How to Fill Out and Submit AETC Form 29B: Travel Risk Assessment

AETC Form 29B is the pre-departure travel risk assessment that Air Education and Training Command personnel complete before off-duty trips beyond the local area, and to submit it you fill in your identification, itinerary, vehicle details, and risk factors, then route it to your supervisor or Military Training Leader for approval before you leave. One thing to confirm before you download anything: many AETC installations have transitioned to AF Form 4392, which officially replaces Form 29B for the same purpose.¹ Ask your MTL or supervisor which version your unit is using right now.

When You Need to File One

The requirement kicks in when your off-duty travel exceeds a distance set by your wing or detachment commander, and thresholds are not uniform across AETC. One AETC training detachment sets the trigger at 100 miles from the installation for prior-service students and uses progression-level-based distance limits for non-prior-service students.² Your local policy letter has the exact radius.

Students in initial skills training or technical school face tighter restrictions than permanent party. Non-prior-service Airmen in early training phases may be restricted to the installation during the duty week and limited to the local area on weekends, with privileges expanding as they progress through phases.² Overnight stays, holiday weekends, and leave periods generally trigger the requirement even inside your normal radius.

DAFI 36-3003 directs members on leave or non-duty status to use risk management principles from DAFI 90-802 before any significant travel, and specifically notes that fatigue or poor road conditions may warrant changing your plans.³

Where to Get the Form

The current version is on the Air Force e-Publishing website at www.e-publishing.af.mil.⁴ Search for “AETC Form 29B,” or “AF Form 4392” if your unit has switched. Orderly rooms, Military Training Flight offices, and unit shared drives usually keep blank copies too.

Your unit may also require a TRiPS (Travel Risk Planning System) assessment online. TRiPS is a web-based tool at trips.safety.army.mil/airforce that walks you through questions about your route, vehicle, fatigue, and driving experience, then produces a risk score.⁵ Air Force Instruction 91-207 encourages TRiPS for travel risk management but does not mandate it as a replacement for the paper form.⁶ In practice, many supervisors want both: a completed TRiPS printout attached to the paper form. Ask before you assume one covers the other.

How to Fill It Out

The form collects information in three areas: personal identification, travel itinerary and vehicle, and risk assessment. Gather everything before you sit down so you do not stall the approval.

Personal and Contact Information

The top section asks for your full name, rank, unit, and duty phone. You provide an emergency contact who is not traveling with you, with their name and phone number. Students may also need to list their MTL’s name and contact information.

Travel Itinerary and Vehicle

List your departure date and time, destination address, planned route, and estimated arrival. Include stops along the way and your return date and time. Be specific. Vague entries like “the Dallas area” slow approval because your supervisor cannot assess the actual distance and conditions.

For the vehicle, provide year, make, model, color, and license plate. If you are a passenger, list the driver’s name and vehicle information. The form includes a safety inspection checklist prompting you to verify tire condition and pressure; oil, coolant, brake fluid, and washer fluid levels; and the working status of headlights, taillights, brake lights, turn signals, and wipers. AFI 91-207 requires private motor vehicles operated on Air Force installations to meet applicable safety requirements, and your supervisor will expect the same for your travel vehicle.⁶

Risk Assessment

This is where most people rush and where supervisors look hardest. Document the following:

Weather conditions along the entire route, not just the endpoints. Note expected severe weather, heavy rain, snow, or ice.
Fatigue: hours of sleep the night before and planned rest stops. AFI 91-207 calls out operator fatigue as a risk factor commanders, supervisors, and all personnel must address through risk management.⁶
Driving distance and time. Trips over eight hours in a single stretch are red flags for fatigue.
Confirmation that you will not drive under the influence of alcohol or any medication that impairs alertness.

Fill the risk factors in honestly. False information on an official military document can be charged under Article 107 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice.⁷

Submitting for Approval

Give the completed form to your immediate supervisor or MTL. Timelines vary. One AETC training detachment requires prior-service students to submit at least 24 hours before departure, while non-prior-service students must submit by a specific time two Wednesdays before the intended travel date.² Your unit’s policy letter has the exact deadline. Last-minute submissions are the most common reason forms get returned or travel gets denied.

Your supervisor reviews the risk factors and approves, requests changes, or escalates. For students, routing typically goes from the MTL through the Military Training Flight Chief to the detachment or squadron commander for final approval.² Permanent party members usually only need a direct supervisor’s signature.

If your trip involves approved leave, you still need a separate leave request through LeaveWeb or AF Form 988. The travel risk assessment does not replace a leave authorization.³

Keep a copy of the approved form with you while traveling. If your plans change significantly after approval, extending your stay, changing destination, or switching vehicles, contact your supervisor and update the form. Driving to a different state than the one you documented defeats the accountability purpose.

If Your Trip Includes a High-Risk Activity

Trips involving activities like skydiving, scuba diving, bungee jumping, or rock climbing may require a separate High-Risk Activities Worksheet on top of the travel risk assessment. That worksheet asks you to list the specific activity, how often you participate, your prior experience, any specialized training completed, and the exact location.⁸

The commander conducts a briefing on hazards, required safety equipment, and preconditions such as medical screening. If a commander determines you lack the experience or training to participate safely and the activity poses a threat to the mission, they can prohibit you from doing it.⁸ Both you and the commander sign the worksheet, and the commander marks it approved or disapproved.

What Happens If You Skip It

Traveling without a required risk assessment is a violation of a lawful order or regulation under Article 92 of the UCMJ. The maximum punishment for violating a lawful general order or regulation is a dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and confinement for two years.⁹ Most first-time violations draw administrative action rather than a court-martial: Letters of Counseling, Letters of Reprimand, or non-judicial punishment under Article 15. Those still land in your record and can affect promotions, assignments, and reenlistment.

Commanders can also disapprove future leave requests due to military necessity or in the best interest of the Air Force.³ An Airman who skipped the process once may find the next leave request gets extra scrutiny or a shorter leash on distance. The form takes about ten minutes.

1
Naval Postgraduate School. US Air Force Element – Current Students
2
Department of the Air Force. 336 TRS Detachment 2 Leave Travel Policy
3
Department of the Air Force. DAFI 36-3003 – Military Leave Program
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Air Force E-Publishing. Air Force E-Publishing
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TRiPS Air Force. Travel Risk Planning System
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Department of the Air Force. Air Force Instruction 91-207 – Traffic Safety Program
7
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 907 – Art. 107. False Official Statements; False Swearing
8
86th Force Support Squadron. High-Risk Activities Safety Guide
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 10 USC 892 – Art. 92. Failure to Obey Order or Regulation