Originally Posted by
John Carr
Well, there is/was a TON of those pilots that thought they could get an OTS even before the CPP/AVIATE happened and simply didn't. Can't tell you how many I know that conform/conformed to that. Even more interesting was, a very qualified candidate (LCA, IP, volunteer, what have you) that has a completed/reviewed app was hearing crickets. Gets their CPP and passes/into the pool. Technically, if it's as easy as you presume, they would have been emailed/interviewed OTS before their CPP and been much more senior than when they went via CPP.
I don't think it's easier getting hired OTS. Actually the opposite. If I were a young guy starting out in aviation with a goal of flying for a legacy and not joining the military, I'd certainly do Aviate unless I was naturally inclined to do all of the other things that you have to do to be competitive.