tar or full time support

[originalbigjim]

does anyone know anything about getting a commission and being a tar or in the reserve doing full time support? If it is possible would the advancement be slower or faster and would this be much harder to get into?

 

[dustydog]

What exactly do you want to know? As an FTS officer you have to apply to a bi-annual board and request redesignation to the program, you get a 7 at the end of your designator. You cannot be commissioned directly as an FTS officer however you can enlist as an FTS. Promotion is actually better through O-4 for Reserve Component vs Active Component. After that the AC has better promotion rates. There are only a 1200 or so FTS officers, I can't remember the number off the top of my head, and it quickly gets narrow at the top. FTS are reserve management gurus whose job is to ensure that the SelRes are trained and ready to be mobilized but FTS also get mobilized. You better have a strong desire to learn reserve personnel management if you want to be an FTS. The advantages are, and this is from an pilot perspective, you get to fly stuff that the AC doesn't have. I transitioned to VR FTS after being an HS guy and a T-34 IP. It was the only way I was every going to fly C-40's. There is a lot to cover on this subject so ask specific questions if you have any.

 

[originalbigjim]

i just wanted to know if you could be commissioned directly to fts, but the added info is helpful, also are there advantages to being fts? thanks

 

[ojt23]

FTS Commission

Unfortuntely, you have to fulfill your first obligation (8 years) as a Pilot before applying to FTS. No way around this.