight training would pay off in this scenario.
