Actually, the Air Force does value some civil flight time. When I went through, the goal was for everyone to have a PPL before they went to UPT. If you couldn't get it within the 60 or so hours the Air Force was willing to pay for, you were disqualified and gave up your UPT slot. As I understand it now, the Air Force has gone back to a somewhat more formal 40 hr (?) flight screening program. Everyone gets 40 hrs with an AF approved cvilian instructor, and if he/she thinks you won't hack it, they can recommend that you not go to UPT. I'd assume that having a PPL before hand would help you through the flight screening process, but Shack is right when it comes to UPT. They will start you from the ground up, and you will have to learn to do it the Air Force way. The key is to stay flexible and suck it up and play the game when you have to.