Hey ya'll I know this topic has been discussed many times before, but with the recent changes happening in the Combat Air Force I was wondering if anyone (especially current Active Duty guys/UPT IP's) had a different outlook on what's going to happen to today's fighter pilot.
First off a little bit about myself...
I just graduated college 8 months ago, commissioned through ROTC, and I am about to start UPT in a couple of weeks. I know everyone at the beginning of UPT says this, but it has always been my dream to be a fighter pilot. At the same time I've always wanted to eventually become an airline pilot. Before all the military guys jump on me for talking about the airlines so early in my military career let me make it clear that being the best officer and military pilot I can be right now is my number ONE priority. I could have easily gotten a job with the regionals out of college like many of my civilian friends did, but I didn't because I wanted to serve my country and be an Air Force Officer and Pilot more than anything.
Honestly I have no idea whether I am going to do 10 or 20 years. You really can't answer that question this early on. After talking to the higher ups it sounds like after your first 2 MWS Tours and your White Jet Tour you are probably going to get a staff job. To be honest I'm probably leaning more towards getting out at 10 if that is the case. I want to serve my country the best I can and be the best leader I can be, but I really have no desire to make rank and play the active duty political game that I keep hearing about.
Anyways like I said it has always been my dream to be a fighter pilot and if I do well enough in Phase I and II to be eligible for 38's I'd like to know if I should take that opportunity or not. You see with all this talk of taking fighter pilots out of the cockpit, sending them to UAV's and PC-12's, TAMI-21, and how today's fighter pilot will be lucky to get 1000 hours in a 20 year career I'm really starting to rethink whether 38's are a good route to take if you would like to have a career in aviation beyond the Air Force.
Everyone has always told me to follow my dreams and that you only have one shot at being a fighter pilot, but at the same time I'd still be MORE THAN HAPPY flying C-17's, KC-10's, KC-135's, C-130's, etc. I'm not that stud that would be totally devastated if I didn't get a 38. Yeah I'll always wonder what it would have been like, but it would never bother me and I'd be the best cargo/tanker pilot I could be.
Ultimately the best case scenario would be to fly fighters for 10 years, go guard/reserves, and then get picked up by the airlines which up until now sounded like a pretty common scenario. After reading a good deal of threads on this forum it sounds like many of you all have taken that route. Unfortunately it almost seems like that scenario is a thing of the past.
If that crystal ball told me that if I went fighters I would barely fly and would not be able to pursue a career in the airlines at the 10 or 20 year mark then I would most certainly put T-1's at the top of my list. Being a fighter pilot sounds great, but that only makes up 10 to 20 years of the typical 40 year pilot career. You still have a good 20-30 years of flying left in the civilian world after you do get out of the military so I don't know if it is worth it to fly a pointy jet if that's going to jeapordize those 20-30 years of civilian flying.
Anyways I'm hoping some of you retired guys, active duty guys, and IP's might be able to use your crystal ball and give me your honest opinion on what you think is going to happen to today's fighter pilot...
...Is today's fighter pilot really going to be taken out of the cockpit as much as everyone is talking about?
or
...Is all of this just a bunch of hype that will eventually phase out and things will go back to the way they used to be(basically just ride the wave)?
Well I appreciate any advice you all can give to a young LT trying to make up his mind about something that ultimately in the end will be decided by his IP's anyways.
Thanks!