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TPN Podcast

Episode #41 – BogiDope is helping to navigate the stressful process of transitioning from the active duty to the Guard or Reserves

Reach out to John McFarlin and the BogiDope team:

Reach out to Matt and Adam:

heyguys@thepilotnetwork.org or the website: www.thepilotnetwork.org

Do you want to be an Air Force pilot?  Do you want control over what you fly, where you live, and how often you work before you ever swear in?  Seem too good to be true?  Well, it’s not if you can earn a slot in the Air National Guard or Air Force Reserve.  They know because they went through it themselves!

At BogiDope, they’re passionate about guiding current and prospective military aviators through the ultra-competitive Guard/Reserve application process.  They want to understand your personal goals to better prepare you to seize a career opportunity that could forever change your life. They offer a variety of tools and content that allow you to stay informed and ready for your next big move.

BogiDope is a veteran owned and operated consulting company dedicated to assisting current and future military pilots discover where that next career target of opportunity may be.   Their passion is providing educated and actionable guidance to help each member achieve his or her aviation career goals.  BogiDope was created after struggling to find a consolidated source of reliable information while navigating their own aviation careers in the active duty, Air National Guard (ANG), and airlines.

They are committed to providing the most up-to-date and relevant data through the use of detailed articles, hiring information, squadron contacts, and much more.  For newer pilots, they focus on how to earn a coveted Undergraduate Pilot Training slot in the Air Force, ANG or Air Force Reserve (AFR).  For those already in the military, they provide guidance through the stressful decision and subsequent act of transitioning from the active duty to the ANG, AFR, or airline industry.

With decades of combined military aviation experience in both the active duty and ANG, plus careers at some of the largest airlines in the world, the BogiDope team has the experience, knowledge, and passion to help others achieve their aviation dreams, just as they have.  Their diverse experiences in Officer Training School, United States Air Force Academy, ANG hiring processes, Undergraduate Pilot Training, 2000+ instructor hours in fighters and heavies, Air Force Weapons School and airline training bring credibility to the aviation consulting industry.

Ultimately, BogiDope believes that providing access to critical information and engaging in important conversations, they’re changing the process by which our members’ aviation careers takeoff!

What does “BogiDope” mean? Imagine merging with an enemy aircraft in aerial combat.  You just passed nose to nose within 500 feet at over 1,000 knots and now you must outmaneuver your opponent in the fight of your life!  The adrenaline rush has made you hyper-focused and time seems to slow down as you see a missile leave your jet and fly to its intended target.  The ensuing explosion confirms your first aerial victory, but there’s no time to celebrate.  There are other targets close by, but you were so focused on that one, your situational awareness (SA) of the bigger battle space and the locations of those other targets is very low.  If you are unable to regain that SA quickly, opportunities will be missed.  So, how can you reacquire that SA as quickly as possible?

“Bogey dope!”  For tactical aviators, bogey dope is the phrase used to request direction from a controller to the next airborne target during periods of decreased SA.  Much like losing SA on the larger battle space during aerial combat, the majority of pilots do not have a full understanding of the career targets that may be surrounding them.  So, with the desire to provide targeted career guidance and putting a spin on that tactical communication tool, BogiDope was born.