Originally Posted by
bubblemonkey
I have two years of college left and I am in the process of getting my PPL. I spoke with a USAF recruiter and was told that having a PPL will make me a much more attractive candidate to fly.
Bubble-
You've gotten advice that is a little scattered accross the board.
1) Listen to the recruiter... a PPL WILL make you more competitive for a pilot slot. If flying in the USAF is your goal... do everything you can to make yourself more competitive. Anything more than a PPL is overkill.
2) Once you get into pilot training.... don't tell anyone that you have a ticket... never say "Back when I flew xxx, we did it this way". Keep your mouth shut and learn how to fly the USAF way and you'll be much better off.
3) It is true that having flight experience will help give you a slight advantage through Solo... after that everyone is esseintailly equal.
4) The USAF has gone back and forth on the Flight Screening Program... for a very long time you would go through solo and then into a commisioning program... then after the Slingsby Firefly disaster they started doing that at civilian flight schools... even paying for the PPL. The Flight Screening Program is going back towards what it used to be... in Diamond DA-20's in Pueblo, CO. A PPL now will make you more compeitive... do it and realize what you are doing it for.
Good luck,